How to Set Up a Public Ventrilo Server

If you know a public Ventrilo server's address, you can "connect and talk."

Ventrilo is a voice-over-Internet protocol program. Users download and install the Ventrilo client on their computers and connect to a Ventrilo server. When they press their push-to-talk button and speak into the microphone, their voice is sent to the Ventrilo server and then to other connected Ventrilo clients. Ventrilo servers can be private and password-protected or may have user accounts. However, Ventrilo servers also can be public, meaning anyone who knows the address of the server is allowed to connect without need of an account or password.

Instructions

1. Download the Ventrilo server installer for your operating system (see resources).

2. Install the Ventrilo server software on Windows by double-clicking the downloaded file and following the instructions on your computer monitor's screen.

3. Open the Ventrilo server configuration file in Notepad by clicking "Start," "All Programs," "VentSrv" and "Edit INI File."

4. Type a name for your public Ventrilo server after "Name=" in the configuration file. For example, name your Ventrilo server "Server" by typing "Name=Server."

5. Allow anyone to connect to your Ventrilo server by typing "0" after "Auth=" in the configuration file so that it reads like "Auth=0."

   The "0" disables authentication, the "1" requires a single global password for connecting and "2" requires per-user passwords.

6. Type an administrator password for your Ventrilo server by typing it after "AdminPassword=." For example, set the password to "password" by typing "AdminPassword=password." Leave the space after "AdminPassword=" blank to disable remote administrator access; only users at the Ventrilo server computer will be able to administer it.

7. Save the Ventrilo server configuration file by clicking "File" and "Save" in the Notepad window.

8. Forward port 3784 to your Ventrilo server's computer if the server is behind a router. Consult your router's documentation for instructions; routers from different manufacturers use different processes.

9. Start the public Ventrilo server by clicking "Start," "All Programs," "VentSrv" and "Ventrilo Server."

Tips & Warnings

• Gain administrator access to your Ventrilo server in the Ventrilo client (if you configured an administrator password) by right-clicking in the Ventrilo client window, clicking "Server Admin," clicking "Login," typing your password and pressing "Enter."

References

• Ventrilo: Setup

Resources

• Ventrilo: Download