Running a game server on a cable connection

[71skylark]

How many clients(Q3, wolfenstein, half-life) can you support over a 1.5mbps down/ 300kbps up cable connection? I was thinking about throwing together a cheap 1.1 duron with 512 of DDR and running a server for my buddies around town here, but I was told I would only be able to support around 5 people until lag gets out of hand. Is there a formula for this like there is for 10mhz cpu per user and 10 meg of ram per user?

[Twyst]

As a rule of thumb for Dedicated Servers at LAN parties it's usually 30mhz and 10mb of RAM per user. But you're probably gonna run into lag because of your somewhat limited bandwith. If you're serious about creating a server for people to play on try maybe a DSL, I think they offer a little bit better bandwith for about the same price.

[DocClock aka MadClocker]

Welcome to the forum, 71 skylark!:cool:

[SpeeDj]

This was taken from www.PlanetUnreal.com it's kind of the formula to calculate your bandwidth and possibilities for hosting a serve.

--Original Content from PlanetUnreal--

Server Performance Tips

Let's say, for this example, you have a 768/384 KB/sec DSL line. What I suggest you do is divide your outgoing bandwidth by 28.8 KB/sec, then multiply that result by .9. Based on your bandwidth alone, you should be able to comfortably run a dedicated (not listen) server for 12 people. Going with a higher max players is only going to slow down performance for all players.

There's another important issue here - CPU speed. From the old scientific method of trial and error, plus my experiences with my own and other people's servers, you should be able to stick with the max users using the formula above if you are running a Celeron (or P2) 300 mhz or better for most maps. Anything slower, and you run the risk of slowdowns based on your processor. I'd also set the Game Engine cache to 40 mb or 1/2 of your total RAM, whichever is higher. This will reduce swapping to the drive, which will completely destroy your server performance.

--End Quote--

Hope that helps!
J

[Cy]

My experience running servers on regular cable and 384K Frame Relay and even 512hdsl is that lag can always be a problem. There is a definate limit of around 4-6 users per 384k of upstream bandwidth. I have had wild fluctuations over these three types of connections. Try your setup and see what you and your friends get, that is all you can do. :)

Good luck.

Cy