Bandwidth per user...

[repdtek]

I am setting up a CS server on a cable line that will be set at 386/386.
How do I determine how much avaliable bandwidth I need for each user?
Or in other words how many players can I support at once?
How much memory should I use and what is the most critical factor for a seemless lag free
server?

Garrett

 

[Evadman]

CS requires 36k per player.

386/36 = 10 players. it would be better if you set it at 8, as then lag will be less of an issue.

 

[repdtek]

I am assuming UPload is the critical factor here? Thank you for your help, but I am very serious about this...is
there a white paper or just recommendations made by Sierra or Valve that says 36k per player in CS?

 

[blahblah99]

I ran a CS server before... and in order to run a good server with low pings and high frame rates, you will need around 5kbytes/sec for each player. Running a 20 player server requires 100kbytes UP AND DOWN. I set my bandwidth for each player at 45000, or around 5.7kb/sec, for each player. Pings were low 20's for everyone and frame rate on server side was at 60-75. Of course, I had a fat scsi server and a T3 line to run it on.

Liek Evadman said, with that speed (386/386) you will be lucky if you can host 10 players, but realistically you will be able to host around 6-8 players and have good pings.

If you need some help setting up the server settings and stuff, AIM at bruinbear714 and I'll see what I can do

 

[kan3]

orrrrrr you could do something different and make a server for 56k only, you'd always be full and you could get away with only 4kb/s upstream per user maybe even less


just a thought

 

[ShadowWolf]

Yeah, it really depends on the type of people for whom you wish to host, and the features you wish to have. Things like stats require you to keep logs which can take up a lot of space on a hard drive. Also, player movements and physics calculations for shots require a good amount of RAM. I'd advise using a good computer with at least 512MB of RAM and a nice 30GB 7200RPM IDE ATA/100 AT MINIMUM. With 386/386, your bandwidth will be your prime conservation effort.

Your critical components, from my findings and playings, are RAM, CPU Power, and Bandwidth. I've played on a 486/DX33 server which had 128MB of SIMM RAM (Dual system) and it was ok ONLY because of the T3 line it sat on. I've also played on OC3 servers that SUCKED massive with over 1/4 of the total bandwidth ( almost an entire T1 line ) dedicated to it alone because it lacked the RAM needed because it kept logs for stats. Also keep in mind your OS. Linux Servers tend ( not always are ) to be better servers due to their lower overhead than windows. BeOS or *BSD may be better but there are no ports that I'm aware of.

You really don't need a lot of bandwidth for each player if you set rates to decent levels and tell the players. Most people don't realize that in half-life you can set your rate to 5000 - 7500 on any broadband connection and get a decent ping, AND it's more fair to dialupers ( because all requests are delt with in a first-come first-server basis, the server will offer up more packets to broadband than narrowband players, which results in CHOKE for the dialup player).

Those are just my thoughts

 

[MrCraphead]

clients take up approximately 2.5-3 KB/sec. connect to a server and turn your netgraph on to see incoming and outcoming.

 

[Evadman]

<< I am assuming UPload is the critical factor here? Thank you for your help, but I am very serious about this...is
there a white paper or just recommendations made by Sierra or Valve that says 36k per player in CS? >>



No white paper that I know of, but server corps may have more info for ya.

I run a Tribes 2 and Tribes 1 server, and used to run a half life server. 36k seemed to be the minimum for all games before lag got unbareable.

Speaking from experence

 

[itrfuzzylogic]

Hmm.... i have 386kbits up and run a 10 person server fine. The biggest factor on the server if you have a decent connection would be the server computer itself. I used to run it with a 266mhz PII 512 pc-133 and it gave out 50-100pings. When i got the server up to 1ghz 768mb pc-133, the pings were 20-50.