SWBFGamers

Gaming for the Original SWBF1 and SWBF2/other games => Star Wars Battlefront (2004 Original) => Topic started by: Led on March 14, 2015, 03:53:35 AM

Title: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 14, 2015, 03:53:35 AM
NFO servers has dropped their prices significantly, but has removed single core Windows based hosting as an option.

A single core option using linux costs $7/month.  I currently use a windows single core for about $15/month.

Has anyone tried to run the SWBF server in Linux using an emulator?


If anyone has emulator/linux experience and wants to try, let me know and I can get a server to try it out.


WineHQ has the 1.2 server listed:
https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=11253



This is what you get for the Linux server
One full, dedicated HT CPU core (Nehalem or better)
1024 MB of RAM
100 GB of RAID-protected storage
4000 GB of bandwidth transfer per month



To put that bandwidth in perspective, the most I have ever used for SWBF in a month is about 700 GB.  We are currently around 60 GB/month for the PLA/SWBFgamers servers. 

For reference, I started hosting with a single core option with 500 GB/month in 2009 for $45/month.  Now we are at 4000 GB/month for $15.74/month.


(If you have a NFO server you can submit a server change to renew at the lower rates).






Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 14, 2015, 04:41:28 AM
If someone knows how this works pls explain it here, cause i'm really interested in getting one now xd
*Maybe a tut video would be better*
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: SleepKiller on March 14, 2015, 06:27:33 AM
It looks like it could work and wouldn't be too tricky to setup. However there are a couple things to consider.

Linux servers don't come with a GUI like Windows servers do by default. This would make it impossible to access the interface to ban people or even get their IPs to ban manually in a firewall. However you can install a desktop environment for the server, the question would become if the remote access tools gave you access to it.

And then of course anyone who needs to access the server will need to learn a new interface. Although that shouldn't really be a problem as something so simple can usually be quickly learned.

Anyway it's quite late (or early depending on your perspective) here and these are just a couple things that sprang to mind tonight. Feel free to message me on Steam tomorrow (later today for you I am sure) if you're keen to try get something setup.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: {TCE}Call-of-Duty on March 14, 2015, 06:55:55 AM
I once was able to install BF2 on Ubuntu one time, even though the computer wasn't the brightest bulb in the house. But installation and some gameplay ran smoothly.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 14, 2015, 07:03:31 AM
What about installing the Swbf2 RM/SM, Sleepkiller ?
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Phobos on March 14, 2015, 07:40:09 AM
Quote from: Led on March 14, 2015, 03:53:35 AM
NFO servers has dropped their prices significantly, but has removed single core Windows based hosting as an option.

(If you have a NFO server you can submit a server change to renew at the lower rates).

Thanks for pointing this out, the [FC] servers will be even more affordable now.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 14, 2015, 08:05:53 AM
Quote from: Anyder on March 14, 2015, 07:03:31 AM
What about installing the Swbf2 RM/SM, Sleepkiller ?

I think we have a shot at it working.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 14, 2015, 02:25:03 PM
Quote from: Led on March 14, 2015, 08:05:53 AM
I think we have a shot at it working.
But, is it shown in the list as pinged or 9999 ?
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 14, 2015, 05:33:08 PM
Quote from: Anyder on March 14, 2015, 02:25:03 PM
But, is it shown in the list as pinged or 9999 ?

That question is not relevant.

If we run SWBF or SWBF2 server in WINE on a linux box, it will think it is on a PC (for the most part).
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 14, 2015, 07:39:20 PM
OK, SK has kindly agreed to give the Linux/WINE/SWBF server a shot.  I have ordered one for a month to test the system.

:cheers:
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: SleepKiller on March 15, 2015, 06:46:55 AM
For anyone curious, the server software does run on Linux fine. (As the link Led posted indicated it would.) There are a couple kinks but I should be able to get those ironed out. If people want I'll try to do a write up when I'm done on how to set it all up.

I'll hopefully have everything working in the next couple days, depends on when I next have a chance to work on it though.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 15, 2015, 04:47:21 PM
Nice work  :cheers:

I tried the test server--do you know if it is set at 20 TPS or 30 TPS?

If feels a bit choppy and my ping is higher that I would expect it to be for Atlanta.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: SleepKiller on March 15, 2015, 05:19:13 PM
It was at whatever the default is (so 20?). I've quickly changed it over to 60 for lolz. One thing I have noticed is that loading time for the server (not the client) seem a bit slow. I'll do more testing on that later when I've got time though.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: oldsnake on March 15, 2015, 07:43:45 PM
the 60 tps is super smooth play now with a 82 ping. the slow loading server was fixed with the updated .exe
eu server https://gameshare.co/forum/download/file.php?id=55
usa server https://gameshare.co/forum/download/file.php?id=54
after playing the theed map and moving on to the next map i get the connection to host lost message.
nice work to get this setup! :cheers:
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 16, 2015, 08:42:31 PM
Thanks oldsnake.  I am now using the American gamemaster server with the new exe.  It still flashes "waiting for players about 16 times" but it has not crashed.

I will ask around about the map load time issue.  It seems particular to the wine/linux combo that we are running.

For $7 a month versus the current $15, we may have to get used to it  ;)
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Drunken_Master on March 17, 2015, 05:53:54 PM
Great job!   A few of us stayed up late trying it out.  It seemed smooth most of the time for me, with occasional bits of lag-type of experience.  I think Kiwi had a bit more trouble though.  The specs are awesome for that $, though we came away with the feeling that it was more lag than we hoped for.  Perception can be unreliable of course.  Any utilization specs?  I think our windows server is consistently using more ram than that.

Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 17, 2015, 06:03:39 PM
The Linux Server is in Atlanta and the PC one is in Chicago, so I expect that Kiwi will suffer a bit due to the location change.  Right now, the PLA Battlefront server is on the Linux box. 

I will see if I can get some advice to speed the map loading.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 18, 2015, 12:33:54 AM
Quote from: Led on March 17, 2015, 06:03:39 PM
The Linux Server is in Atlanta and the PC one is in Chicago, so I expect that Kiwi will suffer a bit due to the location change.  Right now, the PLA Battlefront server is on the Linux box. 

I will see if I can get some advice to speed the map loading.
Just wondering.. what is ur ping in the atlanta linux vps ? How much bigger is it from the windows atlanta vps u had ?
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 18, 2015, 05:45:33 AM
Quote from: Anyder on March 18, 2015, 12:33:54 AM
Just wondering.. what is ur ping in the atlanta linux vps ? How much bigger is it from the windows atlanta vps u had ?

I ping the Linux server at 31-62.  With Gamespy and the old PC server, my ping was fairly consistent at 31.

I have put up CloudCity Atlanta on the server.  Please give it a try (sorry, it is slow spawn :P ).

The only real issue that I see is the slow disk reads.  I am asking at the NFO forums for advice, but so far the only response is something like "wut, your game no support linux?  huh?  then don't use linux"    ;)


http://www.nfoservers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=12332


Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 18, 2015, 12:26:36 PM
Quote from: Led on March 18, 2015, 05:45:33 AM
I ping the Linux server at 31-62.  With Gamespy and the old PC server, my ping was fairly consistent at 31.

I have put up CloudCity Atlanta on the server.  Please give it a try (sorry, it is slow spawn :P ).

The only real issue that I see is the slow disk reads.  I am asking at the NFO forums for advice, but so far the only response is something like "wut, your game no support linux?  huh?  then don't use linux"    ;)


http://www.nfoservers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=12332
Will SK make a tut vid or just a tut ?  ;)
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 18, 2015, 12:29:50 PM
Quote from: Anyder on March 18, 2015, 12:26:36 PM
Will SK make a tut vid or just a tut ?  ;)

SK gave me the instructions--before my month is over, I will make a video.  I have asked JediKiller to look into the slow maps loads for us.  I want the server to run the best it can before I make the video.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 22, 2015, 11:31:06 AM
Quote from: oldsnake on March 15, 2015, 07:43:45 PM
the 60 tps is super smooth play now with a 82 ping. the slow loading server was fixed with the updated .exe
eu server https://gameshare.co/forum/download/file.php?id=55
usa server https://gameshare.co/forum/download/file.php?id=54
after playing the theed map and moving on to the next map i get the connection to host lost message.
nice work to get this setup! :cheers:

the issue is now that swbf2 has the same prob lol
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on March 22, 2015, 06:40:51 PM
Quote from: Anyder on March 22, 2015, 11:31:06 AM
the issue is now that swbf2 has the same prob lol

But only for you  ;)
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Anyder on March 22, 2015, 11:35:08 PM
Quote from: Led on March 22, 2015, 06:40:51 PM
But only for you  ;)
Apparently not: i've tried it with like 15 euro players and we all lost connection
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Minutes on April 08, 2015, 01:11:22 PM
im also trying to get rid of this weird disk read bug that drops everybody out of a server on map load. guess its the same problem in swbf2 and 1. Apparently i found something that sounds good,

http://marc.info/?l=wine-devel&m=132708187316831&w=2

The key is to download an older wine version from 2012 , i took wine 1.3.33 from here
http://sourceforge.net/projects/wine/files/Source/
and we need bision 2.5, dont forget to run make clear bevore downgrading or you'll run into a weird wine bug
took ages to figure it out but nvm

The installation procedure is to run
./configure
make
make install , so nothing special.

Bevore we're going to install wine we need to modify some source code files.
Unfortunatly the patcher text/x-patch file doesnt work, tryed
patch <  0001-Hack-for-in-process-wine-server-a.k.a.-Dirty-speed-hac.txt           or
patch <  0001-Hack-for-in-process-wine-server-a.k.a.-Dirty-speed-hac.patch

so we have to do this on our own, the files who need to be modified are
dlls/ntdll/server.c 
server/Makefile.in     
server/fd.c         
server/main.c       
server/object.h     
server/request.c    /** This files are inside of our wine-1.3.33 folder

I thought its just deleting & copy/paste but i run in various errors today
atm im trying to write a new patcher file that works. it would be awesome if somebody has any further informations about this patching stuff or another idea to fix this slow disk read bug on mapload
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on April 08, 2015, 01:37:40 PM
Quote from: Minutes on April 08, 2015, 01:11:22 PM
im also trying to get rid of this weird disk read bug that drops everybody out of a server on map load. guess its the same problem in swbf2 and 1. Apparently i found something that sounds good,


My SWBF server works perfectly well under wine, with the exception the "waiting for players" for about 10-15 seconds at each map change.  The slow map change is due to excessive CPU usage of wine--it bottlenecks the server.



I used the latest version of wine, the exe patch hosted at gameshare (also hosted here) for using gamemaster.  I have the links in the instructions. 


New Guide:  Using Linux/Wine to host SWBF
http://www.swbfgamers.com/index.php?topic=8927.msg94961#msg94961

Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Minutes on April 08, 2015, 02:09:21 PM
thanks for your fast response led,
i also belong to the swbf2 fraction in addition to anyder,
therefore im trying to fix this problem for swbf2
Do you have any clue who is responsible for the fixed exe for swbf1 because
that solution is amazing, im able to work myself trough all the wine sources but im gonna spend hours whilst doing this. Its the best solution if i could manage to get a fixed exe for swbf2working  thats the best solution for it apparently  ;)
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Led on April 08, 2015, 02:32:14 PM
I am not really sure why the new one works.  I think it is just the North America IPs inserted by hex or the European IPs inserted by hex.

The strange thing to me, is that when I played on Anyder's SWBF2 server, I never lost connection, although he did.

I think there may be something to do with the players connection to the Master Server.

You can either ask the Gameshare players what is different about their exe file, or else you can run a program called "deep diff" http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/File-Management/Deep-Diff.shtml
that can show you what is different between two exe files.
Title: Re: SWBF server and Linux--has anyone tried it?
Post by: Minutes on April 08, 2015, 02:36:59 PM
Good Idea,
comparing this two files seems better than working through the wine source
I will update you if i'll find something for thoose who are interested
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