Hack42.Create Your Own PSP Web Portal

Hack 42. Create Your Own PSP Web Portal

Configure and use your own PSP web portal.

So you've been browsing the Web [Hack #41] with your copy of Wipeout Pure, but up until now, you've had to depend on someone else's web portal. You've had to use his links, navigate his design, and use the functionality he provides. All this in addition to worrying about whether or not the portal itself is even currently working.

This hack, however, will free you from the constraints that come with relying on someone else's portal. By setting up a DNS (Domain Name System) and web server on your computer, you will be able to create and use your own customized PSP web portal. The directions given here assume you will be setting up your DNS and web server on the same computer.

5.3.1. The DNS Server

Before you can start serving web pages to your PSP, you need to first trick the PSP into believing that your web server is someone it's not. When you load up the "Downloads" section of Wipeout Pure, your PSP attempts to retrieve data from the following domain: ingame.scea.com. Normally, the IP address returned by your Internet service provider's DNS server would belong to Sony and would direct you to downloadable Wipeout Pure content. However, by setting up your own DNS server, it is possible to "trick" the PSP and return the IP address of a web server of your choice.

The first step in setting up a DNS server is installation. If you are using a Mac or a Unix variant, the most common DNS server used is BIND. If you are using Windows, a good (and free) DNS server is TreeWalk DNS (http://www.ntcanuck.com). Installation guides are included with both of these server packages when you download the software, and are pretty straightforward. Further, these are just recommendations; there are dozens of DNS server software packages available for virtually every platform.

Once installed, you now need to configure your DNS server to resolve ingame.scea.com to the IP address of your web server. There are two files you will need to create and edit: scea.zone and named.conf. First, we will create the scea.zone file. Using a text editor, create a new file called scea.zone (make sure there is no .txt appended to the filename) and type in the following:

 ; scea.zone ; scea.com db file $TTL 86400 @    IN    SOA   scea.com      dummy.scea.com. (                        050622         ; Serial                        10800          ; Refresh                        3600           ; Retry                        604800         ; Expire                        86400          ; Min TTL                        ) ; Addresses for canonical names             NS    192.168.0.100                  A  192.168.0.100 ingame           A  192.168.0.100 webcluster       A  192.168.0.100 $ORIGIN scea.com. 

In the preceding example, 192.168.0.100 is used as the IP address of the DNS/web server you are setting up. Replace each occurrence of that IP address with the IP address of the machine you installed the DNS server on.

Where this file must be placed on your computer depends on the DNS server you installed. If you're using BIND, the file should be placed in either /etc/namedb or /var/named, depending on how it was installed. If you're using TreeWalk DNS, place the file in C:\Windows\System32\dns\etc. If you installed another DNS server, consult the documentation that came with the software to see where DNS Zone files must be stored.

All that's left to do now is to make your DNS server aware of the new DNS Zone you have just created. To do this, locate the named.conf file on your computer. If using BIND, this file may be found at /etc/named.conf. For those using TreeWalk DNS, the file is located at C:\Windows\System32\dns\etc\named.conf. Again, consult the server documentation if you are using another DNS server.

Once you've located the file, simply append this entry to the end and save the file:

 zone "scea.com" {     type master;     file "scea.zone"; }; 

All that is left to do is restart the DNS server so it takes note of the new DNS Zone. If you're using BIND, run the named executable.

This will need to be done via a shell prompt, and most likely will require root privileges. To run the executable with root privileges, type the command sudo named. You will then be prompted for the root password to your machine.

If you're using TreeWalk DNS, access the TreeWalk control panel via the Start menu and click "Reload" and then "Start" if the server isn't already running.

That's all for the DNS server; now it's time to set up the web server.

5.3.2. The Web Server

Now that it is possible to have your PSP access the IP address of your choosing, it's time to set up a web server from which you can serve your custom web portal.

Like the DNS server, the first step is to install a web server on your computer. If you're using a Mac, you can turn on the preinstalled Apache web server by going into System Preferences, clicking the Sharing icon, and checking the box next to "Personal Web Sharing." If you're using Windows or Unix, you will need to install a web server such as Apache (Version 2 suggested). Apache is an open source web server that powers many commercial web sites. It can be downloaded at http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi. If you're using Windows, you will want to download the .msi install package and follow the instructions that come with it. If installing Apache in a Unix environment, you may be able to find a precompiled install package for your distribution. Otherwise, you'll have to compile the source code yourself and continue installation from there.

Like DNS servers, there are many web servers available. Also, if you have one already installed, there is no reason to install another.

When the PSP makes a request from Wipeout Pure, it asks for the /wipeout/index.html file. So what we must now do is create a file named index.html and place it where the PSP can access it. Open a text editor and type the following:

 <html> <head></head> <body><br><br> <center>My PSP Web Portal</center> <br><br> <a href="http://www.google.com/">Google</a> </body> </html> 

Save this file as index.html.

Next, you need to create a directory called "wipeout" in your web server's root directory. On a Mac, the root directory will be /Library/WebServer/Documents, so you will create the directory /Library/WebServer/Documents/wipeout (this is not to be confused with the Library folder in your home directory). If you installed Apache in Windows, you will want to create the directory in C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\htdocs. Then, simply place index.html in the wipeout directory.

If you are using Apache in Unix, or are using another web server, consult the server's documentation to identify the root folder from which web pages are being served.

That's it! Now you can test it using your PSP.

5.3.3. Configuring Your PSP

As detailed in "Find Yourself a PSP Web Browser" [Hack #41], you will now need to configure your PSP to use another DNS server. Follow the instructions discussed in that hack, but instead of entering the IP address of a web portal on the Internet, enter the IP address of your DNS server. Now fire up Wipeout Pure, choose the connection you just created/edited, and you should see the web page shown in Figure 5-18. Nothing too fancy, but the more links you add to the HTML, the more impressive and useful your web portal will be.

Figure 5-18. The rendered HTML

Congratulations! You can now create and access custom web pages from your PSP.

5.3.4. Hacking the Hack

If you want your web portal to be accessible to other devices via the Internet, there are a few changes you must make to the method outlined above. First, you will need to change the following entry in scea.zone:

 ingame               A   192.168.0.100 

to:

 ingame               A   XX.XXX.X.XXX 

where XX.XXX.X.XXX is the external IP address given to your computer/router. You can find out what this is by going to http://www.whatismyip.com.

The next thing you must do is set up your router to forward incoming traffic on ports 53 and 80 to your DNS/web server. Connecting to a web interface built into your router usually allows you to do this. Consult your router's documentation on how to forward ports to individual machines on your network. You will need to forward ports 53 (UDP) and 80 (TCP) to your web server's internal IP address (i.e., 192.168.0.100, as used earlier).

Finally, change the DNS setting on your PSP [Hack #41] to use your computer/router's external IP address instead of your web server's internal IP address.

You should now be able to access your web portal from home or anywhere else.

Jonathan Terleski