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|                                   IMC2 Hermes Install File                                   |
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DESCRIPTION

IMC2 is an intermud communications protocol for connecting multiple MUD games together. This
hub is for connecting those muds to the protocol and for routing packets from those muds.

This IMC2 hub attempts to fix most of the potential problem areas of earlier hub versions.
A lot of useless code has been removed, and some new features have been added. 


INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS


Step 1 - Getting Ready

If you have any previous versions of the IMC2 hub that are connected to any IMC2 networks, you will want 
to save the configuration files in order to transfer values that are still used to the new configuration
files. If a field did not exist in the old configuration file, ask your IMC2 network administrator for
the appropriate value.

Next, place the hub's directory in an appropriate user account that you have access to, and that is
not a possible security risk. Places not to stick a hub are any special daemon-reserved user accounts,
in the 'root' user account, or in a privileged user account. If the server you put the hub on is not
owned or ran by you, ask the system administrator if you can run a network protocol daemon. It is
especially important to ask if you plan on running a hub on a mud hosting service's server.

Next, you must make sure that whatever port you want the hub to run off of is not firewalled from the
internet.


Step 2 - Hub Installation

All that you have to do is enter the hub directory and type make.


Step 3 - Joining a Network

Now that you have installed your IMC2 hub correctly, you should get permission to connect it to an 
IMC2 network, unless it is for the start of a new IMC2 network. A list of current IMC2 networks is
provided at http://www.mudworld.org/UCMM/intermud/.


Step 4 - Configuration

Once you have joined a network, the IMC2 network administrator for that network should give values
to put in the appropriate fields of your main configuration file. 

Besides for the connection lines, the following are fields that will need to be filled in:

#Main Fields
LocalName: This is the name of the hub that will be given to the network.
NetworkName: This is the name of the network that the hub will be connected to.
LocalPort: This is the port that the hub will be running on.
ChannelCreators: This is the list of people that can remotely create channels.
MaxConnections: This is the maximum number of hubs and muds that can be connected(for autosetup only)
InfoHost: This is the server that the hub will broadcast itself as being on.
InfoEmail: This is the email address of the hub administrator.
InfoWeb: This is the web address that the hub will broadcast as being its own.

#Optional Capabilities(These are either active or commented out with #)
UpdateFile: Allows the writing of configuration commands to update file without rebooting.
AutoSetup: Allows muds to connect to the hub without prior connection information.
HTML-Mudlist: Writes the hub's imclist to an html file in the html directory.
HTML-Stats: Writes the hub's statistics to an html file in the html directory.


Step 5 - First Connection

Now that you have the appropriate settings in your configuration files, you can type './hubstart &'
to connect to your chosen IMC2 network. If you have nohup available on the server you are using,
you may want to try typing 'nohup ./hubstart &' instead.    


Step 6 - Adding Muds

In order to add a mud to your hub, the mud must first install the IMC2 client code. After the mud
has it installed, you will need to setup a connection for the mud and give it the appropriate
information for its configuration files. The update file aids in adding in connections without
having to reboot a hub. The instructions for the update file are provided in the included UPINSTRUCT
file. You must have UpdateFile uncommented in the config file for commands sent to the update file 
to work.


CONTACT INFO

If you wish to contact the authors of this IMC2 hub, or have questions or problems regarding it,
please use the IMC2 UIN Public Forum. This forum can be found at http://uin.aethiamud.org.


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