lots of desync in a Virtual machine

[Antartis]

Andrew told me to post here.

I got the 4 cores ones, and when we are at 50 users, the desync starts.
Dunno what to do >.>
I tryed my files in another dedicate server and runs fine.
Someone told me to add the SSD disk, but I clueless.
any ideas?

[kraze]

Andrew told me to post here.

I got the 4 cores ones, and when we are at 50 users, the desync starts.
Dunno what to do >.>
I tryed my files in another dedicate server and runs fine.
Someone told me to add the SSD disk, but I clueless.
any ideas?

What does CPU/ram usage look like on your VDS? Can you post your server rate settings? Is the desync a new issue or has it been occurring for some time?

[Antartis]

it happens always we reach close to 50. Sometimes people cant even login and I had to restart the virtual machine.
the funny thing is we got like 50-60% cpu usage, the 4 cores actives. We got 4 gb ram, and we use kinda 2 gbs.

We had to restart the server each 2 hours or gets really lagged and desync.
The ping limit is 250 ms.



The logs show me this for all players, but LOOOONG flood of logs:

Code: Select all

Message not sent - error 0, message ID = ffffffff, to 33423214 (Simson)
 12:19:56 NetServer::SendMsg: cannot find channel #33423214, users.card=28
 12:19:56 NetServer: users.get failed when sending to 33423214
 12:19:56 Message not sent - error 0, message ID = ffffffff, to 33423214 (Simson)
 12:19:56 NetServer::SendMsg: cannot find channel #33423214, users.card=28
 12:19:56 NetServer: users.get failed when sending to 33423214
 12:19:56 Message not sent - error 0, message ID = ffffffff, to 33423214 (Simson)
 12:19:56 NetServer::SendMsg: cannot find channel #33423214, users.card=28
 12:19:56 NetServer: users.get failed when sending to 33423214

and this:

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 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e2eca is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e2ecb is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e2ecb is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e2ecc is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e3195 is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e3196 is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e3197 is pending
 12:43:41 Server: Network message 17e3198 is pending

the database is like 2 megas.

Code: Select all

Location: InterNAP Dallas 
Bandwidth measured by: Total GB usage 
Base bandwidth: 4000 GB 
Overage cost for bandwidth: $0.05 / GB 
Virtual CPU cores: 4 
Memory size: 4096 MB 
Standard hard drive size: 400 GB 
SSD hard drive size: 0 GB 
IP addresses: 1 
BF3/MoHW slots: 0 
OSes allowed: Any 

XOGamers
(virtual) 

[kraze]

50% cpu usage is about where you want to be. Any higher and you can start seeing performance drops. If this only starts happening when you reach 50 people then I imagine you are simply maxing out the two cores that Arma2 can use.

If your database is being accessed many times per second then that can also cause issues but it's hard to say if that's your problem. Have you tried limiting the server to 40 people temporarily to see if the same problem occurs?

[Antartis]

50% cpu usage is about where you want to be. Any higher and you can start seeing performance drops. If this only starts happening when you reach 50 people then I imagine you are simply maxing out the two cores that Arma2 can use.

If your database is being accessed many times per second then that can also cause issues but it's hard to say if that's your problem. Have you tried limiting the server to 40 people temporarily to see if the same problem occurs?

it happens a LOT more when we pass the 45+ , so it may no happens so often if we keep in 40, but I had 4 cores, running around 50% when its full, and got the problem, red chain and also sometimes people cant even log in, and I had to reboot the virtual machine.

[kraze]

You could have several issues taking place. Keep in mind Arma2 is more multithreaded then most games, so it will use two HT cores. So having a four core isn't going to necessarily make or break performance. Once those two cores are maxed out you can start seeing performance issues.

I would recommend you drop the slots to 40 and test the server. See if the lag/desync stops and if users are able to fill it.

[Antartis]

so u are telling me that will be almost the same paying for 4 cores than 3 cores because it will no do a break in perfomance?
I was at dayz.st with 50 slots before come here, we change here because we wanted better service, control and run the game better, now u telling me that I need to drop to 40 slots ... that is not enough... that my $70 dollar service just can support a 40 slot server... nice >.>

[kraze]

so u are telling me that will be almost the same paying for 4 cores than 3 cores because it will no do a break in perfomance?
I was at dayz.st with 50 slots before come here, we change here because we wanted better service, control and run the game better, now u telling me that I need to drop to 40 slots ... that is not enough... that my $70 dollar service just can support a 40 slot server... nice >.>

Well it's more of a game limitation. Since Arma2 can only use two cores having more may not help. I recommend a minimum of a three core to allow the game to two cores and the third core for background processes...etc.

When it comes to running game servers there is no easy answer, unfortunately :/ When issues arise you have to troubleshoot possible causes.. At the moment we are looking to find out where your problem is. If the issue only happens after 45 slots then there is a good chance you are maxing out those two cores.

It could also be the database you are running or another mod you are running along side DayZ.

Please do keep in mind a VDS is not priced as a regular game server would be. A VDS is priced for someone who plans on running multiple servers and for someone who wants to have full control over the OS and its files. Having a VDS also means that users need to understand the resource requirements of their game and monitor usage on their VDS to make sure everything goes smooth.

[Antartis]

how can be a game limitation of "two cores" when there are servers running 80-100 slots with more cores and no issues? How can be 2 cores when the minium in the official web is 4 cores to run 50 slots?

sound more like a NFO limitation >.>

[kraze]

You have to keep in mind that servers vary in spec and being in a virtual environment also adds some overhead which can cause a small loss in performance. In most cases this isn't always noticeable but when servers need every ounce of power it become a bit more noticeable.

At NFO we've spent a lot of time tweaking our systems and using high-end machines to minimize this overhead but it's not possible to completely remove it.

I would encourage you to open a request with us and ask if there is a faster machine we can move you too. For Arma 2 I would recommend you be put on an E3-1270 or E5-2690, you may already be on one of those, though. We've also been rolling newer machines internally which we may have in stock. We estimate that these machines are about 5-15% faster than the current fastest hardware from Intel.

[.=QUACK=.Major.Pain]

Unless I missed it, I didn't see you mention what your running as a game server.
Are you running Arma2, Operation Arrowhead, Dayz?
What map are you also running.

Some maps have a slot max for performance reasons.
Extra cpu's can be used via the command line, but it depends on the map in the case of Dayz maps. Most map devs set that in their example startup .bat file.

For Arma 3 Alpha server, you will find the max slots are recommended at 28. Anything higher than that caused performance issues, and over 35 caused constant server crashing.

Also, could you post the command line your using. Might be able to offer a few tweaks with the settings in that.

I am away till next Monday afternoon so I will check back then.

[Antartis]

I did, because I now getting the same with 15 players, and also they cant even connect. I had zero errors on my hive logs, just the network thing.

[Antartis]

Unless I missed it, I didn't see you mention what your running as a game server.
Are you running Arma2, Operation Arrowhead, Dayz?
What map are you also running.

Some maps have a slot max for performance reasons.
Extra cpu's can be used via the command line, but it depends on the map in the case of Dayz maps. Most map devs set that in their example startup .bat file.

For Arma 3 Alpha server, you will find the max slots are recommended at 28. Anything higher than that caused performance issues, and over 35 caused constant server crashing.

Also, could you post the command line your using. Might be able to offer a few tweaks with the settings in that.

I am away till next Monday afternoon so I will check back then.

I hosting dayz, reality chern map. We reach 50 easy, but the desync is insane, and sometimes there are just 15 and still desync and people cant join, only if I restart the virtual server all fine.

I no wanna run a 30 slots server like they told me (lol). I wanna run a 50 slots server without desyncs, so I just wanna know what I need, so the 4 cores service is not enough? I started with the 2 cores, then 3, then 4, because we was growing, so, what I need to run a 50 slots server (or more) without problems here? 60 cores?

[kraze]

In your case more cores aren't going to help you since Arma2 is really limited to two cores. What are your server rate settings set to? Can you post the config?

[Antartis]

Four core: Perfect for 4-12 game servers or many sites.
Four full, dedicated HT CPU cores (Nehalem or better)
4096 MB of RAM
400 GB of RAID-protected storage
4000 GB of InterNAP bandwidth transfer