Server Requirements
Enceladus
Join Date: 2004-01-18 Member: 25442Members
Join Date: 2004-01-18 Member: 25442Members
Well.. the reason I'm opening this topic is because I'm thinking about setting up a ns custom map server, but I'm not sure which hardware specifications I should go for, or what the experienced server admins amongst you recommend.
What is the minimum which is required for a 12/14/16 slot server, how much does the OS take account in the choice of the hardware requirements, what above the minimum requirements do you suggest? is cpu more important than ram etc.
Yes, I know that it's always better to have a very good system, but hey, not everyone has the money to afford that <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
edit:
Put together a list from what was posted in the topic and what I got from some serveradmins I asked.
Will keep it updated when I get more specifications <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<img src='http://www.sorcerer.de/images/ns/server_req_050219.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
What is the minimum which is required for a 12/14/16 slot server, how much does the OS take account in the choice of the hardware requirements, what above the minimum requirements do you suggest? is cpu more important than ram etc.
Yes, I know that it's always better to have a very good system, but hey, not everyone has the money to afford that <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
edit:
Put together a list from what was posted in the topic and what I got from some serveradmins I asked.
Will keep it updated when I get more specifications <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<img src='http://www.sorcerer.de/images/ns/server_req_050219.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Comments
running
metamod
amxmodx
amxbans
28 players
some maps have some problems with CPU usage, but that's usually because of 200 turrets...
running
metamod
amxmodx
amxbans
28 players
some maps have some problems with CPU usage, but that's usually because of 200 turrets... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
What OS?
for the operating system windows 2000 at minimum. windows 95 and 98 are too unstable to run a hlds server. windows me and nt 4.0 are also bad choices for running a hlds server.
and the internet connection is most important part of running a server. for 16 players a 1.5 megabit connection for upload speed is minimum. the bigger the pipes you have, the better off you are.
you can use climitplus amxx plugin on modns.orgto limit the amount of every structure on the map. it works on my server well.
for the operating system windows 2000 at minimum. windows 95 and 98 are too unstable to run a hlds server. windows me and nt 4.0 are also bad choices for running a hlds server.
and the internet connection is most important part of running a server. for 16 players a 1.5 megabit connection for upload speed is minimum. the bigger the pipes you have, the better off you are. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
hmm 1.5 for 16 max? before steam screwed everything over for cs wasnt it only like 1 max for 16 players and now that steam is released it went up?
I run a 2.4 ghz server with 20 slots, on ns maps it starts lagging around 16 players.
servers running 18 slots without issues. (Win32 btw)
What OS?
<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
oops - I should check around here more often <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
w2k3 standard
512MB PC3200 Ram
200GB HDD 8MB Cache
This is a machine I'm looking at renting (dedicated) and wish to put Gentoo Linux or something like that on it. I'm not a plugin maniac, and like to keep a more stock type server. Usually AMXModX and some admin icon plugins. Nothing that drastically changes the game like Gnome plugins, etc.
Would this solution be more than enough for a 16-18 person server? And what OS should I run...I favour Linux over windoze any day, but if windows will give me HUGE (Emphasis on large!) advantage over Linux, I can use that. If minimal difference in CPU/Mem., I'll go Linux.
Thanks for any help,
- Boris <!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
but thats only if your internet connection is extremely beefy.
also if your going to use linux, fedora core 3 is probably your best bet, i have only had problems with other linux distrobutions.
Other than this error message in the event logs
Faulting application hlds.exe, version 4.1.1.1, faulting module ns.dll version 0.0.0.0, fault address 0x0006c6fc
4 or 5 times a day everything seems to be running fine.
also people say that you should run hlds in compatibility mode on 2003 server because it screws up packets or something.
also people say that you should run hlds in compatibility mode on 2003 server because it screws up packets or something. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
That is not correct. Each virtual CPU can use the full capacity of the CPU itself. Hyperthreading simply allows for more than a single task to operate without the need for context switching. For a single server on the machine, HT would likely not help significantly, but it won't hurt either.
With HT enabled, one advantage is that network traffic will use one of the virtual CPU's while the gameserver will use the other, which may give a tiny performance increase.
Regardless, don't think that HT actually splits the processor's CPU power in half, because it does not.
uhh, network traffic is handled by the network card. and your assuming that each process will automatically choose which virtual cpu to use, and they dont.
ht p4 3.0 ghz = dual P4 1.5 ghz
hyper threading is possibly the stupidest idea in intels technology to date.
and please try a ht server before you state something. i tested a bunch of servers in my day, and one of them was a similar configuration to that, and when ht was enabled, as lots of people joined a test battlefield server i started on it, it started to lag horribly. i rebooted the box with ht off, and the server could handle what was lagging it before, and then some.
intel is just trying to compete with amd, because currently intel is getting boned in the 64 bit market. ht has no point at all...
uhh, network traffic is handled by the network card. and your assuming that each process will automatically choose which virtual cpu to use, and they dont.
ht p4 3.0 ghz = dual P4 1.5 ghz
hyper threading is possibly the stupidest idea in intels technology to date.
and please try a ht server before you state something. i tested a bunch of servers in my day, and one of them was a similar configuration to that, and when ht was enabled, as lots of people joined a test battlefield server i started on it, it started to lag horribly. i rebooted the box with ht off, and the server could handle what was lagging it before, and then some.
intel is just trying to compete with amd, because currently intel is getting boned in the 64 bit market. ht has no point at all... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Network traffic is sent/recieved by the network card, but the CPU still has a significant level of control over that. There are some ethernet adapters that have some of the TCP/IP stack implementation built into the chip to offload some of the CPU usage, but it will still use cycles. It's not the cycles that kill, it's the context switching. HT will ensure context switching is greatly reduced.
Again, you are not correct in your statement of what HT does. For example:
<a href='http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20021114/p4_306ht-19.html' target='_blank'>http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20021114/p4_306ht-19.html</a>
This link shows a 3.06ghz P4 with hyperthreading enabled, and disabled. If it were, as you propose, running 2 half speed processors, then the winace comrpession test should be significantly slower, when in fact, it's almost the same speed.
Also, for your information, I have run an HT server before. IN fact, we have quite a few of them in our lineup, and they perform quite well. HT allows many more tasks to get CPU time when they ask for it, and no context switch expense. Now, I will agree that the 64-bit opterons even a lower clock speeds can beat out the xeon systems, due to many factors, but I'm not here to debate overall performance. I'm just pointing out that saying that HT halves CPU speed and gives 2 CPU's is not correct.