Connect to PSO2 with JP Amazon EC2, Free(12mo) & Private SSH Tunnel and IP!
So here we are again, with another method to connect to the PSO2 JP Servers but this time it's free and private with your own IP! (for 12 months, after its $0.012 USD per active hour)
You should not be worried about getting banned unless SEGA decides to ban the whole AWS Datacenter.
This method utilizes setting up your own SOCKS5 proxy by SSH tunneling into an Amazon EC2 Instance located in Tokyo.
Whats benifical about this, it can be your own personal free and private Japan Proxy (for 12 months at least),
this is due to each instance having a unique Public IP associated with it.
A word of caution, the Amazon terms of use prohbits open proxies, but this method is using an instance as a private proxy. Please do not share your key file.
Requirements:
Requirements to set up an AWS Account:
1) Credit Card (Don't worry it won't be charged until after 12 months when the free tier ends or the instance is overused)
2) Phone for Verification (Step 3 of setting up an AWS requires a valid phone number to be called) (Robo Caller w/ Pin)
Now you are on the review screen just click on launch on the bottom.
You will now be asked to create a key-pair for your instance. This part is important as you will need the .pem file downloaded to create a key to login to your Amazon Instance.
You will now be on a confirmation page which shows that your instance has launched successfully, just click on view instances in the bottom right.
On the instances screen you should see your AWS EC2 instance up and running, make sure you keep note of your public IP address or your Public DNS as you will need it for PuTTY to log into your instance.
Now that you have your key loaded into PuTTYgen you can now generate the .ppk required for putty. In addition you can set a passphrase for your key, basically setting a password in-addition to the key in order to log into your Instance.
Everytime you want to play PSO2 you will need to open PuTTY and login to your EC2 Instance so remember to save your session settings and load them whenever you want to play.
You are good to go and ready to sign into the game!
Step 6: Logging Into PSO2
Logging into PSO2 will be just like normal but you must have ProxyCap Enabled when starting up your Tweaker/Launcher.
Once you have reached the character select screen you can disable ProxyCap and enter into the world.
Congrats, if you have had no issues you should be able to play!
F.A.Q:
Q: I thought this was free why did Amazon charge $1?
A: The 1$ charge is a common verification method used to determine that the card is valid upon entry, it'll eventually drop off your account and you'll get the dollar back.
Q: Overage Charges? And what happens after the free year:
A: Amazon's free tier allows for 750 hours (31.25 days) of t2.micro instance usage per month. So running 1 instance for an entire year will be free, running 2 instances will cause you starting to need to pay around the 15-16th of every month that year until the new month begins. Each t2.micro instance is normally $0.012 cents an hour which comes around to 9$ a month. However by stopping an instance(not Terminated) in the AWS console and then starting it later, you can effectively pay on an hourly basis. So if you put in 100 hours of PSO2 a month it'll come around $1.20 per month.
Q:You can cancel the service, right? (From: Shinamori)
Yes, when you are logged into the management console you can click on your name, go to My Account, click on Account Settings and when you scroll down close account should be there. But by terminating an instance you shut down that instance for good and will not be charged anymore (if still running after a year)
Thanks to GHNeko for the following Questions:
Q:How much safer/risk-free is this compared to PZ's Tunneling or generic VPN?
A:It's much safer than your generic free VPN but it should be on par with a paid private VPN
It should be on par with with PZ's tunneling because PZ actually uses PuTTY in the back (hence the PuTTY errors now and again) however, with this you are running your own instance with your own IP and is not shared with anyone unlike possibly with PZ.
Q:Can This work with PSO2 on Vita via Ad hoc or something?
A:I don't have Vita myself to test with but if the Vita supports Socks5 you could connect to the Windows box hosting the PuTTY. ex 192.168.1.100:13337
Q:Can I leave ProxyCap enabled?
A: I would not recommend leaving it enabled because your connection to the game server would be going to the proxy as well which may cause lag. The reason ProxyCap is disabled after login in is so the connection to the Login/Auth server is maintained through the proxy while new connections to the game server go with your regular connection to reduce lag. If you can login with ProxyCap enabled but cannot enter the world server with it disabled, leave it on.
Q:What alternative Proxy programs would you recommend?
Proxifier and ProxyCap have been confirmed to work, but you're free to try any proxy program of your choice and if it works let me know and I'll add it to this guide!
Q:Windows/Mac/Linux?
A:Mainly Windows, Linux: http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/ssh-tunneling-poor-techies-vpn, Mac: If you can find a way to SSH tunnel and Proxy Client on MAC it may work.
Q:Can I update PSO2 via Tweaker with this?
A:Yes, once the download has started you can disable ProxyCap then restart the tweaker to use your regular connection.
Q:You said public IP, does that mean the IP I'll get is dynamic?
A: By Public IP, it is the IP Address that external connections can reach to the server and would be the IP Address that SEGA would see as well. The IP Address should be static to your instance so long as it is running.
Q:Can I share this with my boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/family/etc as long as it's less than like 3 people or will they have to set up their own instance?
A: If it is within the same household definitely (other machines wouldn't even need to use PuTTY just set ProxyCap to the PuTTY machine's LAN IP and set an exception on the firewall, you could do as much as you like but I do not know how strict SEGA is when it comes to multiple accounts coming from the same IP.
Q:Can I run the instance from different networks (i.e. from Home, then from School, then From Work, then from Public Wifi, then from Friends, etc etc.)
A:Yes, but I would advise against running it from multiple locations concurrently.
Jul 1, 2014, 04:43 PM
nanamin
You have made my day! This was exactly what I was thinking, you made it true. ^_^
I'll give it a try when I have time, and report back.
Jul 1, 2014, 04:43 PM
GHNeko
I'll ask the inevitable question(s) to jumpstart your FAQ if you havnt already thought of these questions.
How much safer/risk-free is this compared to PZ's Tunneling or generic VPN?
Can This work with PSO2 on Vita via Ad hoc or something?
Can I leave ProxyCap enabled?
What alternative Proxy programs would you recommend?
Windows/Mac/Linux?
Can I update PSO2 via Tweaker with this?
You said public IP, does that mean the IP I'll get is dynamic?
Can I share this with my boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/family/etc as long as it's less than like 3 people or will they have to set up their own instance?
Can I run the instance from different networks (i.e. from Home, then from School, then From Work, then from Public Wifi, then from Friends, etc etc.)
All I can think off of the top of my head.
Jul 1, 2014, 04:46 PM
nanamin
I think the chances of SEGA banning a service of Amazon is a lot lower than PZ. Just my 2yen
Jul 1, 2014, 04:46 PM
Gama
dont have a credit card, so im pretty much fucked. :p
