Invisible download limit

[vince-mystery]

Hi,

I've been having a problem downloading new maps for some time now. I dont know why but the transfer rate seems to be limited to 4 kbps and it doesnt matter which server I'm downloading from. I've got 2M broadband and Enemy Territory or True Elite are downloading everything with 250 kbps but openarena is stuck with 4. Anybody knows what the reason might be?
Thx in advance.

[sago007]

It is properly a configuration error on the server. If no http address is specified it will fallback to UDP transfers that works at 5 kb/sec no matter that your connection can take. It can also be your computer that rejects it but it is unlikely as it works in ET and TE.

I think they didn't bother to implement a congestion control and therefore hard coded it to a 56k modem.

I think the serversetup guide somewhere should tell the correct way of setting it up. I succeeded on my server but it wasn't a very nice way I got it working.

EDIT:
Well, I could tell how I did it.
First add 'seta sv_dlURL=http://www.yourhost.org/path/to/home' to q3config.cfg, then upload all custom pk3s to 'http://www.yourhost.org/path/to/home/baseoa/'

By clicking at a server on the list: http://dpmaster.deathmask.net/?game=openarena you can see if the server has sv_dlURL defined.

[vince-mystery]

So, if I understand correctly everyone who tries to download maps from such a server is limited to 5 kbps, right? How come nobody else has reported such an error? I remember not having such problems when I started to play arena.

[sago007]

It is meant to be a feature that can transfer small files without any setup. Depending on your connection speed it isn't really a problem.

The server admins consider it a bigger problem that most players has autodownload disabled and therefore can't play online on many servers. And then it doesn't even matter.

[vince-mystery]

Hi, I don't think you understand me... I have Autodownload On, and I want to download new maps and stuff, but I have to wait for ages because download transfer is 5 kbps. I am using Mandrivalinux and today I run openarena in Windows and much to my surprise the download was at a normal rate of 150-200kbps. I've disabled the firewall in Mdv but it did not help. Any suggestions? Tried copying the config file from Windows still no results.

[w1zrd]

I dont know why but the transfer rate seems to be limited to 4 kbps and it doesnt matter which server I'm downloading from.

Some servers does not have higher download speeds enabled, I have the same problem when using certain servers who does not have udp connections enabled.

[w1zrd]

It is properly a configuration error on the server.

Same configuration error I have on my server then

Well, I could tell how I did it.
First add 'seta sv_dlURL=http://www.yourhost.org/path/to/home' to q3config.cfg, then upload all custom pk3s to 'http://www.yourhost.org/path/to/home/baseoa/'

Come again? If my servers IP is: 122.123.124.125, could you please explain how to enable the UDP? Would it be 122.123.124.125/~home/username/baseoa/q3config.cfg? I am lost (as usual)

[sago007]

Come again? If my servers IP is: 122.123.124.125, could you please explain how to enable the UDP? Would it be 122.123.124.125/~home/username/baseoa/q3config.cfg? I am lost (as usual)

UDP download is the slow download, it does not require any extra programs to work. All it need is the line: "seta sv_allowDownloads "1"" in the q3config.cfg file

I'm talking about HTTP download that require that you also have a _separate_ HTTP server to download the files from. This step is OS depended.

[w1zrd]

Come again? If my servers IP is: 122.123.124.125, could you please explain how to *DISABLE* UDP? (that's the way it should be). Would it be 122.123.124.125/~home/username/baseoa/q3config.cfg? I am lost (as usual)

UDP download is the slow download

This is the problem clients have when downloading from my server, their speed goes about 4-5Kbs (even if they are on T1 lines) and quite naturally they do not wish to download custom maps of 3.5 - 12 Mb size. How can change the server side speed, so that connecting clients gets faster than 4-5 kbs? I.e NOT using the UDP. Can I do this with a direct IP on the server I'm running, or do I need to install Apache on the same server which currently runs OA?

[sago007]

or do I need to install Apache on the same server which currently runs OA?

It doesn't have to be on the same server but it can.


Apache is rather easy if the server runs Linux:

Install Apache (standard setup should do for this purpose)
copy all pk3-files to /home/USERNAME/public_html/baseoa/
change/add 'seta sv_dlURL=http://YOURIP/~USERNAME' in q3config.cfg on the server

Replace YOURIP and USERNAME

If it still goes slow, then something is wrong (ie. it can't find the files on the webserver and falls back to UDP)

[w1zrd]

This is getting to be like a danish sausage, a mess but with spices. I've now put X number of .pk3's on another Apache based server. I've enabled/changed the sv_dlURL to say: seta sv_dlURL "http://www.openarena.server/baseoa" so far, no problem. Then I do rcon on the server and check so it has the URL there (after a .cfg load and server restart) an it then has: sv_dlORL= ="http://www.openarena.server/baseoa" AND sv_dlURL = ""

So, am I going insane or what is this?
I've checked the .cfg's for faulty entries but the only thing I have in there is the sv_dlURL entry, nothing else suspicious. I've removed the old, obviously faulty, entries from the q3config.cfg but still I get a client download speed of 5 kb and a server.cfg that's starting to get on my nerves

I'd give both a horse, and a crown, to have a proper server setup
You got any idea 'bout this, or am I cursed with UDP 4 LIFE?
btw,  Medisterpolse rules!

[our forum doesn't like our scandinavian letters ]

[sago007]

Two things:
Remember /home/USERNAME/.openarena/baseoa/q3config.cfg has preference over the default one. See if sv_dlURL is correct in that file.

Also if have your files in "http://www.openarena.server/baseoa" you should only have "http://www.openarena.server" in the config file "/baseoa" is added automatically.

[w1zrd]

Finally! Got some help from other players yesterday and it came to show that, for some reason, the q3config.cfg constantly got the wrong variable for the sv_dlURL even though the setting in server.cfg was correct. Checked all other executed files but server.cfg was the only one containing the sv_dlURL setting, so solution? This is gonna sound weird, and don't ask me why, but we solved it by entering the sv_dlURL with /rcon sv_dlURL and then I simply copied that text from q3config.cfg to the server.cfg. After that, removed the q3config.cfg (which I've tried many times) and tested to execute the server.cfg at server boot, did it work? Yes! As I said, don't ask why, how or when but it works. The variable looks the same, even after entered through rcon, but for some reason it works. Well, finally the clients can download custom maps with 600 kbps.

Thank's for the help and patience