How to setup a server?

[Mirkle]

This post is not to ask for help, i've been running a server for a few years already.

I am posting because i think that it's too hard for new users to setup a server. For those of us who already have one running, we might forget how hard it was the first time to set it up. We are losing a lot of potential community members that just give up because, after a few attempts, they are unable to setup a server. The same people that would learn over the years and probably end up helping us with code and database later on.

I'm not saying things are wrong the way they are, but i think the setup process could be improved.

1. Users don't know what server setup guide to use:
Guide 1: In the wiki (2007 pdf guide), that most users will find first. (Main page/Server guides)
Guide 2: 0.7.0-992 setup guide in the same section, further down the page (Main page/Server guides)
Guide 3: Windows server support sticky section, but the author (Vales) can't update his post.
Guide 4: In Vales signature (the most up-to-date guide), but new users probably won't see it.

2. More info is necessary for new users:
Missing perl58.dll, error 1017, enabled strict mode. What should they do? The "server admin" wiki is confusing, there is a lot of quality content but too much outdated info. Finding answers in older forum posts takes time and the same questions are asked in the forum, over and over again.

What (i think) should be done:
1. Clean up the wiki "Server guides" page.
2. Older guides should be removed from where they are, to make sure the most up to date guide is used first.
3. A server setup FAQ that can be linked when a question is asked on the forum. Could be updated as new problems appear or old ones are solved.
4. The wiki "Server guides" top of the page could look like this:
How to setup a server: Click here
Most common installation problems: Click here
Older setup guides: Click here

5. The sticky in the "Support::Windows Servers" forum should be a link to the up-to-date server guides wiki page, instead of the actual guide that can't be edited/updated. That way, if an error is reported or an update is made to the guide, it's only done in a single place.

Long post, i know.
What do you think? I would not mind helping rework the wiki, if users/admins agree with the suggestion.

[xxverantxx]

This is true, im having a problem with setting up mine atm but i just gave up cause everything i have tried does not work

[trevius]

I think those suggestions sound reasonable. Anyone has the ability to create a wiki account and start editing right away. Personally, I would love to see our wiki get converted over to MediaWiki at some point to make editing even easier and cleaner than it is now. I know Rogean already has a test MediaWiki up that will let you log right into it using your already existing EQEmu Forum account. So, people would be more likely to make changes when needed without even having to register for it :)

I only run a Linux server now, and haven't had to set it up from scratch in over a year, so the Linux setup guide for Debian (written mostly by AndMetal and myself) is missing some of the stuff for the new SVN setup and all of that, but still has most of the useful info one would need for setting up a Linux server. It has been a couple of years since I ran a Windows server, so I have never messed with the wikis for them. The biggest problem for writing a good guide for Windows is that to do it right, you need a fresh install of Windows without MySQL or Perl or anything like that on it. So, I would need to do a fresh Windows install and then step-by-step server install and keep good notes on it just to update a few things in the wiki. That is just too much extra work for me personally atm. If I happen to do another fresh Windows install though, I plan to go through and update steps. Another problem with making a wiki for it is that there are multiple versions of Windows currently in use, including XP, Vista, 7, Server 2000/2003, and 64 bit versions of many of them. Each of those versions is likely to have minor differences when it comes to setting up and it would take quite a while to work up perfect guides for each one and then to maintain each guide for any changes that happen in the setup process over time.

Even though the guides are not fully up-to-date, I would say that probably 80-90% of the info is still useful and relevant for setting up a server from scratch. The biggest change was when the SVN was added, but it isn't very hard to figure that part out on Windows just by installing Tortoise SVN and updating the EQEmuServer folder, or simply downloading the binaries and running them. Once you know how to use one SVN, the other google SVNs for PEQ DB and Maps are fairly easy to figure out.

I am all for making things as simple and easy as possible for the community to help keep it rolling and keep new members coming in and getting started. But, IMO, if someone can't get a server running with the details provided in the various Wiki pages and in the forums though, they are probably going to have a hard time running their own decent server for a notable length of time unless they are extremely dedicated to it.

If all else fails and they simply cannot figure out how to setup a server manually, I think that Leslamarch's auto server setup (AKA AX Classic Repack) is supposed to be very easy to setup. You can read more about that here:

http://www.eqemulator.net/forums/showthread.php?t=28190

[reddogut]

What can we (the grateful community) do to help with the testing and implementing of MediaWiki?

[Mylz17]

Hi all,
I'm new here. I have been debating the idea of setting up an EQEmu server for some time now and I am finally going to do so. I agree with the OP in that there are all kinds of server setup guides and even a serverpack which is available for download at projectEQ.

I think I will be able to setup a server using any of the guides, but what I am most worried about is installing an older version of a database or not having all the correct files installed from scratch. This would only cause problems further down the line and I might have to rebuild everything again.
I have a fresh PC which isn't going to be a power house but it will perform well. There is no OS on it yet but I was planning on installing Windows XP Pro and following the setup guide which is stickied to the top of this forum. Is that a good place to start, or is there a different guide I should be focused on?