Setting textures on remote objects

I need a networked sign system of sorts and am planning on making it myself. I need some advice:

* Is IM a good way of communicating between known objects? (the "server" knows of remote objects by their object ID and communications need to happen in a reasonable amount of time - the sign could be updated once per day or less frequently). Communiation will always be one way - server to object or object to server -- not at the same time.

* Is Email necessary in this case?

* How do I manage the sign's texture - store it in the "server" object itself? I think that's the safest approach but want to make sure.

* I have seen this before but want to confirm - the remote objects can set their texture based on the texture's object ID, correct?

* Objects can determine their own ID, right?

* Is there anything I need to know about placing remote objects in one sim while my "server" is in another sim?

* Is there a means where I can obscure the data to secure the transfer between "server" and remote object based on a shared secret (encryption or encoding)?

Thanks,

-2fast

> Is IM a good way of communicating between known objects?

AFAIK, an object cannot receive an IM.

> Is Email necessary in this case?

So, yes, I think you'll have to use email.

> How do I manage the sign's texture - store it in the "server" object itself? I think that's the safest approach but want to make sure.

Probably.

> I have seen this before but want to confirm - the remote objects can set their texture based on the texture's object ID, correct?

Yes, if you email it the UUID of the texture it needs to apply onto itself.

> Objects can determine their own ID, right?

Yes.

> Is there anything I need to know about placing remote objects in one sim while my "server" is in another sim?

Email should work across sims. Remember that your remote object's key will change if it gets re-rezzed for any reason.

> Is there a means where I can obscure the data to secure the transfer between "server" and remote object based on a shared secret (encryption or encoding)?

People have spent their entire lives studying that topic If it's important to you, you should set up some form of protection. Probably the server and the client need some way of verifying that the email received is from a legit source - that'll prevent someone from impersonating as the client and receiving emails, or impersonating as the server and sending bad textures to the client. And you might also want to encrypt the data too, so if someone manages to intercept an email, your texture keys aren't readily available.

>> * I have seen this before but want to confirm - the remote objects can set their texture based on the texture's object ID, correct?

Just make sure that the texture UUID that you send has FULL permissions. If it does not it will not work on the remote object.

You can always add a notecard to the remote object with the key of the server object... have the remote object communicate it's new key to the server if it is re-rezzed.

Thank you very much Ziggy, Vlad, and Burnman for your replies. I almost have it working the way I want

-2fast

Good to hear! I hope you get it exactly the way you want it (that's always the tough part for me... lol)