Server

Server technology is an experimental, reality-altering digital system used to rip apart space-time into separate realities (each called a server), with the use of supercomputers. It was co-developed by Baron-Volt Industries and an "Ampersand Publishing, Inc.", and is currently being beta tested on Club Penguin Island.

Since server technology is relatively new and is only utilized in CP, many of its features have since been customized to fit the island's needs. Therefore, this article will also explain server-related aspects of Club Penguin in addition to server technology itself.

Background
Server technology was first proposed in 1991 by Shutterbox Labs, a small, strange research corporation that often attempted to produce far-fetched, outlandish, or impractical products. Many of their previous experiments - scratch that, ALL of their previous experiments had failed, and workers were quickly leaving the company. In an attempt to inspire his remaining employees, the CEO of Shutterbox Labs, a penguin named Cavern 42, set to work on a project involving the splitting of space-time.

However, Director Benny quickly caught word of the ambitious project. Resolving to deal swiftly with the issue, he had his relative Harold von Injoface buy out Shutterbox Labs. The corporation was integrated into the quickly-growing Baron-Volt Industries and given funding to continue their project on space-time splitting, albeit under close supervision.

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Involvement
Server technology has been in beta testing on Club Penguin for years, though by this time it is quite ready for a public release. Baron-Volt Industries refuses to state their reason for extending the beta period for so long.

Server technology is utilized on Club Penguin to spread out the population. Since the island itself is extremely small, using server technology to make various copies of the island prevents overcrowding, though this does tend to happen in rooms where a famous penguin has appeared.

Since Club Penguin is the only region to utilize servers, the technology has been adapted over time to suit the needs of the island. This includes separating servers into four different types, or layouts, as well as allowing server maintenance computers to interface with databases used by the EPF and Moderators to track penguin activity.

Servers make up a large portion of Club Penguin life, and acknowledging this, EBUL released a remote control allowing residents to switch between servers with ease.

Explanation
Server technology works by digitally ripping a portion of space time apart into different, alternate realities. (The exact process by which this is done is kept secret.) Each of these realities is called a server.

The ripping that creates Club Penguin's servers is maintained by supercomputers located in the Underground of a T server with the name #blankt, so called because it is devoid of most buildings and penguins, and cannot be entered without authorization. The supercomputers in #blankt are mostly left alone, but are operated at times by certified EBUL employees, from a remote interface on nearby King George's Island.

Objects can straddle across the rips and exist in all the servers at once (like the rock of Club Penguin Island itself), or they can be restricted to exist in a single server or a group of servers. This is handled mostly by the supercomputers in #blankt, but can also be manually controlled by server operators.

The zone where servers begin to exist is called the "server zone", and stretches 1 mile above the island and 30 miles out to sea. Traffic in and out of the server zone is handled by a special group of server operators, appropriately named "Traffic Control".

Incoming traffic is defined as any matter or energy entering the server zone. The standard for handling incoming traffic is to allow it to straddle all gaps (that is, let it exist in all servers). Special incoming traffic is restricted to objects of interest, such as a ship, airplane, or large stormcloud. These objects are called special incoming traffic objects (SITOs), and require special handling.

SITOs are handled by first letting them straddle all gaps as they enter the server zone. However, most SITOs require that they be loaded into one server only. For example, a cargo ship would need to go into a single B server. The general procedure is for the navigator of the SITO (if there is one) to contact a Traffic Control computer and request a server to be automatically loaded into. If the SITO has no navigator (e.g. a large stormcloud), Traffic Control will load it into a random server manually. In the case of a large storm cloud, something usually unwanted (unless it can be used as a party decoration, as in the Halloween Party of 2008), Traffic Control would restrict it to #buffert, an empty "buffer server" used to prevent unwanted SITOs from entering servers they are not needed in.

Outgoing traffic (matter or energy exiting the server zone) is handled in a much simpler manner. All outgoing traffic is allowed to exit the server zone with no strings attached, with the exception of light. Light cannot escape the server zone, except in the server #blankt, which is why CP appears abandoned and devoid of penguins from outside the server zone. This is also why Club Penguin has extremely bright nights.

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Types of Servers
There are six different types of servers in CP, each carrying a different version of the island.

Traditional
Note: The Traditional layout is the Club Penguin Island one sees in-game.

The first type of server is called a T Server, and carries the layout called Traditional Club Penguin, or TCP. TCP focuses on providing the best community experience for residents and tourists alike, and offers several avenues of entertainment. Mini-games of all kinds are located around the island, and award coins based on performance. Three major attractions in TCP are the Town Center, Plaza, and Ski Village. The Town Center and Plaza both contain community centers as well as shops, while the Ski Village focuses on snow-based sports and contains a public lodge.

Business
The second type of server is called a B Server, and carries the layout called Business Club Penguin, or BCP. BCP caters to the financial needs of the island, with the Plaza being replaced by a Money Plaza (containing a bank and a stock exchange, among other things), and the Dock being replaced by a Port. The Port is marked by White Point Light, and is a rest and refueling stop for many, many cargo ships passing through the SABER.These also contain airports such as the Club Penguin Island Airport

Residential
The third type of server is called an R server, and carries the layout called Residential Club Penguin, or RCP. RCP makes a lot of room for CP residents, flooding the island in a sea of igloo neighborhoods. The Town and Plaza contain additional buildings, such as an outdoor food market and a hospital. RCP is also the only layout to have distinctive roads, which are paved out of hardened snow and regularly cleared. A few cars traverse these icy pathways, but most penguins still prefer to waddle along the sidewalks.

Industrial
The fourth type of server is called an I server, and carries the layout called Industrial Club Penguin, or ICP (not to be confused with the illegally made servers for iCP). In ICP, much of the island is filled with factories (all inspected by EBUL for environmental friendliness), and the mini-games require players to work in an assembly line. ICP produces many of EBUL's goods as well as exports, and able-bodied penguins are often encouraged to spend some time working in the I Servers to help the island's economy stay afloat.

Adventure
Brought online in late March 2017, the Adventure Server (also simply known as Club Penguin Island) is a type of virtual arcade where penguins can play minigames to earn real-world prizes. Constructed by EBUL as a way to boost tourism for the island, the Adventure Server only vaguely resembles the Traditional Servers, with notable locations including Beacon Boardwalk, Coconut Cave, and the Sea Caves. The server also features additional theme park elements such as games, activities, and mascots of famous penguins around the island such as Aunt Arctic, Rockhopper, both of whom give penguins quests to perform for coin, item, or experience rewards. Another feature of the Adventure Server is the leveling system, where games and activities grant penguins experience levels that can be used to 'level up' and unlock more rewards. Coins earned on the Adventure Server are not legal tender, and act as tokens that penguins can cash in for prizes.

Despite EBUL's original optimism towards the project, the Adventure Servers underperformed and didn't bring in the profits they were expecting. EBUL later announced that they would be closing the Adventure Servers at the end of 2018, and they were all shut down on December 20th, 2018 after being evacuated. Despite this, EBUL later created a virtual reality version of the Adventure Servers. In this virtual reality version, any activities could be done for free, but there is no way to interact with other penguins.

Rewritten
The Rewritten servers were an experimental type of servers made by a team of fans wanting to see if they could do this. They were first brought in 2017 due to them thinking that the Adventure server would fail due to it not being original. The Rewritten servers were a HUGE success, and thus it gained a spike in popularity as it drove people away from the Adventure server. Sometime in 2018, the servers got shut down due to legal claims but one month later they were brought back. On the last day of 2020, when Flash technology was being retired, everyone had a huge party to celebrate the end of flash and to hope that it will make a return someday. The party lasted from 7 Pm to midnight. After that, the servers were immediately evacuated as the Flash servers were being shut down. Since then, the Rewritten servers have run on HTML5 technology. Sometime in April 2022, the servers got shut down AGAIN due to more legal issues and pressure from all of the government interference. This means that the servers might just be shut down forever, but no one knows why.

Foreign Servers
"Foreign servers" are a collection of separate experimental CP servers that are run by EBUL and Baron-Volt Industries, but are sponsored and partially paid for by countries that speak the target language. The servers all have languages other than Club Penguin's native English, hence the name "foreign" servers. As of 2016, servers are available in Portuguese, French and Spanish. The main difference between normal servers and "foreign servers" is that the foreign servers are tailored to the specific language needs of their language, with everything on the island being translated into the other languages, including business names, books and publications like the Club Penguin Times (which is often given a different name too), item names, and sometimes penguin names as well (on their player cards).

The idea started in 2008 as a way to beta test servers in non-English languages, for the post-Beta days if they were to sell servers to countries that spoke other languages. After speaking with EBUL, the companies came to an agreement, and looked for countries to "sponsor" the first foreign servers. Lisboagal was the first, speaking Portuguese, and those servers were opened in October 2008 on CP's third anniversary (Dorkugal also sponsors these servers even though they don't speak Portuguese). Not only were the tests successful, but it turns out it was great for CP as well, getting more residents that spoke Portuguese and also more tourists from Lisboagal. They were overall a huge success, and French and Spanish servers opened in 2009, and are sponsored by Francterre and Castilla, respectively. After these three languages came out, they had meetings with EBUL that changed their party process to an extent, making all of their parties more "neutral", such as removing popular parties such as the Winter Fiesta, St Patrick's Day Party and Easter Egg Hunts due to those not being celebrated in all of the foreign speaking countries. This way, EBUL kept control over making parties uniform for all of the servers and also satisfied the foreign speaking countries. On November 2, 2011, the German Servers opened, mainly funded by Alemania. The were "seized" and supposedly owned by Snowzerland from 2012 until 2015, but EBUL still controlled everything so Snowzerland's "ownership" didn't change much. Rusca paid to sponsor Russian servers, which were opened on February 6, 2014. However, all of the servers from the German and Russian languages were evacuated and and shut down on September 2, 2015, due to lack of payment to EBUL by Rusca and Snowzerland. Other languages that were tested but never officially opened/sponsored by their native countries include Japanese and Chinese in 2010.



Officially, all of the foreign servers are owned and controlled by EBUL and Baron-Volt, just like the English servers. However, the native speakers of the foreign languages pay a certain fee each year to EBUL to "sponsor" the servers, and help pay for server costs such as paying citizens who play T-Server games. There are significantly less foreign servers in comparison to English servers, such as there only being 12 German T-Servers before they were closed, and there being dozens of English T-Servers. While the only physical change from English servers is the language change, and thus translations of everything (including catalogs, parties and The Club Penguin Times), each language also has their own specific culture. Even though it looks the same as English servers, each language carries a bit of their own specific cultures from their homelands. All foreign servers still use Club Penguin Coins as their official currency.

SWF's
SWF's (Shockwave File) are files of reality rooms in Club Penguin. SWF's are created so a room could be decorated once, saved into the computers, and so that construction only has to take place once. SWF's are much older than the actual Servers, they were created just for fun by the company. SWF's are uploaded online by thieves, who hack the Servers. SWF's of Club Penguin can be found everywhere online, usually on websites full of viruses. Which make it hard to collect SWF's.

Trivia

 * If the supercomputers that control the servers are ever destroyed (not dismantled, but destroyed), all the servers would crash into one reality. The ensuing chaos would result in reality errors and the death of thousands. The BoF is actively researching on how to prevent such disasters.
 * Some countries have tried to buy servers of their own so their countries can increase their territory. Baron-Volt Industries has denied all requests, stating that the beta testing period is not over.
 * When viewing Club Penguin on Eureka! Maps, a pop-up comes up asking what server you want to view.