I'm starting to look for a VPS to use as a test bed for the server of an online game i have been making.

not I'm in no hurry to get one so I have time to do a LOT of shopping around.

things i will want is FreeBSD 7.x (as thats what my home server runs so i can guarantee it will work under this system, and i know how to manage the server on this os.

past that I don't need to much in either processing power, ram etc

so my question is how would I go about finding a deal that's going to be good for me with out paying a fortune for the privilege of having this.

You could post here:
http://www.webhostingtalk.com.au/f18/

Specify some basic specs, OS, hard drive requirements, ram etc. Usually something like FreeBSD 7.x, 5GB, 256MB RAM.

You'll probably get a bunch of replies from Xen and VMWare providers.

Stu

Although Stu made some very good points, you also need to consider that due to the fact it is an online game, you may not get a response quite so rapidly as alot of providers do not allow games/gameservers on their networks....so it could be tricky.

Then again, check with a few providers and they may make an except, variant on the type of game it is etc.

You just never know unless you try I guess

Dale

Hi to add onto the above posts, I would look for a host which allows you to supply a ready prepared image. This way you can develop your VPS within a dev environment and then upload the image to a provider once you’re ready. This would also allow you to confirm your system specifications by deploying a VPS on your local system.

As for VPS software have a look at VM server 2.0 it available for both Linux and windows and allows you to run both windows and Linux VPS on your local machine for free. For more information read here. http://www.vmware.com/products/server/

I would also confirm with the providers your looking for if they allow you to download the image of your server if you decide to leave there service, and or for backup reasons. The worst thing you want is to build up a virtual image and not have access to it on a file level if you need it.

Other useful features would be looking for a provider who can provide snap shots of the image, and or backup services.
I hope my above post has given you a few more requirements to think about.

Kindest Regards
James

for finding the specs I'm currently running my test bed on a pIII 433mhz with 386mb ram. and that box is doing a whole heap of other stuff i wont require on the production server. so I know roughly the specs required for it already.

this also provides my backup image if I cant get anything else.

also is there any particular reason people don't like game severs? is it a resource issue or because they attract unwanted attention.

It's generally a combination of those 2 factors. One of the biggest issues being DDOS attacks.

Alot of providers work to counteract these issues as much as they can, but this is technology...it comes with risks no matter what you choose or try to defend yourself with, if something wants to get through or bring you down, it will...it's only a matter of how and when.

For these reasons, for those providers that do allow gameservers, they setup dedicated and independent networks so that DDOS attacks and one's of the like don't affect their everyday web and application hosting clients. If a matter arises, they can shut-down an entire gameserver network without affecting the large application based clients of a corporate or government based nature, resolve and isolate the issues and bring the network back online.

Cheers,

Dale

cheers for the info

anything I should stay away from at all costs when I'm looking for this?

Umm, gaming is generally very noisy protocols and is usually used MOST during peak access periods. Combined together it means that often it's just not worth it. Remember, just cause someone HAS a gigabit link doesn't mean their router can sustain billions of tiny udp packets (like counterstrike for instance) despite being able to max the link out with pure web server traffic.

A new router costs a lot of money... Gamers don't generally pay a lot of money... Kinda conflicts.

Stu

true however I'm designing the protocol from the ground up to use as little bandwidth as possible. mind you you just gave me another consideration, would larder packets be preferable to a prospective host?

Well, a lot of hosts will hear 'game' and unless they've got a separate network will freak out.

Admittedly you have a huge advantage in the sense your developing it but if it was me I'd aim for a tcp based implementation at least. This flies in the face of a lot of existing deployments mainly because it can really affect latency in a distributed player environment. Guess it depends what your game is.

Realistically, with low bandwidth requirements the next thing a host is going to look at is the DoS potential. Hopefully you'll be able to find a host to suit your requirements with a potential for an 'understanding' that it's a unique game but all rights reserved.

Good luck.

Stu

well i will see what i can do... at least if i fix the problems i wont have my server causing the issues when it all goes down.

and I'm using a udp implementation that's a bit different from the norm in that its similar to tcp in packet size and things like that but can still deliver the good pings where needed

edit:- to all hosting providers. please DO NOT pm me offering your services.

this is a few months at best off being needed and I will do my own shopping around closer to the date or post a request.
thank you for your time.