OpenSim Archives
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Technical Reference -> Terms -> OAR Format -> How do I use the OAR Function?
How do I use the OpenSim Archive Function?
Introduction
The OpenSim Archive (OAR) function has existed since r5469 (post 0.5.8). Basically, it does a similar job to load-xml2/save-xml2 in that it saves prims so that they can be later reloaded. However, OpenSim archives (OAR) go a step further in that they can save all the necessary asset data so that you may fully restore the terrain, the textures of objects and their inventories when loaded onto a completely different system using a different asset database.
Usage
From the region console, one can type
save oar [<filename>]
to save an OpenSim archive. If no filename is given, then the name region.oar is used in the current directory
To load an archive, type
load oar [<filename>]
at the console. If no filename is given, then the server looks for a file called region.oar in the current directory.
Currently by default, loading an archive will delete all the objects in the scene and replace them with the archive contents. It's like being in the Matrix (when they swap environments), except much slower (all the scene objects are slowly deleted before the new environment is loaded :-)
When an archive is loaded, owners will be restored if the relevant uuids can be found in the OpenSim installation's user database. Otherwise, prim ownership will default to the master avatar for the region.
I recommend that you use filenames with the extension .oar. The filename extension of the download links on this page is .tar.gz which illustrates that the .oar format is actually a zipped tar file.
Examples
cyberlandia.tar.gz - cyberlandia landscape designed by the architect Simone Riccardi aka turboy. Contemporary architecture surrounded with a natural/synthetic context image_1 image_2 (work under Creative Commons by attribution).
nuathens.zip- A four region combo called the Nu Athens neighborhood. Info (work under Creative Commons by attribution
OAR file from "Lusitania Tester" for all
OAR-File.tar.gz- Every week (on Sunday after 21:00 UTC) a OAR file from "Lusitania Tester" of WorldSimTerra-Grid is available for use of building and rezz of different avatars. All the avatars of all the grids are invited to place their free buildings and rezz to share with the OpenSim community. To get the OAR file, the member of the OpenSim community will make the registration on the site, after logging in, the downloads are available on the "Avatar Toolbox" tab (this tab is only available after you login to the site)
Please feel free to place links to other environments here, though unfortunately you'll have to host them on some other site.
Do not forget to also check out this page http://www.opensimworlds.com/index.php?part=worlds
Further Information
- http://justincc.org/blog/2008/10/10/opensim-tech-basics-oars-opensim-region-archives - an overview of OAR and its file format.
- http://justincc.org/blog/2009/05/01/a-little-bit-more-on-oar - some more background information on OAR and possible future directions.
Use cases
Possible current uses are
1. To migrate data from an SQLite region database to one based on MySQL
2. To distribute entire regions to other people.
Current limitations
- Parcel information is not currently saved. This will be addressed in the future.
- Performance is not very good, especially with large archives. This will be addressed in the future
File Formats
FAQ
1. What is this .tar.gz format you are using for the internal OAR format? Why not zip?
.tar.gz is a standard unix way of zipping up files into a single larger compressed file for distribution. Windows users should be able to open these files using freeware programs such as 7-zip.
I'm using .tar.gz because all the zip (and tar) libraries for .net are licensed either under the GPL (with exception) or under the MSPL. Unfortunately, not all members of the OpenSim development team are comfortable with the MSPL, so these libaries are not currently an option. It is also significantly easier to write code to create and read tar archives than zip archives.
Also, if you're only ever loading and saving oars (rather than pulling them apart and putting them back together), then you don't need to worry about the internal format at all :)
2. Can you load and save multiple regions to an archive?
Not yet.
3. Can you load and save parts of a region to an archive?
Not yet.
Bugs
- Due to a possible bug in the Mono 1.2.4 libraries, this feature may cause a debug dump when used (the problem appears to be in writing out a compressed stream). Mono 1.2.6 is okay. Since Mono 1.2.4 is fairly old now, this bug will not be addressed.
Current Status
Operational. Bug reports are appreciated Justincc 14:53, 14 September 2009 (UTC)
Though we will strive to maintain compatibilty for old archives with newer OpenSimulator versions, please don't rely on these archives as the only backup for regions.
See Also
- Main Status Page
- Technical Reference Page
- What is OAR Format?
- How to use OpenSim Archives (OAR)
- OAR Format 0.1
- OAR Format 0.2
