Windows NT-based operating systems, like Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, offer 3977 ephemeral ports by default.
An ephemeral port is a short-lived (4 minute) port, from 1024 to 5000.
To can extend the range of ephemeral ports:
1. Use the Registry Editor to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters.
2. Add or modify the MaxUserPort Value Name, a REG_DWORD data type, and set the data value to a number in the range of 5000 - 65534.
3. This setting won't take effect until your restart your computer.
To alter the 4 minute life of an ephemeral port:
1. Use the Registry Editor to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters.
2. Add or modify the TcpTimedWaitDelay Value Name, a REG_DWORD data type, and set the data value to a number of seconds in the range of 30 - 300.
3. This setting won't take effect until your restart your computer.
NOTE: See tip 7082 » How do I reserve a range of ephemeral ports in Windows 2000 Server?
