Install and configure a Direct Connect hub
The exact steps differ per software, but the core setup is similar everywhere. After installing, you configure how the hub is reached and how it presents itself.
Core configuration
- Ports and reachability: open the hub's port on your firewall or router, or run it on a server with a public IP.
- Hub name, address, and description: the name and topic users see, and the address (hostname or IP, with a protocol scheme like
adc://ordchub://). - Limits: maximum users, and a minimum share if you want one.
- Admin account: set a strong password for the owner or admin login.
Guides
Setup guides for specific hub software. Coming soon.
Run the hub encrypted: ADCS for ADC, NMDCS for NMDC. Without TLS the connection between users and the hub is plaintext, so anyone who can watch the network path (an ISP, a network or Wi-Fi operator, someone on the same network) can read chat, search queries, and credentials sent to the hub, and tampering is easier. TLS protects that connection from outsiders. It does not hide a user's IP from peers, and you as the operator still see hub chat and searches. Keep the software updated, use a firewall, and pick a strong admin password.
Specifics vary, so check your software's own documentation for the exact settings.