Running A Game Server Via Colocated Data Centers
Data centers aren't just for big businesses running websites or web-based applications. Gamers looking to start up a game server with a few friends or even a skilled server technician trying to make money on a bigger game server can lease server space from data centers with more than enough resources to handle your requests. As you look through your game server options, take the time to understand colocation and how it can help game management.
What Is Needed To Build A Server?
A physical server can be any computer, but often ranges from a powerful desktop computer case to a slim blade server that fits into a rack. In order to support a game server, you need to understand a few demands from the server.
- Processor power. The server doesn't play the game that it's hosting, but it does need to handle every single request that happens within the game. This means that the game world itself and every action that connected players make must be handled by the processor. Thankfully, for most game servers, the basic demand of the processor is lower than playing the actual game; you're just handling lines of text that represent actions instead of managing graphics. Unfortunately, with many people connected, you'll still need a power processor.
- Memory. Like any computer, there are some files that are used repeatedly on a regular basis. When files are being requested thousands or hundreds of thousands of times per second, you don't want the computer to be searching the entire hard drive constantly, since it'll slow down every other request. Memory acts as a quick storage point for the most common files, and you'll need the right amount for your specific game.
- Hard disk speed. The memory needs to be initially loaded from the hard drive, and there are still files that need to be accessed from the hard drive. Unless your server generates a lot of reports or has a lot of extra files for customization, you don't need a large hard drive--just a fast one. Hard drive speed is necessary to retrieve the less commonly requested information quickly and to make changes to your server.
Escape Hardware Management With Colocation
With colocation, you don't need to buy specific pieces of hardware. You simply need to find a service that can support your needs.
You don't need to ask if your server has a specific processor speed or a certain amount of memory. Instead, you simply lease the specific speed that your server needs, since all of the resources are virtual. Data centers have pools of resources that far exceed the needs of most game and even business servers.
Your only responsibility is paying the bill and configuring the server the way you want. You can install your own operating system or use the systems that the data center can install with a few automated scripts that can configure the system for you.
Just upload the information for your server, put everything in its proper place and give your fellow gamers the connection information to begin playing. For more information, contact Cologix or a similar company.
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