Tag: Simulator User Group 2015

Saint Pete City (Flickr) – blog post

Server Deploys Week 46 – Update

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

• On Tuesday, November 10th, the Main (SLS) channel was updated with the same server maintenance package as deployed to the RC channels in week #45, comprising a fix for group invite throttle notifications, and an internal server code clean-up

Release Channel Deployments – Server-side Validation Enforcement

A new server maintenance package had been due for deployment on Wednesday, November 11th. This packed includes simulator-side enforcement checks against attachment point IDs (attachments using invalid attachment point ID will be moved to the chest attach point), and validation checks against animation and mesh to prevent the upload of animations and meshes weighted to invalid attachment points.

However, it was initially postponed after testing revealed the upload validation checks to be too stringent. (see BUG-10607 ‘Back end enforcement for animation upload is blocking upload of many of my animations – “references unknown joints”‘). As a result, the deployment was postponed while the Lab revisited the code to address issues, and a revised package was then rolled to all three RCs on Thursday, November 12th.

Firestorm 4.4.2 Bridge

In terms of the attachment ID and valid attachment points, one group of users who will be affected by the update are those on Firestorm 4.4.2, which uses an invalid attachment point ID for the Firestorm Bridge. Such users will only be affected if they log-in to an updated RC channel (keeping in mind this code will likely be deployed grid-wide in week #47), with the result that the bridge creation process will fail, leaving them with a boulder belly – a default rock shape embedded in their avatar.

As Whirly Fizzle explains in the deployment thread, to avoid this, those users on Firestorm 4.4.2, and who can, should update to 4.6.9 or later. Those who can’t, and who wish to avoid getting stoned, should disable the bridge creation process (Avatar -> Preferences -> Firestorm -> General -> Untick “Enable LSL-Client bridge” -> Apply -> OK  and detach the Bridge attachment). 

SL Viewer Updates

The Quick Graphics viewer containing the new Avatar Complexity capability and the ability to set multiple graphics presets was updated to version 3.8.7.306758 on Thursday, November 12th. This update sees the removal of a number of issues previously marked as resolved:

• MAINT-5541 “[QuickGraphics] 0 complexity avatar renders as jelly”
• MAINT-5567 “[QuickGraphics] A mesh attachment causes avatar to be jellybaby while Avatar complexity is set to No Limit”
• MAINT-5620 “[QuickGraphics] clicking on Graphics Preset title triggers favorite”

The removal of these fixes would seem to suggest this viewer will remain at RC for a while longer.

HTTP RC Viewer Withdrawn

Also as noted in an addendum to the first part of this week’s report, the HTTP RC viewer (Project Azumarill) was withdrawn from the viewer release channel. This viewer had been suffering from a number of issues, including disconnecting from the simulator during teleports, and also issues such as BUG-10230 – “Voice often fails to connect on the Azumarill viewer”, and BUG-10391 – “Avatar often bakes fails on Azumarill”. These may all have contributed to the removal of the viewer from the channel while the issues are worked on.

Endless Summer (Flickr) – blog post

Update November 11th: The HTTP RC viewer has been with withdrawn – see notes below.

Server Deploys Week 46

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

• On Tuesday, November 10th, the Main (SLS) channel was updated with the same server maintenance package as deployed to the RC channels in week #45, comprising a fix for group invite throttle notifications, and an internal server code clean-up
• There will be no RC deployment on Wednesday, November 11th.

Simulator Behaviour Changes

A RC deployment had been planned for week #46, which would have included new simulator side validation checks for mesh and animation uploads and attachment point validation.

However, when testing the simulator code on Aditi, Whirly Fizzle found that some of the checks are a little too stringent, and that even valid animations and mesh might be blocked – see BUG-10607 ‘Back end enforcement for animation upload” is blocking upload of many of my animations – “references unknown joints”‘, with even the default official bvh animations being blocked.

As a result of this, and following discussions at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, November 10th, the Lab postponed the deployment pending a re-examination of the new validation code.

SL Viewer Updates

A new Maintenance viewer was released on Tuesday, November 10th. Version 3.8.7.307376 brings with it some 38 fixes and improvements, including updates for some regressions introduced into the viewer with the current release viewer (version 3.8.6.305981).

The CEF project viewer (Project Valhalla) was also updated on Tuesday, November 10th. Version 4.0.0.307535 includes 17 fixes and updates compared to the initial release of the viewer.

Update November 11th: The HTTP (Project Azumarill) release candidate viewer was removed from the viewer release channel. As noted in my last TPV Development meeting report, the latest iteration of this viewer was generating assorted issues, including viewer disconnects on teleporting, and this may have led to the removal, although no official reason has been cited.

Other Items

HTTP Request Throttling

The server deployment to the main channel in week #45 introduced a throttle on HTTP requests. It had been introduced to prevent a griefing vector which could crash a region. However, the throttle was sufficient to cause llHTTPRequest to give NULL_KEY returns, which impacted a range of in-world systems include skill gaming systems, breedables, and tools such as Sculpt Studio (see BUG-10627 “llHTTPRequest appears to return NULL_KEY even if throttle is not reached”).

Commenting on this at the simulator user group meeting, Simon said:

I’m looking at relaxing that more with (hopefully) next week’s maintenance release; perhaps sooner (but no promises). I also need to update the llHTTPRequest() wiki page.  It really needs details on how scripters should handle a NULL_KEY return; basically they need to code for it … wait about a minute before retrying, and don’t kill your breedables if you can’t talk to your server. [The griefing vector] really caused some problems.   So we need that limit, but hopefully without killing off herds of SL animals.

Scripted normal & specular texture change Issues

Whirly Fizzle has reported a viewer-side issue within the current release viewer (version 3.8.6.305981) which can occur when manipulating materials on in-world objects or worn attachments via script.

The problems are outlined in BUG-10601, “Scripted normal & specular texture changes do not work correctly and screw up other materials enabled objects on the region”, and the problems affect normal and specular maps, and as Whirly notes in the report, the impact can be a little erratic. In sort, using scripts to toggle normal and / or specular maps on a surface on / off fails to result the expected behaviour.

On on the Left, how things should work as Whirly uses a script to toggle a normal map on / off to reveal the “001”; on the right, how the same script fails to achieve the same result in the 3.8.6.305981 viewer – click either images for full size

Whirly provides a full description of the problems which can occur, and it should be noted that while annoying when seen, the circumstances under which they occur are most likely narrow enough so as not be to be a major issue for users. The bug has been accepted by the Lab, and Marine Kelley has offered a hotfix which, if needed, might help in formulating a “full” fix for the problem.

Aditi Log-in Sync Issues

A recent breakage in the update mechanism for syncing passwords and inventory between the main grid and Aditi, led to further issues for some users in trying to use both grids (see this forum thread and BUG-10634).

At the start of week #46, the Lab deployed a new method of syncing between Agni (the main grid) and Aditi, which it was hoped would resolve problems. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned, and the new system had to be rolled back.

As a result, and as Simon notes on the forum thread, those wishing to sync their grid passwords and inventory between the two grids should file  a Support ticket asking that your account be copied from the main grid to Aditi.

Sorrow, Paper Dinosaurs (Flickr) – blog post

Server Deployments Week 45

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest information and feedback.

• On Tuesday, November 3rd, the Main (SLS) channel received the server maintenance package previously deployed to BlueSteel and LeTigre, comprising a simulator crash fix
• On Wednesday, November 4th, all three RC channel received a new server maintenance package comprising a fix for group invite throttle notifications, and an internal server code clean-up.

Part of the code-clean up for the RC channels deployment appears to involve a fix for the region edge issue I reported on in my week 44 report, with Simon Linden commenting at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, November 3rd, “The new code going into RC has one interesting tool in it for our support staff … there’s a sim console command to reset the land edges to match what’s visible.”

SL Viewer Updates

The HTTP release candidate viewer (Project Azumarill) updated to version 3.8.7.306796 on Monday, November 2nd, possibly the last update before this viewer gets promoted to the de facto viewer in week #46.

Group Issues

There are a number of issues with groups the Lab is aware of, including those who are ejected from a group whilst in a group chat session still being able to continue using the chat until they close the window (see SVC-32), an issue not fully resolved when group bans were introduced.

This issue is one that the Lab is hoping to address, however, it is dependent upon some infrastructure changes being made, so may now happen in the immediate future, although the hope is to get the underpinning work done “pretty soon”.

KiLu, Majorca (Flickr) – blog post

Server Deployments – Week #44

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

On Tuesday, October 27th, the Main (SLS) channel received the same  server maintenance package as deployed to the three RC channel in week #43. This comprised server-side improvements for delivering group notice attachments, together with some simulator crash fixes and code to prevent the uploading of “hacked” mesh content (e.g. mesh items which show a LI of 1 no matter what their actual complexity, or which spoof a creator’s name).

On Wednesday, October 28th, the RC channels should be updated as follows:

• BlueSteel and LeTigre will each receive the same new server maintenance package, comprising a simulator crash fix
• Magnum will also receive a new server maintenance package, comprising the same simulator crash fix as BlueSteel and LeTigre, together with a fix for a security issue.

SL Viewer

On Monday, October 26th, the Notifications viewer was promoted to the de facto release viewer. Version 3.8.6.305981 comprises the new floater for managing incoming notifications (Group, Transactions, Invitations, System).

Also on Monday, October 26th the HTTP release candidate viewer updated to version 3.8.6.306549, which includes fixes for the following issues:

• MAINT-4952 Replace old http client usage with llcorehttp
• MAINT-5283 Viewer doesn’t connect to Facebook
• MAINT-5693 [Project Azumarill] Avatar often bakes fails on Azumarill
• MAINT-5732 [Azumarill-RC] Viewer actually crashes when connection is lost instead of disconnecting.
• MAINT-5780 Viewer crashes when trying to create webprim
• MAINT-5788 Secondlife has stopped working error, after canceling TOS
• MAINT-5791 Terms of service are not loading.

Other Items

Rigging Mesh to Attach Points – BUG-10543

In my last project update, I reported on asset upload validation checks, and the Lab’s work to move them from the viewer to the simulator (e.g. checks to ensure animations are what they say they are, further checking of mesh uploads to ensure they can be rendered correctly, etc.). the overall aim is to improve reliability in SL. However, one impact of these changes is that once implemented,  it will no longer be possible to upload mesh items weighted to attach points.

While the Lab  has never regarded this as a supported means of handle mesh attachments, it has nevertheless been widely used by creators in SL. So much so that when Firestorm removed the ability to upload such meshes from their viewer, it caused some consternation (see FIRE-17144).

Once implemented, the change should only affect new uploads of mesh weighted to attachment points, and not affected any items already uploaded and in use within SL. However, a JIRA on the matter has now been raised directly with the Lab on the issue (see BUG-10543), in which creators who use the technique can provide input and use-cases to the Lab on why the approach is used (if you wish to leave a comment, please try to make it constructive and provide examples / reasoned argument, as these work better than rants).

Commenting on the JIRA, Troy Linden has said, “We realise that there will be a lot of residents/assets affected by this and currently looking into it. Sorry for the inconvenience and worries it caused. Please stay tuned.”

Adding to this at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, October 27th, Oz Linden said:

Up until a couple of days ago, we didn’t know anyone was doing it. You’d be amazed how often that happens. So please allow us a little time to digest what we’ve been learning. It’s actually one of the great things about working on SL. While we don’t always love how people apply their creativity, we all just love seeing how creative our users are.

Region Edge Issues

There has been an occasional problem encountered along the edges of simulators in which, when terraforrming and using the Smooth option, a very thin “cliff” can be raised into the air (see BUG-5979), or where when an avatar gets close to a region, it falls  through a “gap” (see BUG-242).

Various reasons have been identified for this – as noted in the bug reports – and at the Simulator User Group meeting, Simon Linden said, “I think I found the cause of those odd region edges you sometimes see, where you can’t move in the areas you think you should at the edge of the land. It’s actually not the navmesh [which had been thought to be one of the possible causes] but it is the physics shape of the land.”

Essentially, the simulator, where no longer connected to a region which might once have been next to it, gets confused as to what it thinks should be alongside it. It then attempts to match the physics and land to what it thinks is in the “neighbouring” region,  rather than simply resetting itself.

WOD: Château Village (Flickr) – blog post

Deploys for Week #43

There was no deployment to the Main (SLS) channel on Tuesday, October 20th.

On Wednesday, October 21st, all three RCs should receive the same new server maintenance package, which include server-side improvements for delivering group notice attachments, which is hoped will provide some improvements to issues of trying to open such attachments from the group notice notifications.

The update also includes some simulator crash fixes, and while not advertised in the release notes, should also include simulator-side code to prevent the uploading of “hacked” mesh content (e.g. mesh items which show a LI of 1 no matter what their actual complexity, or which spoof a creator’s name).

As usual, updates can be found in the server deployment thread.

SL Viewer

The Quick Preferences RC viewer was updated to version 3.8.6.305942 on October 19th, most likely bringing it up to parity with the current release viewer.

Commenting on the status of the current RC viewers during the open Source Developer’s meeting on Monday, October 19th and in relation to any possible viewer promotion in week #44, Oz Linden said, “The Quick Graphics viewer has too many bugs to promote; mostly minor, but there’s no reason to go forward with it yet. HTTP has a couple of significant bugs to fix. So if I had to bet on the next promotion I’d guess the Notifications viewer.”

Expect more news on viewers following the TPVD meeting on Friday, October 23rd.

Other Items

A question was asked during the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday, October 20th about making script time for in-world objects in a parcel available to the parcel holder (e.g. an extension of the region-wide Top Scripts functionality available to region / estate owners / managers). The idea here being to help parcel owners better understand how in-world objects within their parcel might be impacting simulator resources (see this forum thread and SCR-60 as well).

Commenting on the idea, Simon Linden said:

Since we send it to the viewer already, you have access to the info … You can probably get some of that info by scanning but I can see it would be a lot easier to get that in a different format. One of the limits (I’m sure you all know) of LSL is it’s not good with large data sets, so I’m not sure how you can expose that info for a large number of items … so maybe the top 10 or 25 objects on a given parcel? I can totally see the need for that to manage land.

… HUDs and attachments add a twist to it … they would probably be lumped together with the AV as they are now. I wonder if it would be easy to add something like PARCEL_SCRIPT_TIME to llGetParcelDetials()? that doesn’t give you what you want, but is a higher level for finding the parcels with the most scripts.

Those looking for such a capability are advised to raise a JIRA feature request.