InstantPalace with 4.4 Windows Server

      • Overview

        • Palace server version 4.3.2, which shipped for Unix, Linux, and Windows NT platforms, shipped with InstantPalace version 2.0 build 32, which was the last released version of InstantPalace. Although InstantPalace never actually shipped with 4.4 Windows servers, InstantPalace runs successfully on Windows 95/98/ME using a 4.4 server with the proper files and directories in place. Unix and Linux 4.4.1 and 4.5.1 servers also shipped without InstantPalace, and since Unix, Linux, Win95/98/ME, and WinNT servers all use the same directory structure, the information below can be used to assist in setting up InstantPalace on any of these versions. The PalaceServer directory referred to below would be equivalent to the root palace directory on a Unix or Linux server installation.

      • Required Directories and Files

        • First you will need to download the files needed to set up InstantPalace:

        Download InstantPalace Files

        Below is a list of the directories, which need to include their default contents, and other files that were migrated into a default Windows 4.4 server installation to activate InstantPalace. All directory names and file names are case sensitive.

        • Place These Items in Communities.com/PalaceServer:

          • In the PalaceServer directory, there should already be directories named bin, conf, logs, and palace. You are adding the following directories and files: 

          binc (directory)

            Contains 9 files: 3 .cab files, 3 .zip files, and 3 .jar files. Don't unzip the zip files, but leave these files the way they are.
          cgi-bin (directory)
            Contains 2 files in this directory by default that aren't used by this version of IP. Nothing to worry about in here.
          common (directory)
            Contains 2 directories: images and servermonitor. The servermonitor directory has a cab, jar, and zip file. Don't unzip the zip files, but leave these files the way they are.
          index.html (file)

        • Place These Items in Communities.com/PalaceServer/palace:

          • In the palace directory, you should already have directories called media, logs and psdata. You are adding the following directories and files: 

          avatars (directory)

            Contains 104 small images named cf0.gif through cf103.gif.
          client (directory)
            Contains several directories and files. The most important file in the client directory is the one called instantpal.html.
          contents.html (file)
index.html (file)
pal_admin_stat.html (file)
        The files and directories that were used in these tests came from a Linux server installation, but it is reasonable to assume that the files and directories from Windows NT or other Unix installations would also migrate successfully.

      • Check The Paths

        Open the instantpal.html file with a text editor. This file is located in the palace/client directory. Check the paths, as these may have been changed by those who previously installed InstantPalace, such as Hosting Services. A default 4.4 Windows server installation should use the default settings in the instantpal.html file. Near the top of the file, the setting for psRoot should be:

        psRoot="/palace";

        Check the paths to the jar and zip files by locating the lines in the instantpal.html file with the entries below. The default settings for the two Netscape archives and the Mac version of Internet Explorer archives are:

        ARCHIVE=/binc/pal_arch.jar
ARCHIVE=/binc/pal_arch.zip
ARCHIVE=/binc/pal_arch.zip

        The setting for the path to the cab file for Windows versions of Internet Explorer is located at the top of the parameters section, which is located near the end of the instantpal.html file. The default entry is:

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=cabbase value=/binc/pal_arch.cab>");

      • Check Web Server Operations

        By default, you should also have a file in Communities.com/PalaceServer/bin called ApacheCore.dll. This is your web server. It operates transparently, meaning that it goes to work automatically when you launch your server. After launching your server, verify that your web server is operational. Go to Start Menu, Run, type in winipcfg, and press return. This will display your current IP address. For the sake of this example, let's say it is 207.183.210.1. Now go to your web browser, and put this address in the location field:

        http://207.183.210.1:9990/palace/media/clouds.gif

        Replace clouds.gif with the name of any picture that is in your PalaceServer/palace/media directory. If your web server is working, the picture will display in your web browser. Now try this address, using your IP address instead of 207.183.210.1:

        http://207.183.210.1:9990/palace/client/instantpal.html

        If the directories and files are in the right places, then you should now see InstantPalace start to load. It is approximately 200K to download, so give it time to load.

      • Configure PServer.prefs File

        For the InstantPalace avatars in your palace/avatars directory to be used, this line must appear on a separate line in the PServer.prefs file, which is located in the palace/psdata directory:

        USEOTHERAVATARSERVER

        If this line isn't in the PServer.prefs file, it can be added with a text editor. For this change to take effect, the PServer.prefs file should be edited while your server is not running.

      • Offline and Online Connections

        Connecting to InstantPalace when offline is a great way to test scripts and HTML alterations. To connect to a default installation when offline, use this address:

        http://127.0.0.1:9990/palace/client/instantpal.html

        Replace the 127.0.0.1 with your numeric IP address or domain name for connecting when online. These tests were conducted using the default apache web server included with the Windows 4.4 server installation. The Resource Center also operates successfully with a Windows 4.4 server using this address:

        http://127.0.0.1:9990/palace/index.html

        The Resource Center is a web page with a red and green light that shows whether your server is running, how many people are on your server, the server version, capacity, and other data. Again, replace the 127.0.0.1 with your numeric IP address or domain name to access the Resource Center when online.

        Note: Offline connection tests were run on computers that were not networked. If you are running a home network, try substituting the static IP assigned to your network in place of 127.0.0.1 in the URL for offline connections. For additional information regarding Palace, InstantPalace, and home networks, try Getting Palace, InstantPalace, and your network to work together.

      • InstantPalace Troubleshooting

        If problems are encountered after following the above installation and configuration procedures, you can try the InstantPalace Troubleshooting web page for additional information. Another option would be to join the InstantPalace Discussion Group, and post questions there regarding installation or configuration difficulties.

      • Additional Resources

        • InstantPalace Resources Index
        • Scripting for InstantPalace
        • Customizing InstantPalace
        • InstantPalace Installation
        • 104 Avatars for InstantPalace
        • Using Larger Avatars with InstantPalace
        • Using Sounds with InstantPalace
        • Mac InstantPalace and Browser Issues
        • InstantPalace Troubleshooting
        • Iptscrae Quick Reference Table
        • InstantPalace Demos
        • InstantPalace Parameters
        • InstantPalace Discussion Group

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