SEQ compliled and runs fine, not connecting

[kavlum]

Hi all,

I'm humbling myself and just asking for help. I've been away a long time and decided to play EQ over the holidays.

So for the past week I have been pulling my hair out with ShowEQ. I've got three systems all with the same end result, so I am sure I am doing something wrong and it is probably obvious.

The end result is ShowEQ running and appearing not to see the computer I am playing on. This is either by IP, MAC or next EQ client seen.


System 1 - Libre Sweet Potato AML-S905X-CC-V2, 2023-05-03-raspbian-buster-armhf+aml-s905x-cc.img.xz (shitshow but I got it launched)
System 2 - i3 desktop, Debian 12 (nonfree-netinst), Realtek NIC, Intel Wifi QT5, XFCE
System 3 - Asus Core M laptop, Debian 10, QT 4, Realtek based USB NIC, XFCE - this is current

I nuked Systems 1&2 and I'm sticking with testing on System3 since it is what seems like the good clean baseline config Debian 10 and QT4.

-All the compiler and lib prereqs were ok
-Make without errors on the current version 6.4.4
-Copied spells_us.txt and eqstr_us.txt and map files
-Launches with below output and the GUI comes up normally
-Never sees the EQ client machine.

ShowEQ 6.4.4, Built from 'main.cpp' on Dec 4 2024 at 16:26:51
CVS: @(#) $Id$ $Name$
Using GCC version: 8.3.0
Using glibc version: 2.28
Using Qt version: 4.8.7
Running on Linux release 4.19.0-27-amd64 for processor x86_64

Using config file '/root/.showeq/showeq.xml'
Loaded preferences file: /usr/local/share/showeq/seqdef.xml!
Loaded preferences file: /root/.showeq/showeq.xml!
Info: Listening for client: 192.168.1.234
Info: Initializing Packet Capture Thread:
Info: Filtering packets on device enxa0cec8044efd
Debug: PCAP Filter Set: udp[0:2] > 1024 and udp[2:2] > 1024 and host 192.168.1.234 and ether proto 0x800 and not broadcast and not multicast
Info: Loaded 67162 spells from '/usr/local/share/showeq/spells_us.txt' maxSpell=0xffff
Warning: GuildMgr: Could not load guildsfile, /root/.showeq/tmp/guilds3.dat
Info: Loading Filters from ''
Info: Loading Zone Filter File:
Info: Loading Zone Filter File:
Info: Categories Reloaded
Info: No Map found for zone 'unknown'!
Info: Checked for all variants of 'unknown.map', 'unknown.txt', and 'unknown_1.txt'
Info: in directories '/root/.showeq/maps' and '/usr/local/share/showeq/maps'!
Info: Loaded 6886 message strings from '/usr/local/share/showeq/eqstr_us.txt' maxFormat=35153

I started messing with port mirroring on my switch but I think it's got to be something simple I am missing.

I started playing EQ back in 1999, compiled and used ShowEQ in like 2001 on a RedHat 7.3(?) system. Over the years I've done this dozens of times on lots of systems. I've run Linux Emu servers over the years. I should be able to do this and I really hate asking for help but here I am

Thanks in advance.

[BlueAdept]

SEQ needs to be able to see the traffic from the EQ box.
This can be accomplished in several ways.
1. Make the linux box your gateway router using 2 network ports.
2. Find a true hub and connect your linux box and windows box to it.
3. Use a managed switch and mirror the windows port to the linux port.

I dont see it finding any traffic.

[cn187]

If it's not seeing the client, I would start by verifying (via tcpdump/wireshark) that 1) the SEQ host is seeing the traffic from the client host, 2) the traffic is seen on the expected interface, and 3) the traffic is from the expected IP.

The interface should match the interface you specified (enxa0cec8044efd) and the client ip should match the client IP you specified (192.168.1.234). If you're not seeing traffic in tcpdump/wireshark then that's the issue - the traffic isn't getting to the box. If you're seeing the traffic but the IP or interface is wrong, then change your SEQ settings to match and you should be good to go.

If all those things are correct, then it could be a problem with your build, or something weirder. (For example, a user here had to modify SEQ because his switch didn't strip .1Q vlan tags from his port-mirrored traffic, so SEQ didn't see it as legitimate traffic).

[kavlum]

Ok well I was starting down the right path. I'll fire up Wireshark and see what I see to confirm. The problem is that it obviously just isn't seeing the packets.

I think I'll hit the port mirroring config a little more. I got a DLINK 28 Port POE switch recycled from a customer that I was using. Junk switch but has mirroring. Initially I had it set to RX/TX on the client port, then mirrored to the SEQ box. Didn't work but it was an enable, click apply attempt. Maybe setting to RX only and I'll try. Seems like mirroring is the fastest route.

Does running a VM on the EQ client machine with the nic bridged work?

I actually boxed up an old Netgear 10/100 Hub that I used to use with SEQ in 2000s, thinking "one day....", just to find it.

Appreciate the responses, I'll test after this patch assuming new opcodes.....gah

EDIT - Pretty sure I found the issue. I confused the "target" and "source" port for mirroring on the DLINK. Stupid but I bet that is it. Now just waiting for servers to come up to test.

[cn187]

Sometimes switches implement mirroring in weird ways. For example, there was a user here whose switch didn't strip .1Q vlan tags off the mirrored traffic, and as a result, SEQ couldn't see it. He wound up modifying SEQ to skip over them. In another example, I once had a switch that if you mirrored a port, both the mirrored port AND the original port could only receive, not transmit. Which made it seriously useless.

The VM thing does work, but it depends on your software and how it's set up. (I think there are some extra hoops to jump through for VMware, for example). But I know several that have had good luck going the VM route.

[kavlum]

Yes I read the thread regarding VLANs, left thinking he really dug into that one.

Bingo! The problem was the DLINK and the reverse logic in the naming. (DLINK make the source and target murky, but also adds RX, TX or both as options to either.)

Info: EQPacket: SessionRequest detected, pcap filter: EQ Client 192.168.1.234, Client port 58166. Server port 2255
Warning: SEQ: Giving up on finding arq 0148 in stream zone-client cache, skipping!
Warning: SEQ: Giving up on finding arq 0149 in stream zone-client cache, skipping!
Warning: SEQ: Giving up on finding arq 014a in stream zone-client cache, skipping!
Warning: SEQ: Giving up on finding arq 014b in stream zone-client cache, skipping! ...............

So i am going now, just need to wait on updated opcodes.

Side note - Really appreciate just being able to throw this out to others who could give a breadcrumb that gets me going. I'll pass it forward hoping to help someone. ShowEQ was my gateway into Linux as a young person in IT circa 2000. Now I run a small MSP and we do a TON of Linux/OSS based solutions for customers.....all started "cheating" with SEQ.

Thanks for keeping this going over so many years!

[BlueAdept]

I had worked with mainframes before and with Sco but I really didn't scratch the surface with them. Then I found ShowEQ way back in like June or so of 1999. I think I built my first one in early 2000. http://eq.gomp.ch with Ashran and Megaton. I used linux more and more and got very familiar with it.

Now I work with the FAA and mainly work with linux.