EnCore installation and configuration

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Definition

This page contains installation tips for enCore MOO.

enCore is an educational MOO server/database and needs some Unix installation skills. It also may run under Windows (not tested).

Installation

These notes are based on an install I did in spring 2007 (Daniel K. Schneider 15:28, 14 March 2008 (MET)). The server is still running and occasionally used by a foreign language teacher. I only fixed a few (easy) minor moo-code bugs.

Before you install

Read all the official documentation:

  • www.encore-consortium.org (dead link as of 2017), The enCore Consortium seeks to coordinate and promote the open source development and distribution of the enCore Program.

Prerequisites

  1. You need an Apache/Php web server installed (PHP not too old)
  2. If you want file upload, you need a MySQL server (4.x or 5)
  3. You need a C compiler, e.g. gcc.

On a Linux system, this ought to be easy. They come as packages with any distribution I am aware off.

Downloads

(tested in March 2007, maybe outdated at some point)

You need both a MOO server and the enCore database. The MOO server implements low level server architecture and the MOO programming language. The enCore database will contain all the necessary objects for running MOO world. Objects are programmed in the MOO language and include things like User classes, various kinds of Rooms (locations) and such. In other words, you can't run a MOO without a database.

Download a MOO server
Download a MOO database

Take the latest *.gzip version from http://sourceforge.net/projects/ele/

  • Take version 4.x stable:
  • Version 5 seems to be a dead project. No changes since 2006. It does work well enough for a production environment:
  • Note: the database at eNcore Open Source MOO Project is old. Do not use it and get the 4.x version from above !

File Setup

  • In order to find all related files I usually recommend to do the following for software like MOO servers:
  • Create a directory like /usr/local/moo and cd there
  • We shall put absolutly everything in there ....
  • Move the 2 archives to this directory (or if you are expert with tar/gtar put them directly into the src directory)
  • Go there and make 2 subdirectories
mkdir bin
mkdir src
mkdir encore (not necessary)

Installing the MOO Server

Note: On a Linux system use: tar instead of gtar (I am working with Solaris)

(1) Make sure that you are in the right directory !!
(2) Unarchive the MOO server

i.e. the file LambdaMOO-1.8.1-unicode.tar.gz

  • To make sure the archive is ok type:
gtar ztvf LambdaMOO-1.8.1-unicode.tar.gz
  • Unarchive
gtar zxf LambdaMOO-1.8.1-unicode.tar.gz
  • The files should be in and you may have to ajust file ownership
./MOO-1.8.1
 chown -R user:group *
  • Move the archive to src
mv LambdaMOO-1.8.1-unicode.tar.gz src/

You should wind up up with something like this: 

drwxr-xr-x    7 root     other         512 Mar 21 16:16 ./
drwxr-xr-x   41 root     root         1024 Mar 20 22:11 ../
drwxr-xr-x    4 schneide tecfa        4608 Mar 21 16:27 MOO-1.8.1/
drwxr-xr-x    2 schneide tecfa         512 Mar 21 18:40 bin/
drwxr-xr-x    8 schneide tecfa         512 Mar 21 16:16 encore/
drwxr-xr-x    4 schneide tecfa         512 Mar 20 22:37 junk/
drwxr-xr-x    2 root     other         512 Mar 21 16:19 src/
(3) Compile the MOO server

The idea is that we keep the source code in one directory and the binary in an other one. Read the README file in the MOO-1.8.2 directory. You will have to do at the least the following:

  • Go to the MOO source directory (MOO-1.8x) and run the configure command:
sh configure
  • Edit the configuration file options.h
If you want your MOO to send mail or to suppor file upload you must uncomment define OUTBOUND_NETWORK, i.e. you should have a line like this
#define OUTBOUND_NETWORK
You also may uncomment
 #define LOG_COMMANDS
  • Then, compile the MOO server:
make
  • if you look at the directory, you should see a moo executable file (moo*)
ls -latr
  • Copy to moo file (or alternatively make a link in the bin directory)
cd ../bin
cp ../MOO-1.8.1/moo .
  • Copy the start-up script to the bin directory
cp ../MOO-1.8.1/restart .
  • You may have to fix the first line of this. E.g on Solaris it should read
 #!/usr/bin/csh -f
and not as under Linux:
   #!/bin/csh -f
(4) Install the enCore distribution
  • Go to the home directory of your installation (e.g. /usr/local/moo)
  • Unzip the enCore archive and adjust file owners if needed
gtar zxf enCore-5.x.tar.gz
chown -R user:group *
  • Move the archive to src
mv enCore-5.x.tar.gz src
  • Move the enCore MOO database from encore to bin 
mv encore/enCore.db bin

Make an Alias in the Web server

Sinc we put the encore Web Interface in the encore subdirectory, we have to tell Apache where to find it.

  • Edit the Apache configuration file
If you did your own compiling / installation it may be something like:
/usr/local/apache/conf/http.conf
Under a typical Linux installation (I hate those) you have to dig around, probably you have to edit a file like:
/etc/httpd/conf/vhosts/Vhosts.conf
  • Make an alias to the encore directory:
Alias /encore "/usr/local/moo/encore"

(If you forget this, the XPress Web Interface won't work. Of course, you also may do as they say in the "official" guidelines and copy all the files to your web directory, but I don't like this solution, since it makes desinstallation complicated ...)

Start the MOO server

  • Check contents of the bin directory:
moo
restart
enCore.db
  • Then, launch the MOO server:
restart enCore
  • Look at the log file:
more enCore.log
You should see something like:
 Mar 21 16:40:51: LISTEN: #0 now listening on port 7777
 Mar 21 16:40:51: LISTEN: #32 now listening on port 7000

Configuration

To configure your MOO you should the first time use a ordinary MOO client. If you don't have one you may use telnet (but it will not be easy).

  • Connect to the server
telnet your.server.xxx 7777
The standard port for a MOO is 7777 and you must type the port number
  • Login
At the login screen, type
connect wizard
  • Configure
In the MOO, type @configure and edit the most important parameters. Since there are default values it's probably enough to just define the "Base URL".
@configure
  • Exit the MOO by typing @quit
quit
  • The you can try out the web interface
http://yourserver.xxx.org:7000/
The administrator (wizard) can configure things with menus. In case the web interface doesn't appear, go back to "traditional" Moo interaction and fix the URL for the web interface. Also, try another browser, e.g. Firefox instead of Safari.

Suport, End user guides and encore MOO examples

User Guides
  • For the moment there seems to be none for v5 (Early 2007)
  • For others, see MOO
Support
  • [www.encore-consortium.org/Barn/default.htm The Barn] (dead domain)
  • The Barn (As of 2017 it is here now)
  • Mailing List]


Encore MOO sites
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