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.