oscar.hellstrom.st :: weblog

Well, I just came to think about the second issue i have discovered with ejabberd. The logfiles. Here agin, it’s pure erlang error reports, and really, does every server admin know how to read them? Even worse, let’s say I get a badarg or badmatch in some module, in some function, with some callstack and some variables… how will I know what causes it? Correct me if I’m wrong but it’s a bit hard to find out for a newbie, and even for me. The info reports are better, but not perfect.

However, the jabberserver is up and runnig, has been restarted due to a few configuration changes now in the initial phase but will now run for as long as it can without crashes ;)

I have plans on creating a little jabber bot for oscarh.net, in erlang. I have the feeling it could be fun, and learning. I could hope to finde some reusable xmpp modules though or it will take it’s time.

JWChat 1.0beta2 has been set up under jabber.oscarh.net and offers a way to communicate through jabber where ever you are. I am not feeling satisfied with the performance of this and I will continue to keep an eye out for more applets to test on the server.

Ok, so i did the migration, first from jabberd2 to jabberd1 spool files and then to ejabberd. Except that every second person cant se the people on their rosters online or have to reregister with the transports, it seems to work.
I had some issue with the server crashing when i tried to register in the startup process. The registration is disabled for now, but I have to look into this.
This early I believe there is one major problem with ejabberd. The first thing i don’t like is the configuration file. Why not use a sensible format like XML? XML is a central part of the XMPP protocol anyway, and XML parsing must have been used in ejabberd. Not that I am not able to use the configuration file, but the syntax is quite grotesque for someone not familiar with erlang. I guess the webconf interface does take care of this issue, but you have to get the server runnig before that.
In conclusion, since I don’t have that many users (yet) the lost rosters isn’t that much of an hazle, and I could try and reinport the messed up users, the server migration seem to have been quite painless. I also have to give some credits to Daniel Henninger for his script that creates jabberd1 spool files from the jabberd2 mysql database. Daniel is the same guy who developes the icq and aim transports.

Oh gosh, choosing a client is one thing, but choosing a server is another.
I put my money on the wrong horse it seems, namely Jabberd2. The problem for now is not that it wont run or runs to slow, or anything like that but rather the missing Jep implementations, like HTTP Polling/HTTP Binding. And the Jep:s it claims to support but does not seem to, like vCard (jep-0054) The second thing is the fact that the development speed seem to keep tha same pace as PSI (have they stopped?). Well, I’m thinking about a migration to ejabberd, which actually gives me quite a few advantages. And I actually am supposed to know erlang now as well, and not C….
Due to the supposed erlang knowledge fact I am very interested in writing a jabber bot in erlang, for my server, and any other person wishing to use it…