SLUniverse Forums - Blogs - Psyke Phaeton

AjaxLife = SecondLife in a browser w/everything minus 3D

Psyke Phaeton — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:38:56 GMT

What is it?

AjaxLife is a program by Katharine Berry that, using a web page interface (the site is sometimes down), logs you into SL by using libsecondlife and lets you do almost anything you can normally do in SL which does not require you to see the 3D environment.

* Basic Map
* Teleports
* Accepting/declining teleport offers
* Local chat, Group chat, Instant messages
* Inventory receive and send, with notifications
* Friends List with on/offline notifications
* Balance change notifications, etc.
* Person search
* Partial profile viewing
* Notecard editing

It is the perfect tool for running your SL business, for example, while at work behind a firewall.

The web browser interface looks much like the SL client login screen.

It is a good idea not to give other people your passwords but no one has yet reported problems using AjaxLife

I can haz on my server??

It is also possible to obtain your own version and compile it.
However I am not really sure how to set it up after it is compiled. So I am putting here what I have learned and I am hoping the geekier people amongst you can advise me on the next steps.

My instructions require you to have Windows :freakout:
It is possible to do this on a Mac and Linux MonoDevelop. After compiling, AjaxLife can run with Mono (Linux/Mac/Windows) or .NET (Windows).

You will need a modern version of Mono or .Net

Debian users may need to do:

Follow these instructions.
sudo aptitude update
sudo dist-upgrade

This ensures we get the latest mono from backports.org and that we get the updates from debian so we can see images from inventories.

Linux users will need to install:
mono
libmono-system2.0-cil
libmono-system-web2.0-cil
and perhaps monodevelop

A) Follow these instructions to install libsecondlife:
Getting Started - libsecondlife
However I replaced svn://opensecondlife.org/libsl/trunk
with svn://opensecondlife.org/libsl/tags/0.4.1 to make sure I had a stable working version. By the time you try there may be newer stable versions.

You should have a compiled version of libsecondlife. Now we need some other things AjaxLife depends upon:

The You can either;

1) Get them from ajaxlife - Google Code

OR

you can compile your own:

These instructiions assume you are using Windows but Linux and Mac should be similar.

1) Download this Json.NET - Release: Json.NET 1.3.1 (version 1.3.1 not version 2) and extract Newtonsoft.Json.dll and Newtonsoft.Json.xml from the archive's /bin to the /dev/ directory you put libsecondlife in.

2) Download MiniHttpd from CodeProject: MiniHttpd: an HTTP web server library you will need to make a fake account using a fake email address, you won't need to verify the email address so use anything. Extract it into /dev/MiniHttpd directory then go into the directory and double click 'MiniHttpd.csproj' and compile it using the skills you used to compile libsecondlife

3) Make a directory in /dev/ called 'S3-sharp' then right click the directory and use TortoiseSVN, change the address from the libsecondlife address to "http://s3-sharp.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/" (without the quotes) and then download the files. Move into the Affirma.ThreeSharp directory and double click Affirma.ThreeSharp.csproj and then build the program like you did for libsecondlife.

4) Browse to Revision 186: /tags and look for the latest version numbers.
Make a directory in /dev called AjaxLife then right click and use TortoiseSVN to download the files from "http://ajaxlife.googlecode.com/svn/tags/X.X.X" (without the quotes and where X.X.X is the latest version)

5) Go into /dev/AjaxLife/server Double click on AjaxLife.sln. On the right you will see the pane called the Solution Explorer. Right click References and choose Add then add the following files libsecondlife.dll, Newtonsoft.Json.dll, MiniHttpd.dll, Affirma.ThreeSharp.dll which you will find in the various directories you have created. You may have to hunt for them a little. Look especially for bin sub-directories.

Finally we can compile AjaxLife

6) Right-click the item labelled �Solution� and select Build. After a little while you will have an AjaxLife.exe in server/bin/Release. In Windows you can double click on this to run it. On Linux you can install Mono and in a console do: mono AjaxLife.exe

-

B) Then look at Katharine's post below for how to set it up on your own system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katharine Berry

Hallo!

In response to the original post:

Firstly, you don't actually have to grab all those DLLs from everywhere - you can find them neatly bundled in the zip file you can download from AjaxLife's download page - if you extract that into the "server" directory of AjaxLife's svn, all the dependencies needed will be found where the project file expects them to be. Secondly, I'd suggest - as you did with libsecondlife - taking the most recent tagged version from Revision 184: /tags (although note that up to 0.3.6 inclusive, you may have to create an empty file called "robots.txt" in the server directory to make it happy). The trunk is sometimes broken.

To remove the dependency on static.ajaxlife.net, you can place the contents of the "client" directory on a webserver, and make a note of the URL.

To remove the dependency on ajaxlife.net/login, you have two choices: either put the "loginscreen" directory on a webserver supporting PHP, or just don't use it (it's purely aesthetic). If you opt for the former, change the URL in index.html pointing to Second Life Login to the URL you placed the loginscreen in.

Having compiled it, hopefully successfully, there are a number of command-line options which can be helpful, some of which I will post here:

Code:

--port [num] - changes the port number it listens on
--root [address] - change the address the static files are expected to be on.
--mac [mac address] - Change the mac address it claims (to avoid LL's periodic inadvertent blocks on anything libsl based)
--id0 [number] - Change the id0 hash to something else for avoid blocks on libsl
--debug - attacks you with debug spam.

There are others but they're less useful.

So, for instance, if you had uploaded the contents of the "client" directory to http://example.com/ajaxlife, you might start it with something like this:

Code:

AjaxLife.exe --root http://example.com/ajaxlife/ --mac 01:23:45:67:89:AB --id0 42

Something like this should appear:

Code:

Reading grids from Grids.txt
Loaded grid Main Grid "Agni" (Linden Lab) (https://login.agni.lindenlab.com/cgi-bin/login.cgi)
Loaded grid Beta Grid "Aditi" (Linden Lab) (https://login.aditi.lindenlab.com/cgi-bin/login-llsd.cgi)
Loaded grid OSGrid (Non-LL) (http://osgrid.org:8002/)
Loaded grid OpenLifeGrid (Non-LL) (http://logingrid.net:8002/)
Default grid: Main Grid "Agni" (Linden Lab)
Static root: http://example.com/ajaxlife/
Using MAC address: 01:23:45:67:89:AB
Using id0: 42
Handling content encoding: No
Debug mode: Off
Checking texture cache...
Not found; Attempting to create texture cache...
Created texture cache.
Initialising RSA service...
Generated 1024-bit key.
RSA ready.
Using internal server for textures:
        Texture root: textures/
Setting up pages...
Starting server...
Server: MiniHttpd/1.2.0.35930
CLR: 2.0.50727.42
Server running at http://macbook.local:8080/

If you opted not to have the loginscreen, you can skip that by going to http://localhost:8080/ajaxlife.kat?noframes, otherwise just use http://localhost:8080/ - changing localhost to the server address if you aren't on the same computer.

I think that should basically cover it. As I said, I strongly advise you use a tagged version (the latest is 0.3.6 as of this writing) - otherwise the code may be unusable (although it rarely actually is).

Ask me if you have more problems.

To everyone else: I don't steal your passwords. But it's probably a bad idea to trust me on that, because trusting anyone with your password is a bad idea. So use an alt or change your password or something.

Amazon S3 references are for caching image files and optional.

Helpful Linux software to run this on a remote server then logout with it still running:

GNU Screen - Jonathan McPherson

authbind - Run Linux software on low ports non-root - Scroll down to authbind

Other:

Install and Configure Apache2 with PHP5 and SSL Support in Debian Etch -- Debian Admin

[HOWTO] Get OpenSim running on OSgrid.org for cheep cheep by Adam� Zaius�

Psyke Phaeton — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:35:44 GMT

By: Adam� Zaius�

Inspired by that other thread which shall remain nameless - this guide is a guide, no guarantees, etc etc. Total cost can be done for $15.00/month, less if you can share with someone else.

Step 1.
Get a server account which allows you to run applications - for this guide, I'm going to assume Debian or Ubuntu Linux. A list of recommended providers for this, and expected performance is below:

Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting from TekTonic - Their Level-1 Unmanaged VPS is a steal. $15.00/month and that should give you a single rock solid sim (you could probabaly run a couple, but that's pushing it), this is a VPS, so random performance problems could be an issue, but the people who have used this service haven't reported any.

Dedicated Server | Windows Dedicated Servers | Server Cluster | Linux Dedicated Servers - For dedicated options, Cari are pretty decent, they have a good reputation and a lot of the other OSgrid regions are on here, so teleports and border crossings are faster. (All the "Plaza" regions are at Cari.net). This is the better option for something which is likely to not just be a random building factory or place for a tiny number of friends to congregate. The Kentsfield (Xeon Quad-Core) configuration is probably the best bang-for-buck ratio - especially for personal use.

Order something, and wait until you have the login. This can take 1-2 days. Remember this guide is for Debian or Ubuntu Linux - if you pick another distro, you will need to know what you are doing. **IF YOU WANT TO MAKE LIFE EASIER, PICK A 32-Bit INSTALL**

Step 1.5.
Register an account on osgrid.org.

Step 2.
Grab PuTTY from PuTTY: a free telnet/ssh client

Connect to the IP address you were given, enter the username "root" (no quotes), hit enter and the password given.

METHOD 1:
type as follows

Code:

cd /var
apt-get install subversion nant mono-gmcs libmono-microsoft8.0-cil libmono-system-runtime2.0-cil libgdiplus libmono-i18n2.0-cil
svn co http://opensimulator.org/svn/opensim/trunk opensim
cd opensim
./runprebuild.sh
nant

As you hit enter, lines of things may come up - wait for these to finish before you proceed to the next. (For other distributions, see here.)

OR METHOD 2:

rather than compiling your own you can get an official version from Download - OpenSim

You will still need to

Code:

apt-get install libmono-microsoft8.0-cil libmono-system-runtime2.0-cil libgdiplus libmono-i18n2.0-cil mono-gmcs

(mono-gmcs is used for compiling scripts that are made on your sim)

Now you need to do a little configuration of your sim before you can begin.

Code:

mono OpenSim.32BitLaunch.exe

A whole bunch of stuff will appear, ignore it, when it gets to the first prompt "Enter region name [OpenSim Test]", hit CTRL+C. It will quit, this is expected.

Code:

apt-get install jed
jed opensim.ini

You have some replacements to make - scroll to each of the following settings, and change them as shown:

Code:

physics = basicphysics

BECOMES

Code:

physics = OpenDynamicsEngine

Code:

gridmode = False

BECOMES

Code:

gridmode = True

The grid server stuff should look like this (change it to look so accordingly):

Code:

grid_server_url = "http://osgrid.org:8001"
grid_send_key = "1234"
grid_recv_key = "1234"

user_server_url = "http://osgrid.org:8002"
user_send_key = "1234"
user_recv_key = "1234"

asset_server_url = "http://osgrid.org:8003"

inventory_server_url = "http://osgrid.org:8004"

Now...

Step 3.

Code:

mono OpenSim.32BitLaunch.exe

Wait for it to load again, at the first prompt, enter the name of the sim (can be anything you like, 64 characters or less.)

Load this webpage - Welcome to OSGrid

Find some coordinates (click the "i" to see the coordinates of one of the sim) a little guesswork is required, but you should be able to find a pair that is empty.

You will be asked some questions, these are the answers you should give:

X Coordinate of Region: The X coordinate you picked above
Y Coordinate of Region: The Y coordinate you picked above
Internal IP address: Press enter (0.0.0.0)
External Hostname/IP: Enter the IP address of the server you are connecting to.
Port: Leave as 9000 (press enter)
Master avatar firstname: the firstname of your OSgrid.org account
Master avatar lastname: the lastname of your OSgrid.org account
Master avatar password: either leave blank or fill with gibberish (It's not used)

After the last question, a bunch more text should scroll by, and with any luck you will see "Region #:" - this means your region is online.

Type "shutdown", the sim should shutdown, now enter the following:

Code:

screen

mono OpenSim.32BitLaunch.exe

Final Steps

See here on how to Login to OSGrid - Welcome to OSGrid

Login to the OSGrid.org website, and change your home region to the region you just made.

Login.

Enjoy. :)

--- Notes from Psyke ---

GNU Screen help

Ctrl-a d = to detach from a screen
screen -r = to reattach a screen

Various SL-like grids

Psyke Phaeton — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:29:27 GMT

(Last Updated: 04-July-2008)

Ok so I guess it's about time I sorted out what is what here. So here is my attempt that others might find useful.

Software:

Opensimulator (aka OpenSim) is the open-source sim software itself currently at version 0.5 that can run standalone on your PC or connect to a larger grid on the internet. It has everything needed to connect a SL compatible client to it.

realXtend have developed a brand new viewer (REX) that works with the OpenSim server software, and offers incredible new capabilities - the ones people are freaking out over (HTML on a prim, mesh models, real time shadows, etc). When you use the realXtend viewer to build, there is a new tab that has properties you can set to activate the features (the same way, for example, you turn on flexiprims). For example, to use a mesh, you create a single prim, and check a box to turn on the REX properties. One of those properties is the name of the mesh to use from your inventory. Another properties is if the object casts shadows, etc. Another example is you can right click on a texture in your inventory and set it's media URL, and then that texture when used on a prim will display external content - web sites, external images, etc.

They have also contributed code to the OpenSim project to support the features in the new viewer on the server side, and are actively involved in development of new features. The RealXtend viewer will work with any grid using the latest OpenSim software, and dramatically changes what is possible. It will also work with SL, but the new features are not supported in the SL grid.
(Thanks Cristiano for this addition)

Grids:

OSGrid
Users: 3,197
Regions: 372
Rent Managed Regions: No, However see thread http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/oth...tml#post289506 ($US15+/month)
Connect Your Region: Yes (no fee)
Economy: Unknown
Notes:
No TOS found.
osgrid.org * View topic - OSGrid Homesteading
"OSGrid is an organization that provides potential region operators a place to hitch up their regions alongside other regions (even if not necesarily geographically adjacent). For our purposes, this means that the regions on a grid share at minimum User Authentication and Region Authentication services, and potentially Asset and Inventory backend services as well, depending on how the region server in question is configured."

OpenLifeGrid
Avatars: 25,084
Regions: 220
Rent Managed Regions: Yes ($US30 Set Up, $US59 per month)
Connect Your Region: No
Economy: No currency yet
Notes:
Foundation Residents / Virtual Land
"Activities Considered unlawful or illegal including harmful, abusive or 'griefing' to the community are not tolerated and may result in your account being suspended and/or cancelled without a refund. This includes Sexually Explicit and Explicit Violent content, public display and content development must be mindful of this environment supportive of up to only an M 15 environment, and not exceed this."

DeepGrid
Users: 2,055
Regions: 752
Rent Managed Regions: Yes ($unknown)
Connect Your Region: Yes (no fee)
Economy: Unknown
Notes:
DeepGrid - OpenSimulator Grid
"By making Content available, you represent and warrant that: [....] the Content is not obscene, libelous or defamatory, hateful or racially or ethnically objectionable, and does not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party [....]"
Recognises IP rights and DMCA

Central Grid
Avatars: 1938
Regions: 321
Rent Managed Regions: Yes ($US94/month for 1-6 regions, larger options also)
Connect Your Region: Yes ($US395+ fee, $US30 per month)
Economy: Unknown
Notes: See thread http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/oth...-any-info.html
"We can allow other smaller grids to connect to The Central Grid and utilize our central servers that handle things like assets, inventory, user management and other needed grid resources. If a grid operator was to deploy a server with any amount of regions, they could easily connect the regions to our central grid platform."
(Thanks Quiplash)

Also see: OpenSim:Grids - OpenSim