Can't connect to my server when I put in my IP in Java

Question

Okay so I'm trying to learn Java client/server stuff, and am going through the tutorial code as follows. When I change "localhost" to my ip it stops working though. Please help.

Edit: "127.0.0.1" seems to work too, but not my real IP.

/*
 * Copyright (c) 1995 - 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
 *
 * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
 * are met:
 *
 *   - Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
 *     notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 *
 *   - Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 *     notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 *     documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
 *
 *   - Neither the name of Sun Microsystems nor the names of its
 *     contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
 *     from this software without specific prior written permission.
 *
 * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS
 * IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 * THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
 * PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR
 * CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
 * EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 * PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
 * PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
 * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
 * NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
 * SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 */ 

import java.net.*;
import java.io.*;

public class KnockKnockServer {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        ServerSocket serverSocket = null;
        try {
            serverSocket = new ServerSocket(4444);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.err.println("Could not listen on port: 4444.");
            System.exit(1);
        }

        Socket clientSocket = null;
        try {
            clientSocket = serverSocket.accept();
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.err.println("Accept failed.");
            System.exit(1);
        }

        PrintWriter out = new PrintWriter(clientSocket.getOutputStream(), true);
        BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(
       new InputStreamReader(
       clientSocket.getInputStream()));
        String inputLine, outputLine;
        KnockKnockProtocol kkp = new KnockKnockProtocol();

        outputLine = kkp.processInput(null);
        out.println(outputLine);

        while ((inputLine = in.readLine()) != null) {
             outputLine = kkp.processInput(inputLine);
             out.println(outputLine);
             if (outputLine.equals("Bye."))
                break;
        }
        out.close();
        in.close();
        clientSocket.close();
        serverSocket.close();
    }
}


/*
 * Copyright (c) 1995 - 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
 *
 * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
 * are met:
 *
 *   - Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
 *     notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 *
 *   - Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 *     notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 *     documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
 *
 *   - Neither the name of Sun Microsystems nor the names of its
 *     contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
 *     from this software without specific prior written permission.
 *
 * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS
 * IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 * THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
 * PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR
 * CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
 * EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 * PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
 * PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
 * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
 * NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
 * SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 */ 

import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;

public class KnockKnockClient {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

        Socket kkSocket = null;
        PrintWriter out = null;
        BufferedReader in = null;

        try {
            kkSocket = new Socket("localhost", 4444);
            out = new PrintWriter(kkSocket.getOutputStream(), true);
            in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(kkSocket.getInputStream()));
        } catch (UnknownHostException e) {
            System.err.println("Don't know about host: taranis.");
            System.exit(1);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.err.println("Couldn't get I/O for the connection to: taranis.");
            System.exit(1);
        }

        BufferedReader stdIn = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        String fromServer;
        String fromUser;

        while ((fromServer = in.readLine()) != null) {
            System.out.println("Server: " + fromServer);
            if (fromServer.equals("Bye."))
                break;

            fromUser = stdIn.readLine();
        if (fromUser != null) {
                System.out.println("Client: " + fromUser);
                out.println(fromUser);
        }
        }

        out.close();
        in.close();
        stdIn.close();
        kkSocket.close();
    }
}

This is the error I'm getting.

java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect
    at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.socketConnect(Native Method)
    at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.doConnect(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connectToAddress(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.SocksSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.Socket.connect(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.Socket.connect(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.Socket.<init>(Unknown Source)
    at java.net.Socket.<init>(Unknown Source)
    at KnockKnockClient.main(KnockKnockClient.java:43)

Answer 1

This will require wild guesses, but let's see. If you are running this in Windows 7, note that your "localhost" name may be bound to your computer's IPV6 address instead of IPV4. The fact that you can still access it using 127.0.0.1 points to that.

See this question here.

I should add: try "ping localhost" to find out what IP address it's bound to. And, if you can, pass "0.0.0.0" as the adapter to bind to in the server program, that will force it to IPV4.

Answer 2

You should also check your computer's firewall settings. It might let localhost traffic through but block the other IPs

Answer 3

There are possibly a couple of things going on here:

1. Most probable, Your ServerSocket gets bound to a local IP address (e.g. 0.0.0.0) and ServerSocket binds to the port address there; and wouldn't respond to any requests coming from an IP address. Try new ServerSocket(4444, 50, InetAddress.getByAddress(new byte[] { YOU IP ADDRESS }).

2. You could have a firewall blocking requests and such.