Document: FICS Timeseal

Note: these instructions no longer apply to eboard >= 1.1.2, where the timeseal protocol is built-in.

FICS-Timeseal

This document describes the configuration of FICS's timeseal
program to work with eboard.

Felipe Bergo 

1. What is FICS timeseal ?
2. Getting timeseal
3. Naming and Location

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1. What is FICS timeseal ?

It is a program that attaches timestamps to line-oriented
communcations over a TCP stream to reduce the impact
of network-lag on the chess clocks when playing on an
ICS server. FICS timeseal is the program related to
FICS 

You can play without timeseal, but you will have transmission
time accounted and be in disadvantage against timesealed players
(almost all). In fact, playing anything faster than 5 0 without
timeseal is foolish.

2. Getting timeseal

The Linux Timeseal is available from the FICS Download page
(http://www.freechess.org => Download)

People on X86_64 can use the 32-bit timeseal without problems.

3. Naming and Location

eboard will only use timeseal if it finds it (d'oh), and the
timeseal must be named and located strictly. Also, the timeseal
file must have execution permission (x).

Locations (pick one!):

. (current directory)
~/.eboard
~/share/eboard
/share/eboard
/usr/local/share/eboard
/usr/share/eboard

(prefix is configured with --prefix in the configure script,
the default is /usr/local)

Naming:

timeseal.YOURSYSTEMNAME

where YOURSYSTEMNAME is the EXACT string returned by

uname -s

Also, uname must be in the path when eboard is run.
For GNU/Linux systems, the timeseal program should be
named

timeseal.Linux

for FreeBSD:

timeseal.FreeBSD

and so on. 
This allows you to place timeseals for different OSs in a
NFS-mounted /home and have eboard run the correct one
automatically.

Remember to set its permission so that eboard can run it:

chmod u+x timeseal.YOURSYSTEM

(if installing for a single user)

chmod uog+x timeseal.YOURSYSTEM

(if installing one copy of timeseal for all system users)