Server Coding.

zippy

<div class="IPBDescription">CPU %</div>One huge problem with ns1 was the bottle neck coding that made servers very expensive to run.

Server pricing is based mostly on CPU usage, and ns1 tried to use as much as possible.

This meant everyone was running dedicated servers majority of the time.

Server pricing is certainly come a long way since then, and I am wondering. What progress is addressing this issue been done?

edit: Should have gone in to engine questions, if a moderator could please move. <3

Seker

At first... the modern servers are quite some beasts.... (2 year phase is done new roots are there)

And no one can know how many % is used up on your server.

Eddie

On that note, I'm wondering just how well modern day gaming servers handle multi-core cpus.
I have a machine in my house just laying around that I use as a web/svn/database server. I was planning on using it as an NS2 dedicated server but it only has a single core 3.0Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM. How much more performance would I gain out of it if it were a dual core processor?

remi

<!--quoteo(post=1759232:date=Mar 13 2010, 11:44 AM:name=Eddie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Eddie @ Mar 13 2010, 11:44 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1759232"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->On that note, I'm wondering just how well modern day gaming servers handle multi-core cpus.
I have a machine in my house just laying around that I use as a web/svn/database server. I was planning on using it as an NS2 dedicated server but it only has a single core 3.0Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM. How much more performance would I gain out of it if it were a dual core processor?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You wouldn't get more performance, you'd get the ability for it to multitask. Modern games do make use of multi-threading, but beyond dual core you get diminishing returns because you normally sacrifice clock speed for more cores.

As to the OP... The reason for high CPU usage on the server is because FPS's are generally programmed with a server-authority style. This means that the physics and hit detection and everything are run on the server, and the server has the final word on the result. There are other ways to do it so attacker/target/peer is the authority, but these tend to be not as secure. (It's the difference between a ref in a sports game vs playing with honor... with the honor method you can very easily just not say you were hit, or say you did hit when you didn't.)

zippy

I recall we were led to believe that it was a issue hl1 code that made unnecessary increase to CPU usage.

As regards to every server is different. The difference was limited to still make a good comparison with player count, cpu usage and spec.

Certainly back in ns1 days.

spellman23

I ran a fairly solid dedicated on my gaming box for the LAN parties.

Jiriki

I just hope for optimized Linux binaries, not for the intial release but as a later update. I just hated how much better Windows servers ran the the HLDS.

Psyke, TF2 uses apparently some kind of late server authentication check for hits.