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-   -   Universal Server Patcher (https://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28269)

drakelord 05-19-2009 09:44 AM
Universal Server Patcher
 
So, I've been working on something interesting. I enjoy playing on both normal "live" type servers and custom servers. Switching between the two often times requires me restoring backups of files, patching, and all of this other stuff. This can get tedious after a while, especially while jumping between 3-4 servers.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4360/patcher.png

This is where a nifty tool I have created comes in. This tool allows for a person to select which server they are going to connect to. It then backs up the default files that are going to be replaced by the server, and downloads them to a directory in the EQ folder. It then temporarily replaces the main ones. Whenever you want to restore the defaults or switch to another server, just reopen the launcher.

Now, before I can release this fantastic tool and start having admins use it, there are a few things that need discussion. Namely, some of the legality issues behind this.

First of all, in order to be added to the patcher, an admin has to contact me and inform me of their server and where the files they wish for the patcher to obtain are hosted. This isn't a bad thing. However, it also leads to another issue, which is the possibility of people trying to distribute client files they shouldn't be. I have ways to fix this problem, and prevent people from trying to say, transfer eqgame.exe and other such files.

But there are other possible issues that can arise from this. Sooo, here we are to discuss this. Would anyone use this tool if it was available? What are some of the issues you can think of? Solutions? ETC.

drakelord 05-19-2009 10:02 AM
Just to add a couple pieces of information:

No, this does not redownload the files for a server everytime it launches. It saves them in a directory and on launch, uses MD5 checksums to determine if the file has changed.
And also, the "Default" mode downloads nothing but the eqemu eqhost.txt file. Everything else the player must have, just like now. No client files are distributed.

KingMort 05-19-2009 01:11 PM
I've spent hours on the phone with SOE's legal department...

What your doing is TOTALLY Legal...

As long as you do not release .S3D files.. or .EXE files from the everquest directory...(such as zone files or eqgame.exe ect) They can not be legally patched, or distributed...

However Spells files, and UI's and everything like that you can distribute...

So this is a great idea!!

At Raid Addicts we just had a player make us a patcher .. You should check t hat out.. Not sure if it is as good as yours but worth looking into...

www.raidaddicts.org then click downloads...

Would also be cool if in your patcher you allowed for server ops to put their own images on it... Like we have with ours... Also it would be great if you had this patcher install itself in the most user friendly means possible.. And then add an icon to the desktop for the players to easily access it...

Keep up the good work.... Patchers was something eqemu voided away from for a while but since I have done the research and I know damn well SOE does not care.. It is for sure going to be an asset to this community..

Jordan "King" Mortenson
owner - www.raidaddicts.org

PS: I will be willing to help you test this,, Contact me in IRC "KingMort" or via Email ... KingMortenson@yahoo.com

drakelord 05-19-2009 03:29 PM
I took a look at your patcher. This one is a little more advanced, :)

I can make an option to where it changes a banner image upon choosing which server you select, that wouldn't be hard.

A question about the .S3D files though. If you use say, openzone to make your own, can you still not overwrite the old ones?

Also, this patcher doesn't require installation. Just need to unzip it somewhere and run. Only downside is that it requires the .NET framework, like the SoD patcher does.

KingMort 05-19-2009 10:38 PM
As a lead of this community .. I strongly suggest folks help with this effort it will help unite us...

King

drakelord 05-20-2009 04:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by loic (Post 170163)
Lead? *double checks his name and group* hmmm I think the only "Leads" are the people with colored names... That aside

Personally I wouldnt use it or any other system for patching an EQ Client,having googled since reading this and seeing several servers being shut down by SOE for patching I wouldnt take the chance personally.

I also am not too sure how much faith I would put into something that is totally dependant on someone elses abbility to host it and their intrest in continuing to do so, Given recent examples such as the loginserver issues of the inherent danger in putting all eggs in one basket, its not something i would use, it treds too far into the realm of the legal grey area for my tastes and too far into precisly the same situation that the login server issues present of late.

Personally I see no reason for a "universal" patching system anyway since most people dont use custom content for their servers, that means all that would be done is the eqhost.txt file changes which is both simple and the eqemu.devnoob.com site has their loginserver list page do that automaticly via a manual download.

I also dont really see how this would be a unifying project, about the only thing that would unite the private loginservers as well as the public in a meaningfull way is to have something that presents a list of ALL loginservers available both private and the official one and so forth.

In reguards to this particular project, while a patcher seems like a really good Idea it being centralized like this seems like a huge security risk, lets say someone starts using it to distribute backpatches and instead of just that server getting taken out by a C&D They also come after the host and slap them with a C&D And then EQEmu as a whole because the community devs and admins condoned and gave their ok and eqemu gets slapped with a C&D as well.

Bare in mind here these are just my two cp and such but patching the client is walking on thin ice imo legally speaking other servers have been shut down for precisly that. Plus the dangers of the host getting tired of doing the hosting and maintanance on the "database" and such along with the obvious trust issues associated with the players connecting to a third party whom may or may not be trust worthy and downloading files through that party as well I dunno but count me outa that.
The reason previous servers have been shut down for patchers is because they were patching files they weren't supposed to be. WR as an example was patching eqgame.exe, which is a big no no.

And you are right, for any server that doesn't use custom files, this isn't needed. But like I said, its for individuals who play on custom servers.

And as for the "hosting" issue, hosting can easily be transferred to EQEmu or whoever else if they decided they wanted to take up the helm. It only requires a one line change in the source code. It is not "totally dependent" on me. EQEmu would be safe as long as it responded to takedown notices for servers hosting backpatches and such. Its just like how Google hosts torrent files willingly and removes them when companies ask them to.

And finally, the "database" is just a text file with the servers and their listing. There isn't any real "maintenance" to that, :/

trevius 05-20-2009 05:37 PM
This is a warning that the next person to start drama in this thread will be banned for a week.

KingMort 05-20-2009 05:40 PM
It's true if your distributing EXE and S3D your going to get busted...

But you can't tell the people at http://www.eqinterface.com that they are breaking the law because they aren't....

Text Files.. UI Files ect ect these things are totally legal to distribute...

drakelord 05-20-2009 08:21 PM
And now the moment you have all been waiting for!

/sarcasm off

Here is Beta version 1.0 of my patcher.

http://reine-wissenschaft.net/patcher/patcher.rar

Download, try it out, and let me know what bugs you have, as well as any suggestions, requests, etc.

ALSO, before I forget. This utilizes the .NET 3.5 framework. This is normally automatically installed in Vista, Windows 7, and XP SP3. If for some reason you do not have it on your system and it fails to launch, download the .net framework from microsoft.

trevius 05-21-2009 07:33 AM
The app seems to work pretty well as far as I can tell. Nice work :)

The one thing I noticed that might need some thought is that it doesn't do anything about the eqhost.txt file. I am thinking that there are 2 options:

1. Have all servers that use your app required to create an eqhost.txt file for their server and share it, even if they are a public server (then it would just be the normal eqhost.txt file).

2. As part of the server registration process, you could have servers either select a Login Server, or enter their own. Then, just have the tool create the eqhost.txt file when switching servers.

This way, people could easily switch from public to private servers with even more ease.

drakelord 05-21-2009 10:24 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by trevius (Post 170228)
The app seems to work pretty well as far as I can tell. Nice work :)

The one thing I noticed that might need some thought is that it doesn't do anything about the eqhost.txt file. I am thinking that there are 2 options:

1. Have all servers that use your app required to create an eqhost.txt file for their server and share it, even if they are a public server (then it would just be the normal eqhost.txt file).

2. As part of the server registration process, you could have servers either select a Login Server, or enter their own. Then, just have the tool create the eqhost.txt file when switching servers.

This way, people could easily switch from public to private servers with even more ease.
Actually, it changes the eqhost.txt file upon launching, it just doesn't say it. Try it, make a new eqhost and then launch, :D

It changes it out before people start updating, so that if a server has their own custom eqhost, it will still be overwritten for their LS.

drakelord 05-21-2009 01:21 PM
So far, 1 bug report and 1 minor issue.

Bug: Attempts to write eqhost.txt even if no directory is specified.
-Fixed in source code, will be included in the next release.

Issue: In Vista and Windows 7, if a folder is located under Program Files, permissions in the folder default to read-only and can not be changed by standard means.
-Fix is to go to cmd, and use the attrib -RS command on the directory everquest is in, then remove the read only setting on the files. The directories will still say read only, but the files will not.

PathToEternity 05-21-2009 04:10 PM
I will probably check this out after I get back in town next week.

I really like this idea, and was thinking about something like this with the recent LS issues. Being able to swap files for custom servers is a huge bonus.

Are you working closely with any server admins who use custom files?

drakelord 05-21-2009 04:20 PM
Depends on what you mean by "working closely".

In terms of affiliation towards a specific server, no. I don't have any.

As for how I've been testing the product, KingMort has been more than helpful by uploading all of his patch files to a special directory and has allowed me to harass him a lot over the last couple days. So kudos to him. About 500 files to download for his server, :X; It was a good experience.

Right now, there are 3 servers on the list, as well as the Default don't patch option.

But I think I might change the name of this from a patcher to a launcher. Because people who don't have any custom files on their server can benefit from this system because of the link to their servers page.

For a new player who looks at the server select page in game, it can be confusing, and sometimes hard to find out which server is what. With the feature I have built into my launcher, people can quickly figure out server information for a server.

drakelord 05-22-2009 08:39 AM
If you list your server and it uses a separate login server, just include eqhost.txt in your patcher file. It will work just fine.

EDIT:: Didn't see your previous post, lol. Answering

1) How are the files monitored E.G. how does the patcher recognize what files the server op is using it for, where are they remotely stored and how does the patcher stop people from distributing files they arent supposed to be such as eqgame.exe or copyrighted s3d files so on and so forth?

The files distributed by the patcher are chosen based on a patch file that each server makes themselves. Its a text file that lists each file to be patched. It checks for updates by using file size information. All the files are stored on the servers own webhost, not mine.

2) what kind of connection is there is it to you then to the person hosting the files and such?

The only connection between me/patcher and the person hosting the files is that I link to them, much like google links to torrent files. After that, all of the data is handled by their server. This allows me to quickly cut a person off if someone finds illegal files in their patcher doc.

3 Will the source code be provided/ As ive seen in posts about related tools that ive read people dont seem to like software that makes connections without being able to see the source or have a dev give it a gold seal.

If the devs wish to see the source code, I will share it with them. However, I don't want to post it globally.

KingMort 05-22-2009 12:09 PM
Trev deleted a bunch of posts because there was some confusion about what is legal and what isn't that started to heat up.. Wasn't anything against you :) He is just keeping the peace..

King

trevius 05-22-2009 04:55 PM
Yes, people need to stop with the personal attacks. These forums need to be a peaceful place to discuss EQEmu, and that is it. I did delete more than was required to get rid of the drama, but I figure that people need to be punished for breaking the rules and simply deleting their rule breaking post isn't much of a punishment.

And to Loic/Aergad/Cole/Corvanus/etc:

Yes, I have made a point to ask for source code in the past, but that was only when the programs were made by you. Your history here is enough to warrant a request to have a dev review the source. Drakelord doesn't have a bad history as far as I am aware, so I don't think seeing the source is required. Don't bother commenting on this post, Loic, or the post will just be deleted. Obviously you think the rules don't apply to you since you keep coming back ban after ban. Since the rules don't apply, we can make up any reason we want to ban or mod you however we like with no questions asked. So, don't even get started, please.

drakelord 05-22-2009 06:31 PM
I am actually in contact with a sony legal representative, "Olivia J. S. Malmstrom, Counsel", regarding this project. I'll know whether or not I can continue after this, :)

RichardoX 05-23-2009 02:55 PM
Good work Drakelord. :)

drakelord 05-24-2009 02:45 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by loic (Post 170394)
Sorry to burst your bubble but I am none of those people do some fact checking prior to accusation please trevius. I am only Me and have joined the project quite recently, I did however do searches on other patchers and launchers before i made these replies so again please fact check before accusing thank you very much and have a nice day.

As for releasing the source to me it matters not either way in my view it is up to the developer whether or not to release their source, I was merely pointing out that people like reviewing the source. However that said, I have read many of the posts reguarding the people you mentioned Trevius, and well let me say that I personally feel that had you and others not auto jumped the person whom ever it may be their history would not be so tarnished.

What is it you expect? people to to take your accusations and ranting and flaming and such without a word? I think all parties involved in making him or her the pariah of eqemu need to take responsibility for it and not only place the blame on him it takes two or more to have a disagreement and ALL parties involved share in the blame.

Now back to the post at hand. Personally the idea of some form of universal launcher system seems like a good idea, the patch system seems to tred a bit on thin ice to me a bit too close to the VERY thin ice that is caused by the inherent dangers of such a app to patch the client for me to personally use.

None the less that said, it is a good idea and well put together so my compliments to you drakelord. Might I suggest adding some graphics to it? Perhaps to make it appear more like the normal patcher/launcher that eq has by default to make it seem a bit more seamless with whats already there?
It all depends on what this Sony lawyer writes back with. If she gives me the "don't do any of this or we will finger you" response, I'll probably just stop here. If its like Kingmort says and they don't care, then I will do some things like spruce it up a bit, ;)

KingMort 05-24-2009 07:25 AM
My god ...

Trev

You have the patience of a veteran server op...... Seriously most don't gain that skill fast..

Keep up the good work

Aergad .. I don't really have anything against you man but lets keep this stuff on topic....

The main part the main reason I back this project up is because it will bring in thousands of totally un-savey players.. Meaning those who gave up before trying to set up short cuts and ect ect will now have that task be easier..

This is a LOT to ask of the eqemu community but:

I would like to also have this patcher program give the options to set up accounts in a more User Friendly method..

I really don't know how you would do that and be totally secure.. But wow would we ever get a huge influx of new players if that was done..

King

drakelord 05-24-2009 08:27 AM
It wouldn't be hard to code. However, it would require that the eqemu admins trust me enough for that. Either that, or I would have to just code it and give them the software and let them handle the running of it.

drakelord 05-24-2009 04:11 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by loic (Post 170411)
OH forgot one little bit here, i suggest hard coding checks into the patcher to make sure that it doesnt allow patching of the core client files that way theres no way anyone can abuse it
And how do you plan on doing that? At best, I can make it so that "eqgame.exe" cannot be copied, but then if they just rename it to spells_us.txt and transfer it?

drakelord 05-26-2009 12:47 PM
*tear*

I got my reply from the lawyer, lol.

"Unfortunately, I cannot discuss SOE's plans, strategies, decisions or past actions.

Thank you!"



So now its like, "Uhh... what to do now...."

zergling 06-24-2009 02:30 PM
Did anything ever come of this? Or did you just shelf it indefinitely?

drakelord 06-29-2009 08:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by zergling (Post 172818)
Did anything ever come of this? Or did you just shelf it indefinitely?
It was shelved for legal reasons.

Randymarsh9 06-29-2009 09:03 PM
that's disappointing to hear. I was hoping this project would take off.


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