What are the requirements for a game/file server?

N

NickN

Gawd
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
Messages
757
I've been thinking for awhile, and I've decided to build a file server. I have enough spare parts; all I need now is a hard drive and a case. It would just kinda sit there, lonely, in the corner or in my closet or SOMEWHERE where it's gonna be safe and undisturbed, and hold backups of all my files.

Also, 3-4 of my friends and I sometimes hold our own little LAN parties at my house, just the few of us (We make our own custom maps for Battlefield: Vietnam that are small enough for the few of us. They're not great by any means, but they're still pretty fun) :D

Got a little off topic there...anyway, so this server would pull double duty as a file server and a dedicated BF: V server. I have the following parts, and I'd really appreciate if someone could tell me if this would be good and what I need to upgrade.

Processor: AMD Duron 1.8GHz
Motherboard: MSI KT6-V LSR (KT600 chipset)
Video: ATI Radeon 7200
RAM: Crucial 256MB DDR333
Hard drive: Undecided
Case: Undecided

Also, what kind of cooling is good? I'd like for it to be as silent as possible. I have a spare Coolermaster X-Dream III, but it is designed purely for silent running (i.e. not for silent cooling and low temps) and produces not-so-good temps. I'm concerned about running it 24/7. Could I get a really beefy heatsink, like an XP-90, and just run it without a fan or with a very low RPM fan? (or an SLK-9xx because I don't think the 90 will fit on a Socket A mobo...)

Also, for the file server part, what kind of software should I use? Should I just plug it into the network and use Window's integrated networking, or should I run some sort of 3rd party server software and connect with client software on all of my computers?

Thanks in advance to anyone who helps me out!
 
The limitation of the specs of your fileserver is dictated by what BF V requires. You see a file server could be an old P-233 with 32 megs of ram and a 32gig HD, and that would probably store your files just fine. So the question is what are the requirement for BF V. Make that the basis of your specs.

As far as server software. You could just load windows xp on it and create a file share. Generally speaking Server OS's are not required for home use. Unless you want to dicate permissions, and create an AD out of several computer then there is no point.

Linux is always an options. SAMBA would provide connectivity between your windows box and the file share.

If you don't want to learn linux just use XP. Loading Windows 2000 server or 2003 server will not provide you with any real advantage.

Don't worry about leaving it on 24x7. It won't hurt anything as long as you have a little airflow through it. Remeber file transfering is mainly RAM intensive on a server. The only time your CPU would be at risk would be when you are running your BF server.
 
I've used Linux before so I do have some experience - "some" being the operative word. I'm by no means a linux pro or anything. So if it's not too hard to do, then I would be very open to using Linux.

EA's Website said:
Currently, the best performance is on a machine
with the following specifications:

For 8-player:
WinOS/933Mhz processor/256MB RAM/ADSL connection
Click to expand...

So my system should handle BFV no prob. Like I said it's only a few of us when we play BFV, so it doesn't need to be a huge server.

D'oh..WinOS...this means I won't be able to use Linux I guess. That tacks the price of an operating system onto that. I could use my friend's Windows 2000 CD but that's illegal. Curse me and my morals.... :eek:

I guess I'll use the X-Dream III then, and I'll just switch on the BF:V server only when we're actually holding an event (and maybe put a tabletop fan next to it for increased airflow).

As for the case, I'll just pick up the cheapest $20 POS from the local PC shop.

Thanks for your help. :cool:
 
I'm not that familiar with BF:V, but I'm 99% sure there's dedicated server programs for BF:V for linux. There was for BF1942 and for BF2, so BF:V should have it.

Also, the main thing with dedicated game servers, is they usually take up more RAM than anything. I'd suggest bumping yours up to 512MB of RAM. Otherwise, everything else is fine.

Heat has an adverse effect on electronics, especially hard drives. If you're going to run it in that case, I suggest getting a hard drive cooler for whatever drive(s) you put in there. It will help, greatly.
 
I think mpeg is right and BFV runs on linux for a dedicated server. So i would try that. Try out Ubuntu (a debian derivitive) its apt-get system makes adding and removing software a breeze. Dont load X11 or KDE or GNOME or and other GUI app. Make it command line only. Then install SAMBA and setup your shares. There are tons of tutorials on this very subject. Just google for "Windows file sharing with SAMBA" or something like that. I only suggested WinOS as an easier method, but if you have some basic knowleddge of the linux OS, give it a go. Head over to linuxquestions.org and you'll probably find your answer.
 
Well, I might just ditch my morals and set up Windows 2000 on my PC anyway. :p :D

Looking around on the EA website, I found a "linux update." Presumably, it's for the Linux server, but the server itself is nowhere to be found. :confused:
 
I swear that wasn't on the EA website. :p

Well, thank you. I shall use Linux then.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top