🚀 go-pugleaf

Until recently I had no idea how to run WinBoard with timeseal through
a SOCKS firewall.  Since I don't have such a firewall myself, I had no
way to experiment with this.  In fact, I had little clue what
SocksCap32 is or where it comes from.  Recently, though, another user
gave me enough information to work with and experimented with some
suggestions I had, and we got it to work.  I should make this question
and answer a FAQ item, but haven't found time.  (Also, I meant to
forward the information to Tim Miller, but forgot.  Sorry, Tim.  Your
message is still sitting in my huge pile of "to-do" mail.)

Socksifying WinBoard itself doesn't let you use it *with* timeseal.
For some reason I don't understand -- something strange that
SocksCap32 does -- this gets WinBoard running but doing nothing, and
timeseal running by itself in its own window.  It looks like
SocksCap32 is somehow intercepting the program startup sequence (when
WinBoard tries to start timestamp) and messing things up. The
timestamp program is supposed to start up with its input and output
connected to two pipes that tie back to WinBoard, but instead it is
getting started in a new console window.

Here is a workaround. Follow these instructions *exactly*; don't try
to skip steps or simplify things.

First, make SocksCap32 application profiles for timestamp and
timeseal.  Use the following command lines in the SocksCap32
profiles. Name the first profile "timestamp" and the second
"timeseal".

  "c:\program files\winboard\timestamp.exe" chessclub.com 5000 -p 5000

  "c:\program files\winboard\timeseal.exe" freechess.org 5000 -p 5000

Second, run timestamp or timeseal by itself, socksified, using its
profile.  This will open an unneeded, black window that will not
respond to typing.  Minimize it to the task bar and ignore it. It will
go away when you exit from WinBoard.
  
Next, run WinBoard using the following command line.  Make a shortcut
or type this command into an MS-DOS Prompt box.  Don't run WinBoard
itself socksified, just run it directly.

  "c:\program files\winboard.exe" /ics /icshost=localhost /icsport=5000

* * *

After you get this working, you can try getting the timestamp window to
auto-minimize by starting it from a shortcut instead of from the
SocksCap32 control window. As it says in the SocksCap32 help file, put
the following in the Target field of a shortcut's Properties page:

  "c:\program files\sockscap32\sc32.exe" timestamp

Then select "Run: Minimized" on the same page.  Do the same for timeseal.

Another method that can work is to use a .bat file to start both
timestamp and WinBoard.  It would look something like this:

REM --
REM -- icc.bat
REM -- Start timestamp under SocksCap32 and use WinBoard to connect to it.
REM -- The string "timestamp" refers to a SocksCap32 profile for timestamp.
REM --  Do not change it to the filename of the timestamp program!
REM --
start /minimized "c:\program files\sockscap32\sc32.exe" timestamp
cd "c:\program files\winboard"
winboard /ics /icshost=localhost /icsport=5000

* * *

This workaround has a problem if you want to run two copies of
WinBoard at once, talking to the same chess server twice (for
bughouse) or to two different chess servers. If you need to do that,
you will need to run a separate copy of timestamp with *a different
port number* for each connection.  You'll need to make a second set of
profile entries with a different value after the -p flag (say, 5001)
and you'll need to change the WinBoard command line /icsport=5000 for
the second WinBoard to match.

	--Tim
-- 
Tim Mann <mann@pa.dec.com>, Compaq Systems Research Center
http://www.research.digital.com/SRC/personal/Tim_Mann/