Admin account hangs on "Verifying account" on initial log-in

[Hannes-Erich]

Your UOX3 Version.
0.98-3.7
Your UOGateway Version.
Using ConnectUO 0.2.3.2 instead
Your UO Client Version.
5.0.9.1

Exactly what steps led up to your specific problem.
After setting up UOX3 for the first time, my initial log-in (with the admin account) hung up on "Verifying account". I tried re-logging the admin account several times. Finally I tried typing in the emu console; upon doing so, I receive the message "Secure mode prevents keyboard commands! Press '*' to disable" (This message became very familiar after a few hours). I didn't have to do anything else, because the console window magically started working and spitting out log-in data... Several instances of log-in data, as if I had logged in and out repeatedly several times. It was as if I had un-stuck the emu by interacting with the console. I was able to log in after this.

Have you re-started the server?
Eventually I re-started the server, but by that point the problem had ceased.

Has this happened multiple times / to multiple people?
The issue/bug has not manifested again, leading me to wonder if it is a problem that could be occurring only for first-time admins. Beyond this initial experience, the emulator has given a smoother ride (besides an error in Xuri's UOX3 Guide, but that's another issue). I did a forum search, but "Verifying account" posts are related to different problems (such as using a client patched to 6.0.1.7).

Anything else of importance.
I'm going to attempt leaving my emu running all day today (Sunday, August 26 2007), in case anyone wants to log in, look around, test for lag etc.

It's located at 72.190.101.7, port 2593. The name of the shard is UOX Origin. Automatic account creation is turned on (Phao, your account is still there). There is also a guest8/guest8 account. I'll occasionally add content/restart during the next few hours. My emu is loaded with Grimson's community-made spawn, and Xuri's default worldfiles (but not Stranf's World Starter Kit). The only thing I've added so far is a (very well-hidden) teleporter that leads to a black moongate in Green Acres. EDIT: The shard saves every half hour (instead of 5 minutes). No one's around, so NPC vendors restock every twelve hours (instead of 5 minutes). All other server settings are UOX3 default. Typing .who will let you know if anyone's online, which will help in determining whether multiple users contributed to any lag.

[stranf]

By chance, are you running a worldfile that is really large?

When my worlfile loads, it takes around 140 sec., it says UOx3 is ready to go, but it is actually still "setting up" the system. If log in as ANY account during this time (takes about 5-10 sec.) it will not log in.

Once it finishes completely, I am good to go.

[Hannes-Erich]

I'm running Xuri's default worldfiles (but not your World Starter Kit), and Grimson's community-made spawn. However, the problem was experienced right after setting the emu up, which was before I had those extras.

But I have now seen a few instances when the log-in process would hang for a few moments (both the client and the server wouldn't register any activity), followed by an otherwise smooth entry into the server. (And if I log out during the hang, the server will afterward register me as if I logged in and logged back out, much like in the example in my original post.)

So it could be a smaller problem than I thought, but it may mean that other users are affected as well. If anyone wants to log in and test for lag, I'm going to leave my shard up and running tonight (it was up all day without crashing). Log-in details are in my original post.

[stranf]

Hmm, I couldn't get in.

But judging by the time difference between our posts, you could have easilly have shut it down by now.

[Hannes-Erich]

I took it offline about two hours before your post. Stalker-X and Phao both experienced intermittent lag on my shard, before and after Xuri's worldfiles were added. However, both of them live in other countries, so the distance involved was probably a factor. What country are you in?

Another quirk I've noticed -- although it's possibly a coincidence -- Bringing the console into focus causes a slow worldsave to speed up. This does not work every time. It may have sped up at that moment whether or not I clicked on the console to bring it into focus.

Another thing to consider is whether an admin's computer is acting as a dedicated server. Browsers can leak memory over time. Also, having my client on the same machine as my shard is bound to cause lag. I'd still like to have other users test for lag. But I'll probably keep it offline for the next couple weeks, while I start building my first shard! Suffice it to say, there are a number of issues that could be causing "Verifying account" lag, aye?

[stranf]

I ran a massive worldfile (40+MB, 2min to load) on dialup, so yeah, my users know all about lag. Now we run off of DSL and have minimal lag. (Some lag riding horses in Britian, but with 30 NPCs on screen that is to be expected)

Yeah, clicking on you're shard during worldsave MAY speed you up. Windows XP gives priority to the "active" program. When you're client is the "active" program, UOx3 does lag. (it would lag a lot more when my cousin's laptop was the shard and he was playing with the client). If you minimize the client and activate Uox3, it will speed bag up.

This is a windows multi-task issue, not Uox3.

How bad is the lag? We have come to expect a bit of it, but it is a LOT better than when we all used to play UO on OSI pack in the late 90s. I generally run my large shard from a Duo Core PC, with Adobe Acrobat opened, a few web-browsers (JS scripting/server command menus), Xuri's world-builder, notepad, the client, and UOx3. We have zero to minimal lag on LAN. When my cousin runs the shard over DSL (I can't host because of proxy-server issues), he runs it on a dedicated laptop and we have minor to moderate lag in Britain, most noticable on horses.

That said, we ocassionaly get kicked off for no reason, sometimes logging in is difficult as you describe, but we have come to live with it. Just quickly log in, or re-login seems to solve the problem everytime.

[Hannes-Erich]

It's interesting that you mentioned the late nineties. I remember how people would tell me not to run around with tons of gumps open, because it would cause client lag. I assumed this problem went away over the years with PC upgrades. I now play on three shards (one running on RunUO, one running on POL, and the other OSI), and have tons of gumps open all the time with no problems. Sure, my PC has changed, and now I've got cable. But...

How are the gumps doing on my shard? Not so good. I have to think about whether I really need a gump open, and leave it closed otherwise. Now, I'm not blaming this on UOX3 necessarily; I don't have a duo core PC, after all, but I can run more recent games like Eve Online fine. It makes me wonder, though, whether my client was really the issue all those years ago on OSI.

Lag varies by area, gumps, and processes (combat, moving items, etc). In Green Acres, lag is virtually unnoticable to me alone (haven't been there with other users). But Britain? I might have to evict some NPC residents.

[stranf]

That is odd.

Is it just you on you're client?

Like I said, we've run Uox3 on LAN with the server being a pentium IV 3 GHZ and a Dell laptop with only 512MB ram and 1.3GHz. Both PC's co-ran a client.

We always have our packpacks and other gumps open, on lag we had nil in populous portions of britian, minor to moderate over internet, and heavy-but-playable on dialup.

We've never had any problems with gumps and paperdolls open. Maximum players we've had online has been 4-5, but they have all been grouped in the same place. I wonder if that has something to do with it?

I wonder what is going on here?

[Hannes-Erich]

I wonder what is going on here?

A combination of things, but meanwhile I came across a very topical thread. Giwo, if you're reading this, then the answer to the last post on the linked thread is "yes." However, I'm almost positive that guy's console wasn't repeatedly spitting out "access granted" messages erroneously. He was probably (like me) trying repeated log-in attempts, and seeing nothing on his screen, and getting the impression his server was hanging. Actually, I think he may have been logging on every attempt.

Stranf, after you mentioned priority for the active window, I began assigning "AboveNormal" priority to uox3.exe each session. Viola, virtually all lag is gone, even in crowded West Britain along Virtue's Path road. I'll let you know if my PC explodes, but I haven't seen any affect on server stability.