TUD Meta-server Project

Introduction

The Meta-server will use a database (Mysql on Sourceforge?) to store all (un)necessary information. The task could be devided into:

web frontend with following features

Display running servers and additional information (here is a lot of space for your fantasy)
possibility to filter out servers with different version or protocol version
provide a link which launches the client (if the user wants it ;-)
List registered players
Register new players
I suggest to use php for the web frontend

Meta-server functionality

A game server connecting to the Meta-server must be started by a registered player (at least they must supply the correct password, just somehow restrict missuse)
Game Servers which didn't send a message for a long time must be removed. (Game Server crashed)
Calculate Points for player ranking with a good formula (nearly a task for it's own). The game-server will tell the meta-server the winners and loosers at the end of a game.

Game server part

Game servers use http to provide the information (see Messages below)
A small c++ http client example would be great (or perhaps a library)

ER diagram of the new DB Model behind the new Meta-server

Resulting Database tables (my suggestion)

CREATE TABLE
GAMES
(
	SERVER CHAR(200) NOT NULL,  #// hostname
	PORT INT NOT NULL,          
	STARTTIME INT,              #// I would yust store time_t time() here perhaps you have a better idea
	ADMIN CHAR(20),             # foreign key to PLAYERS table
	LASTMSG INT,                #// time again
	LEVELNAME CHAR(200),
        COMMENT CHAR(250),          #// missing in the ER-diag.
	MAXPL INT,                  #// how much clients are accepted
	SETPL INT,                  #// No. of startpositions (not the same as maxpl)
        VERSION CHAR(20),           #// server version 
        PVERSION CHAR(20),          #// protocol version (both are missing in tge ER diagram)
	PRIMARY KEY(SERVER,PORT)
)

CREATE TABLE CONNECTEDPL
(
	NICK CHAR(20) NOT NULL,
	SERVER CHAR(200) NOT NULL,
	PORT INT NOT NULL,
	IDONSERVER INT NOT NULL,      #// is needed because it is allowed to connect twice 
                                      #// (also it doesn't work yet) - is missing in the ER-diagram
	UNITS INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
	PING INT,
	REALSKIN CHAR(200) NOT NULL,  #// player perhaps doesn't have/use a own skin
        VERSION CHAR(20),             #// client ver., doesn't need protocol ver. 
                                      #// because he only is allowed to connect to the server \
                                      #//  if the versions match
	PRIMARY KEY(NICK,SERVER,PORT,IDONSERVER)
)

CREATE TABLE PLAYERS
(
	NICK CHAR(20) NOT NULL,
	SKIN CHAR(200),
	EMAIL CHAR(200),
	POINTS DOUBLE(8,2) NOT NULL DEFAULT 100,
	COMMENT CHAR(250),
	PASSWORD CHAR(100) NOT NULL,
	GAPLAYED INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
	EXPIRE INT,                   # once again a time
	PRIMARY KEY(NICK)	
)

Messages (or Functions or RPC)

Sender is always the game server and recipient the Meta-server

Type	Content	Comment	Return Value
Game started	SERVER,PORT,VERSION,PVERSION,ADMIN,PASSWORD,LEVELNAME,MAXPL,SETPL,COMMENT	STARTTIME and LASTMSG must be set,ADMIN PASSWORD must be checked	SUCCESS<=>PASSWORD correct
Game end	SERVER,PORT,PASSWORD,WINNERS,LOOSERS	ADMIN PASSWORD must be checked, calculate new player points based on WINNERS and LOOSERS (both are lists of IDONSERVER and can't be calculated by the meta-server)	SUCCESS<=>PASSWORD correct
Client info update	NICK,SERVER,PORT,IDONSERVER,UNITS,PING,REALSKIN,VERSION,CLIENTPASSWD,SERVERPASSWD	LASTMSG must be set, both passwords must be checked, if player not already there insert him	SUCCESS<=>passwords correct
Client left game	SERVER,PORT,IDONSERVER,CLIENTPASSWD,SERVERPASSWD	LASTMSG must be set, both passwords must be checked	SUCCESS<=>passwords correct and player was there

Of course this is a quite simple approach and there is room for improvement. (But keep it simple ;-)
If you want start coding send an email to the TUD-ML

Jens Thiele

Last modified: Sun Feb 11 19:31:41 CET 2001