COD2 Private Server

Hey there,

I know this game is old, but I was hoping someone could answer this question for me. I want to host a server so I can play against a few friends. They will not be local to my network and I was hoping I could host a game like I so in Unreal Tournament 2004. It appears that I can create an Internet server which is broadcast to the master servers or a LAN which is local only. I read somewhere you could use the console to connect to an IP. I was wondering if anyone has been successful at doing this. I know I would need to forward some ports which is easy, but before I waste time doing this I was hoping someone has accomplished this before.

Also, if I only have 1 computer could I load up an instance of COD2 as a server and another as a client?

Thanks!