question about VDS's, linux vs windows

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Naleksuh
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question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Naleksuh »

hey, i'm thinking about getting a VDS and i'm not sure whether i should choose linux or windows. i dont know how im going to be able to configure the linux servers to startup properly or like it but it seems like windows costs about 50% more

how many cores would i need to run 3 gameservers of tf2 (+ some other things like the system operating system, nodejs, mysql...) and why would windows cost more the more cores you get?
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Edge100x
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Edge100x »

I would recommend starting with a core per game server and going from there. You can always upgrade the specifications later and only pay a prorated amount for the difference.

Windows costs more due to the way that MIcrosoft licenses it to companies. Microsoft chooses to charge a particularly high amount for virtualized services -- and charges per physical core available in the overall machine, even if it's not in use by customers.

If you might have the time to learn Linux, I'd recommend testing that out. For TF2, it should perform similarly to Windows.
Naleksuh
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Naleksuh »

Will I be able to add more cores easily? And if yes, how long will the downtime be? (i.e. from 1-2 minutes to up to 24 hours)

And yea I tried to get a linux tf2 server working on my own machine, but icouldn't get it right properly to start up the way I wanted. Will I be able to see any tutorials upon rent?
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Edge100x »

Naleksuh wrote: Thu Jul 25, 2019 9:48 am Will I be able to add more cores easily? And if yes, how long will the downtime be? (i.e. from 1-2 minutes to up to 24 hours)
It is easy to do this through the order page, yes. The downtime can range from just a couple of minutes to maybe 10-30 minutes, depending on if the machine hosting the service has space for the upgraded VDS. The change confirmation page will provide a time estimate.
And yea I tried to get a linux tf2 server working on my own machine, but icouldn't get it right properly to start up the way I wanted. Will I be able to see any tutorials upon rent?
This KB article may be helpful: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=11249
We talk a little more about using "screen" in this older one, as well: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=4545
Naleksuh
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Naleksuh »

more specifically im interested in making sure i can get my tf2 servers to
1) automatically start when the vds starts
2) restart after a crash
3) check for updates in between starting

i know how to do this stuff on windows but ive googled dozens of times and cant find any instructions on linux.
anyone knows how?
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Edge100x »

1) You would use a screen invocation in your startup file. For instance, in Ubuntu, you might put a line like this in /etc/rc.local:

Code: Select all

sudo -u steam screen -AmdS tf2 /home/steam/servers/tf2/start_server.sh
Which assumes:

- That the user running the game server is 'steam'
- That the game server is installed to /home/steam/servers/tf2
- That /home/steam/servers/tf2/start_server.sh is a script that will set the path and run the server with the appropriate command (./srcds_run .. etc)

2) In the file that starts the server (such as /home/steam/servers/tf2/start_server.sh), you will need to write a loop. For instance, a simple loop would be:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

while [ 1 ]
do
  chdir /home/steam/servers/tf2
  chrt -r 20 ./srcds_run -game tf -ip xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx +maxplayers 24 -console -nocrashdialog
  echo "Server has stopped running. Checking for an update and restarting.."
  chdir /home/steam-server
  ./steamcmd.sh +login anonymous +force_install_dir /home/steam/servers/tf2 +app_update 232250 +exit
done
This includes a line to run a Steam update command when the server stops running.

3) I included this in #2. But, I have not tested this explicitly. This is a general template.

Before we spend too much more time on this, you should spin up the server and take a look at it.
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by Naleksuh »

Do Windows VPSes support Windows Remote Desktop/GUI access? I have not been able to find any information on this on google or the knowledgebase. I am considering switching to windows due to windows-only extensions and such, however Windows is easier to use from the GUI than the command line, unlike Linux where the command line is the best.
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Re: question about VDS's, linux vs windows

Post by TimeX »

Yes, our Windows installs include Remote Desktop support.
TimeX
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