Topic: How Difficult is it to run a server?

[Bonk]

Odd. I wonder what was different? Ah well, its not that important I guess.

[FPF-DieHard]

Odd. I wonder what was different? Ah well, its not that important I guess.

Yeah, we never bothered to pull our hair out over it because it's not that big of a deal.

[FPF-Paladin]

Throwing in my two cents...

First, Norton has known issues with classifying outgoing data improperly and not allowing it through.  The comment above about it basically taking your computer over.. it's true.  You can't even properly uninstall it.  Heaven help you if you try using Outlook with this; you'd might as well start lobotomizing yourself now with a dull spoon, it won't hurt near as much.

192.168.2.1 should be your firmware IP address on your modem.  If not, then you have a router in between you need to account for or get rid of.  I'd recommend calling them and asking for either a 2 Wire 2701 or any SpeedStream model above 4500, speedstream especially if you're running a network because it's built right in along with built in wireless generally.  I'm wiping away cobwebs trying to remember this stuff though, someone else may be able to give more up to date info (last Speedstream I set up was a 6520)

Even if you are being told you're on a 6Meg connection, it really just means you can get 'up to' that speed.  Most ISPs really don't want people to know about that.  Call your ISP tech support, ask them to check sync strength on your line and find out what you're really getting.  Don't let them lie; they can see not only what you're really getting but what your max performance could be.  If you ask them to test your sync they will (if competent) realize you're not Joe Blow calling in clueless.  Ask for Max Attainable Rate also to find out if upgrading your line is even worth it.  Max distance for DSL is 4.7km, the first 2.7 from the hub nearest you where they plug in the line card giving you DSL service.  usually being the best place to be ... basically as the signal travels down the copper wire it degrades.

If latency is a huge problem, ask them to check if your connection is Interweaved or Fast.  Basically this is the correction done on the ISP end for packets... there is some trade off but gamers generally want Fast.

Don't use wireless for this.  Just don't... and like above, if this is a USB modem get rid of it because you're being ripped off.  USB is at best a backup connection when the ethernet isn't working and no tech worth his salt would be ok with leaving you on it.

[Pestalence_XC]

with Time Warner Road Runner Turbo, they guarantee 10 Mbps downstream and 786 upstream.. however my speeds are



thats local to me.

On DSL.. the closer you are to the Phone companies hub, the faster you will go..

but Cable is 60% fiber optic nation wide, very little degradation..

Here is my speed test to California.. and I'm in Texas ..



that is why Cable is about 3 times faster than DSL on average, unless you have their suped up package..

but not only is your connection important, it is also the people you are going to support on your server.. distance to your contact point makes a big difference..

now, Let's say I want to chat to someone in Russia



Notice how my downstream got nuetered ?

the distance is over 5000 miles and through the trans Atlantic line.. most of europe is still running copper and even aluminum lines, very little fiber optics over there.. thus the reduction on speed.

and modems :

Running a cable modem via USB will eat your processors clock cycles and your system memory and your virtual memory.. Only use Ethernet Cards .. that is unless you have no other choice but use USB.

[marstone]

now, Let's say I want to chat to someone in Russia



Notice how my downstream got nuetered ?

Remember that is to Novosibirsk, there is probably a teletype operator manually translating the signal between their system and yours.  It would slow it down alittle.




I edited this to fix quote as all comments were in the qoute box - Pestalence_XC

[FPF-DieHard]

You have more than enough bandwidth.   In hindsight, I think is was CPU power that was what killed us in the past, not bandwidth.

[Tulwar]

I finally finished using my "new" computer to get the manure off the hard drives from my old computer.  It gets kinda warm in the summer, so I want to move the computer into a better case.  This Dell better fit in a standard ATX case!

I have a laptop now, but I bought a rebuilt machine to use as a server.  I can't do much though the week, so I'll scoop my "new" computer out of its case and into another this weekend.

The first virus that hit my first XP machine was one that didn't come on any attachment.  Somebody's computer simply searched the net looking for open ports until it found my computer.  I forgot what it was called.  Now, I practice "safe surfing."  The server must not run any program that touches the internet, other than SFC.  Nothing else is allowed to penetrate the firewalls.

To Do List:

1.)  Download SFC OP client on this machine, and manually transfer to the server, via thumbdrive.
2.)  Configure the server: alliances, missions, etc.
3.)  Configure Window firewall to close all ports, except those used by SFC (There is no anti-virus software on the maching what-so-ever.)
4.)  Run eithernet cable from server to router.
5.)  Install and configure Port Forward.
6.)  See if it works.

Problems:

A.)  I'm not sure how to do any of these things, except, #4.
B.)  I'm pretty sure I won't be able to play SFC on line with my laptop, because it'll confuse the router.  I don't know how that works.
C.)  I get less computer-savvy every day.

After I get this running, I'll have to find out what might get people to want to play on my server.

[Raztax]

I may toss up a Hardcore server...

Would love to see that. I'd have to start playing again possibly 

[Bonk]

Odd. I wonder what was different? Ah well, its not that important I guess.

Yeah, we never bothered to pull our hair out over it because it's not that big of a deal.

I think I just figured out what you might have been missing... did each server have a different "_CentralSwitchPlusAllServers" directory name? Know what I mean? As I recall I had issues running two (at least with Process Sentinels) until I gave each one a different name so that they had different titles at the top of the console window.

[Raztax]

So people have gotten two servers running on the same box? I'm interested in this  because shortly, I would like to launch a beta version of my server, but would really rather not take down the existing server to test the other one if I don't have to.


As far as how difficult it is to run? My server is just pretty much stock using a flatfile, and it pretty much runs itself. I clean the db now and again and that's pretty much it.