Kevin Cantrell wrote:
My expectations are to run 1 main 24 man Clan source server that is perfect in everyway.
and run two 24/7 (custom map) 18 man servers(with 4 reserve slots. < I redirect a full server using mani-mod to my Main source server. so a total of 3 servers with 52 players max.
OMG I didn't top post!
For Kevin and several others who have all asked for the same genre of information....
Although not everything on the list I am about to mention will apply the same way for w200/w2003 servers, a lot of this information is applicable. I say so because the first thing I had to do was turn off a bunch of services found in this excellent article: Good old TweakXP.com has a great article on services for gamers at:
http://www.tweakxp.com/article21431.aspx
*HOWEVER* be warned in advance that any tweaking should be done carefully and you need to prepare yourself in advance for possible negative outcomes.
Not all servers are the same, not all OS varients are the same. I run Win2000 server in as skeletal mode as possible. And yes, maybe it is time to look at that frigging clock and set the time to the correct time in Dallas where the host is located. OK Ray? (I support my own game servers so little or no actual tech support is ever called for)
If you are renting a dedicated host, the *first* step is to *ask your hosting provider to list the mandatory services on your host*. The host I am renting has a hardware based solution for system monitoring. Not all servers have this option and thus some services need to remain running regardless of any desired tweaking. (I think even Ray can agree with this)
Then, you can start down the list in the tweakxp article and proceed, one service at a time, as follows: 1. Make a note of what single service you are turning off, 2. Turn it off, 3. See if anything negative just happened. 4. If all is not OK then turn the service back on and reboot. Else, reboot, 5. Test & evaluate the results. If you have the luxury of a "Total Control" package from theplanet.com, this step includes examining your reboot console and checking the voltages and temps. Check everything you can. Twice. Make *DANG SURE* you did not just impact your hard drives and networking. 6. If all is not OK then turn the service back on and reboot. Else, repeat with the next service of interest. (I think even Ray can agree with this procedure)
I do have a *major* observation regarding the CPU one might choose for a game server host. I have 2 dead game systems. Both have an Intel P4 3.4Ghz CPU. Both have had heating issues from day one. (Fancy Red ABIT Fatal1ty pimp rig mobos. yep. sucker me.) I switched to an Athlon 64 bit 2.4 Ghz mobo. (ASUS 8NI SLI Deluxe w/2 nVidia 6800 vids in SLI config). This mobo/cpu outperforms the Pentium mobos by miles and miles and never, ever, heats up. The performance is so good that I actually disabled the automatic overclocking option (OC enables when DirectX turns on) since it is not necessary and guarantees more stability. (No, not a game host box, we are comparing CPUs in general here)
Given the choice between the hot running Intel 32 bit CPU and the AMD 64 bit CPU, choose the latter even though you are running a 32 bit OS. The 64 bit CPU simply works less at doing it's job. (IMHO) And, when a stable 64 bit OS comes out, all you have to do is "upgrade". (UNIX guys already enjoy this luxury right?) Something to think about next time you are choosing a host.
Now, once you have your host trimmed up, think about how to automate management of all the configs, ban lists, etc. I have worked up a common set of scripts.. I mean Batch files, that I use to push changes to all servers from a common/standard configuration. The key here is to manage your directory structure in a very logical fashion. segment by game/version, etc. If anyone wants me to share the good parts of this aspect of multi-game hosting then let me know and I will share.
On a tangental yet related topic more suited for the hlds_apps list yet still of interest here.... I am working on a remote game server administration system that supports, along with the requisite web page based management, Windows Mobile Smart Phone support. This way, if I get a message concerning the host/game servers while in a dreadfully boring corporate day job meeting, I can resolve the issue right there while having all the appearances of taking care of day-job business. This effort will be moved into a true open source initiative project at sourceforge.net in the next couple of weeks. And yes, the source code will be available from day one. I'll post on this once everything is in place so interested software engineers can sign on and help take things to the best possible level. I already have a RCON class working that supports the basic stuff like map changes, banning id/ip, unbanning id/ip, executing cfg scripts, console message broadcasting, etc. Since the hard stuff is all wrapped in proper classes, you can build a front-end in your favorite technology and simply call the RCON class functions. Much easier than wading through the exquisite code of a similar PHP solution to make a simple change when Alfred notifies us of the change.. ;-)
By the way Kevin, I think your expectations are well managed. Once you have things going, keep trying different combinations of sv cvars. The players will let you know when you mucked it up. When it is good, they won't say much due to being busy fragging and all. When you get the right combo you will hear the compliments from the players.
Here is an excellent resource for cvars and commands: http://www.hl2world.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Console_Commands
(I think it is time to update the wiki since the last update too...)
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