A question about config files???

[wjhildreth]

Hello all,

I am not a developer and this may be a dumb question if so, look over my total NEWBIEness please.

I followed the page on setting up the development server, included the magic script and faced the server to the outside world so my son and I can play together.

My question is why are the configuration files all scattered about? I understand that you need separate config files for each server process, but it would be a lot easier to do that all in the same directory, especially if your setting it up and doing it accross a ssh session like I did. Also, it seems that the lan_support.conf file can be used by both the char-server and map-server instead of using two copies.

There are some python scripts in the ~/tmw-ea/eathena-data/tools/ directory that do not run because of incorrect paths. Are these never used by the local game administrator?

Like I said, I am not a developer and am just curious as to why.

On a side note, I am really trying to figure out how everything works overall so that I can possibly join in the development efforts on some level. I know that I still have a lot of wiki stuff to read.

Thanks for your time and patients with me.

Joe

[Alige]

Greetings Joe,
[quote="wjhildreth" I know that I still have a lot of wiki stuff to read.[/quote]
If you have any problem or report, feel free to tell me. I'd be glad to help you with anything about the TMW wiki.

As for the server questions, I don't have the knowledge to answer them.

Best regards,
Ali

[o11c]

I followed the page on setting up the development server, included the magic script and faced the server to the outside world so my son and I can play together.

Is you son on a completely different location than you, i.e. not in the same LAN? There are definite complications to making a server public. If you have to do it, I suggest IP-filtering and/or disabling registration.

My question is why are the configuration files all scattered about? I understand that you need separate config files for each server process, but it would be a lot easier to do that all in the same directory, especially if your setting it up and doing it accross a ssh session like I did. Also, it seems that the lan_support.conf file can be used by both the char-server and map-server instead of using two copies.

Originally, the files were all jumbled together as you describe, but I thought it best to separate them for a number of reasons.

1. Allow running multiple copies of e.g. the char-server with the same login-server, with different configs for each char-server.
2. Make it clear which config files belong to which server. Among other things, many of the configuration files are/were not used, and this makes it obvious which ones are to be deleted (although it turns out that it's a bit more complicated than that).
3. It was just plain confusing having two different servers use both using lan_support.conf but taking different fields from it.

There are some python scripts in the ~/tmw-ea/eathena-data/tools/ directory that do not run because of incorrect paths. Are these never used by the local game administrator?

There are a lot of tools lying around that don't get used.

[wjhildreth]

Is you son on a completely different location than you, i.e. not in the same LAN? There are definite complications to making a server public. If you have to do it, I suggest IP-filtering and/or disabling registration.

I have only the ports related to the three servers open in my firewall. Mostly we play on the same LAN, but there are occasions when I am away from home on business. So it was probably opened more for me and some guests than anything. In it's current environment, I have limited uplink so could not host a bunch of players anyway. Where do you disable registration?

I understand you reasoning for separating the files for multiple instances of some of the servers. As a network guy, the lan config file was a little confusing when I read 'subnet'. I think 'network' is a little more intuitive.

Well, I cut my teeth on CBM BASIC then 65xx assembly, then C. It has been a long time, but if there is a way I can help, I would like to. Hmmmm.... Perhaps I gave my age away there.

Thanks for the quick reply!

Joe

[o11c]

Where do you disable registration?

It set in login/conf/login_athena.conf

Code: Select all

// Can you make new accounts on the server? (1 for Yes, 0 for no)
new_account: 1

But you should override it in login_local.conf
(actually, some strings are parsed, so you can say new_account: no or new_account: off)

I understand you reasoning for separating the files for multiple instances of some of the servers. As a network guy, the lan config file was a little confusing when I read 'subnet'. I think 'network' is a little more intuitive.

Hmm ... I thought "subnet" was the standard term for this. Well, I'm changing the way things are implemented - with my new way, currently I allow ("192.168.1.0" 24) and ("192.168.1.0" "192.168.1.255") for a range, or just a single IP address of course.

Well, I cut my teeth on CBM BASIC then 65xx assembly, then C. It has been a long time, but if there is a way I can help, I would like to.

Help is always welcome. Though for my rewrite I'm using C++11 extensively, and some python2 for tools.
I'm finding Python is *really good* at what it is aimed to do. (Unlike, say, Java. Unless it was designed to make a lot of crappy programmers.)

Code: Select all

    if ch == '':
        raise Havoc

Hmmmm.... Perhaps I gave my age away there.

Well, I have a lot of technical conversations with a geezer around here

[wjhildreth]

Help is always welcome. Though for my rewrite I'm using C++11 extensively, and some python2 for tools.
I'm finding Python is *really good* at what it is aimed to do. (Unlike, say, Java. Unless it was designed to make a lot of crappy programmers.)

When you say C++11, what do you mean? Are you using a version of the C++ compiler for Windows or Mac or something. When I look at my Ubuntu 11.10 install, my installed gcc compiler is at version 4.6.1.

Are your code branches available, or are they closed to just the developers? I would like to just look at them to see if I am compentent enough to help. I would not want you to think that I am something I am not by jumping in and then finding out I am way over my head.

Joe

[wjhildreth]

Also, is there a published document that defines the tasks and duties of each server? A flow chart of sorts? Or should I just continue reading the code and figure out what is going on?

Joe

[twiistedkaos]

Help is always welcome. Though for my rewrite I'm using C++11 extensively, and some python2 for tools.
I'm finding Python is *really good* at what it is aimed to do. (Unlike, say, Java. Unless it was designed to make a lot of crappy programmers.)

When you say C++11, what do you mean? Are you using a version of the C++ compiler for Windows or Mac or something. When I look at my Ubuntu 11.10 install, my installed gcc compiler is at version 4.6.1.

Are your code branches available, or are they closed to just the developers? I would like to just look at them to see if I am compentent enough to help. I would not want you to think that I am something I am not by jumping in and then finding out I am way over my head.

Joe

In case you did not find what C++11 is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B11

[wjhildreth]

Thanks for the link. All I can say is that the language has come a LONG way since I learned it. As a matter of memory, when I moved on, the STL was just being adopted into the language. I don't know that I would have the time to relearn what I knew and then move up the curve fast enough. I now remember why I grew up to be a network guy. Don't know that I could be much help on the programming front. My self taught excursion in the C/C++ never really got me much further than using some classes. I mostly coded to access hardware I built for model train control and sensing. Perhaps there is something else I can help with. Thanks for your time and patience with me.

Although the morbid curiosity part of me cannot help but look into the source code files.

Joe

[o11c]

The last thing I pushed is: http://gitorious.org/~o11c/tmw-eathena/ ... a-comments
It should be quite a bit more readable than mainline.

I have quite a few local changes though - at the moment I'm writing a new foundation and I don't plan for the git history to be continuous. *Hopefully* that will be ready by this weekend and then I'll starting rewriting protocol handlers and script functions. Hm, that reminds me, I haven't added the unix socket ancillary data stuff ...

My job would be a *lot* easier if I didn't have to maintain compatibility with the protocol ... still, that's the *one* thing I know I can't get away with - at least, not yet. There's still a *long* time before a stable mana 1.0 ... (unless they go all chromium, of course)