The metaserver is really just a collection of CGI scripts. It lives on the same webserver as the main dopewars webpage, and dopewars servers that wish to make themselves public (the default behaviour) inform it of their existence via. the CGI script at /~ben/cgi-bin/server.pl. This script can also be communicated with "manually", by filling out the form here. dopewars clients also use the metaserver to obtain the list of available servers, to facilitate connection to a dopewars server.
Players who want to use the metaserver to list the currently available servers should go to this link, or just follow the "Servers" link from the main dopewars web page. It cannot be guaranteed that all the listed servers are functional - they may, for example, have been registered in error, or a server may have crashed since being added to the list - but the list is checked daily for service, and so there is at least a good chance that the servers listed there will be working.
People running servers who do not want their details listed by the metaserver should disable the metaserver comunication of the server with the MetaServer.Active=0 configuration file setting, or the -S command line option. Servers which do register their details can have their accompanying comment set with the MetaServer.Comment configuration file setting.
The metaserver, being a collection of CGI scripts, should work happily on
most machines which have web access. A problem occurs, however, if your
connection to the Web is via. an enforced proxy server (i.e. traffic on
port 80 from your machine is blocked by firewall). dopewars can be
configured to connect via. a proxy server without too much difficulty; if
your proxy server is at proxy.com on port 8080 then you should
add the following lines to your dopewars
configuration file:-
MetaServer.Name=proxy.com
MetaServer.Port=8080
MetaServer.Path=http://bellatrix.pcl.ox.ac.uk/~ben/cgi-bin/server.pl