Looking for Big Brother Bot (B3) users on a VDS

[Edge100x]

Yes, it is highly likely that you'd be doing your other tests with Linux servers or those running on Windows 2003. The majority of the servers out there will be one or the other.

Yes, g_logsync is not the problem here. We know that component is working correctly. We do not need to discuss g_logsync further.

[wally]

Question,

As it seems B3 runs on an unmanaged VDS. Which Windows OS should I get? I can't nuke my current VDS so I will plan on ordering an unmanaged VDS to test.

Or does it even matter?

Lastly, what version of Windows am I on at my current managed VDS?

[Edge100x]

If you're running B3 on the same machine as the game server, it will access the file directly and not through FTP. In that case, if the bug you're running into is as I described, you will likely not see it, and any version of Windows should work adequately.

Managed VDSes here run Windows 2008 R2.

[.=QUACK=.Major.Pain]

b3.xml isn't a cod file.

It's the main B3 configuration file.

[wally]

I understand that. I was just saying that B3's config generator doesn't add RCON timeout because it might not work in CoD4 and that it's meant for BF3 instead.


I configured the unmanaged VDS (in Los Angeles) and B3 is working locally just fine (as John said it would). Now my only dilemma is the managed VDS that's in Dallas losing the IP's after I move it to unmanaged. I really only care for 1 IP address...

Would it be possible to leave the managed VDS as is (lower it to single core), run only 1-2 game servers from it, and re-route 1 of the IP's to my unmanaged VDS in Los Angeles?

[Edge100x]

I do not know of a mod for CoD4 that allows redirection from one server to another. But, it is possible that one exists.

[.=QUACK=.Major.Pain]

Can you not change your managed server to unmanaged and run everything on it?
Should retain your ip's.

[wally]

Can you not change your managed server to unmanaged and run everything on it?
Should retain your ip's.

I asked support, and the answer was no. Even though I'm staying on the same datacenter location. I just needed 1 IP, from the 4 I'm using now.

[MordyT]

It's strange and discouraging that a moderator of that forum does not know "2" is an invalid value for g_logsync -- it has never been valid for CoD4, and the game tells you this when you read it. In any case, we know that the issue is not with the server's writing to the file, because when you download the file, you see the correct output. That definitively means it was written, and we can close the book on g_logsync.

What I said before about B3 not compensating for the fact that Windows caches directory output is the most likely scenario. The developer can easily work around this by downloading a small portion of the logfile, then looking at the directory again; or, if they prefer the brute-force solution, by just re-downloading the whole file.

Then I guess it is strange and discouraging that the Project Lead of B3 does not know "2" is an invalid value for g_logsync as well.

See this thread: http://www.fpsadmin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13820 for a qoute from xlr8or

1. - buffered means that the logs are not written to disk continuously, they are temporarily buffered in memory and written to disk later.
2. - continuous means that logs are written to disk when the event takes place. After a server restart a new log will be created. You will lose old logs after a restart/crash.
3. - append does the same as continuous but after a server restart the new loglines are appended to the previous log.

Use 2 or 3 when you have a logparser running that monitors your serverlogs in real time (like BigBrotherBot)

I am not here to make trouble. It is very possible that we are all wrong and 2/3 doesn't exist. Even probable. However, unless there is some solid proof all of us can only guess at the values.

I get it that the console / log seems to have it reverted back to 1. I also know that a lot of servers run 1 without an issue. I personally run 2 because 1 does not work on my stock cod4 servers. When I tried to run with 1 set, B3 would not work.

To add to the confusion B3 seems to force the logsync to 1 when it starts as well. I don't know how well/if this works, because if I manually set it to 0 in the server.cfg, it does not turn on logging.

EDIT: And I do see that at the bottom of that thread there is more people saying it is only 0 and 1. All I am doing is explaining why I said what I said.

[Edge100x]

I am not here to make trouble. It is very possible that we are all wrong and 2/3 doesn't exist. Even probable. However, unless there is some solid proof all of us can only guess at the values.

The game itself tells us the valid range of values, and it follows through on this by enforcing that it can only be 0 or 1. There is certainly "solid proof".

Here's the rcon output. Try it yourself .

Code: Select all

>g_logsync
"g_logSync" is: "1^7" default: "0^7"
  Domain is 0 or 1

Other games could behave differently, but this is definitive for CoD4. Please update your documentation, and let's not talk about g_logsync again.

[Edge100x]

To follow up on this, further investigation (and private discussions with MordyT) showed that this is a problem with B3 when looking at the logs through FTP on Windows 2008 R2 only (not specific to NFO). One workaround is to move the server to a host running Win2k3. Another workaround would be to change the behavior of B3. MordyT requested the latter but I don't believe they have done this yet.

[axRhino]

I'd like to try using B3 with our cod2 servers.

We have a managed 4 core VDS. Are there any instructions on NFO for how to implement this? Would be nice if it were just a part of the CoD2 server package or setup like another game install package.

Any help is much appreciated.

[Edge100x]

We no longer use Win2k3 for new managed servers and while it is theoretically possible for us to switch to a Win2k3 configuration, it's something that I strongly recommend against doing, for performance reasons.

It's disappointing that B3 still hasn't fixed their bug/limitation. Have you also looked at other tools like Paronicon? I haven't tried it myself, but its author is a member of our forums and fixed his software to not have the same problem (it was a pretty quick fix, I think).

[axRhino]

We no longer use Win2k3 for new managed servers and while it is theoretically possible for us to switch to a Win2k3 configuration, it's something that I strongly recommend against doing, for performance reasons.

It's disappointing that B3 still hasn't fixed their bug/limitation. Have you also looked at other tools like Paronicon? I haven't tried it myself, but its author is a member of our forums and fixed his software to not have the same problem (it was a pretty quick fix, I think).

Thanks for your response. It doesnt appear that Paronicon supports CoD2 but I'll keep looking.

[lawman]

this is a very interesting issue and a shame that it has not been fixed as of yet. I just recently switched from one server company to this one because of issue with the other server company. i ordered my 2 servers from NFO servers then just like my other servers i wanted B3 on them to help admins. then now after 3 days of working with Rcon Admins support who install B3bot on to my servers. i find out today that the issue lies with the windows 2008 cache the fix i guess there is none.
the response from my B3 company is this

It seems there is a problem with your host NFO Servers.
Here is MY thread;
http://forum.bigbrotherbot.net/cod4/cod ... ch-format/

Here is a thread that was opened a while back about the SAME issue;
http://forum.bigbrotherbot.net/general- ... est-topic/

it's the host after all, and it seems it's down to a Windows cache issue :-/
Couldn't join TS as it simply threw 'Error'

If this doesn't work, I will refund you your money paid, regardless of time spent trying to fix this and perhaps you will find another solution to manage this.
Hope this helps, in a way....

the response form nfoservers

After reading through his replies and the replies from our CEO on this topic, it appears to be an issue with B3 not taking into account caching for Windows Server 2008. If there is no fix for this on the B3 end other than directly connecting to the server locally, then running B3 and the CoD4 server on an unmanaged VDS would be the only way to get them both working correctly on our hosting.

whats a person to do NOW
does anyone have any ideas other than going to a unmanaged VDS