Dedicated game hosting server

[WhiteNoise]

I pay other companies to host my game servers for me. I usually have one or two servers going all the time. Been doing this for the past 5 years now. Sometimes I think about just hosting the server myself but I have no idea what sort of bandwidth I need for internet to run a server well.

I happen to have a fully loaded HP DL380 Gen 8 server (brand new and in the box) that I have been attempting to sell on ebay. I am thinking about installing it into my 42u cab at home and hosting my game servers on it.

Currently I have a 100mbps / 10mbps web service. I do not think 10mbps up will cut it. I can up the upload to 20mbps(400/20) or 30mbps (940/30) via my cable company and the cost difference is $10 more for 20 and $20 more for 30.

Would 20mbps up cut it for a dedicated game server on a 1 gigabit network? I'd be looking to allow 10-20 people to play on it but usually it would be 7-10 people on average.

I just don't know if it is worth doing vs spending $30 a month for my two servers I currently run but is provided by a hosting company.

Anyone with experience care to inform me a bit?

 

[Ketchup]

How much are you paying for the hosting? It really depends in the game requirements and how much of the speed you are using on your side. I personally don't know if I would want to put up with the speed limitations encountered while hosting games on my own connection.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Posting for updates, this topic interests me

 

[Iron Woode]

I host my own UT99 server at home. It runs linux and an I3 4130 with 8GB of DDR3 1333 ram. My internet is 30/10 and it is plenty for such an old game. I also run a redirect server for faster downloads for maps and such.

The OP needs to tell us what games he would like to host so that bandwidth can be ascertained.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I host my own UT99 server at home. It runs linux and an I3 4130 with 8GB of DDR3 1333 ram. My internet is 30/10 and it is plenty for such an old game. I also run a redirect server for faster downloads for maps and such.

The OP needs to tell us what games he would like to host so that bandwidth can be ascertained.

I have trouble figuring out the port forwarding
Also has your isp ever given you crap about running a home server? I know technically that isn’t allowed on a consumers rate with fios but I suspect it’s not enforced often.

 

[Iron Woode]

I have trouble figuring out the port forwarding
Also has your isp ever given you crap about running a home server? I know technically that isn’t allowed on a consumers rate with fios but I suspect it’s not enforced often.

Port forwarding can be a pain but online help is readily available.

My current ISP has no restrictions. It is the first thing I ask any potential ISP about. My old ISP did regular tests for servers on their network and even went as far as blocking port 80.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I want to host an Atlas server for starters. But games like Rust and Ark would be my goal. Also I want to host a TS3 server as well. I have been paying for a TS3 server for YEARS now. It's cheap and I love it but if I put a server together i would try hosting TS on it as well. Not sure if that is possible though when hosting a game server at the same time.

I upgraded my web service yesterday to 400 down and 20 up. Testing this I'm actually getting 465 down and 24 up.

Not sure how well that would work...

 

[WhiteNoise]

How much are you paying for the hosting? It really depends in the game requirements and how much of the speed you are using on your side. I personally don't know if I would want to put up with the speed limitations encountered while hosting games on my own connection.

$21 per month for my Atlas server
$20 per month for my second Atlas test server (I'm shutting this one down at the end of the month though)
$10 per month for my Minecraft server
$5 per month for my TeamSpeak 3 server

So after this month I will be spending right around $36 a month.

Honestly I do not care if I host two game servers at once on my server. The minecraft server I could keep paying for. It's cheap and the only people who play on it are my daughter and her friends along with a couple of my friend's kids. Adults rarely jump in.

 

[Iron Woode]

I want to host an Atlas server for starters. But games like Rust and Ark would be my goal. Also I want to host a TS3 server as well. I have been paying for a TS3 server for YEARS now. It's cheap and I love it but if I put a server together i would try hosting TS on it as well. Not sure if that is possible though when hosting a game server at the same time.

I upgraded my web service yesterday to 400 down and 20 up. Testing this I'm actually getting 465 down and 24 up.

Not sure how well that would work...

Your server should be able to handle multiple game servers. I assume you would be running some flavour of linux?

I think it would be a great learning experience to try it out at home. If it doesn't work out, you still have your paid server.

 

[paperfist]

$21 per month for my Atlas server
$20 per month for my second Atlas test server (I'm shutting this one down at the end of the month though)
$10 per month for my Minecraft server
$5 per month for my TeamSpeak 3 server

So after this month I will be spending right around $36 a month.

Honestly I do not care if I host two game servers at once on my server. The minecraft server I could keep paying for. It's cheap and the only people who play on it are my daughter and her friends along with a couple of my friend's kids. Adults rarely jump in.

OMG that’s cheap!I’ve paid $60//month to host Quickbooks! Who is your host?

 

[WhiteNoise]

Your server should be able to handle multiple game servers. I assume you would be running some flavour of linux?

I think it would be a great learning experience to try it out at home. If it doesn't work out, you still have your paid server.

I have Windows Server 2016 actually, It is brand new as well and not yet installed. Would using Linux be better? I have zero experience with Linux.

 

[WhiteNoise]

OMG that’s cheap!I’ve paid $60//month to host Quickbooks! Who is your host?

Host for which one? I use multiple hosts.

GPortal for the one Atlas server
Survival Servers for the other Atlas server
Purevoice for TS3
Virtual Gladiators for Minecraft

 

[Iron Woode]

I have Windows Server 2016 actually, It is brand new as well and not yet installed. Would using Linux be better? I have zero experience with Linux.

to be honest, most servers run some form of linux or unix.

Windows server should work but I am not sure of its reliability compared to linux. Be aware that you would assume all support related functions for any game server you run.

A Team Speak Server seems easy enough to set up:

https://forum.teamspeak.com/threads/75729-How-to-host-a-teamspeak-3-server-on-my-computer

 

[WhiteNoise]

I've read some guides on setting up a game server. Most seem pretty straight forward but then I read a few guides on setting up a Atlas server and it looks a bit more involved. If I do this I will attempt to use Linux first.

Right now I have that server I own on ebay and I'm going to let it run its course there because I wouldn't mind the extra cash. I have access to more servers on a regular basis. If it doesn't sell I will install it and start playing around.

 

[Iron Woode]

I've read some guides on setting up a game server. Most seem pretty straight forward but then I read a few guides on setting up a Atlas server and it looks a bit more involved. If I do this I will attempt to use Linux first.

Right now I have that server I own on ebay and I'm going to let it run its course there because I wouldn't mind the extra cash. I have access to more servers on a regular basis. If it doesn't sell I will install it and start playing around.

I downloaded the latest Ubuntu distro for my server. I then downloaded the UT99 Server Package for linux. I am relatively new to linux but I still needed help to set it up and get it running. There were good resources on the net for that. I did run into a couple problems getting it running but they were because I wasn't familiar with the server package. After some trial and error, I had only 1 problem and that was 2 folders that needed to be set to read/write. After that my server has been running nonstop for over 3 weeks now with no issues at all.

 

[salmansaleem920]

i think first as a starter you need to use the machine, you are trying to sell on ebay, for gaming hosting. You will need a static ip and some software to effectively run it. Have some benchmarks run over it and see the results. If the results are good outsource your in house server to earn cash. If the benchmark are below average then go for cloud hosting gaming server instead of dedicated with save you money

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I have trouble figuring out the port forwarding
Also has your isp ever given you crap about running a home server? I know technically that isn’t allowed on a consumers rate with fios but I suspect it’s not enforced often.

Port forwarding can be a pain but online help is readily available.

My current ISP has no restrictions. It is the first thing I ask any potential ISP about. My old ISP did regular tests for servers on their network and even went as far as blocking port 80.

update on mini necro post.

google wifi solved all my problems. Port forwarding on my old fios router was close to impossible and I suspect some ports were blocked from being forwarded in the router because they never would be open.
Google WiFi has a easy to use app to forward, so simple you can’t screw it up.
Shortly after my above post I go the new router and I have so far hosted a 7D2D server and a Conan Exiles server. Fun stuff because the each have their own unique was of starting & managing the server.