MU Server - How does it work?

What is a MU Server?

MU Online is a 3D online game owned by WebZen ( www.webzen.net )
The proper term for this game is MMORPG, which stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.
This game was developped a long time ago in Korean. WebZen is a Korean Game Company.

You might have heard of other games from webzen, such as the famous HUXLEY and S.U.N (Soul of the Ultimate Nation).

The international MU Online server is known as GMO (Global MU Online) which can be found at http://muonline.webzen.net
Note there are other official webzen MU Online servers such as MU Korea, MU China and MU Japan (as well as other licensed MU Online servers such as MU Philippines).

How does a MU Server work?

** The DataBase(s)
This is where all the information is stored including:
- Account IDs and Passwords
- Character stats, classes, items, vaults
- Event rankings, castle siege data
- Guilds, guild scores, guild members
Everything is in here! When people play the game, they interact with the database every second.

The software which makes this database work is called Microsoft SQL Server, also known as MSSQL. There are different versions, such as MSSQL 2000, MSSQL 2005 and MSSQL 2008. You need one of them (preferably the latest) in order to restore your pre-made DataBase so that the database is ready to use by your MU Server (mainly the gameservers).

By default the DataBase you restore is configured to use MD5, which basically encrypts and therefore protects account passwords. Please check the Releases and Guides section about this.

** Gameserver and Gameserver-CS
First lets explain Gameserver-CS as its shorter. This does all the process and support for Crywolf Event, Castle Siege event, other events and maps (such as Land of Trial and Castle Deep event). It also does the process and work for quest and quest maps such as the third level quest in Balgass Barracks and Balgass Refuge.
Normally players are on normal gameserver, but if they move to a map like crywolf, valley of loren, land of trial, balgass barracks, then they are booted into the gameserver-cs. They are no longer in the normal gameserver.

Now for the gameserver. This is what runs, loads and stores everything, without it there is nothing to properly run your MU Server. This loads NPC shops, monster and NPC locations, almost everything in the Data folder. When a player moves on a map, attacks a monster, does virtually anything at all, the client is sending this info (also known as packets) to the the gameserver, which is processing it and making it happen. Hope this is a good enough explanation.

** Connectserver
Its main use is to connect to the game. When you start the mu client, there is the loading page, and then the server tabs you click on in order to connect to the server. That is the connectserver. It works with the Joinserver to boot you into the gameserver(s). Its default port is 44405 TCP.

** Eventserver
It manages the ingame events

** Rankingserver
It stores ranking scores into the database for events such as devil square, illusion temple etc.

** Joinserver
At the login, this is what boots you into the gameserver(s). The Joinserver can also be called a LoginServer. Whever you use MD5 or not has an effect with this. Default databases and joinservers both use MD5, so you shouldn't have problems with this when logging into the game.

** Chatserver
It handles all the player chat and messaging instead of the gameserver.

** Dataservers
It's acts as a bridge between the game server and the MS SQL database.

** ExDB
Handles stuff related to guild and friend mail system instead of the gameserver.

** Data folder
Applications read data from these (mostly text files). These can be edited, such as event times, monster stats, general settings etc. (it is very important to understand and to master this).

** Game Client
This is what you use to play the game and connect to the server. The game client has all the textures, sounds, models, text data, map files etc. of the game. You cannot play the game without this. The main.exe is the application that loads all these components, and also is what you use to play the game (the launcher is just something that loads the main.exe with auto-update system, and sometimes even alternative IP for server to connect to and listening port).

Credits:
- d3scene