Server - some useful questions.

[chromium]

Hi all,

I’m Chromium of 21GT, an Italian virtual wing Flying with DCS Ka-50+FC2.

We fly with other Italian groups, and easily got 12 to 16 pilots for each mission. Our main issue is that we do not have a server and we rely on one player doing the host. This player (me or another one) has a 20 Mb ADSL connection that can guarantee about 800 Kbps in upload, no more. My PC is powerful enough to keep DCS Ka-50 at 60 fps at good detail, OS: Windows 7 64 bits.

The host sets himself at LAN 1 or LAN10 bandwith, while the clients sets ADSL 128/56 (or ADSL 256/128, but always everyone choose the same settings).

We always take great care in mission design (no more than one ground group spawn each time, every ground group at max 10 units, max 10 to 15 ground groups active at the same time, deactivation triggers, etc etc), in particular at mission start usually there is no other group active than the pilots and there is no activity in the scenario.

Problem:

When the pilots are more than 8: little lag since 10 pilots.

When the pilots are more than 12: ping starting to grow from 100 to 1000 in few minutes, we can’t event start al the Su-25s and Ka-50s that the lags are so high to make impossible to fly. ABRIS completely not work cause of lack of updates… and more.

Than now…

One of us with more PC knowledge than me thought that it could be because Win 7 isn’t a server dedicated System.. like someone known, for example, Win XP has a client limit of 10. 7 should be limited to 20, but… we tried to load one of ours Ka-50 on a Win 2003 system dedicated to be a server… and… SAME RESULTS.

Note:

We tried also with some online mission for up to 60 players… and with Dragon’s well known missions. SAME RESULTS.

Questions:

Is really the bandwith the main limit to clients?

How much Kbps I should reserve for each player when I decide the number of pilots? Panzertard (My ME bible, even if he don’t know… thanks for all…) in an old post say “130 Kbps are good with some troops on the ground”. I should assume 100 Kbps are acceptable?

Is there a monitoring tool that check and log how it’s distributed my bandwidth to the client?

What are other parameters that could lead to bad online performances?

(to other groups with server) Can you please post your server specs (including bandwithd)?

Have you any suggestion?

Sincerely thanks to everyone that will answer. I really hope that this post will answer to a lot of answer for a lot of people, not only ours.

[Sanch0]

Is really the bandwith the main limit to clients?

From my experience I'm nearly sure your upload is too slow. You have typical client connection. Keep in mind that your connection couldn't be able to handle a lot of outcoming packets.

 

Have you tried to monitor network traffic on the host computer?

Edited February 24, 2011 by Sanch0

[GGTharos]

You need 1Mbit upload per 10 clients minimum. Ideally this is per 8 clients, and that only goes down for very complex missions with a lot of things going on.

[chromium]

In Italy you can't choose more than ADSL 20 Mb (there is an option for 100 Mb but it's REALLY expensive).

 

I understand that bandwith it's the 1st limits.

[chromium]

We are going to test other times... we need to understand if bandwidth it's the only limits or if we can find that some setting on our test server are wrong. We have about 520 Kbps (guarantee) in upload.

 

Any advice could be useful.

[Heli Shed]

.

Edited May 13, 2011 by Tyger

[Distiler]

Instead of setting the host to 1Mbit, that is too much if you have 520 and if you hit upload cap in a DSL you'r screwed because even download will suffer (dunno why, but down/up channels are not so independent).

 

You can add another setting to the menu via .lue editing (use notepad++, don't use the regular notepad or you might bug the file) and addin a line:

 

\Scripts\net\net_types.lua

 

 

{"Modem 56", 56*1024/8, 33600/8},

{"ADSL 128/64", 128*1024, 64*1024},

{"ADSL 256/128", 256*1024, 128*1024},

{"ADSL 10M/520", 10240*1024, 520*1024},

{"LAN 1", 1024*1024, 1024*1024},

{"LAN 10", 10240*1024, 10240*1024}

 

Also, in \Config\network.cfg you have to useful lines to play with:

 

client_outbound_limit = 0,

client_inbound_limit = 0,

Edited February 26, 2011 by Distiler

[chromium]

Make clients connect via Direct IP instead of through server listing. Apparently the stability I and my members have seen is 'coincidental', but the law of averages speak for themselves in my book. No LAG, good steady pings, no client timeouts and longevity. Through connecting via the server lsiting however, different matter. But..............coincidental.

 

'T'

 

 

Every one connected always via direct IP, also with our test server.

 

@Distiller: thanks, we will add your parameter to our next test!

[104th_Crunch]

We are going to test other times... we need to understand if bandwidth it's the only limits or if we can find that some setting on our test server are wrong. We have about 520 Kbps (guarantee) in upload.

 

Any advice could be useful.

 

520 kbps is not very much. 4-6 players depending on mission would be what I think you could host, if they are close by. That is the main issue you have and you cannot get around it. Make sure all clients connect 256/128 can help.

 

Here is the speed of the 104th server

 

[chromium]

Another question that could help: do you log into the mission one by one or together? Do you remove the "PAUSE" from the mission before loggin in or after everyone is in cockpit waiting for it?

 

This could be a way to change initial server upload traffic?

[Krebs20]

Another question that could help: do you log into the mission one by one or together? Do you remove the "PAUSE" from the mission before loggin in or after everyone is in cockpit waiting for it?

 

This could be a way to change initial server upload traffic?

 

 

I am also looking for how to have a server not pause on mission load. How do they do it for FC2? It's really holding my server project planning back.

[104th_Crunch]

I am also looking for how to have a server not pause on mission load. How do they do it for FC2? It's really holding my server project planning back.

 

...\Config\network.cfg

 

change line:

pause_on_load = true,

 

to:

pause_on_load = false,

 

Use Notepad++ or similar. Shouldn't use Winblow's Notepad

 

Another question that could help: do you log into the mission one by one or together? Do you remove the "PAUSE" from the mission before loggin in or after everyone is in cockpit waiting for it?

 

This could be a way to change initial server upload traffic?

 

Sure it can help, but if you are struggling with 6 or so players, it won't do much.

[Sanch0]

Is there any solution to unpause mission using remote connection - UltraVNC?

[104th_Crunch]

Hi Sancho. See my post above. Also, you can remap the pause function to something else besides the Pause key.

[Moa]

The 'P' key is good for use with VNC :)

[xifu]

The 'P' key is good for use with VNC :)

 

Thanks for the reply. I have the same problem here with A-10C . I use VNC with my server and it doesn`t work. The pause is there. I've changed the " pause key " for

" P " key and nothing happend.

 

I've changed the line " Pause_on_load " for false and it works this way.

 

I hope Servman cooming soon for A-10C ;)

Edited April 27, 2011 by xifu

[Sanch0]

My fault. I forget to change pasue key for other planes. (I did it only for free camera) Now it works! Thanks :)

[xifu]

My fault. I forget to change pasue key for other planes. (I did it only for free camera) Now it works! Thanks :)

 

I saw your post, and I've tried to changed in A-10C, the options "A-10C sim" for " free camera " and it works for me too :thumbup:. Thanks