assigning hlds to more then one core + best hardware for hld

[hlds_noob]

Hello, I am not an NFO customer, but I was wondering if it is possible to assign hlds (using taskset) to run on more then one core ?.

If this is not possible, what hardware setup would you recommend in order to be able to run four 30 slot servers with the following configurations.

(one DOD1.3 @1900 sys_ticrate with pingboost 2),
(one cs.16 @1900 sys_ticrate with pingboost 2)
(one CSS@66tick max_fps 900)
(one DODS@66tick max_fps 900)

I have an "Intel Xeon 3460 - 2GB DDR3 1333 ECC 4 x 2.80GHz + HT - 1333MHz F" running fedora 13.

I am running just one DOD 1.3 server at 2000 sys_ticrate using -pingboost 2, and when I use rcon stats remotely, it is always running at 85% with 22 players.

Should I try to lease an four processor box with 3.06 gig CPU's in order to do this, and then just set the affinity for hlds/SRCDS to one CPU each ?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Edge100x]

hlds_noob, the staff can't really provide much other than sales support for non-customers here, though other customers may be able to pitch in with help.

That said --

* HL1 (GoldSrc) is single-threaded and limited to 1000fps, so while you can tell the OS that it can be scheduled on multiple cores, it will only be able to run on one at a time.

* I would recommend a 4-HT-core VDS here for running these servers, though you could go higher if you wish to add more, or you could go with a full-blown x3470 machine here to maximize their performance.

* With such large servers, you should consider using Windows as an OS instead of Linux, as Valve games have less overhead on Windows.

* We don't offer 3.06ghz machines, and you shouldn't need one, no.

[hlds_noob]

But if I went with windows, they can only provide me with 512 sys_tickrate correct ?
Thanks for you're reply John.

[Edge100x]

With an unmanaged configuration, you can choose Windows 2008, which supports a 1000fps servers. With our managed Windows configuration, we currently support only up to 500fps.

[hlds_noob]

okay thanks.

[hlds_noob]

So why do recommend VDS ?. Why not just an 3.8ghtz quad core and then assign one core to each instances of hlds/srcds ?

[Edge100x]

VDSes are easier on the pocketbook and similarly fast on a per-core basis. For small numbers of servers, they are the best value. (They also use the same extremely fast InterNAP bandwidth, which is a major factor in server performance.)

3.8ghz quad-core server hardware isn't available. We currently (as of February 2011) use X3470s here, which have a base frequency of 2.93ghz and a turbo frequency of 3.6ghz, which means that they are the second-fastest available, in terms of turbo (the fastest is 3.73ghz).

I would recommend against assigning a core to each server, as a general rule, as modern OSes are usually pretty good at picking the best core to use at any given time. It's worth testing it to see if it will improve your performance, but you should start off with regular free-floating processes.

[hlds_noob]

So if I went with you're 8 full HT cores, how many fully boosted servers could I run before hitting any type of bottleneck and also what OS would you recommend for that, (32 bit win2008) ?

Thanks again for all you're help

[hlds_noob]

I couldn't find a way to edit my post, I would need two of these servers, one in New york and one in Dallas.

[Edge100x]

With an 8-core, you should be able to run 8 servers or so. Maybe more, if they are not too busy. But, for any configuration, I'd really recommend trying the two or four HT core option first, and seeing how the performance is, then upgrading if necessary -- you can upgrade at any time and it just costs a prorated amount to cover the difference.

You'll want to use 64-bit Windows, since 32-bit Windows only allows up to 4 GB of RAM. Win2k8 R2 isn't even available as 32-bit.