Server - When you start your palace, the prop file is read into memory on the server machine. When you shut down, it is written back to the disk - which means that while your palace is running, two copies of your prop file exist - one on disk and one in memory. The memory copy is also written back to disk every few minutes while your palace is running - so the disk copy is usually only a few minutes behind the memory copy.

Prop flushing and purging (Server Side) - Because the server stores every prop it has ever seen, it can grow large. You can fix this by two commands. The first is purgeprops. You do this by typing.....

'purgeprops

The second is flushprops. You do this by typing ....

'flushprops

Normally purgeprops is available to wizards and flushprops is available to gods, but you can change that if you wish. The only difference between purgeprops and flushprops is that purgeprops cleans out the memory copy of the prop file and flushprops cleans out the disk copy as well.

When you do a purgeprops or a flushprops, the server decides what props to throw out based on when the prop was last "seen" by your server. This means the last time someone wore it. You can tell the server how far back to go by adding a number (called a command argument or parameter) to the command. You can use a positive number to specify days or a negative number to specify hours.

Before flushing props, go through all your prop rooms with a virgin prop bag in your Palace client. This forces the server to download the props to your client as if your client has never seen the prop before. This is also a good time to check and make sure your props are showing properly.

The time it takes to go through all your av rooms determines what parameter you will use with the 'flushprops command.

Example

'flushprops 1 - means flush all props that the server has not seen in the last 2 days

'flushprops -1 - means flush all props that the server has not seen in the last hour

'flushprops -2 - means flush all props that the server has not seen in the last two hours

Prop exchange - THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT PROPS ON A PALACE

The prop handling scheme in the palace software is set up to cut down on the number of times a prop has to be sent back and forth between the server and the client of everyone logged on to the palace. It does this using the serial number.

For example - when someone logs onto your palace and goes into a room full of people, the server sends their client a list of prop serial numbers for every prop in the room. Their client then looks through it's client prop bag, pulls up the ones it already has and then asks the server to send the rest. That way the server does not have to send the client props it already has in the client prop bag. Remember - the client prop bag has all the props that person has seen even if they are not visible when the prop bag is opened.

Then let's say that person logs off and comes right back - the server again sends the list of serial numbers. This time the client checks it's prop bag and finds all the props it needs and the server does not need to send any props.

I'll do one more example to clarify

1 - Bob logs onto a palace and lands in a room containing Fred and Ethel

2 - The server sends Bob's client a message listing the serial numbers of the props that Fred and Ethel are wearing

3 - Bob's client checks his prop bag and sees Fred's prop from the night before so it uses that copy to put up Fred's prop

- Bob's client has never seen Ethel's props before so it asks the server for them 5- The server sends Bob's client the props that Ethel is wearing and the client stores them in the client prop bag in case Bob ever runs into those props again

Virgin Prop Bag - This is a fresh copy of the client prop bag that came with the palace client software and has never been used. This way you know it has not been contaminated with bad props and does not contain any of the props for your palace.

Corrupt props - A prop contains two parts. The first is the prop itself and the second is something called a checksum. The checksum is created when the prop is created and it represents a numerical validation tag for the prop. As the prop is sent back and forth between the server and the client and as it is read from and written to the disk on your client PC or the server, errors can occur, changing some bits of the prop. When this happens, the prop no longer matches the checksum and the prop is said to be corrupt. When the server or client tries to display a prop, it always checks the prop and the checksum and will not display the prop if they do not match.

Written by Jade modified by AnnieMT

It is important for your server host that you flush your prop file regularly. If you don't your server prop file continues to grow nd grow and the old props are going to take up alot of memory, please do this once every week.