Guides

MOO with open-source tools

This guide provides a technical workflow for deploying a modern MOO environment using the ToastStunt server fork. Traditional LambdaMOO servers lack modern networking features and 64-bit support; ToastStunt addresses these while maintaining backward compatibility with the MOO programming language. This guide focuses on server compilation, database initialization, and establishing the initial Wizard environment.

60-90 minutes7 steps
MOO with open-source tools hero illustration
1

Install Build Dependencies

ToastStunt requires specific development libraries for PCRE (Perl Compatible Regular Expressions) and OpenSSL to handle modern string manipulation and encrypted connections.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y git build-essential cmake libpcre3-dev libssl-dev zlib1g-dev

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •Failing to install libpcre3-dev will cause CMake to fail during the configuration phase.
2

Compile the ToastStunt Binary

Clone the ToastStunt repository and use CMake to generate the build files. Compiling from source ensures the binary is optimized for your specific architecture.

git clone https://github.com/lisdude/toaststunt.git
cd toaststunt
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •Running 'make' without '-j' on low-memory VPS instances may lead to OOM (Out of Memory) kills.
3

Acquire and Prepare the Core Database

A MOO server requires a database (.db) file containing the root objects (#0, #1, etc.). LambdaCore is the standard starting point, but it must be decompressed before use.

wget https://lambda.moo.mud.org/pub/MOO/LambdaCore-latest.db.gz
gunzip LambdaCore-latest.db.gz
mv LambdaCore-latest.db minimal.db

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •Do not attempt to boot a .gz file directly; the server will report a 'not a MOO database' error.
4

Initial Server Boot and Port Binding

Start the MOO server by pointing the binary to the input database and specifying an output database name and port. Use a port above 1024 to avoid requiring root privileges.

./moo minimal.db output.db 7777

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •If the server crashes immediately, check for 'Address already in use' errors, indicating another process is on port 7777.
5

Establish Wizard Permissions

Connect to the MOO via telnet and assume control of the Wizard character (#2). This is critical for creating new objects and editing verbs.

connect Wizard
;player:set_password("your_secure_password")
quit

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •Standard LambdaCore defaults to no password for Wizard. If you do not set a password immediately, the server is vulnerable to anyone who connects.
6

Configure Database Checkpointing

MOO databases are held in RAM. You must configure the server to dump the database to disk periodically to prevent data loss in the event of a crash.

;checkpoint_interval = 3600
;server_log("Checkpointing interval set to 1 hour.")

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •Large databases can cause brief 'lag spikes' during a dump. Ensure your disk I/O can handle the write speed.
7

Implement a Restart Script

Create a shell script to automate the rotation of the output database to the input database position on restart. This ensures persistence across reboots.

restart.sh
#!/bin/bash
while true; do
  if [ -f output.db.new ]; then
    mv output.db.new minimal.db
  fi
  ./moo minimal.db output.db 7777 >> moo.log 2>&1
  sleep 5
done

⚠ Common Pitfalls

  • •Always verify the integrity of the .new file before overwriting the primary database to prevent corruption propagation.

What you built

Your ToastStunt MOO is now operational with a persistent database and Wizard access. From here, you should focus on implementing modern MOO packages like the 'Generic Web Server' or upgrading the core with 'JHCore' features for better object management. Regular backups of the .db file are mandatory for production environments.