There are several ways to release tournament results online. The best practices depend on your network environment.
Local network
You can publish results to the local audience only if you have a local network without an Internet connection. This is many times useful if you arrange small ad hoc tournaments without printed sheets. Competitors can check their categories and results using one or two computers. In addition to the JudoShiai software you need a Web server. There are plenty of choices, like Abyss Web Server (http://www.aprelium.com/abyssws/) that is free and simple to use. By the default it will have its documents in the folder “C:\Abyss Web Server\htdocs\”. It will listen to the standard port 80.
After starting the Web server you must make JudoShiai to print its results to the htdocs folder. Run JudoShiai and click Results->Print All. A folder selection dialog will open. Select the htdocs folder and check the “Automatic Web Page Update” option. You do not want to generate statistics at this point. Now people can connect to your computer and see the result pages.
Network with an Internet connection
Internet connection makes your computer visible to the outer world, at least to some extent. Although you can connect hosts in the Internet usually they cannot contact your computer. This is due to the Network Address Translation done by the site’s router/firewall. Basically it is possible to configure the router to make your JudoShiai computer visible to the outer world, but in practice the tournament site owner will be unwilling to touch their firewall. And even if you could persuade them to do what you want you would probably have wireless connections only, which is not good. You don’t want to expose you computer to hostile attacks, either.
Local network and an Internet connection
The most versatile setup is to use your own router/switch for the communication between JudoShiai programs and the Internet connection for the online result service. You can manage with one computer, but to avoid extra CPU load and hacking this example will use two computers; one to run JudoShiai and the other to run a File Transfer program. Computers #1 and #2 are both connected to your router with wires. Computer #2 is connected to the Internet router, too, most probably using a wireless connection. JudoShiai program writes results to the folder of your choice in the computer #1. This folder must be made visible to the computer #2. Please follow the ordinary Windows folder sharing procedure.
To make the results visible for the Internet you need a public Web site with an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) connection. This is the server audience will connect to. Computer #2 runs a folder synchronization program, like GoodSync (http://www.goodsync.com). It will copy content of the results folder in the computer #1 to the public Web site. Please follow instructions of the sync program to find out the details.
Most probably a communication problem arises no matter if you are using one or two computers. You may not be able to connect to the Internet from the computer #2. That is because there are two default routes and the computer #2 is using the wrong one. A default route is the next hop the data packet is delivered to if the destination address is not found in the local network. Here is what happens:
- Computer #2 is connected to your router/switch by wire. Router has a DHCP server that allocates IP addresses for your computers.
- Computer #2 receives an IP address (e.g. 192.168.2.3) and a default route to the router’s interface (e.g. 192.168.2.1).
- Computer #2 connects to the wireless network, too. It receives another IP address (e.g. 192.168.0.214) and another default route (e.g. 192.168.0.1).
Let’s assume the computer #2 wants to send an IP packet to the address 192.168.2.14. Based on the address it is obvious that the destination host is connected to your router/switch. If the packet’s address were 192.168.0.7 the destination would be in the wireless network. But what if the IP address is 10.20.30.40 (your Web site)? There is no obvious local network by that address range. Now it is time to use the default route. But which one? Open a Command shell (CMD) in the computer #2 and type “route print”. You will have a long listing where you can find the two default routes:
IPv4 Route Table
==============================================================
Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.2.1 192.168.2.3 20
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.214 30
The first route will be selected since its metric value (“cost”) is smaller (20 vs. 30). Wireless communication is considered more “expensive” and thus it has a bigger metric value by the default. You have to manipulate the values manually. Let’s change the metric of the wired interface to 50 (Windows Vista):
- Open Network and Sharing Center
- Click Manage network connections
- Select your Local Area Connection and right click Properties
- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
- Click Properties
- Click Advanced…
- Uncheck Automatic metric and write 50 in the Interface metric box
- Click OK, OK, Close
Check the result by using “route print” command again and try to access the Internet.