Server Information

[Masamune]

Hi all,

I recently inherited a server a 1u dell power edge 1750 and was considering making it a dedicated game server.

My question how many players can a dual Xeon 2.4 with 8gb of memory and a 7 mbs upload connection handle without impairing on regular traffic on other systems of the network to which I'm connecting it .

Any input would be appreciated and thanks.

P.S. Running red hat for the OS

[SlippJigg]

You should be able to run multiple instances of games servers on that machine.  Use Screen.
For Example,  You can run an Open Arena Deathmatch FFA server with 16 players in one SCREEN - and run a 20 player OA CTF server in another.

You can find formulas to caculate stuff like this, but i prefer to run it and then run a TOP command to see have my resources are holding up.

I have an OLD dell poweredge 2300 with 512mb ram running as a full time linux powered game server.  I run SlippJigg's OpenArena Rune 0.8.5 and SlippJigg's Central Ohio Urban Terror DM server both off this box 24/7.  I also have it set up to play other mods, i just shell in and run the server scripts i wrote to launch various game servers.  The box is currently set up and configured for games such as OA, Urban Terror, Nexuiz, World of Padman, Q1,Q2,Q3A.  A lot of times i fire up a game server for me and my friends to play on, but leave it open public as well. My OA Rune and UrT DM servers i always leave on for 2 reasons, Urban Terror kicks ass, and the Rune Q3 mod should be tried and enjoyed by the OA Community -  the mod is that good.

If you need any help getting your linux gameserver box set up, drop my a line.  I can share some OA server startup scripts with you, and give you a hand with your server config files.

Game not over.
SlippJigg

[Masamune]

Thanks for the info SlipJigg I had no idea this old thing could handle multiple instances of the game you learn something new everyday .

Well I'm in the process of replacing the main drive. s.m.a.r.t. is reporting future failure but fortunately here in the USA Midwest I can get 72gb 10k scsi drives at a local recyclers for 10 bucks aka "next to nothing".

It currently has Win server 03 stuck on it, but was going to go with red-hat as in my opinion it's a more stable environment than 03.

I should have it going by next week and I will probably hit you up for more advice. Thanks again for the info you provided again.   

[WaspKiller]

Hi all,

I recently inherited a server a 1u dell power edge 1750 and was considering making it a dedicated game server.

My question how many players can a dual Xeon 2.4 with 8gb of memory and a 7 mbs upload connection handle without impairing on regular traffic on other systems of the network to which I'm connecting it .

Any input would be appreciated and thanks.

P.S. Running red hat for the OS

Hello Masamune,

You need to provide more info than simply CPU, RAM and upload bandwidth to calculate how many players can connect to your server.

A basic formula for calculating the number of players slots that your computer can handle comfortably is:

Upload Bandwidth in Mbits x 1024 x 1024 / 8 / sv_maxrate

Note: the 1st multiplication by "1024" converts the Megabits to Kilobits.  The 2nd multiplication by "1024" converts the Kilobits to bytes.  The division by "8" converts the bytes to bits which is how Q3 and OA state the minrate and maxrate.

So in your scenario, if I assume that the sv_maxrate is 25000 then the answer is:

7 x 1024 x 1024 / 8 / 25000 = 36.70 or 36 players.


Further Considerations: Although sv_maxrate "25000" is the typical data rate to support DSL/Cable/Fios players that does not mean that this much data is always being sent simultaneously so in reality you could have a few more players.

Also, the calculation does not consider whether your server is handling other upload data streams.  So, if your server is hosting an active FTP, IM, or other service you will have to take this into consideration.

Last, unless you have a leased line, your upload bandwidth is not guaranteed.  That is, your ISP will do their best to give you 7 Mbits but in reality it will fall below this or exceed this depending on network traffic and other routing issues.

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SlippJigg is correct about your ability to host multiple servers.  I host 9 OA Servers, 2 Q3 Servers, 1 Texas Hold'em Poker server, and other data services and use only 1.5GB on an optimized Win2008 R2 Server.

How much memory your OA Server uses will depend on several factors but mostly on your settings for com_hunkmegs, com_zoneMegs, and com_soundmegs.  If you plan to use many custom maps and custom sound pak files, like me, then you will need to increase the typical server defaults.

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Good Luck.