Peer-to-peer GUI connection adapter

[hgm]

I just released the first (beta) version of an adapter that can be used to connect GUIs over the internet without the need for using an ICS as intermediary. Because I casted it in the form of a WB (pseudo-)engine, it should in principle be able to connect any two GUIs that both can run WB engines.

The idea is that when both sides run this p2p.exe as an engine, one of them can instruct it to connect to the other through the engine-configuration menu, by entering the IP address of the other, and pressing the Connect button.



After that they can start a game, and play against each other by each starting a game against p2p with compatible parameters (i.e. if one plays white, the other had better play black!). Their respective GUIs will think they are playing an engine, but p2p will shuttle the moves between them. They can also exchange text messages, which will appear as 'thinking output' of the pseudo-engine.

For more information, see a thread in the programming forum.

Download available at http://hgm.nubati.net/p2p.zip .

[gleperlier]

I just released the first (beta) version of an adapter that can be used to connect GUIs over the internet without the need for using an ICS as intermediary. Because I casted it in the form of a WB (pseudo-)engine, it should in principle be able to connect any two GUIs that both can run WB engines.

The idea is that when both sides run this p2p.exe as an engine, one of them can instruct it to connect to the other through the engine-configuration menu, by entering the IP address of the other, and pressing the Connect button.



After that they can start a game, and play against each other by each starting a game against p2p with compatible parameters (i.e. if one plays white, the other had better play black!). Their respective GUIs will think they are playing an engine, but p2p will shuttle the moves between them. They can also exchange text messages, which will appear as 'thinking output' of the pseudo-engine.

For more information, see a thread in the programming forum.

Download available at http://hgm.nubati.net/p2p.zip .

Looks good

[hgm]

My main motivation to build it was to allow internet play with WinBoard of variants not supported by any ICS (e.g. Tenjiku Shogi). For plain Chess connecting to FICS is of course a superior alternative. But then again, there are GUIs that cannot connect to ICS, but can run WB engines...

And apart from human vs human play, it can of ocurse also be used to play engines. One simply has to load p2p plus another engine in the GUI, and start an engine-engine game. If you would start a lengthy match, you could even use it as a server that runs unattended: the GUI would automatically start a new game after the previous one finishes, and after a client disconnects p2p will simply go on listening for new connections, (meanwhile stalling the match), and continue to play games when one shows up.

[IWB]

That is out there for years already: http://home.arcor.de/bernhard.wallner/netChess.html

Works like a charm. Besides that, but more complicated, an SSH is always possible

Regards
Ingo


EDIT: Ahh, I dont know, maybe the difference is is Winboard. I don't know anything about that.

[hgm]

No, that is not the same at all. The thing you mention is for connecting a GUI with a remote engine:



What I made is for connecting two GUIs, so two humans can play against each other, each having a game display. EngineClient and EngineServer are the same p2p.exe in that case. The EngineServer must emulate a GUI, to connect with an engine. But p2p only connects with a GUI, and thus only has to emulate an engine.

[IWB]

Ahh ok. Human play... I did not think about that possibility

Thanks
Ingo

[hgm]

Now also available as Linux binary:

http://hgm.nubati.net/p2p

[hgm]

I now uploaded version 0.1, which has some bugs fixed, and also checks if both sides are using the same time control. (Same links.)

[hgm]

Again a new version (0.2), with improved security:

This one supports a password, and refuses connections that will not have the same setting of the password option. An option to limit the length of lines sent to the GUI is also added (for the benefit of GUIs that are not secure in this respect).

[abik]

And binary available for ARM-based Android devices (under H.G. Muller's Engines and Tools):

p2p for Android