Looking for a Dedicated Server

Networking & Multiplayer
#1

So, finally my Java Multiplayer games website is nearly ready for Beta Tesing and am now looking for somewhere to host it.
In brief, will use Tomcat/Linux/MySQL/JForum/SMTP Server and a Java Games Server (running 5 board Games + Chat Room using JOGRE).

Have decided to go for a Dedicated Server for obvious performance reasons (at any rate get the impression VPS companies wouldn’t allow the Games Server).

I found a few recommendations here

And am familiar with www.eatj.com and http://www.a2b2.com/hosting/dedicated although never used either (and of course google throws up 100s of others)…

However if you guys have any other recommendations based on experience would appreciate it as am finding a lot of these companies get mixed reviews and not really convinced so far…

Thnx/Steve

#2

I think the first thing to know, before we can do any recommendations, is what you budget is.

You can have cheap, fast, reliable. Pick two.

#3

hi,
I used to use defcon servers they were fast but cost me $600 a month i had self managed option with windows 2003 server
They might do linux machines.

#4

Yep, should have mentioned my budget… I dont mind paying up to £100 per month (~$150), not too much more as dont have any plans for advertising so will come out of my own pocket etc… Fast and reliable is a must at first in order to make a good first impression. $600 is definitely out of my budget but will check their site anyway :slight_smile:

Currently leaning towards the a2b2 (£95 + £15 for cPanel)… In 6months when out of work, may look for something cheaper if website doesnt kick off…We’ll see.

#5

For that kind of money, I would cut back on the traffic, and invest in RAID1 instead.

You’ll be so sorry if you have 2000GB left, but all your data is gone, because 1 HDD trashed itself - it will happen!

#6

Check out 1and1.com

I have a CentOS root server set up there and pay only $100/month. It has been very reliable and they offer some awesome benefits for the price.

#7

VPS are much cheaper than dedicated servers unless you have outrageous
performance or storage requirements. I’m very happy with the VPS that
runs Boardspace.net, hosted by Steadfast.net, for an “all in” price of about
$500/year.

#8

Ok, thanks all, got 3 to choose from now, making a decision tomorrow… VPS wont do for me for several reasons, but thnx anyway.
Am finding that a lot of these companies look good on the face of it, but when reading the small print (Terms & Conditions) they have some little annoyances.

[quote]Check out 1and1.com
[/quote]
Looks good thanks and cheaper than most I’ve seen so far…Will check out their T&C tomorrow (headache now… urggh).

#9

True, but the fact that I have a physical server that I can format and install any software I want I get quite a bit of bang for my buck. I do agree though, that if you don’t need to install software of your own and don’t want to completely customize it to your needs then VPS is a better option.

steveyO, I have been hosting my forum (http://forum.captiveimagination.com) along with jSeamless (http://jseamless.org) from there for over a year now and they’ve been very reliable.

#10

If you want a UK-based host then I’ve had good experiences with Arachsys. Not sure what their prices are for a dedicated server, but you can get a full shell account with reasonably high disk and network usage limits for about half your budget.

#11

take a click over to vpslink.com they are are vps host, thats where my server is, give you a good selection of which linux os you want and stuff.

#12

As was stated 1and1 vps is a pretty good bang for the buck. I was able to install a few of my own programs as well. It is just like having a dedicated server. I needed a vps or dedicated in order to run my multiplayer games. Not sure how the bandwidth and cpu will work out once I put some better games up but with the upgrade packages available, it should work out pretty good. I opted to install my apache/php/mysql/java configuration instead of using the one they provided. The sites been runnin for almost a year now and I havent had any problems. Im currently using the $30 package and its giving me what I need for now.

#13

Were you able to run a Games Server on VPS though? As mentioned I get the impression vps hosting companies block this???

Still struggling… Am now finding most hosting companies that offer dedicated servers have a minimum contract period of 12months (and have seen a few other dodgey terms and conditions which wouldnt agree to in a million years)… Have just contacted 1and1 for clarifcation on their minimum contract period. Will see what they say! One other company ‘unnamed’ wanted me to agree to pay by Credit Card and they could deduct amounts from it without my authorisation. FFS. As if…

#14

steveyO, like SunshineKiller, I use vpslink.com to host my game server (look in my signature).

I pay 13 dollars/month (you can just pay one month and give up, no annual membership required).

I think it is pretty cheap and good to test stuff . It causes no lag at all to my game (which is turn based) , though I’ve never tried with more than 3 or 4 people.

well if you find something worth looking, just post it so we can also check it out

#15

Thanks teletubo/SK, I did chck out vpslink but I reckon my stuff would struggle (got a 20Mb Web Application, Forums, Chat Room, Games server, SMTP Server + other stuff… Games server am told can handle up to 200 users not that I expect that anytime in the near future.)…

For sure I’ll post my stuff on the ShowCase soon (should be in next 2 weeks)… Have got about 13 new Applets arriving (5 multi-player and the other single-player simple sliders/quiz/puzzle type games, nothing too exciting).

#16

Before VPS became common, the low end was a “shared server” where you get a shell account
and an apace virtual host. These were generally pickier about what software you could run.

with a VPS you get root access and can install and run whatever software you want. Some hosting
companies may have T&C against some things - spam or porn or gambling for example, but games
are not usually among them.

#17

As ddyer said.

You get root access so you can run programs from the command prompt. I havent run into anything I couldnt do on my VPS at 1and1. Like I said before though, I did get away from the default install they provide due to not understanding it and having trouble importing the forums I already had set up. I just used the same steps as I did when I hosted my own web server from the house and it worked like a champ.

I cant remember how much poop you get for the $30 a month, somewhere around 512 gig ram, 10 gig Hard Drive space, 500 gig of traffice per month. Once I know I need more I will definitely upgrade the package. I hope someday I will have to! ;D

#18

Ok, Thanks for your help all. Have finally decided to go through 1and1 VPS (backed down on the dedicated server idea after a lot of consideration). I contacted them yesterday to confirm they wont block my Games Server and they seemed fine with it (+ get 4gig of bandwidth, 1024 ram with the deal) plus obviously a lot cheaper than dedicated…

Hopefully will have something up and running soon! :slight_smile: