636_Castle Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 (edited) So here's the gist of it. I'm working on setting up a home network on a dedicated machine to run a server. Which OS would give me the fastest server performance? It'll be primarily hosting web pages and dedicated gaming/VOIP servers. I've heard Linux is a great OS for beginners setting up a server for the first time, and is less prone to attacks. On the other hand, since I'm a W7 user, most of my dedicated servers would be for WINDOWS applications. Possibly I'd find something like Windows Server provided me with more app. support. (DCS.FC2.Steam.TeamSpeak3.WebForums.) Edited July 26, 2010 by 636_Castle [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] How To Fix Your X-52's Rudder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuCharlie Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 If you want to run windows applications on your server then Windows Server 2008. If you're just connecting to it from a Windows machine then you can still run the Linux version of Teamspeak Server on a Linux server. The other option is to install Linux and run Windows Server 2008 in a virtual machine so you effectively have two servers... host your web pages from Apache on the Linux side and whatever windows apps you need on the windows VM. The VM option is a lot more advanced though so if you're not a power user or don't like troubleshooting then I would advise against it. Everything is prone to attacks to pretty much the same degree. The most severe issue is inexperienced people setting up servers. So whatever OS you decide to go with, make sure you do a LOT of reading on the internet on how to secure it so you don't get, shall we say, pwned. :D Oh, and don't download the server software from a torrent. Pretty much every OS ISO in the torrent sphere is compromised. If you're going with Windows then buy it or get it from MSDN! Or use Linux since its free. :) Personally I would say run Ubuntu Server Edition... it is free and pretty easy to configure and use. If you have a Windows app or two that you need to run you can try running it in WINE (basically windows emulation for Linux). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
636_Castle Posted July 26, 2010 Author Share Posted July 26, 2010 Wow 45 posts and already 6 reputation. Plus 1 more coming you're way. Thanks for the great reply brother [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] How To Fix Your X-52's Rudder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuCharlie Posted July 26, 2010 Share Posted July 26, 2010 (edited) Wow 45 posts and already 6 reputation. Plus 1 more coming you're way. Thanks for the great reply brother Not a problem; always happy to help if I can. If you run into problems getting it set up just post your questions and I'll try to answer them. I've been "playing" with Linux for many years but only in the last 3 months have I actually been using a Ubuntu workstation full time. So I am still learning all the things I should have years ago. :) Forgot to mention, I had a Windows Server 2008 box for a few years. I liked it because it was basically Vista without all the bloat. However, from a workstation perspective Windows 7 blows it out of the water. I do remember it was pretty tough to get all the security issues fixed and I wasn't even running IIS (I was using WS2008 as a desktop OS and not in a true server role). There is a bit of a learning curve with Linux but it is definitely worth the time in the long run. Edited July 26, 2010 by KungFuCharlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51GRIZZLY Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 (edited) Most servers, just like ours, are running quite nicely on windows XP or win 7 with all unnessecary processes turned off. You can't run FC in a server rack because it dosen't have a dedi server software and you need a graphics card (onboard or installed) and access to a screen to start/restart the server. Edited July 27, 2010 by <51>GRIZZLY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuCharlie Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Most servers, just like ours, are running quite nicely on windows XP or win 7 with all unnessecary processes turned off. You can't run FC in a server rack because it dosen't have a dedi server software and you need a graphics card (onboard or installed) and access to a screen to start/restart the server. True to an extent. The blade would need a graphics card but it could be "headless". You'd just have to use VNC or RDC from another computer to launch FC2. There is that automated server application in the Mod forum that might be useful for this also... monitors the FC2 server and restarts it or the computer as needed. Haven't tried it out though so not sure if it works. Few more things... 1. Does DCS or FC2 run on Linux? If not and you want to host it you're going to have to run windows either as the OS or in a VM. 2. Do you have a static IP address for your home network? If not, hosting anything is going to require work arounds to constantly update your DNS routing every time your IP changes. Since DNS isn't an instant thing, server users will experience downtime after every IP change while waiting for all the DNS servers to update. There are ways to force DNS updates from your own machine but I'm not sure exactly how legal they are and it might piss off your ISP or get your IP blacklisted on security sites. 3. Do you have a high traffic home network; wife and kids that like to download music and stream netflix while you're trying to fly online? Do you have a computer connected to that same home network that has private information on it (like Quicken for finances, photos of your family, etc) that you'd like to keep protected? If you're hosting a lot of services off your home network then you have to be concerned with bandwidth usage and security at all times. Instead of running your own server, have you looked into getting a server from somewhere like Slicehost? It is a full up server and you get full access to the operating system. So you'd be able to run a teamspeak server, webpages, and everything else on it and then run DCS:FC2 from your home network using the built in server discovery (or hyperlobby / steam / whatever) for people to find and connect to it. I don't mean to scare you away from running your own server but there are a lot of things to think about when deciding to open up your home network to external traffic. I've thought about it a few times but always decide to stick with GoDaddy for my web hosting and other places for my ventrillo / teamspeak servers. Heck, I cringe every time I have to forward the port through my router just to host a FC2 server when I am flying with my squad!! Not that the router protects me from people with any real skill but it at least stops the script kiddies from getting in. :D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuCharlie Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Oh, and if you really want a good book on running an Ubuntu Linux server, this is the one to get: http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0132167980 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51GRIZZLY Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 You might read this tread where youll find the specs on some of the servers running 24/7 ATM. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=52999 And im quite sure FC2 won't run on linux. Of course i have a static IP and concerning traffic i have prioritized my Router to leave at least 2MB bandwith for the server at all times. The server has been running for allmost a year now first with FC1.12 and now with 2.0 its running really well and i have never had any major issues Believe me its mutch cheaper to have it running here at home then paying some provider out there who you don't know if you can trust. allso maintenance is easyer and alot faster if something should break down. Another member of our squadron is running our squad TS3 on the second server located at his home in the US and it allso runs without any problems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
636_Castle Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 (edited) Thanks guys, I think I'm starting to figure this out. I decided to give Server 2008 R2 a try. Wow talk about bare bones, but just how I like it! :thumbup: @KungFuCharlie I know you recommended Ubuntu, but I've been using Windows since the 95 days. Since the learning curve is already going to be steep, I opted for something I could recognize. Ubuntu does look cool though. Here's a cool eBook I'm reading right now that's helping me: http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/C/0/5C0BD0AB-040D-4C56-A60B-661001012DDA/Windows_Server_2008_R2_e-book.pdf Basically it seems like I create roles that are almost like categories, or roles of an aircraft (attack, bomber, cargo, fighter). Then I create a feature that adds a specific task to that role (Attack ----> CAS Mission.) Together I guess it makes sort of an advanced Job Scheduler you see in normal builds of Windows, designed for server tasks. Edited July 27, 2010 by 636_Castle [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] How To Fix Your X-52's Rudder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts