Why do I see messages about server log files and “MD5” a few seconds after each map changes?
An MD5 is like a file signature and is used extensively by PunkBuster to ensure that files have not been altered or corrupted from their original state. These specific messages are designed especially for league (and other organized) matches to prevent Server Admins from falsifying log files. The provided information references one or more server log files that were generated for the previous game and can be used by all participating parties (Players and Server Admins) to check the integrity and authenticity of the logs which were generated during gameplay. Once a log file has been obtained from a Server Admin, a Player or League Official can compute the MD5 of the log file to confirm that it has not been changed or corrupted since the end of the match that was played. Programs that compute the MD5 of any file are freely available over the Internet. We have published one named ‘pbmd5’ and it can be downloaded from our website at Even Balance both for Win32 and Linux platforms.
