Second Life and Virtual Worlds
I am behind this week. Too many fun things to do and work keeps interfering with my life. However, there is some interesting stuff happening.
Well… no Deploys post this week. However, the main channel and I think RC channels got updates.
Second Life Server 19.05.10.527185 – Main channel – Internal Fixes – Fixed EEP Regressions. I think the regressions are the things that broke when the other thing got fixed… Whatever, they are sorting it out.
The RC’s as of Thursday looked like this:
Last Friday there was a Third-Party Dev UG meeting that ran 48 minutes. The video is here. I’ve included the interesting stuff mixed in.
The main channel will stay with version #19.04.22.526534. No restart. This is the version pushed to reduce disconnects. In my experience, things are much better.
Blue Steel, Le Tigre, and Magnum will update to version #19.04.25.526669 on Wednesday. The version is listed as having Internal Fixes and Fixed EEP Regressions.
Rider Linden met with an SL group, Visionaire, to explain EEP. It is an hour plus video.
From the Server-Scripting UG: [12:34] Oz Linden: And we’ve already put in place a bunch of improvements [think detectors & stats] to our RC monitors to help prevent a similar recurrence (with more coming soon)
As of the 4/18 server change was to roll the server OS back. In doing so some are seeing less script time available. One or two have seen a drop from 100% of scripts to only 30% to 60% run.
Oz says they have lots of performance data for that metric. So, they will be checking as they move to re-upgrade the OS. The simulator OS has to update as part of the pre-move to the cloud.
There are other script performance things planned. So, the Lindens will add in a look at the script slowing issue along with those.
There was lots of detailed information in the third-party dev UG meeting last week. We got a bunch of information on what is happening with a couple of problems. Currently, disconnects and detachments are front lines.
The main channel rolls to #19.03.15.525315. This is the OS upgrade. It includes the EEP support.
The RC channels Blue Steel, Le Tigre, and Magnum will be the first version with UDP asset fetching disabled or removed. See the Tools & Tech section of the SL blog Obsolete Asset Fetch Disabled for more details.
The UDP change will mean older viewers using UDP asset fetching will stop working correctly. Avatars are likely to not render or render as Ruth/Roth. Sooner or later you will have to update…
The RC channels will have a change that is hoped will help with the disconnect problems people are experiencing, which seems to have started in December or January. Some think EEP is causing the disconnects. EEP is coincidental with the disconnects. The current analysis of the problem suggests it is in the TCP communication between the viewers and servers.
In the March 29, Third-Party Dev UG meeting Oz talks about the problem and why it took the Lindens so long to notice. Video Basically, the problem is not showing in the performance stats the Lindens watch.
The disconnects seem to fall into groups, those occurring during a teleport and those that are periodic (disconnect every so many minutes). People trying to chase the problem down are having problems reproducing the disconnect. They have the problem rated as #1 & #2 and have lots of people on it full time plus a QA team of remote users, meaning far from the Lab distance-wise.
There are rumors about different things one can do to stop the disconnects, change the WL/EEP sky, cancel a TP mid-teleport (cancel, open World Map – find destination region – wait for it to come up and you pop in), and others. For others the key is location, Blake Sea is a problem and Heterocera is not a problem.
Last Friday was the Third-Party Dev UG meeting. The meeting ran for 52 minutes.
RC viewers to update in week #12. As of today, not yet. Security update for Chromium revealed some problems. Google has been updating all their Chrome products with the security patch. Oz Linden is encouraging all dev’s to update. That translates to users as a reason to get the next set of viewer updates.
This set of updates takes care of a problem that is in the wild and being used. I’ve heard you have to visit a malicious website for the exploit to be used.
The EEP, BoM, and EAM versions of the viewers are waiting for server-side updates. The hope is the server updates will make it through this week (#12). Rider Linden says the plan is for the EEP simulators to roll grid wide. Currently, EPP is on Blue Steel and Le Tigre RC channels. If they advance, it will be a big step for EEP (Enhanced Environment Project).
The Lab has been doing experiments, testing, and collecting data to sort out the problem of stuff detaching when crossing regions.
Something messed up in the blog. Seems the site got a roll back. Week 10 disappeared… not sure how long it was even up. Oh well…
So, I have reposted week 10 news in the previous article.
No server Deploy post as of Tuesday morning. There is a 16-hour old post this morning in last week’s that says no rolls this week… So, I guess no rolls.
OH… WAIT… The post appeared just after noon.
Main channel no roll. Remains on #19.01.25.523656.
Blue Steel and Le Tigre roll to version #19.03.07.525089. The changes are Internal Fixes (shocker) and fixes to EEP.
Magnum gets version #19.01.25.523656. Just Internal Fixes.
I am seeing a few more people post about being logged off at 15 to 20 minutes. Some European people are dealing with huge packet loss. Russians are protesting Putin’s isolating the Russian Internet net from the rest of the world. Many thought it impossible. But China has done it, Google is helping. So, it looks like Putin will do it.
There is an ongoing thing with region owners notice less available script time. An investigation is on the Lindens to do list after EEP rolls out.
The third-party Dev UG meeting was short and griefed. The video is here. Pantera Północy, the videographer, edited most of the griefing out. Annoying.
The main channel got an update, #19.01.25.523656. Has logging to gather baseline information on simulator performance in various areas of interest and additional internal logging. So, they are now getting data from the majority of the grid.
If you drive, fly, or sail now would be a good week to be active. Of course, Tuesday afternoon is a good day to drive, fly, or sail as the most regions have just been restarted.