Gaming Server - Hardware & Software

(Sorry if this isn't the most appropriate section, I found it to be the most suitable.) I want to open a small server for Minecraft and/or Garrysmod (possibly others, not all at once) and I don't like the idea of paying monthly to run a small server for just me and a couple friends to play on. I've tried to learn things myself but I'm just not getting very far. First of all, I read that I can get in trouble for hosting a game from my PC with certain service providers. Can someone elaborate? Second, how well would a computer with 4GB DDR3 RAM and a Phenom II x4 955 fare running 2 game servers with very few people on them? I could definitely limit it to one, that wouldn't be a problem. And lastly, my internet speed. 1.38Mb/s Download Speed, 0.43Mb/s ,Upload Speed, 39ms Ping, < 50 Miles from my home. Run #2, 1.95Mb/s Download, 0.42Mb/s Upload, 70m ms Ping, Server was ~ 150 Miles away. I know a little about connection speeds and I know these aren't horrible but how well would they fare hosting a game? Thanks in advance.

You would require a lot more network speed to be able to host a decent amount of players.

I could probably limit it to 4 or 5 at once on Gmod.

[QUOTE=GarrysMod;27609326](Sorry if this isn't the most appropriate section, I found it to be the most suitable.) I want to open a small server for Minecraft and/or Garrysmod (possibly others, not all at once) and I don't like the idea of paying monthly to run a small server for just me and a couple friends to play on. I've tried to learn things myself but I'm just not getting very far. First of all, I read that I can get in trouble for hosting a game from my PC with certain service providers. Can someone elaborate? Second, how well would a computer with 4GB DDR3 RAM and a Phenom II x4 955 fare running 2 game servers with very few people on them? I could definitely limit it to one, that wouldn't be a problem. And lastly, my internet speed. 1.38Mb/s Download Speed, 0.43Mb/s ,Upload Speed, 39ms Ping, < 50 Miles from my home. Run #2, 1.95Mb/s Download, 0.42Mb/s Upload, 70m ms Ping, Server was ~ 150 Miles away. I know a little about connection speeds and I know these aren't horrible but how well would they fare hosting a game? Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE] You wouldn't be able to host very many people, and if you did I would suggest only running one server. I think one player requires roughly 30Kb/s upload speed (although its an unreliable figure)

I'd have around 430.08 Kb/s upload speed then correct? that would be more than enough for 4-5 people. My main concern is the part where I read something about it breaching the ISP's contract. Is this the case? I'm assuming I should probably read it over.

[QUOTE=GarrysMod;27610402]I'd have around 430.08 Kb/s upload speed then correct? that would be more than enough for 4-5 people. My main concern is the part where I read something about it breaching the ISP's contract. Is this the case? I'm assuming I should probably read it over.[/QUOTE] Probably not true. Some of them just get a little picky about the bandwidth being sucked up.

On the older source engine (the classic HL2 one) it required bethween 4 and 8kB/s per player. ACcording to [url]http://reecehome.homeip.net/drekrates.php[/url] you should be able to do 6 players with the following settings; [code]sv_minrate 0 sv_maxrate 4156 sv_minupdaterate 4 sv_maxupdaterate 14[/code] On minecraft, you can host as many as you want as it's mostly run clientside, however I'd say stick to a couple of friends, or around 6 players aswell.

[QUOTE=Tools;27615345]On the older source engine (the classic HL2 one) it required bethween 4 and 8kB/s per player. ACcording to [url]http://reecehome.homeip.net/drekrates.php[/url] you should be able to do 6 players with the following settings; [code]sv_minrate 0 sv_maxrate 4156 sv_minupdaterate 4 sv_maxupdaterate 14[/code] On minecraft, you can host as many as you want as it's mostly run clientside, however I'd say stick to a couple of friends, or around 6 players aswell.[/QUOTE] My 56KB/s line choked horribly when I tried hosting 6ppl minecraft server [editline]23rd January 2011[/editline] Same upload as OP

My 128kbit upload speed back in the days did a 12 player goldsrc server, so depends on the ISP I'm guessing :colbert:

Your PC's specs are great, but as others have said your Internet sucks.

[URL=http://www.speedtest.net][IMG]http://www.speedtest.net/result/1124847023.png[/IMG][/URL] This is what I have got for internet and I can run a 12 person tf2 server.

[QUOTE=sbradford26;27620522][URL=http://www.speedtest.net][img_thumb]http://www.speedtest.net/result/1124847023.png[/img_thumb][/URL] This is what I have got for internet and I can run a 12 person tf2 server.[/QUOTE] So each person gets ~10kB/s? Well that's impressive.

Not really, the source engine can run smoothly at 8kB/s per player (personal experience, as I posted above), you just need to tweak it just right, and no moving props in the map.

[QUOTE=johan_sm;27620832]So each person gets ~10kB/s? Well that's impressive.[/QUOTE] your bad at math

[QUOTE=Darkebrz;27621166]your bad at math[/QUOTE] [i]You're[/i] bad at writing.

[QUOTE=Tools;27621064]Not really, the source engine can run smoothly at 8kB/s per player (personal experience, as I posted above), you just need to tweak it just right, and no moving props in the map.[/QUOTE] Yeah everything seems to run perfectly fine and everything. Nobody complains of it lagging.

[QUOTE=WolvesSoulZ;27621317][i]You're[/i] bad at writing.[/QUOTE] Why? 1060/8 = 132/12 = 11. Ok it's 11kB/s , like that's a big difference.

we're running a minecraft game server that has four people on it max and it maxes out the crappy single core 2.1 ghz intel processor this is using the .jar in nogui mode, which has virtually no difference

but minecraft is an unoptimized piece of shit

Full of illiterates. [editline]25th January 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=johan_sm;27623391]Why? 1060/8 = 132/12 = 11. Ok it's 11kB/s , like that's a big difference.[/QUOTE] Where did these random numbers come from? [editline]25th January 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=GarrysMod;27610402]I'd have around 430.08 Kb/s upload speed then correct? that would be more than enough for 4-5 people. My main concern is the part where I read something about it breaching the ISP's contract. Is this the case? I'm assuming I should probably read it over.[/QUOTE] kiloBIT, your upload speed is plain horrid. Your entire connection is terrible. [editline]25th January 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Tools;27615345]On the older source engine (the classic HL2 one) it required bethween 4 and 8kB/s per player. ACcording to [url]http://reecehome.homeip.net/drekrates.php[/url] you should be able to do 6 players with the following settings; [code]sv_minrate 0 sv_maxrate 4156 sv_minupdaterate 4 sv_maxupdaterate 14[/code] On minecraft, you can host as many as you want as it's mostly run clientside, however I'd say stick to a couple of friends, or around 6 players aswell.[/QUOTE] Minecraft is NOT mostly clientside, it's a horrible internet killing machine. [editline]25th January 2011[/editline] @OP: PC is fine, internet sucks.

I have same upload speed on my other computer and I can host max 4 player servers in source games and max 2 players in Minecraft.

a lot of ISPs dont allow games, but they usually dont nocite/care. also, you probably have a dynamic ip address, as in it changes whenever the isp feels like changing it. if you were going to host with a dynamic ip you would probably have to get dynamic hosting to make it work reliably. or not. go try it.

[QUOTE=Shadaez;27650841] [QUOTE=johan_sm;27623391]Why? 1060/8 = 132/12 = 11. Ok it's 11kB/s , like that's a big difference.[/QUOTE] Where did these random numbers come from? [/QUOTE] The connection was 1.06 Mb/s which is 1060 Kb/s. 8 bits in a byte = 132 KB/s 12 people = 11KB/s a person.