How do you run a games server?

[floppybootstomp]

I have an ADSL service with Zen.co.uk, I get 20Gb bandwidth allowance a month.

Is that enough?

Will Zen, my ISP, allow it?

I'd like to run Call Of Duty One & Two, would be nice to have ALL maps on the server, rather than the ones the host favours.

I have not a clue about how to do this or whether I could even do it.

So, if anybody would like to let me know the ins and outs about this thing, I'd be grateful.

This thread bounced off of PSD99's ISP thread where CImrie was going to give me some advice

 

[WinkingPig]

Anyway as per your other post;

Basically if your on 8MB service, upload will be 448KB

I reckon you could setup a small server, less than 10 players however, it might even handle 10 players, but ADSL lines soon become bogged down, and once you hit your upload speed to maximum, it completely kills download speed, as it cant confirm packets of data.

You would need to hunt about for the ports the gameservers use, and then using your router/modem/firewall, forward/unblock these ports respectively.

Then as per your post, you would need to use the in game menu to setup a server, or using a seperate idle pc to be the server.

It is fairly simple, but i have run a gameserver on ADSL before and it was shocking performance, so i can't guarantee it'll work, it might just start lagging really bad once a few players join, all depends on the latency you already have on the line.

I would also check Zen's AUP/TOS to ensure they allow gameservers, some companies don't like people hosting servers of any kind on their ADSL.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for that info

Doesn't really look too hopeful then eh?

So how are these big game servers set up?

Do peeps pay for huge bandwidth and stuff?

How do they make it pay or do they just pay out for the fun of it?

 

[WinkingPig]

I run my own Enemy Territory + Counter Strike servers on Hosted Internet Servers in a facility known as RedBus in London, basically a large data center facility where parts of the UK Internet Backbone are present.

 

[Ian]

I've tried to host games on ADSL before, and it does get laggy with more than a handful of players (from my experience).

Clans normally host on jolt.co.uk or e-frag.co.uk for around £10-£50/m - and these are ideal for gaming if say 10 players chuck in £2 each.

I've tried running one before, but the PCR servers are in the US so the ping times are too big for UK gamers (~120ms) - plus it slows the site.

Each game is different though, so you may be able to handle quite a few players on COD2 - but you wouldn't be able to browse or download whilst hosting or pings would rocket. Give it a go and see how it works

 

[TriplexDread]

120ms aint to bad really mate. Anything above 350 - 400ms can become a problem other players only have slow connections!

Maybe good for latenight gaming?