07. Using Hypergrid

What is Hypergrid?
Hypergrid is now included in the standard build of OpenSim, since release r7471, and allows for teleporting between any two opensims, whether they are in standalone or gridmode. This should not be underestimated. Hypergrid could be said to be the glue that binds all OpenSims together into one vast Metaverse. From now on, you can teleport directly from with within your viewer, using the Map, to any other OpenSim, including all sims in the OSGrid and 3rd Rock, for example, or to your friend's standalone, providing, of course, that they permit you, by giving you the URL of their sim.

Enabling and Using Hypergrid

Step 1: Enable Hypergrid
To enable Hypergrid you need to change just one line in the opensim.ini file. Look for the WorldMapModule parameter in the [StartUp] section, and comment it out (by preceding it with a semicolon), and replace it with:

WorldMapModule = "HGWorldMap"

Step 2: Set a Home Position
In order to use Hypergrid you must first set a home position in one of your own regions, if you have not already done so.

Step 3: Ensure your Network Parameters are setup Correctly
To use Hypergrid your network settings must use the external hostname or IP address, and not the local loopback of 127.0.0.1. So, for example (assuming that your hostname is http://myhost.servegame.org):

Standalone Mode

[Network]
http_listener_port = 9000
remoting_listener_port = 8895

grid_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:9000
grid_send_key = 1234
grid_recv_key = 1234

user_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:9000
user_send_key = 1234
user_recv_key = 1234

asset_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:9000

inventory_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:9000


and for Gridmode

[Network]
http_listener_port = 9000
remoting_listener_port = 8895

grid_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:8001
grid_send_key = 1234
grid_recv_key = 1234

user_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:8002
user_send_key = 1234
user_recv_key = 1234

asset_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:8003

inventory_server_url = http://myhost.servegame.org:8004

Also check your 5 UGAIM xml config files:

UserServer_Config.xml
GridServer_Config.xml
AssetServer_Config.xml
InventoryServer_Config.xml
MessagingServer_Config.xml

and change all references to 127.0.0.1 to myhost.servegame.org


Step 4: Create a Shortcut
Create a shortcut to opensim.exe on the desktop, right-click it and choose properties, and on the Shortcut Tab go into the Target box, and at the end add a space and then -hypergrid=true

so it looks something like this:

"C:\Opensim\bin\opensim.exe" -hypergrid=true

Step 5: Create a Link Region
To set up a link region (the place you wish to teleport to) you need two things:

a) A place on your own gridmap that is unused, preferably not adjacent to any of your existing regions, but close by. So, for example, in my grid I have 25 regions in a 5x5 grid layout. The X-Y coordinates for each region range from 999-1003 in the X-Axis and the same for the Y-Axis. So I chose 999 1005 for my first link-region.

b) The URL for the region you wish to teleport to. For testing purposes you can use a location in the OSGrid, osl2.nac.uci.edu, with a port number of 9006.

You can now create the link region by typing the following command in the opensim.exe console (after you have started it):

link-region 999 1005 osl2.nac.uci.edu 9006 OSGrid Gateway

(Note: the above address is OSL2, not OS12. Also, the 'OSGrid Gateway' is just the name I have given on my Map for this region, you can choose anything you like for this name, it is not the name that the region has on the OSGrid, 'UCI Welcome', but you could use the actual name if you wish)

When I logged into my opensim, and opened the Map, I could now see the new link region at the 999 1005 location. Clicking in the middle of this new region, and then clicking the Teleport Button, I teleported directly to the region, and was able to explore the OSGrid from there. I teleported back home by selecting Teleport Home from the World menu on the viewer.

Important Note
Due to a viewer bug, you can only TP between regions that are no more than 4096 cells apart in any dimension. What this means in practice is that if you want to link to OSGrid, you must have your own regions reachable from the (10,000; 10,000) point on the map, which is where OSGrid is centered. Place your regions somewhere in the 8,000s or the 12,000s. If you don't, you will find that when you arrive at UCI Welcome all you will see is sky, no land, no avatars, and you will not even see yourself. However, if you turn your camera you will see the neighbouring sim, and crossing over into that you will then see yourself, with appearance intact. You might want to leave a marker pole on that sim, as others have done.

More details on Hypergrid and other regions that you could teleport to, are available on the Hypergrid wiki, from which this tutorial has drawn.