Why is it not possible to run 2 servers on one box?

Soul_Rider

<div class="IPBDescription">Crazy design decision!!</div>I am a modder, and along with other modders, we are writing games that do not require the same amount of CPU grunt as vanilla NS2. As a result of this, we would like to run 2 dedicated servers on a single server, but through crazy design decisions like this:

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Server mapcycle.txt file moved into the %appdata%/Natural Selection 2/config directory (next to other admin configuration files).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

UWE is making either of these statements -

1 - Never expect to solve server issues to the point where you can run 2 dedi's on one box (no matter how powerful your machine gets in the future, even in 100 years)!!!!

2 - Have made a MASSIVE oversight of EPIC proportions.

I like to think it's option 2. Please move the admin configuration files out of a common area and keep them with the install. This is ridiculous only being able to run one server per box, or possibly 2 as long as they are identical, haven't tested that option, either way, it's highly unlikely to happen that way.

If the game gets released like this support from the big server companies, particularly in the future when boxes can handle multiple NS2 servers (and they can already cope with multiple servers of my mod), will be non-existent, and if you can't get the big server companies to pick up the game, then everything that has been going on for the last few years is a waste of time.

Please correct this massive oversight!

Angelusz

This issue has already been posted <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/forums/index.php?showtopic=119361" target="_blank">here</a>.

It's on the to-do list. No need for a big fuss.

xDragon

-adminpath as a command line paramter can be used to change that config directory... You could use -adminpath NS2Server1\ and -adminpath NS2Server2\ to make the two servers use different directories. It will still function in the appdata folder however.

Soul_Rider

Can you clarify that for me xDragon?

I use admin path on the comandline arguments of the server? And then I recreate the config files in my specified directory?

@Angelusz -

I am a modder, we have one server operator who is very kindly allowing 2 Mod teams to use his server to host our mods. Currently the Combat server is running, but I cannot run my Proving Grounds mod, which means I have a fully playable and working mod, which has no server, and therefore no players. I have put hundreds of hours into this to support NS2, to increase the brand and awareness of NS2, and I can't even play on a server, not because I haven't got one, but because of this design decision.

There is a need to make a fuss. I have done so much to try and promote NS2, including getting a NS2 mod to 643/17507 mods in the ranking on ModDB, as well as even getting ModDB to accept mods for NS2 in the first place. This is really frustrating for me, all this has been done out of my love for the NS universe, and yet because of this simple design decision I struggle.

I think you fail to realise the impact these kind of things are having on the modding community. I am one of the few modders that is not considering giving up on NS2, until they see how the game stands at launch. Things like this make me frustrated, as all I want to do is help NS be successful, and yet UWE themselves are holding me back with these design choices. I'm not taking it personally, and you say it's all in hand, but in the link you very helpfully provided, it's only been requested, I see nowhere anyone saying that this will be addressed.

Between ModDB and Duplex gaming, I have had just below 450 downloads of my mods, thats quite a playerbase unable to play...

Kouji_San

You can either add the adminpath to either your server.exe shortcut or add it in the config>server#number<.xml to set up the admin paths? Hmm, is here no way of setting up different mapcycle.txt files per server though?

I've set up the separate config files on a test server as such:

"D:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\common\natural selection 2\Server.exe" -file "D:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\common\natural selection 2\server1.xml"

"D:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\common\natural selection 2\Server.exe" -file "D:\Games\Steam\SteamApps\common\natural selection 2\server2.xml"


You can then setup the separate -adminpath in those config.xml files as xDragon said I assume, using SteamCMD instead?

%appdata%\Natural Selection 2\config\NS2Server1\
%appdata%\Natural Selection 2\config\NS2Server2\

<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/wiki/index.php/Dedicated_Server" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/wiki/inde...edicated_Server</a>

Angelusz

Soul_Rider, Don't get me wrong - your contributions to the community are very much appreciated. My response was merely to the tone of your post. That, and the fact that the issue is indeed known and that there's a workaround, which our fellow community members have kindly posted above.

As for it being known, Sabahell already touched on this within that thread. I hereby confirm that UWE has been notified and that this issue is on the list we keep.

Good luck getting your mod's server sorted, I'll definitely give it a go once it's up and running. :)

EDIT: Keep in mind that there's more on the list and I cannot tell you if and when it'll be addressed. That's up to UWE.

devicenull

<!--quoteo(post=1958537:date=Aug 7 2012, 08:52 AM:name=Soul_Rider)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Soul_Rider @ Aug 7 2012, 08:52 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1958537"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I am a modder, and along with other modders, we are writing games that do not require the same amount of CPU grunt as vanilla NS2. As a result of this, we would like to run 2 dedicated servers on a single server, but through crazy design decisions like this:



UWE is making either of these statements -

1 - Never expect to solve server issues to the point where you can run 2 dedi's on one box (no matter how powerful your machine gets in the future, even in 100 years)!!!!

2 - Have made a MASSIVE oversight of EPIC proportions.

I like to think it's option 2. Please move the admin configuration files out of a common area and keep them with the install. This is ridiculous only being able to run one server per box, or possibly 2 as long as they are identical, haven't tested that option, either way, it's highly unlikely to happen that way.

If the game gets released like this support from the big server companies, particularly in the future when boxes can handle multiple NS2 servers (and they can already cope with multiple servers of my mod), will be non-existent, and if you can't get the big server companies to pick up the game, then everything that has been going on for the last few years is a waste of time.

Please correct this massive oversight!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->


Uhh, what? We run multiple servers per machine with no problems. I'm quite certain all the GSP's providing NS2 servers do as well.

There's one trick to do it: Each server has to run as a different user. This is also a good move from a security POV, as it means you

1) Aren't running a public facing server as administrator (which is a bad idea)
2) Don't have problems with one server getting hacked and modifying someone else's files

I do work for a large GSP, and I've been making sure that the server will actually run when used in that type of environment.

xDragon

Oooor just use the -adminpath command... You would use that on the server command line where you set other parameters like the xml file location and such, and you would just move your config files to that directory in appdata/natural selection 2.

ScardyBob

You can already do this. Team156, HBZ, Monash, any of the NS2Servers.com, SkulkRush, OldAssGamers, etc are running multiple instances of NS2 on the same server box (the general rule-of-thumb is # of Cores-1 instances of NS2, so an i5 2500k, 4 cores, we'd only recommend you run 3 instances of NS2).

Of course, running multiple instances of NS2 on the same box is a bit more hassle in that you need to
- Have SteamCMD for multiple directories
- Set up separate adminpaths for each server
- Set up different launch shortcuts (not necessary, but very useful when you have multiple servers you need to keep track of)

Also, you don't need to setup different users for each server (though, as devicenull has said, its still a good idea for security purposes). However, you do have to have at least one user setup if you're planning on using RDP. Team156 is currently running 3 instances of NS2 on the same server box under one user, which I think is the most common multiple server setup (as most people are running Sandy/Ivy Bridge hardware).

endar

Very early in the beta process I moved to running each server under its own account. It makes it a lot easier to keep track of and for general scripting purposes.

It was all great until SteamCMD, that was probably the most work to make work properly with multiple accounts trying to update simultaneously (and failing if the process is already running). I do have some dirty code if anyone is interested in getting auto updates running again, i'm not sure if devnull ever did update the script for steamcmd.

Soul_Rider

Sorry Guys, I didn't update to say this is all working. The wiki information was very helpful. While I used to run a few online servers in years gone by, I haven't done it for a long time, so the new processes, including the new steam cmd were confusing me. My Proving Grounds server was last running in build 207, so a lot has changed since then.

Anyway, thanks, the wiki provided the information neccesary.

Both servers are now online:

SN - Combat Mode v1.1
SN - Proving Grounds v1.6a

Thanks to SN.Wolf for provinding the server hosting :)

ScardyBob

Glad to hear its working now. There are still a decent amount of un- or poorly documented stuff in NS2, but Lance and devicenull have done a good job of filling in and clearing up the dedicated server info.