CS Gaming Server

[icallmedan]

What would the requirements be to run a CS gaming server? Once I get my new build up and running....I am going to have an extra computer and I want to run a CS Gaming Server. I won't ned a good graphics card because it would basically be unused as I would not be playing on it, but rahter my main computer. It is a P3 1.24GHz and I have a cable internet connection with 3Mbps down/384Kbps Up. Is this enough?

[M. A. Dockter]

We run a 1.5 server @ work.

733Mhz P!!!
384MB PC133
Only need ~ 1.5GB HD Space.

The most we've had on there at a time was 6 and it runs smoot.

[icallmedan]

Alright thanks! But what kind of connection do you have?

[wolfie]

i run 2 sof2 servers on a cable connection, ones a 1.0 athlon with 640mb 133 and the other ones a 2.4 p4 with 1 gig of memory have had 15 people on with little to no problems. even run both at the same time.

[Bushtree]

depends on your cable connection everyones is different.

run your server and see how it does. see how many you can hold on the server before it gets bad.. i would guess you can get 8-12 on your connection.

[CrazyMike]

To get a really good performance, you would need a T1 connection or Cable/DSL with a 500kb upload.

I use to run a Specialists server with DSL (running 200kb upload). It was really lagging at 14 people.

[icallmedan]

I think my 384Up should then be able to host 12 people.

[Blakhart]

The key is to throttle the server by using the best packet size and rate. You should be able to tailor it to the bandwidth you have.

[icallmedan]

Wait I am new to all this, so what is the importance of that? Like what do you mean.

[Blakhart]

Ok if my server is set to run at 25x300 that means 25 packets a second are transmitted to players by the server. Regardless of how many players, they all get 25. The 300 is how much data is sent in each packet. Newer games like sof and cs and so on might want packet sizes of 500 and more. Most clients can and will send to the server as many packets and as large of packets as they are able. The server will be fine with this. There should be a tutorial somewhere to show you how to get the best out of your bandwidth, and what the minimum packet specs are for the game you want to host. This will mostly depend on your upload speed.
I prefer to have more packets sent per second than greater total size of packets, ie: 30x300 rather than 25x400. This is to keep the players and server more up to date on "gamestate". Keep in mind that after a certain point in packets per sec sent from the server, players can not tell any difference since their client will only display so many updates to screen per sec.
You can only go so far with packet size reductions to conserve upstream bandwidth; if you go too low, you will make the packets have almost as much "overhead" as they do gamestate data. And then the clients may not get enough data in each packet to refresh gamestate entirely, the present state of each player, their position on map, direction of travel, speed of travel, firing of weapon, players in view, their direction of travel, speed, firing of weapon, wich weapon etc...
You see how involved this gets?

[icallmedan]

Yeah...I guess before I do this server, I will need to get some more reading....

[wolfie]

places i found interesting and helpfull

http://www.gamerunners.com/
really makes setting up your server really easy
http://www.gameadmins.com/
http://forums.ravensoft.com/ib/ikonboard.pl?;act=ST;f=6;t=19303

wolfie

[icallmedan]

alright thanks!

[Blakhart]

Wolfster a good guy.

[coolcps]

Make sure you get AdminMod and fun stuff like Chickenmod and StatsMe. There is also a mod that will even the bandwidth for everyone and reduces lag alot, I have used it before, its on there big list at there site.

[icallmedan]

Whose site?

[Blakhart]

Some mods include crap that says "newb" about the admin, and thusly good players will avoid that server.

[icallmedan]

What do you mean about "newb" and stuff Blakhart?

[Blakhart]

Newb as in noobish? As in a 13yr old server admin who thinks all the crap that servers are modded with is cool. They are annoying to me, but do as you please, it's your server.

[icallmedan]

Yeah that stuff is annoying with all those mods...I would have admin mod, and statsme, and thats it....I don't want chicken mods, or hooks, or whatever else there is.

[coolcps]

How dare you insult chickenmod, its great. CS is mostly annoying 13 year old kids or stoners anyway, so it matters not.

[icallmedan]

LOL...I still think chicken mod is annoying.....

[coolcps]

Well its used to punish people, but usually it ends up people are begging you to chicken them.

[Blakhart]

"How dare you insult chickenmod, its great. CS is mostly annoying 13 year old kids or stoners anyway, so it matters not."

That's pretty good!! Altho my stoner friends may feel insulted.
:D

[coolcps]

Haha mine too:)

[completeandutterNEWB]

hey dont make fun of us stoned ppl
stonedpenguin here :D