A little Question and Answer Thread.

[ferriswheel1]

sexure lockers

those could be put to interesting use

[Grek]

How To: Call the shuttle in TermOS (a hacking-free guide).

When you call the shuttle with COMMaster, what the program is actually doing is sending a packet to the communications dish, telling it to make the actual call. The packet looks something like this:

address_1 = {net address of the comms dish}
command = call
shuttle_id = emergency
acc_code = {authentication code goes here}

Step 1: Get the comms dish address. To do this, use "disconnect" to log off of the dwaine server, then term_ping to get a list of addresses. One of these will be the comms array. Write down that address. Another will say mainframe (not mainframe_ai, that's different). Connect back to mainframe with "connect {net address of mainframe}" and log back into Dwaine.

Step 2: Mount the comms dish. This requires SU access. to gain SU access, use "su" followed by "term_login" with a superuser ID. There are ways to spoof this. Once logged in as SU, do "mount {net address of the comms dish} commsdish". The third string can be anything you want, but I'm using commsdish because that's what it is. This will create a /mnt/commsdish directory that you can echo things to in order to send them to that device.

Step 3: Get the authentication code. There's a number of ways you could do this using a packet sniffer or the station packet radio, but the one that I'm going to talk about here is the authentication disk. Simply pick up the disk, put it in a computer with a floppy drive (you can build one for TermOS, but all of the pre-built computers with floppies are ThinkDOS) and read it.

Step 4: Echo your signals to the mounted comms dish. Link, then Call. To do so, use "echo command=link|nshuttle_id=emergency|nacc_code={authentication code goes here} ^ /mnt/commsdish" and then "echo command=call|nshuttle_id=emergency|nacc_code={authentication code goes here} ^ /mnt/commsdish". In these commands, |n is the newline code and ^ marks the end of the file to be echoed and the start of the address to echo it to. Assuming you did everything right, this should call the emergency shuttle.

For extra fun, try mounting a printer. They're listed as print devices in term_ping and anything echoed to them automatically prints. They have no authentication requirements, either. |n still lets you do newlines, though!

E: This forum does not like greater than or less than signs.

[Noah Buttes]

How To: Call the shuttle in TermOS (a hacking-free guide).

When you call the shuttle with COMMaster, what the program is actually doing is sending a packet to the communications dish, telling it to make the actual call. The packet looks something like this:

address_1 = {net address of the comms dish}
command = call
shuttle_id = emergency
acc_code = {authentication code goes here}

Step 1: Get the comms dish address. To do this, use "disconnect" to log off of the dwaine server, then term_ping to get a list of addresses. One of these will be the comms array. Write down that address. Another will say mainframe (not mainframe_ai, that's different). Connect back to mainframe with "connect {net address of mainframe}" and log back into Dwaine.

Step 4: Mount the comms dish. This requires SU access. to gain SU access, use "su" followed by "term_login" with a superuser ID. There are ways to spoof this. Once logged in as SU, do "mount {net address of the comms dish} commsdish". The third string can be anything you want, but I'm using commsdish because that's what it is. This will create a /mnt/commsdish directory that you can echo things to in order to send them to that device.

Step 3: Get the authentication code. There's a number of ways you could do this using a packet sniffer or the station packet radio, but the one that I'm going to talk about here is the authentication disk. Simply pick up the disk, put it in a computer with a floppy drive (you can build one for TermOS, but all of  the pre-built computers with floppies are ThinkDOS) and read it.

Step 4: Echo your signal to the mounted comms dish. To do so, use "echo command=call|nshuttle_id=emergency|nacc_code={authentication code goes here} ^ /mnt/commsdish". In this command, |n is the newline code and ^ marks the end of the file to be echoed and the start of the address to echo it to. Assuming you did everything right, this should call the emergency shuttle.

For extra fun, try mounting a printer. They're listed as print devices in term_ping and anything echoed to them automatically prints. They have no authentication requirements, either. |n still lets you do newlines, though!

E: This forum does not like greater than or less than signs.

You said step 4 twice.

[Triacontakai]

How To: Call the shuttle in TermOS (a hacking-free guide).

When you call the shuttle with COMMaster, what the program is actually doing is sending a packet to the communications dish, telling it to make the actual call. The packet looks something like this:

address_1 = {net address of the comms dish}
command = call
shuttle_id = emergency
acc_code = {authentication code goes here}

Step 1: Get the comms dish address. To do this, use "disconnect" to log off of the dwaine server, then term_ping to get a list of addresses. One of these will be the comms array. Write down that address. Another will say mainframe (not mainframe_ai, that's different). Connect back to mainframe with "connect {net address of mainframe}" and log back into Dwaine.

Step 4: Mount the comms dish. This requires SU access. to gain SU access, use "su" followed by "term_login" with a superuser ID. There are ways to spoof this. Once logged in as SU, do "mount {net address of the comms dish} commsdish". The third string can be anything you want, but I'm using commsdish because that's what it is. This will create a /mnt/commsdish directory that you can echo things to in order to send them to that device.

Step 3: Get the authentication code. There's a number of ways you could do this using a packet sniffer or the station packet radio, but the one that I'm going to talk about here is the authentication disk. Simply pick up the disk, put it in a computer with a floppy drive (you can build one for TermOS, but all of  the pre-built computers with floppies are ThinkDOS) and read it.

Step 4: Echo your signal to the mounted comms dish. To do so, use "echo command=call|nshuttle_id=emergency|nacc_code={authentication code goes here} ^ /mnt/commsdish". In this command, |n is the newline code and ^ marks the end of the file to be echoed and the start of the address to echo it to. Assuming you did everything right, this should call the emergency shuttle.

For extra fun, try mounting a printer. They're listed as print devices in term_ping and anything echoed to them automatically prints. They have no authentication requirements, either. |n still lets you do newlines, though!

E: This forum does not like greater than or less than signs.

You can MOUNT DEVICES TO THE NETWORK?? That changes everything!

EDIT: Alright, so I tried to do this. I mounted one of the 2 comms dishes (tried both) on the mount "dish". I got the access code, but lets pretend it was 1234 Alpha-567 cause I don't remeber what it was. I then did "echo command=call|nshuttle_id=emergency|nacc_code=1234 Alpha-567 ^ /mnt/dish". After I sent it, nothing happened. I'm pretty sure I did exactly as you said to do it, and even tried to add the sender and address_1 parts of the packet and double checked that the code was correct. Is there any reason it wasn't working?

[Grek]

You may have to link first.

[Triacontakai]

You may have to link first.

What do you mean by "link"?

EDIT: Oh wait woops I see what you mean. I don't think that's the problem since I can send the same packet with sigpal and the shuttle is called. I'm pretty sure the call command autolinks with centcomm too.

[Grek]

I'll play with it some tomorrow, see what gives.

[locusts]

Last night I gave Bombini a visit and bought a load of bee eggs and a load of royal jelly. I hatched the eggs and tried feeding the larvae the royal jelly, but they just looked at it all puzzled. Then they pupated into regular bees. When I mentorhelped it, they said to do exactly what I was doing. What was going wrong?

[The Grim Sleeper]

.... After I sent it, nothing happened. I'm pretty sure I did exactly as you said to do it, and even tried to add the sender and address_1 parts of the packet and double checked that the code was correct. Is there any reason it wasn't working?

I'll play with it some tomorrow, see what gives.

Chipping in on this: Grek's instructions will put a file with the link data and call data on the commdisk, but the commdisk doesn't seem to send that file.
For a print-device the echo-file-to-mount-location will be followed by the mainframe sending a 'data=command=print' to the actual printer with the file attached.

Either the line "echo command=link bit" needs to be send to the mainframe instead of the dish, so it knows what to do with incoming files, or we need an extra command to get the file send from the mainframe to the dish.

And while on the subject, why do the scanners and the printer etc have 'Configuration Switches'?

[Vitatroll]

I find the mainframe reliant ways less reliable, tbh. Prman is in many places across the z levels. The authentication disk contains the codes straight up. There isn't, however, a way to replace the mainframe or mainframe apc.

All you have to do for the mechcomp method is grab the acc_code, comm address, a button, and a powernet networking component (PNNC). Attach the PNNC to a data terminal, attach the button somewhere, hook the button to the PNNC (send packet), and enter this as the button's send signal:

address_1=xxxxxxxx&command=call&shuttle_id=emergency&acc_code=xxx greek-xxx&sender=xxxxxxxx

Address_1 is the comm_array address. Command is call or recall. Acc_code is that rounds head code. Sender can probably be anything. I just use the comm_array address again.

You can also use this to make an autocaller or autorecaller. If someone does this you can generally just spam call or recall to overload the components reaction time... unless they were a super asshole and made a buffered version. In that case you need to isolate the dish from the network and then call it.

For those just getting into this, the most fun thing to mess with is probably the teleporter. Just be warned that excessive nerdery with no chance of retribution leads to you being very disliked.

As for computers in general, well, they can be somewhat buggy/OP. After looking at my notes I've remembered why I stopped using some of the things I used to use. You can more or less grind the server to a halt with computers and the benefit to the player is minimal. It can be interesting to mess with, but do think of other players if you know about what I'm referring to.

[Noah Buttes]

You can more or less grind the server to a halt with computers and the benefit to the player is minimal. It can be interesting to mess with, but do think of other players if you know about what I'm referring to.

I hope you've reported that in the exploits section of the bug reports forum.

[The Grim Sleeper]

... I stopped using some of the things I used to use. You can more or less grind the server to a halt with computers and the benefit to the player is minimal. It can be interesting to mess with, but do think of other players if you know about what I'm referring to.

I'm not sure, is it something recursive? I'm trying to learn this stuff, but the problem is, doing so is hard and crashes the server (thank the Goons for private servers).
Would you say that it's better for people to know high-level TermOS and be responsible about it, or is it better to leave sleeping dogs lie, with the risk that some rookie starts to use it, but never realizes the true harm he causes?

[Vitatroll]

I hope you've reported that in the exploits section of the bug reports forum.

I was narrowing things down and ran out of active freetime. I have loooads of freetime, but only for less invested stuff... like getting obscenely drunk in the bar and tabbing out for ten minutes to see what happens. I'll get there eventually.

I'm not sure, is it something recursive? I'm trying to learn this stuff, but the problem is, doing so is hard and crashes the server (thank the Goons for private servers).
Would you say that it's better for people to know high-level TermOS and be responsible about it, or is it better to leave sleeping dogs lie, with the risk that some rookie starts to use it, but never realizes the true harm he causes?

The coders have some lag problems to deal with right now. Computers are currently a nonissue because they don't cause (big) problems. Introduce people to something that would cause lots of lag and they'll cause it just to try it out. I mean, just look at that damned button. *sigh*  The coders don't really need that right now. Anybody that knows a problem should post it in the exploits part of the bugs forum. That way, eventually, telling people won't be an issue... with some very minor exceptions.

[Superlagg]

Is it possible to space the loafer?

[Mageziya]

The loafer is immobile. The best you can do is bomb it. Make sure not to damage any belts or anything else in the process, and please plug any hole that it creates. Unless you're an antag, in which case feel free to plop a canister bomb directly on top of the loafer and then run for the hills.