Preview Grid

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In addition to the Second Life main grid (known as "Agni") that many thousands of Residents log into each day, there is another grid open to the public, known as the preview grid, or "Aditi." Aditi is where we test server software under development.

What We Do with the Preview Grid

The preview grid is used for development and testing of new features and bug fixes. You will find that as you move from one region to another, you will frequently be moving to regions that are running a different version of the server software. To get the most of the preview grid, you need to know where you are.

How do I know what version is running on the region I'm in?

Some regions have a "channel name" imprinted into the ground over and over again. If the ground texture doesn't make it obvious, look at "About Second Life" in the help menu where you will see a wealth of information about your own system, as well as about the server software running the region you are in. The image below shows you where in the help dialog to find the channel the region you're in is running. (Just to the right of that is the version.)

The most important information in the image here is "Second Life Server"; that's the channel that you're on. The version number is also important, but the biggest changes you will see are between different channels.

Reporting Bugs or Problems

This will vary depending on the channel of the region, and on the state of the release. If you find problems in the "Second Life Beta Server" channel before that version has been deployed to the main Second Life service, please use our Bug Tracker to check to see if that problem has already been reported, and to report it if not. When reporting a problem, please give as much information as possible: what region you were in, exactly what you did and what behavior you saw, when it happened, and the version of both your viewer software and of the server software running in the region where you saw the problem.

In general, you will use the same procedure for problems found on regions in other channels, but sometimes those channels are being used for a focused test by other developers.

What is on the Preview Grid

We will be using Aditi for beta testing of the next server version, but we will also be using it for early previews of software that isn't going to be on Second Life right away, and for some specific public testing of bug-fixes being worked on by some teams of developers.

The regions on Aditi are divided into different channels. There will always be two core channels:

• Second Life Production Server : this has the same version of the software as is running on the main Second Life hosts. This exists for purposes of comparison. Sometimes, it will have the *previous* release, right after a new server has been deployed to Second Life.

• Second Life Beta Server : this channel is designated for the version of the server we're planning on next deploying to Second Life in a rolling restart. Generally, after a new server version is deployed to Second Life, it will be at least a few days before the next beta version goes out to Aditi.

In addition, there will sometimes be other channels for specific tests and/or early betas of upcoming features.

How do I log in to Aditi?

You can use the same Second Life viewer you already use to log into Second Life! At the login screen, hit Ctrl-⇧ Shift-G. At the bottom of the screen to the right of the "Log In" button, you will see a dropdown menu that allows you to select the grid that you want to log in to:

• 
• Select "Agni" to log into the Second Life main grid. Select "Aditi" to log into the Preview Grid. (A number of other grids are listed in this dropdown. These are internal development grids which are not available for public access.)

NOTE: Starting with Viewer version 2.6.0, you will need to go to the Me->Preferences->Advanced menu and enable "Show Advanced Menu" before the above will work.

Once you do log into Aditi, you will have all of the inventory that you have at the time when you first log in. However, new items acquired in Second Life maingrid (Agni) will not be available to your account in Aditi until you update your account as outlined in the next section. IN NO EVENT will you be able to transfer money or objects back from the Preview Grid for use in the production Second Life maingrid (Agni) environment.

Using Web Profiles on Aditi

Web profiles are available on Aditi with a bit of tweaking. To test web based profiles in the Viewer (2.5+) on ADITI, the WebProfileURL debug setting needs to be changed before logging in to the Viewer. You have two ways of doing this:

• The debug setting can be accessed via Advanced->Debug Settings. Change the value to https://my-demo.secondlife.com/. This process will be automatic once login.cgi has been updated.
• You can invoke your viewer with the following executable parameter:
  • --set WebProfileURL "https://my-demo.secondlife.com/"
  • Removing this variable or setting it to "https://my.secondlife.com/" will set it back to use the AGNI based profiles
• Before logging back into AGNI remove this variable.
• This is Aditi , so things might be borked. Please bear with us.

Using Marketplace on Aditi

The Marketplace now supports Beta testing on Aditi! All Merchants will have access to this grid for Beta testing. Beta releases will happen at least 5 days before the production release. (We expect this to typically happen on the Thursday before a Tuesday release the following week.)

In order to participate in Beta testing, you just need to login to the Aditi grid using your viewer of choice. Your account should automatically be set up and you should receive L$50,000 to start.

Nothing that happens on the test grid (Aditi) has any effect on your avatar, inventory, L$, or marketplace listings on the main grid (Agni). Objects, inventory and L$ on the Beta grid may be damaged by bugs, be removed, or disappear at any point during Beta testing.

To access functions on the Beta grid:

• Grid: Aditi (see this section for more details)
• Marketplace.com: https://marketplace.aditi.lindenlab.com (NOTE: you may see old listings, which were migrated from production when Aditi was set up. Changes made to these listings will not have an impact on production.)
• Magic Boxes for Aditi: https://marketplace.aditi.lindenlab.com/stores/75
• Secondlife.com: https://marketplace.aditi.lindenlab.com/stores/75
• You MUST use one of these regions:
  • Virtual Trade Campus South: secondlife://Aditi/secondlife/Virtuatrade%20Campus%20S/127/127/27
  • Virtual Trade Campus SE: secondlife://Aditi/secondlife/Virtuatrade%20Campus%20SE/86/124/34

If you find a problem or have a suggestion, first try it out on Production before filing a JIRA. See the wiki instructions for general help on filing a JIRA, or take the following steps to file a Marketplace Issue:

1. Go to https://jira.secondlife.com
2. Search to see if your issue has already been reported. (These wiki instructions will help)
3. Create an Issue in the “3. Second Life Webstie - WEB” project
4. Fill in summary and description, including steps to reproduce the problem, and if you were able to try it out on Production.
5. Fill in the component as “Marketplace-Beta” if you do not see the problem in Production, or ayou re not sure if it appears in Production. If you see the problem in Production, use the “Marketplace” component.
6. Specify the environment (region, viewer version, etc).
7. Submit the issue.

Updating Your Account on Aditi

We have an account auto updater system of sorts in place. If you cannot log into Aditi or would like your inventory updated change your password. Then your account will be updated automagically within 24 hours. You have the control to update your accounts now. You no longer need to message Oskar for account updates to Aditi .

Account Update Steps

1. Change your login password on AGNI.
   • How to change your password
2. Wait 24 hours.
3. Log into ADITI.
4. Rejoice!!

Regions on Aditi

Aditi has limited capacity, so regions are frequently taken offline in order to make room for regions with more interesting test cases. See this page for the status of several Aditi regions.

See Also

• Preview Grid Common Questions
• Blog Post about Beta Testing
• Beta Server Office Hours are held on the preview grid at Morris (192, 251, 35). These are to discuss beta testing of the next upcoming release of Second Life; when there is not a release pending, we will discuss general SVC issues listed in the JIRA.
• The Release Team blog has discussions about rolling restarts, server release beta testing in general, and specific versions of the server that are about to be released. Also see the archived Server Deploy Forums for updates before February 2010.