Choosing your server host

I think a lot of people wonders how to host their own server 24/24, or which server host they would take.

I won't talk about self hosted servers, because that's not the point.

There is something to know first. KAG-specialized hosts will often give you only the FTP access and a simple panel, which means you cannot add software, such as a mumble server or a website for example - You only can change settings and eventually add mods. On a dedicated server or a VPS, you can get a SSH or any other way to control your server, so you have way more control.

VPSes are virtualized servers running on a dedicated server, which explains they are way less expensive than these, but also slower. Their resources are also limited - The dedicated server does not grant them all its memory, its processing power, etc. and others VPSes might be eating your resources time by time.

KAG servers provided by specialized hosts might be running on a VPS or on dedicated servers, but again, their resources might be limited because of others server running on the same server and eating resources. It's a well-known thing that Minecraft specialized hosts are often really laggy (in France at least) - That's what I just explained.

But how to choose between these two?
You should think about these arguments :

• Do I want some other software, such as a web server or a voice server?
  
• Do I have time (and sometimes courage) to setup it manually on a dedi/VPS?
• Do I just want simplicity?
• etc.

If you choose the KAG-specialized hosts, think about the location, the prices and overall the comments about the host. There is a list of server renters here.
If you choose the dedicated servers / the VPSes, it's a bit more complex. You'll need some time to find a good server host, as there are a lot!
KAG is mono-threaded (mostly, there might be 1 or 2 components using a separated thread), which means it uses a single processor core. So, you should get a server with a good single-core performance. A processor with a medium single-core performance with 2 cores WILL beat a server with 32 weak cores. Plus, some hosts are not providing shared cores (shared cores = vcores), they're giving you all its power, which means some other guy on the same machine will not eat your processing power. Warning though, not all hosts mentions it. Also, the memory size does not have a big impact on performances. For once your server has 1 or 2 (guarenteed if possible) gigabytes of RAM, it will be enough! For once your server doesn't reach your memory capacity and uses some swap memory, it won't get slower.

Hope this will help you in your choice!

 

Asu, I cannot remember the server renter you told me a while ago. Also I was thinking instead of getting 2 servers with 60c/slot for $36+, it would be better to rent a server that can host multiple servers the same time but not sure what requirements I need for that.

edit: I am looking at kisufi http://prntscr.com/a5msq7 and butterhosting http://prntscr.com/a5mwgh (4 GB RAM unlimited everything else except not sure their CPU power) although I am still not sure if the requirements are met to host 2 servers in the same time with 32 slots each. Anyone?

 

I was using dedimax or harmony-hosting.

Don't take an intel Atom for a dedicated server. At least aim for a i3. Generally, KAG uses mostly one core. It's also a quite CPU-heavy game so I always recommend to have at most as many KAGs as physical cores (i3 -> 2, i5 -> 4 generally, i7 -> 4~8)
Butterhosting seems like scamming because they don't specify anything about their CPU.

Usually KAG won't eat up more than 500mb ram (since many memory leaks were fixed). So you're fine with 4 GB RAM.

 

Thank you for the quick reply.
So I guess using dedimax with intel xeon wont do good for 2 kag servers running in the same time? http://prntscr.com/a5nd89
So I guess i am back at Kimsufi. I hope
Core™ i3-2130/3240 4059 2 cores 4 threads would be enough? Or maybe the Core™ i5-2300 5292 4c / 4t 2.8 GHz+.
The other doubt is that they offer 100 Mbps, i dont think it will be enough for 2 servers, while dedimax has 1Gbps what do you think?
What is a good option for hosting 2x kag full 32 slot servers at the same time?

 

Dedimax VPSes are better worth their price
Don't take Via Nano dedicated servers, they're awful. Avoid AMD Opteron.
For two servers the i3 will be good enough. Take the i5 if you plan to make 4 servers on long term. Upgrading dedicated servers takes time, because it actually requires migrating completely IIRC.
For KAG, the bandwidth doesn't really matter IMO.

 

Thanks Asu, i will get the i5 from kimsufi because both servers are modded and may require more power than the vanilla.
edit: well back to the i3 because they dont have EU location for i5. Hopefully wont lag from the modded servers.

 

As said, KAG uses mostly one core. Singlecore performance between the i3 and i5 is low. An i3 is far enough

 

This is good to hear.
Now i am at the server installation, which one should I use so I can use KAG? http://prntscr.com/a5pm9d
Other readers would benefit as well from this info.

 

The latest Ubuntu or Debian preferably.

 

Thank you, maybe there is a link around here for setting up kag with the autorestart script on a dedicated server? Or maybe we can talk at IRC i am there atm.