Public Servers and ISPs

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EccentricOne
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Public Servers and ISPs

Post by EccentricOne »

One problem people might run into with hosting public Uru servers is with their ISP. Most residential ISPs (at least what I have seen in the U.S.) have an acceptable usage agreement that forbids hosting a server of any kind. While they actually don't really make a fuss over small private servers that use little bandwidth, there could be trouble for anyone who wants to host a public server out of their home. Even if one gets away with it, the rules are still being broken (and I would prefer to follow them).

I know that one could get a business version of an ISP service, but that can be costly (especially since we are doing volunteer rather than paid work). The exception would be those in the community who run businesses and have extra bandwidth to donate.

This situation is a little depressing because it is keeping me from being able to consider hosting a public server at some point. Others may find themselves in the same boat. Is there perhaps a good yet inexpensive ISP (that exists in many locations) that allows the hosting of servers? Are there any other solutions that I am simply not thinking about?
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Hoikas
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Re: Public Servers and ISPs

Post by Hoikas »

You would be better off finding an inexpensive VPS (virtual private server). They have much better bandwidth, connectivity, and general reliability than any dedicated server most people put together in their homes.
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rarified
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Re: Public Servers and ISPs

Post by rarified »

Compare the data usage cost for overages against some of the Cloud services like Amazon's EC2. I've not done the math myself but I wonder if they get bulk rates for their installations that may be better overall costwise to the local server route.

The Foundry piggybacks on the business class service I have at home; while it doesn't have a specific cap, the ISP still reserves the right to "manage" the net if our use disrupts other users.

_R

[Edit: I think Hoikas and I are suggesting the same direction, though he may be thinking hosting service rather than single instance in a cloud]
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Mac_Fife
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Re: Public Servers and ISPs

Post by Mac_Fife »

I suspect that cloud instances will work out cheaper than VPS in many cases since you usually only pay based on actual usage, rather than a fixed monthly fee. But it makes your costs less predictable. I think EccentricOne is trying to consider the "no additional cost" option of just running something within their domestic ISP plan, which as he points out may be against the T's and C's of some packages, so it's worth knowing where you stand if you're considering that route. Even if there's not a restriction on running a server, there may be an overall "fair usage" data cap. So the question starts to become one of "How much bandwidth does running a server use?" That's not something I have an immediate answer to, but it is obviously dependant on the number of users you have, and I'm sure someone will have some metrics on this.
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Hoikas
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Re: Public Servers and ISPs

Post by Hoikas »

Mac_Fife wrote:I suspect that cloud instances will work out cheaper than VPS in many cases
Think again ;). The GoW VPS (a very high tier chunk of hardware) costs one third of what it would take to run one of Amazon's cheapest EC2 linux cloud servers 24/7--that's not counting bandwidth (which the GoW has a little over 1TB of, included in the normal cost). As of right now, I don't think any of the existing MOUL server solutions can spin up your cloud server when a client tries to connect.
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EccentricOne
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Re: Public Servers and ISPs

Post by EccentricOne »

Yes, I was just referring to being able to run something off of a home connection for no extra cost as I don't really have money to spend on anything extra. I've had different ideas, but I guess at this point I would just be wanting to run an experimental shard for fun rather than something serious that needs reliability. I guess it just won't be public.

I could still decide to open it up to one or two outsiders on occasion without problems (then it would be like playing any multiplayer game). However, any big server ideas (Uru and non-Uru) will just have to wait until I have the resources. Thanks guys!
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