Creating a server

[HBAndrew]

Currently I just use the source dedicated server in steam, messing about with sourcemm/eventscripts mods etc which seem harder to find what I want compared to good old adminmod.

Would I be better off just using the regular stand alone server? Or is that no good for playing from the same PC?

Athlon 64 3000+
Geforce 6600GT PCI-E 128MB
2GB OCZ Gold Plated Gamers RAM
300GB SATA2 HDD

[c0ldfyr3]

Its fine as long as you dont use 32 bots, when you add that many bots it tends to use 90% of my 3.2 HT P4.

[STD]

yeah, but AMD are much better for multitasking...I run 32 using only about 40% on my 3500+ 2.4Ghz

[Undisclosed]

you have T1 or T3?

[HBAndrew]

I have 8Meg internet synced at 6.8mbps, around 700kb/s down and 60-100kb/s up, 12 player server for now see how it turns out ping wise.

Mainly want to use the stand alone server so I don't have to have steam running 24/7 and also it is less bloated and I can set it to auto reload if it crashes, as long as it doesn't use more resources or won't lag while i'm playing because of it not being on it's own box with high priority.

I was told that it is basically steam dedicated server without steam, so I guess it should technically use the same resources while I am playing.

33 tickrate feels horrible, trying 100 but I guess for my connection that wouldn't be too good, now to sort out mods and zombiemod.

[SauceHelmet]

Well, if you're hosting this home, no matter your specs or connection - 100 tic and zombiemod will deffinitely take a toll on your CPU, bots or no bots.

Now it may not be too bad with a small amount of players - but if you do experience lag - not latency wise, CPU wise - I'd lower the tic to 33, horrible or not, or you can try 66 and work your way down. If that fails - lower player limit - or cough up some bucks for a rented server.

All depends on how much you want to run a zombiemod server or what your interests / priorities are. All I know is 100tic isn't too friendly with ZombieMod running as well.

[HBAndrew]

Ah ok, will try 66 for a while with 12 players.

Why does zombiemod use so much resources, all the props and constant teamswapping?

I wouldn't spend money on a server, it's mainly a hobby and something to run and play when I am not downloading stuff, having fun with mods I want rather than mods other admins choose even though it seems like source engine mods are very few. It's also much better if I have admin, that way I can actually do something about all the retards I see and not feel powerless.

Also the fact that the only server I really like with great settings is hellsgamers ZM server which is in America and I am in the UK, 130 ping isn't nice sometimes when I hear the slash but didn't hit them.

[lex_talionis]

well, here's some experience for you...

I've been hosting a CS:S server from my home server (yes, it's a server not a pc, but used just the same) now for about 1.5 years and here's the scoup...

Dell PowerEdge 400SC single CPU Intel 2.8ghz HT, 2gig Mem ddr400mhz dual channel mode, plain-jane PATA 7200rpm HD's, ATI Radeon 9800pro (not that the vid card matters). I use this server as my sole computing "computer" as well.

Inet Connection:
Time Warner Road Runner Cable ~ 5mbps down and 400kbps up (I haven't had IP change in about 1 year, last time it changed becasue I was on vacation for over a week and my host was disconnected from their servers and thus I lost my IP lease).

I run a 9-slot Public server: 70.112.145.164:27015
I run the server at default 33tic (meaning I don't specify any -tickrate in my command line)
Most people's pings hover around 100 (this is becaue of my inet connection and the 33tic)

Now, using Mani 1.2BetaM mms, goremod mms, and zombiemod mms, with the server full at 9 players my average cpu time hovers around 11%

I WOULD CAUTION GOING TO 66TIC with your inet connection! Hell, I could eaisly go to 66tic, and I can tell you that I have tried it and it failed miserabably! It faild not becaue my system couldn't handle it (avg cpu went up to about 25%), it failed because 66tic increases the ammount of BW (data packets in send/receive between the client and server), so it was lagggggggy as hell. I culd possibly get away with running 66tic, but with only 2-slots on the server.

For shits-n-giggles, these are my server.cfg "network" settings:

Code: Select all

// ************ IF YOU HAVE LAG ISSUES YOU CAN CHANGE THESE SETTINGS, IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING  *****************
// SET RATES
// Max bandwidth rate allowed on server, 0=unlimited, max=20000
sv_maxrate 7000
// Min bandwidth rate allowed on server, 0=unlimited, 4000=good to keep dialup gamers off the server
sv_minrate 4000
// Maximum updates per second that the server will allow, increasing this will take more cpu power, 100 is max
sv_maxupdaterate 40
sv_maxunlag 1
sv_unlag 1

Now just as a comparision, on our Dallas server which is hosted by "The Planet Internet" in which the server is in a professional data center. Our 24/7 Dust server 32-slot at 66tic the settings are:

Code: Select all

sv_maxrate 20000
sv_maxspeed 320
sv_maxunlag 1
sv_maxupdaterate 66
sv_maxvelocity 3500
sv_minrate 10000
sv_minupdaterate 20

Now last, you can always connect to your server from the same host, but it will always show on the LAN tab and not the Internet tab. But for the world (those not on your LAN), they should be able to see your server on their Internet tab.

Hope this helps.
Lex

[HBAndrew]

Thanks lex, heh 66 is so much different, I guess il stick with 33.

I have 500kbps up so 60kb/s, if you have 400kbps and can handle 9 players with average 100 ping, i'm sure I can get 10 out of 500 with pretty decent pings, as long as I can figure out the damn rates and updaterates, best possible without lag, so many guides all complicated.

Some guide says for 10 players I can get up to 5,000 sv_maxrate on 400kbps, if zombiemod does use more bandwidth I would guess 5,000 would be good for 500kbps giving a little room for line fluctuation.

With my current settings I added bots to fill the server to 10 players (yeah I know doesn't test bandwidth, was just testing stuff), and I was getting up to 10-15 choke in firefights, it shouldnt be because of my steam settings, I have connection speed set to DSL/Cable > 2M, I am synced at between 6 and 7 but the only higher option is Cable/Fiber > 10M, so it has to be my server/CSS settings.

// bandwidth rates/settings
sv_minrate 0
sv_maxrate 5000
sv_minupdaterate 13
sv_maxupdaterate 16

I suspect it is updaterate, but a guide for dummies said to take my maxrate and divide it by 300 to get my maxupdaterate :/ or it could be my CSS settings, but it is stock as far as I know unless a server changed anything.

Tried setting maxrate and maxupdaterate to the same as yours, still choked to high 30's...