Forums | MacLife
You are not logged in.
#1 2007-05-06 3:49 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
H2V servers
Hired Guns' IGN 5/4 blog is all about the H2V dedicated server. Some of Levi's fears are alleviated, such as
Another big advantage to using a dedicated server is that you can run it from a data center with an Internet backbone connection. This can really improve your game experience vs. hosting from a cable modem when your players are spread out. To make sure this would work, we designed the dedicated server so that it could run on Windows Server 2003, since most rack servers aren’t going to be running Vista. Set up your dedicated server to run as a Windows service and it will keep itself online automatically after every server reboot. The only time you ever need to intervene is if a LIVE update comes out or you want to change your server’s settings.
Serving You
My bold. It clearly isn't limited to Vista, but XP isn't explicitly supported in the article either. This is the feedback thread, and I've asked for some outside input as well.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
Offline
#2 2007-05-07 3:32 pm
Re: H2V servers
This is exactly how I have the Enemy Territory dedicated server setup - running as a service on windows 2003. I've run a DOD:S server on it at the same time (9 players on DOD:S & about 6-7 on ET concurrently) with no hiccups from either.
In configuring w2k3 to run a game server there isn't too much OS-specific configuration that needs to be done, other than disabling unneeded services. The only negative I see is that you need to buy H2V to get the dedicated server - no separate download mentioned in the article.
I can see this portion being a problem for companies that host dedicated game servers:
When you’re running as a service, you can use the “Halo 2 Dedicated Server Administrators” security group to allow other users to connect to the server using h2admin.exe – they will need remote desktop access too.
I don't see very many hosting companies opening up RDP access to their boxes, especially when they have multiple server instances running on the same server.
Offline
#3 2007-05-08 2:41 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: H2V servers
Another drawback is the ~$1,000 price tag on 2k3 Server. Levi was hoping to run it on XP, which is what MA3 runs Halo and UT2004 on now. Don't know much about outside hosting prices myself, but the likely group won't too large, esp. early on- PC gamers and those with Boot Camp and Vista.
At a guess, what might the prospects be for running the H2V Ded. Server on XP? (Levi, Icks and a few more are getting it, I have it on preorder... we have two more weeks to sort things; looks like Windows Live's been delayed a couple weeks and the game with it).
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
Offline
#4 2007-05-08 5:28 pm
Re: H2V servers
I'm pretty sure that 2003 was just an example in that article, if anyone is installing XP on server-grade hardware in a datacenter they should be dragged into the street and shot. There should not be any technical limitations to installing H2V server on XP if it just runs as a service and you have other game servers running fine in XP. If the installer prevents it you might be able to install the server-side components under vista & copy the installation to XP, depending on how much stuff gets thrown in the registry & if any DLLs get registered.
Offline
#5 2007-05-09 5:26 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: H2V servers
Cool. Thanks much. Since the server is out at Levi's place of employ, tapping otherwise unused bandwidth (and not much of that for some time now), he admins it. That's 40 miles from here, so I'll make sure he sees this, he's the man on the scene. (Me, I just co-designed it and contributed the HSF).
Altivec wrote:
I'm pretty sure that 2003 was just an example in that article, if anyone is installing XP on server-grade hardware in a datacenter they should be dragged into the street and shot.
We just work with what we have and can afford.
If the installer prevents it you might be able to install the server-side components under vista & copy the installation to XP, depending on how much stuff gets thrown in the registry & if any DLLs get registered.
Sharp. That must be why they pay you the big bucks. 
(Now why didn't Levi think of that? 
)
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
Offline
#6 2007-05-26 6:01 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: H2V servers
A server thread starting in the Halo2PC.org forum.
http://halo2pc.org/forum/topic/605
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
Offline
#7 2007-06-03 10:27 pm
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: H2V servers
Config docs in the H2V Dedicated Server folder imply that any version of Windows worth running at all can host a ded server when properly set up...
0x0409 wrote:
1150=Setup has detected an incompatible version of Windows. Please click OK and verify that the target system is running either Windows 95 (or later version), or Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 (or later version), before relaunching the installation
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
Offline
