Server Help

[Timeless 0]

For maybe 5-6weeks i decide to rent a server for our small group.

For this time, we are playing on Hamachi/Steam public servers. And i spend much time in the editor cause i have fun with it.

 

I dont want a public server or something big one, only for a few friends coop.

A rentet slot server was the first decision.

Empty mission without mods log in and half of the cps/fps are away....

Long story in short.

 

I changed in this time the hostercompany 4times.

Now i have full root access and is a dedicated (standalone) machine.

Intel Xeon 3ghz (4cores)

8gb Ram

SSD

100Mbit

 

First what the problem is.

No CPS/FPS. Yeah i know this tells everyone. But here it is with maybe a few AI and 0player.

With 0 mods is 45CPS/FPS and 0 player.

My Mission/Campagne play iam on my home pc and this is a little i7, nothing more special.

When i want to do this on my Server, it is crashing latestly when i go in zeus and have only Alive on to spawn a few AI.

My client have very good fps and performance, the server is crashing.....

And that with the CBA/Alive caching?

 

What i have done the last 4-6weeks except hostercompany changes.....

 

I clean up all not necessary services and all stuff something like that.

Some registry tweaks.

Some tweaks for the network TCP/UDP

Some tweaks for cpu affinity,SSD I/Os, Performance and speed tweaks for processes.

I have try malloc changes.

The last v9/v10 Dwarden Server Binarys.

Of course Headlessclient (HC)

Startup Parameter

The basic.cfg additional, but i think this is a thing that i can touch when players are on the server.....

Clean up the missions from 100 to 0.

I have the feeling i read the whole internet about arma dedicated server.

But at the end, all is more or less useless.

 

For what shall it be?

For me, for a few friends, never more than 1-8at the same time.

Coop persistent missions with Alive and AI.

But not in the range from thousand of AI, more decent.

Using mods, Alive, CBA, ACE, RHS, R3fLog, and maybe a weapon/clothes mod.

Maybe a modded map, but what...nothing special, not 100scripts....

 

I know all this twitch/youtube stuff in guides on server when zeus is flying arround and all the AI and players pops up.

But there are many AI and player, we are 1-8player and maybe 100-200AI on a map and few vehicle. (all Cached)

 

After all the weeks and maybe 4-7hours a day work its the frustrated thing that iam self a server technican, of course not in this game business. But i think i have all the stuff done what i know about network, server, stability blabla.....

 

What is the secret to play with a few friend coop vs AI on a dedicated root server?

 

So i dont know, but...i need help :)

Sure i can provide every log or something.

ASM, binarys, serverlogs, tweaks bla all.

 

I would be very grateful

 

Thanks

[SavageCDN 231]

So basically on a brand new server with a simple test mission you still get 0 CPS on the server?  Or is it when you run ANY mod on the server that it drops to 0?

 

I would review Terox's excellent guide for setup/config of a dedi.. go through it section by section and make sure you have things setup properly.

 

https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/139003-tutorial-how-to-run-arma3-on-a-dedicated-server/

[maquez 141]

For me it sounds like the mission has script errors that make the dedicated server crash.

Even if mission runs on your own PC this means nothing.

Make sure you have no typos or script errors in "description.ext" and "init.sqf" or any other scripts you use !

 

Other possibility could be that he uses ridiculous high settings in the ALiVE Modules, this can make the server also crash.

If this is the case then read this please:

https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/159708-alive-advanced-light-infantry-virtual-environment/?p=2960387

 

kind regards

maquez [Q-Net]

[R0adki11 3949]

Changed the thread title as the previous title was somewhat ambiguous. 

[terox 316]

My tutorial states that you should prove the VANILLA server before you start adding 3rd party content. (mods etc)

You need to take the server back to its vanilla state.

From there, I would suggest the best thing for you to do is create a development mission with the following design 

 

1) Make it for as many playable slots slots as you want to host for

2) create an addaction system that pv's a variable to the server, the server receives this via a publicvariableventhandler

When it receives this it, the script then creates a squad of AI and adds a series of randomly placed waypoint system that cycles. (So the ai are constantly moving and taking up CPU resources)

Have your client run a looping hint format returning the number of "AllUnits" on the map 

and run the #monitor 10 command via the admin login

(Or / And dump these values to the server rpt file via a diag_log format)

 

Once you have this ready then...

 

ROUND 1

With you alone on the server run the mission and run the addaction say every 30 seconds to spawn squads in serverside

Watch the resulting changes to the #monitor output and make a note of this adding the allunits count to the server cps (fps) value

(Initial CPS should be somewhere between 45 and 50 with just you on the server (dependant on the o/s you are using)

 

Once you have the server cps to about 20 you then have an initial benchmark value to start the next round of testing.

 

 

ROUND 2

Then get all your mates on the server and rerun the test, this will then give you an non scripted mission maximum AI count that you could run on the server when playing with your mates

 

ROUND 3

Now start adding 1 mod folder at a time (Start with CBA) and rerun the test, again take note of the values, even make a spreadsheet to compare them)

Eventually once you have all the mods running, amd ,aybe still havent found where the issue lies you can then start testing with the missions you were playing.

 

Dont jump ahead of the game do it methodically and systematically

 

Doing it this way will reveal the problem to you.

[Timeless 0]

Thanks for the answers.

 

Sorry for the thread title, of course i only mean  a Armaserver problem, maybe its my bad english its not my mother togue, i apologize that.

 

@Savage thanks for reply

Yes i know this guide and some others.

I think i have done it allright...but i not sure

 

I load up the Alive_Insurgency_Redux (only Stratis)DemoMission and take some Screenshots.

I use at the moment TADST Server tool, cause i restart the server often and for test changes is a little bit faster.

Of course i export my configs or make self one.

HCs startet with .bat file, but in this test i dont need to try it.

Start params are decent for this test only cpucount nosound and the dwarden malloc.

But you will see, all this take not into account when the server itself have very slow cycles with mostly nothing to do.

CPU is not more than 30%

I use Lasso.

 

Here is when i join the server and the mission is load.

When the first spike begins, then iam go into Zeus and fly to the first little town, and maybe pop ups a 8Unit Team/Squad.

And that looks like this.

 

http://www.pic-upload.de/view-29503000/Zeustest1.jpg.html

 

Here i go with Zeus to a bigger Town

 

http://www.pic-upload.de/view-29503048/Zeustest2.jpg.html

 

When i disconnect, the Server have no AI nothing more, except a little bit in the cache.

But the cps still in this way

 

http://www.pic-upload.de/view-29503065/Zeustest3.jpg.html

 

My playerunit, stand only at the start, and do nothing.

No shoot, no explosion, i fly only from town to town in Zeus mode.

 

 

@maquez

Thanks for your reply too.

In my mission or campaigne are not so much scripts in this files.

R3f logistic init, maybe something for loadout, but nothing special.

Respawn but at the test at the moment there are no scripts.

For the test in the last weeks i break all stuff down to mostly nothing scripts, mods, all stuff to find the bottleneck.

 

Thanks for the link. I read it and look at my setup.

This experience with the alive modules was for my try and error for hundred of times :)

 

 

Iam aware of this settings, when configure not in the right way is very performance break.

In my standard insrugency mission at chernarus Is in the last tests where is break all the stuff.

- Virtual AI limiter 10-25

- Civil limit 10-20 (no small towns, only bigger ones)

- Independent force with 30-100  not 800 or something like that.

- Only one civil objective placement module (debugging only the bigger citys on cherno, maybe 4-5 objectives)

- Blue starts with 30 force (here the player, its more only for logistic something like this way, and for a HQ)

- Yes Arty CAS, a few Choppers at the airfield.

- Civil pops up at 500-800hundred meters, i test much.

- Enemy Units 1000-2000, of course at the moment they go in sight at 800-900 and no plaines at all.

 

Normally they shall in the mission Opfor but.....

 

In the standard mission are mods like this.

Ace, Alive, RHS, R3Flog, AiATP maybe Tryk and a Weaponmod, but this is not to much at all, or i miss something?

Its not for 50players or so....

 

I eliminate all one by one, but this mods or my configs was not the thing for the engine server cycles.

 

Thanks for your time

[Timeless 0]

@terox

Thanks for your reply.

 

Yes i start the clean server (vanilla) without anything before i test my "home-mission".

And how you say its by 45-50 CPs/FPs, the OS is Windows Server 2012 R2.

 

In all this test days and nights a try some similiar things.

But maybe i should write a spawn script.

 

What i have done similiar to this what you describe.

Its a bad design decision to setowner local to the machine in Zeus on a dedicated server i think.

But iam not the deep coding language skill technician, so maybe it have a good reason.

 

I placed some squads and some waypoints.

when the server config is persistent then iam disconect complete and wait a little bit.

Then i see on the server the AI is switching from remote to local and connect again.

Maybe i think false here, but this was most in my tests enough to set the owner to the server.

But yeah at this moment CPS is going down with a few squads....(without CBA/Alive Caching here)

 

I tried a few things with YAAB Benchmark, but when little things are enough....then are units they use the weapons a server crasher :)

 

I think you have right and i shall try to script a AI spawn file, what shall i do.....i have all done i think.

And of course is important to work step by step.

Thats what i done the last weeks. Excell lists step by step....

I set the server back a few times, and everytime i changed the hostercompany.

But now when i pay a way more and nothing is usable, and my lists and steps have so many sites...i decide to write here.

 

This "nothing is usable" is not right.

When i play "normal", dont use zeus then i can play, client performance are very good.

When i look to the right monitor at the ASM or something then the server ismostly down, but ist playable.

When i go in Zeus, and fly then go the CPS from the last 3-6 to 0.

 

The same issue was on all hoster rent server, but at this time i was sure this is the virtualize the cpu and handling the usage from customer to customer.

 

I will try it with the spawn script, and i appreciate your answer and tips.

But i think the issue is something else, not a mod or spawn script, not the Hardware.

When CPS goes down with vanilla only one player and a few units they only walk....what shall happen when a friend log in.

 

Thanks

[Timeless 0]

Ok here are new tests, like you say.

 

I have reset all complete.

OS 2012 and ArmaServer.

I read again your very good guide and build from a script compilation that i use in Editor a spawn script for different position on a map.

 

The Spawn points are Units at 6 points/objectives on the map Stratis.

10player Slots 1 of them are can use the Zeus editor.

The description.ext is only with default respawn-west Base and the max players 10.

Nothing more is in the mission.

 

 

 

The script start from the debug console and runs only server side. It spawns 15Units patrolling in an area 150m + 1 Vehicle.

Maybe there is 1-5more in the Vehicle.

In a couple of time i spawn at all 6 position the AI+1Vehicle. At the end i spawn at position 2 the same amount again but this time is not Bluefor it is Opfor and a fight begins.

In the charflow the spikes are the time when i trigger the script, the big spike and CPS down at the end is the fight.

 

 

 

basic.cfg is default

server.cfg is default

startparameter are these -nosound -cpuCount=4 -malloc=tbb4malloc_bi -maxMem=2047

normal malloc and no perf binary from Dwarden.

All reset.

 

So when now a friend login or maybe we use a mod or two. What is when we are fly with a chopper or i place a little FOB with Zeus?

CPS is going 0 and stopped working. CPU do mostly nothing, the same for I/O to SSD or use of RAM.

No RPT errors, no log or OS/System Errors.

 

The post before is a similiar test only with CBA and Alive with very very small amount of AI.

CPS 0 and crash when i fly around.

When i do nothing max 10CPS but 20-30FPS.

 

I dont know what i do wrong.

The Hardware is realy aceptable for a few member but maybe is a cpu limitation or something similiar and i dont know this?

 

I very greatful for further hints.

 

Thanks for help

[gpldan 1]

push 

[Timeless 0]

Hello Arma Community,

 

i decide to write here again to inform about the status, maybe there are people they have interest an such information. (i would have been such a guy in the last 4 month)

Additional maybe there are people to help me to upgrade my knowledge to a higher value ;)

 

First, please understand that my english is bad and this is a little bit more text and a little bit more technical content, so for me its heavy to find the right words and grammar and a translator is laborious.

Second, ALL what i write is NOT a solution in any kind. AND ALL are only the things that i can confirm in my little "test-environment".

Biggest thing is = Please improve this information in the right way from people they can say from yourself they have the knowledge. (Than iam not this guy+and iam not a coder guy, only server/network guy)

Next, when anyone means this information is right but anyone should know about this, please write it in the Server Administration/Wiki and pin it.

 

-----

 

Iam sure there a lot of people they have similiar issues, maybe in another way or view.

I read the whole internet to dedicaded Arma server and so much forum threads describe similiar things and all this threads have not a solution or a hint to a problem.

 

Here is the same (this is not a accusation)

When iam read this thread as a Arma MissionMaker/ServerAdmin, then i know there a lot of issues they can be, so its difficult to help in the right way.

I have no posts here cause iam more the reading guy and try to learn itself, in this case there was nothing more that i can do what i have not done in the past.

 

Thanks again to the helper and of course the dedicated server guide from terox and much more....(all this community guides have a nice folder on my HDD space:> )

 

You can read above that there is nothing more what you/i can do when you have break all stuff back and then you have Stratis with no AI no Scripts of course no mods or anything only your own player and CPS is worse at all. (In all sentences i mean serverside CPS not FPS)

My first trys was a fail then a rent slot machine is not suitable for Coop with a few more AI.

And here is the thing what i try now to talk about.

 

--------------------

 

First, the "solution" above is my own naivety :)

At the point above and cannot do anything...i decide go away from arma and the problems and back to the server itself.

The Hardware details can you read above. Root access of course i checked a little bit, and yes, fast, small, more than enough Hardware then i need for a few friends.

After all this weeks iam again back to the server hardware and start some deeper read out/I/O for all specific hardware types.

The first thing was i found no reviasion<-? number for this Xeon. After that i try to install a VirtualizationTool (enter your VMCompany) to install another machine and cut one core from the CPU for this machine.

But a way before i want "reserve" the core for the VM the whole server became a bluescreen, but for a acception to read in the Memory(RAM)....

So after that i try to read out the Memory and the next bluescreen appears...

(Insert a whole bunch of Tests and blabla)

---------------------

I have a little bit knowledge about Virtualization then i do this since a few years in my work. But there are many different Virtualize systems and this is real heavy what you can all do in the bigger business.(Far above my technical level)

So when i write this, please think at point "2" at the beginning this texts.

--------------------

 

And later i found entry for a QUEMU. This is a hardware virtualization.

At all this say nothing about the problem in this case. Therefore i go deeper and build 2 test virtualize machines here at home.

 

Overall there exists 2 big differences in virtualization (away more i know...)

Example:

 

You have a board with 20 CPUs and in all are XX Cores.

And a board with XX RAM / Or Chips for self programming to work similiar to Memory/Ram.

Additional HD Space and Network access.

 

Now you can set up a virtualization from this hardware for XX customer and that is good, then i dont know but from my view exist not only one FPS game that can use so much ressources.

Arma engine itself is limitated - bigger hardware bring you at a point not more performance.

 

2 different ways for this virtualization.

1, one more cores for customer X then he want do this and this. And a full CPU for this customer x then he want do this and this.

The Hardware itself is not reachable or usable for another thread, machine or anything.

 

2, the complete Hardware is a bunch of ressources, a full power horse maybe :)

And software maybe a hypervisor(or QUEMU like above) or something who know about this. Regulates the "threads" and simulate the questions from the customer host to the real bunch of hardware.

The whole explanation of all this things are very deep. The Hostercompany now can do things like, 10more customer on this machine cause customer x use never more than this and so on....

Various systems do all this full automatic.

------------------------

 

Back to the problem in this thread.

The second explanation for virtualization is not a bad thing in many cases, this does not means there are no power for a server or something like that.

But, something is really bad between arma RV engine and a simulated core thread.

 

-----------------------

 

My own test-environment.

I documented something and give it to the last hostercompany.

The showed me the same Servermachine with Arma 3 Altis Life Server and 50-60Players around. This machine runs on 25-35CPS constantly.

He would say me that my misson and scripts are all wrong and maybe i shall not rent a dedicated server for specially Arma 3.....(at this point i have atleast only vanilla and longer nothing more to find the bottleneck)

 

I build 2 VM at home with the conditions they i try to describe above.

I cannot simulate 50players but i have at least see the configs and all stuff from the same server with 50+players.

So in my build i simulate the difference between a Coop and a PvP Mission - A few players vs AI and most only Players vs Players and no AI or much less.

 

Condition 1 from the describe above:

Condition 2 from the describe above:

All Vanilla with nothing except stratis and one player, me :)

 

Condition 1 starts the RV engine with 50CPS

Condition 2 start the RV engine with 45CPS

 

Condition 1 with AI (without CBA cache or something) for the test 120 AI without fight. After execute the script mostly back to 47 CPS

Condition 2 wit AI (without CBA cache or something) for the test 120 AI without fight. After execute the script mostly CPS are gone and break the Mission.

 

All the same with up to 3 Headlessclients but the result are the same.

 

You can play with virtualization but only PvP mission in both cases 1 & 2.

When you want play Coop with AI, and the RV engine must more than sync players with each other, then is it not enough to have condition 2.

The bridge between real physical cpu hardware and the software bridge breaks the thread power and this breaks all Coop mission with more than a few AI squads.

Condition 1 is also virtualize system but the difference is the "real-physical" core access for the threads. Is the CPU/Core fast or something is another thing and another topic.

 

--------------------

 

This is what i can confirm for "ME".

After 5 attempts to find a hoster in hundreds from them in only my country, after hundreds of hour work to find the problem, after pay 150€+....

I understand now the frustration that i read/hear. At the moment iam at the Hostercompany number 6. I have write an email text and explain similiar things from the last time and way more technical and i send this email to maybe 30-40 Hostercompanys from my country :)

Now i have real real real Hardware *sad*

And i can here confirm that i now can spawn an AI Unit from Arma 3, i must additonal say and thats important, i mean a dedicated Armaserver, not a MP environment solution at home and now i can "port" MP Home Missions to dedicated server.

Of course now come the problems for the differences from SP/MP to dedicated server environment and the basic.cfg network configs but also another topic.

------------------

 

At this point i want a few sentences go totally offtopic, cause i write not so much often in forums.

 

Thanks at all for so much reading stuff to build my own missions and play stuff at home for myself for a longer time.

Without the community or all this reading and video stuff it seems the most player are not able to play or see what all you can do in this Sandbox.

In other words.

 

There is a empty sandpit. Its really quiet here.

But there are others with shovels dredgers and they give it to you.

Now i sit here in my sandbox and shape my Sandcastles through the eyes a five years young child.

And i would say thank you to all Modders, Scripters and Community.

(And i dream about a framework they use it all....)

 

------------------------

 

Please update, delete, improve nonsense that i try to describe.

Thats my own experience in a very small circumstances in a really short time in knowledge about dedicated arma servers.

 

Thank you for reading.

Greetings

 

 

p.s.

Moral of the Story?

Check your conditions you want build and play in your Mission between 2 overall types of mission to the hardware you want rent.

Do not be naive, by hundreds of Hostercompanys in our capitalist times.