Hello Bohemia Interactive Team,

I would like to suggest adding Steam Datagram Relay (SDR) support for dedicated DayZ servers as a native networking option.

Currently, hosting a dedicated DayZ server for external players can require extensive network configuration, including port forwarding, firewall rules, NAT configuration, and ensuring that the server is correctly reachable and visible to players outside the host network.

Adding support for Steam Datagram Relay could significantly simplify this process and improve connectivity for dedicated server administrators and players.

### Why SDR support would be beneficial

Steam Datagram Relay can provide several advantages for dedicated DayZ servers:

* Improved connectivity through NAT and restrictive networks

Players and servers behind certain NAT configurations or restrictive networks could potentially establish connections without requiring extensive manual port forwarding.

* Reduced dependency on direct public inbound connections

Server administrators would have fewer networking requirements to configure manually, making dedicated server hosting more accessible.

* Improved routing

Steam can use its relay infrastructure to route traffic through suitable network paths, which may help avoid problematic routing between certain ISPs or regions.

* Better reliability for international players

Relay-based routing could potentially improve connection stability for players connecting from different countries or through networks with poor direct routing.

* Protection of the server's public IP address

Depending on the implementation, relay-based connections can reduce the need for clients to directly connect to the server's public IP, providing an additional layer of network privacy and potentially reducing exposure to unwanted traffic.

* Simplified server hosting

Administrators would have fewer networking variables to troubleshoot. This could be particularly useful for community servers hosted on home connections, virtual servers, or networks where administrators do not have full control over NAT/firewall configuration.

* Potentially easier deployment in modern hosting environments

Many hosting environments use restrictive networking, cloud firewalls, CGNAT, or other configurations where traditional dedicated-server networking can be difficult to configure correctly.

### Suggested functionality

Ideally, dedicated DayZ servers could have an option in the server configuration to enable Steam Datagram Relay, for example:

networkTransport = SDR

or another appropriate configuration option determined by the DayZ server implementation.

The server could then register itself through Steam's infrastructure and allow eligible clients to connect through SDR when a direct connection is unavailable or undesirable.

A fallback mechanism could also be considered, where the server uses direct UDP connectivity when available and SDR when necessary.

### Why this would be especially useful for DayZ

DayZ has a large community of privately hosted dedicated servers. Making server networking easier and more reliable would lower the technical barrier for community administrators while potentially improving the experience for players.

It could also help address situations where a server is running correctly but cannot reliably communicate with external clients because of NAT, ISP restrictions, firewall policies, or problematic routing.

Would Bohemia Interactive consider implementing Steam Datagram Relay support for dedicated DayZ servers?

If full SDR integration is not currently planned, it would also be helpful to know whether there are any technical limitations within the current DayZ networking architecture that prevent this functionality from being implemented.

Thank you for considering the suggestion.

@nitrado