HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: hadley@vlsi.ics.uci.edu (Tedd Hadley)
Subject: Multiprocessors and shared memory bug
Summary: Problems with multi-cpu and daemonII.c
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Organization: UC Irvine Department of ICS
Keywords: server code, daemonII.c
Date: 22 Jul 92 07:39:36 GMT
Distribution: rec

   This should go to reg.games.netrek.programmer, but since that group doesn't
   exist... :)

   A recent problem on the calvin.usc.edu server got me looking into shared
   memory in a little more detail and I believe I've discovered a potential
   problem in daemonII.c for multiprocessor machines.  (If Randall Dean has
   already mentioned this and I've missed it, apologies in advance).  Calvin
   was recently upgraded to a sun 4/690 with 4 cpus, and the other day Dan
   found two daemon processes running at the same time, resulting in one
   heckuva fast game.

   Most vanilla server code (scam & ksu, at least) does the following:

  /* (1) Kill any existing segments */

  if ((shmid = shmget(shmemKey, 0, 0)) >= 0) {
    fprintf(stderr, "Killing existing segment\n");
    fflush(stderr);
    shmctl(shmid, IPC_RMID, (struct shmid_ds *) 0);
  }

  /* (2) Create a new segment */

  shmid = shmget(shmemKey, sizeof(struct memory), IPC_CREAT | 0700);
  if (shmid < 0) {
          perror("can't open shared memory");
          exit (1);
  }

  So what happens when two or more clients connect at the same time when
  the daemon isn't running?  Each ntserv starts a daemonII process and usually
  one gets to the shmget IPC_CREAT before the other, the second then removes
  the shared memory segment and creates its own leaving the first process
  to eventually die from lack of players (or is it segmentation violation --
  not sure which but it does die soon).  No problems otherwise, the
  second process continues and the game goes on..

  Can both processes reach the shmget IPC_CREAT at the same time?  I don't
  think this is likely on most uniprocessor systems due to the length of the
  cpu time slice, but on multiprocessor systems it's certainly possible.  Now
  for the bug: if both processes do reach the create at the same time
  _neither_ will fail.  The IPC_CREAT flag only tells the system to create the
  segment if it doesn't exist, it says nothing about failing if the segment
  already exists.  What happens then is you have two daemon processes sharing
  the same shmem segment, resulting in a hyperspeed game like the one
  experienced on calvin last week.

  The solution is simple.  Add IPC_EXCL to the second shmget:

  shmid = shmget(shmemKey, sizeof(struct memory), IPC_CREAT | IPC_EXCL | 0700);

  Now, regardless of how many processes get to this statement at the same
  time, only one will succeed (enforced by indivisible kernel operations I would
  hope) and later processes will fail with EEXIST.  However this does mean that
  if a shared memory segment exists due to a crashed or kill -9'd daemon then
  you'll have to remove the segment by hand ('ipcrm' or 'nuke' if you
  have it).

++
   Tedd Hadley (hadley@ics.uci.edu)
From: Marc VanHeyningen <mvanheyn@tope.cs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Iggy SB's....
X-Quoted: 73%
Reply-To: mvanheyn@whale.cs.indiana.edu
Organization: Computer Science Dept, Indiana University
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 22:50:19 -0500

Thus said jasonp@tiger1.prime.com (Jason Pascucci):
>GRRRRRRRRRRRR.
>
>This is the SECOND time I've watched an Iggy SB completely screw
>up (in my opinion) a perfectly good game. At least this last time,
>the SB wasn't carrying 25 armies. Luckily, I wasn't in base 
>either of these times. (I think was on Fife, and the other on 
>tbird, if memory serves)
>
>I don't like Iggy's in any of their incarnations, but they can
>really just cause a perfectly reasonable game to go to hell,
>by completely screwing the odds. A Iggy BB does enough damage,
>but the SB is just too damn much. 
>
>I keep TRYING to streak in in an SC, but I get there 
>just in time to see the base explode, iggy change to an SC, and 
>die in the explosion. 
>
>This is just completely wrong. Really. I would feel that this 
>situation has to be mitigated. Either making the maximum
>powered ship a BB, or making it an SB with less power, or
>*something*. Hunterkillers are an adequate pain in the ass,
>like when I'm planet-taking, but this is completely overboard. 

Leading Iggy to the enemy SB only works when the enemy SB is alone and
without good support from his team.  I can't say that I feel any too bad
about such an SB getting hosed.  If his team didn't see iggy coming and
do something about it, too bad for them.  It creates a new and
interesting tactic for bases other than "Ogg wave", which gets really
dull.
-- 
Marc VanHeyningen     mvanheyn@whale.cs.indiana.edu     MIME accepted
<various ranks Ensign-Commodore> Mostly Harmless
Yet another brilliant strategy:  deciding which planet to leave for last
while they still have 9 left.
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: jeffw@cs.tamu.edu (Jeffrey A Waller)
Subject: Re: Doorstop address
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Texas A&M University
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 08:25:26 GMT

In article <14ikreINN4og@agate.berkeley.edu>, tom@soda.berkeley.edu (Tom Holub) writes:
|> In article <fortony.711755135@lucy> fortony@sonne.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
|> )boutell@cshl.org (Tom Boutell) writes:
|> )
|> )Telnetting to the machine name is questionable; if the client isn't dealing
|> )with names, that's a sign of a machine problem rather than a client problem,
|> )and no amount of using telnet will fix that.
|> 
|> Not necessarily.  If the client was linked without -lresolv, it will not
|> resolve the name even if the machine's resolver is working fine.  I
|> suppose that's one of the inherent problems in getting binaries off the
|> net; you don't know how they were built.
|> 
|> Since more than one person has complained of this lately, it's possible
|> that there is a binary out there that doesn't have the resolv library.
|>  -Tom

As a matter of fact I have found the exact opposite to be the case.  This only
happens with statically linked sun4 executables, I can't speak for others.
_gethostbyname and _inet_addr are found in both libresolv.a and libc.a
(and also libc.so.whatever.whatever).  There is no counterpart for libresolv.a
for dynamically linked programs (i.e. no libresolv.so.1.0 -- or whatever).

both gethostname() and inet_addr() fail for all hostnames I've ever tried, with
the statically linked version -- functions archived in libresolv.a.  

The dynamically linked executable works as expected -- functions in libc.a.


								-Jeff
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: mmoore%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Michael Moore)
Subject: Re: scrimmage results:  Gashouse Gorillas sneak past 12 Angry Men
Date: 29 Jul 92 14:40:27 MDT
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept., Salt Lake City
Distribution: rec

In article <29JUL199215074898@rigel.tamu.edu> mrh0631@rigel.tamu.edu (Mark Hesidence) writes:
>
>       I realize that the GG were ahead in planets and therefore had 
>       more armies for the 12AM to "zot", but that seems like a large
>       difference.  I guess the FED's were taking fertility pills. 
>
	
	The GG were never ahead in planets until the overtime win.
I invented new swear words for their ability to produce armies...

	-Michael (Ged)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+Michael D. Moore     Office : (801) 582-5847x4721  Home : (801)359-6552  +
+Software Q&A Programmer   Evans & Sutherland     mmoore@dsd.es.com       +
+Student                   University of Utah     mmoore@peruvian.utah.edu+
From: davidt@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David Teo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Coming gfborg 3.5
Date: 31 Jul 92 05:23:38 GMT
Reply-To: davidt@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David Teo)


Since nobody protested I'm about to release grandfather borg 3.5

It is going to have auto pilot mode, meaning that it will be able to
play by itself, bomb planets, take planets, send distress messages, and
it has a new windowless mode so that you can login your robot into
servers without using windows.  Your robot will heed your commands, for
example, it can escort you or a friend, it can home in to an enemy, it
can protect a planet, it can report its status to you, or it can even
send the msges that you asked it to send and to whoever you ask it to
send to.  Your robot is able to relay its team, and personal messages to
you too, therefore, it can be used as a spy.

There is also an option to change your login name from the server in
order to hide your identity.

Furthermore, I have incorporated most of the pig borg features into it
and also some of helix and sunborg features.  I've combined several
clients into one, including beef/beast features and bitmaps, new iggy
bitmaps, Andy McFadden's UDP, support for moving planets, scanners,
visible tractors (shown as dotted lines), and so on.
From: irie@husc9.harvard.edu (Robert E. Irie)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: scws9 back up
Date: 24 Jul 92 21:27:03 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc9.IRIE.92Jul24142703
Distribution: rec
Organization: Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services, Cambridge, MA

well, I've played around with scws9 a bit, but there are still some thigns
I have to go through. For now, I have put scws9 back up till I have more time
to work on things this weekend. 

AS for deleted characters, I will DEFINITELY get that fixed this weekend.
sorry for the delay, folks!

Keptain Kirk
--
File: AW esome .sig            REVIEW/SEE/ADMIRE              Escape: Reality
=====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|====|=
Robert E. Irie                                         irie@husc9.harvard.edu
EE Major, Harvard College                              irie@husc9.bitnet
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type mail or use rn commands          Line     Column    8M, 20Mhz CPU Wanted
From: mehlhaff@soda.Berkeley.EDU (ERic Mehlhaff)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Golden Bears vs. Lagg U
Date: 22 Jul 92 04:51:48 GMT
	<1992Jul20.142230.9311@cs.cmu.edu> <59108@mimsy.umd.edu>
	<1992Jul20.160929.18606@dsd.es.com>
	<MEHLHAFF.92Jul20214557@soda.soda.Berkeley.EDU>
Organization: The U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: mehlhaff@soda.Berkeley.EDU's message of 20 Jul 92 21:45:57

tIn article <MEHLHAFF.92Jul20214557@soda.soda.Berkeley.EDU> mehlhaff@soda.Berkeley.EDU (ERic Mehlhaff) writes:

      >doing it (e.g. home team -> ALL, "GET OFF THE QUEUE GODDAMNIT!" gets no
      >response.)

      Nope.  The wait queue is the most complicated piece of code in the server,
      IMO.  I'm still trying to figure out how I can implement two wait queues
      without completely hosing it...


   IF you eliminate the queue or restrict it to 1 waiter, you disconnect any 
   others who try to connect, or something like that.  This reminds me  THE
   WAIT QUEUE CODE NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP...


Upon further contemplation, I think I know how to fix the server code so 
that multiple queues can work, and clean it up in general.  Watch this space
for further announcements...

ERic mehlhaff, mehlhaff@ocf.Berkelye.EDU, games hacker
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 01:02:26 -0400 
From: "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: last night's bronco bonanza

Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.netrek: 28-Jul-92 last night's bronco
bonanza Paul Petonak@chem.psu.ed (2524)

> I came back about an hour later hoping the lag had cleared on the fed side. (I
> rememeber the other guy now, it was D'Spayre). The Roms had produced a comback
> and were pressing the fed frontline. They had picked up Orm Amker(?) (aka Ged)
> and Scorn and ZZnew Guy, Wreck was gone.  After a hellacious scout
> bombing stint
> (I hate scout bombing) I went back to planet taking and defense. The feds were
> donw to the core and it looked bad as some commander kept picking up our
> armies,
> not distressing, and then blowing the hell up with them. A lot of....


I was in an out of that game a number of times, always joining on the
losing side.  It was great.  The last time, MUCUS and I joined at about
the same time.  Ged was being pummelled back at Rom.  I counter-Ogged
until I accedentally got two kills, and then went for Ald (agri) with
some of the SB's numerous armies.  While I was at it, he was Ogged out.
	However, we managed to come back, pressing along the left side, and
then sweeping back to the right.  The verbal abuse was really steep. 
MUCUS was funny as always, and everyone seemed to be into it.
	I quit for the last time at about 4:30, after we indied the last planet
in the Fed front line (Org),  and then watched some.  
	Spaceace went to and held Rig and Can for some time, but the Roms took
the Fed right side.  Then Rob got Ogged out.  It was about then that I
left for good (as I'd been planning all along).
	I would guess that no one ever won, and that the same universe was up
tonight (I didn't play tonight.).  The Roms should win, I imagine.  They
have two core Agris, and the fuel setup favors a Rom offensive to a Fed
offensive.

ZZnew guy
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: mmoore@itchy.dsd.es.com (Mike Moore)
Subject: Re: SB vs 6 Captains
Organization: Design Systems Division, Evans & Sutherland, SLC, UT
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 92 16:11:07 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.150914.45722@cs.cmu.edu> hill@norman.VI.RI.CMU.EDU (Robert Hill) writes:
>
>I would wager that a good SB with little lag can survive for a long time  
>against 6 captains with little lag at vega if it is repair.  I would like  
>to test my theory when I get back from my mini-vacation.  Perhaps next  
>wednesday, on a server yet to be disclosed?
>

	I was told Videodrome had little/no lag when he played at
moriarty... this was what I based the validity of my assumption on.
If this was not the case, tell me now, please.  

	-Michael (Ged)


--
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
|Michael Moore                      \  "Hatred comes from want of     |
|Evans & Sutherland Employee         \  knowledge, as love comes from |
|University of Utah Student          /  knowledge;  thus, bigotry is  |
|Email      : mmoore@dsd.es.com     /   properly related to           |
|Home Phone : (801) 359-6552        \   ignorance."                   |
|Office     : (801) 582-5847 x 4721  \    -ArchBishop Fulton J. Sheen |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Organization: Senior, Art, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 21:28:01 -0400 
From: John Trivelli <jt2n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re:IGGS SB

  Man! I cant believe all this wimpy anti-Iggy crap. He's just a dumb
  bot! Deal with him! Use him! Learn to love him! Iggy is a nut!

  Ok so Iggy beans the precious LPS carrier... sounds like either rotten
luck or (and more likely) the carrier was stupid for letting Iggs get that
close! Big deal if Iggy hoses you while your having a gay old time!
God didnt make Netrek just for you!
                                                /U\
too bad Iggy cant speak for himself           (_\_/_)
                                               (~L~)
                                                {=}
From: ed@balrog.aecom.yu.edu (Ed Geraghty)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Question about Netrek Server
Date: 23 Jul 92 22:46:26 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Albert Einstein College of Medicine -- Dynamic Brain Imaging Lab

Greetings,

    I just recently compiled the client and server for netrek on the IBM
RT running AIX v2.2.1. I had one question about the server why when my
client connects to my server all the teams are hatched out. What do I have`
to initalize? As soon as I login I get all the options hatched out.
Where can I find docs on maintaining ther server e.g. what is the variables
in the .sysdef file etc...

                Any help would be appreciated,

                Ed G.


P.S. If there are any gods listening I have an RT Binary that needs to
be blessed.
*******************************************************************************
Ed Geraghty                         |  "There is no true escape - I am watching 
Systems Manager                     |   all the time..." - JP "Electric Eye"
Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 
Dynamic Brain Imaging Lab           |  "Whenever you dream, you're holding a 
Bronx, NYC 10461                    |   key. It opens a door to let you be 
email: geraghty@aecom.yu.edu        |   free" - Ronnie James Dio
*******************************************************************************
From: tmohler+@cs.cmu.edu (Tim Mohler)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Genocide
Date: 26 Jul 92 05:04:17 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

In article <BrzAy6.9MH@cs.psu.edu> petonak@chem.psu.edu (Paul Petonak) writes:
>YES!!!!! I finally f'in did it. The first time in my netrek career 
>I genocided a race and caused the game to reset. 

Whislt speaking of accomplishments, let me say that I was involved in
a semi-clueful game on bronco this evening for the first time in ages.

Teamwork.

Communication.

Planet-defending.

Bombing (ok, so I did a lot of the bombing).

Planet-reinforcing.

Third-space defense.

God, it was great.

TEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZcat (mew)

PS - special to Spaceperson "why do I always have an un-PC name?"
Spiff: I am informed that in 2 or 3 weeks I TOO shall have a 19.2K
modem w/slip link. Piss on you. The only problem being the silly
two-button NeXTmousE...
From: mmoore%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Michael Moore)
Subject: Re: IGGY SB
Date: 28 Jul 92 22:40:31 MDT
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept., Salt Lake City

In article <1992Jul29.004542.241311@cs.cmu.edu> jch+@cs.cmu.edu (Jonathan Hardwick) writes:
>
>Look, it's really very easy.
>
>Ask the gods of the bronco-based servers you play on to remove Iggy.  
>
>Go on, they're human too.  They won't bite.  Most of them are
>interested in keeping their players happy.  You should be able to
>convince them to eg put a message in the motd asking for player
>opinions, and then hold an e-mail vote for one week.
>
>There.  Took me a whole 2 minutes to think that one up and type it in.
>Beats bitching about Iggy, doesn't it? 
>

	Well golly spiffy, no wonder yer at that waaaay kool school
CMU.  Yer obviously much more gifted than me... I sure wish I had yer
common sense.

	I was jus thinkin' it might be even cooler if'n iggy weren't 
a default option... that would be waaaay bitchin'.  Seems like if
no one likes him then you could hold a vote to turn him on and save
a lot more time than if you vote to turn him off.  Or even simpler,
I was ponderin', why not just get rid of him.  Since only one loser
ina hundrid like him, majority rules and no worries mate!

	But maybe I'm confoozed... I've had ta think purt near 3 minutes
on this one and I'm still pwobly overlookin' somethin'. 

	Ooouch, my head whurts.... I bedder stop tinkin....


	-Michael (Ged... short 'an simple so I don't mispell it)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+Michael D. Moore     Office : (801) 582-5847x4721  Home : (801)359-6552  +
+Software Q&A Programmer   Evans & Sutherland     mmoore@dsd.es.com       +
+Student                   University of Utah     mmoore@peruvian.utah.edu+
From: shafto@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu (Eric &)
Subject: Re: Golden Bears vs. Lagg U
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 15:35:43 GMT

tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu ("Timothy C. Worsley") writes:

: If your opponents take Ori or Kli, just pick up thier
: free planets and eat their soul.

Tim, I don't think you are taking this game seriously enough.  Simply
devouring their soul, without torturing their flesh first, is wasting
an opportunity.

;-)


--
*Eric Shafto             * The excursion is the same when you go looking  *
*Institute for the       * for your sorrow as when you go looking for     *
*    Learning Sciences   * your joy.                                      *
*Northwestern University *                Eudora Welty, The Wide Net      *
From: peyote@umiacs.umd.edu (Gary W. Flake)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: I LOVE Iggy!! (Or, how to kill Iggy every time.)
Summary: Iggy is cake.
Date: 21 Jul 92 23:06:04 GMT
Organization: UMIACS, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742


Since the "Iggy sucks" thread has been resurrected, I'd thought I'd
add some info. Note, that I am against all proposals that explicitly
eliminate iggy from the game. Although, I wouldn't care too much if he
was placed away from players initially. Anyways...

Recipe to kill iggy:
-------------------
Since iggy is polymorphic, and takes the shape of his nearest opponent
always use a scout. Iggy in anything else is a pain, since more hull +
sheilds mean you actually have to hit him more.

Also, a scout, being the most agile ship (no DD descel flames) allows
you to get within a quarter screen without taking any torp hits.

When you get within about an inch or two on your tactical lock,
tracter, and max warp. Unload eight torps, and phaser until you die.

If you do this correctly, your explosion alone is almost enough to kill
him. Add a hand full of torps, and a phaser or two at close range, and
iggy is toast.


I can't emphasize this enough: this is *very* easy.  One of my
favorite things to do is to go on to a server where everyone is
complaining about iggy, and announce "Oh, I'll go ahead and kill him
for you," as if by some magic touch I've attained the Bhudda Nature of
war.

I've probably got about a 0.9 ratio against iggy. I've done this in
only a single run in probably the last dozen or so times.

So, If iggy is pestering your team, ogg him, and be done with it (for
at least fifteen minutes).  Otherwise, use him to your adavantage.


Gary (toe-jam, Animal, Happy Fun Ball!)
-- 
Spoken: Gary W. Flake  Domain: peyote@umiacs.umd.edu  UUCP: uunet!mimsy!peyote
Phone: +1-301-405-6757 USPS: UMIACS, U. of Maryland,  College Park, MD 20742
From: davidt@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David Teo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: grit latest updates port change
Date: 30 Jul 92 01:21:33 GMT
Reply-To: davidt@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David Teo)


grit.cs.utexas.edu is now moved to port 25920.

Sorry for the inconveniences but there is system trouble in 2592.
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek