thanks guys i decided to get a FIOS connection =). Will report back with the results.

But if you read the terms of use for any isp, verizon,comcast,qwest,at&t etc you will find the fine print of *you may not use their service to run or operate any type of server application.*


For what you pay for them, and what you will pay when you are caught, you can get yourself a decent vps or dedicated on a 100MBiT pipe

Please paste a link to that policy for all of those providers if you are going to make that claim. I do believe that they might claim that they don't recommend it, but I highly doubt that they would make the claim you suggest. I have never heard of such a policy before. And, I highly doubt that running an EQEmu server would give them any legal recourse against one of their customers.

Was that really 5 minutes to edit my post? Seemed more like 2!

The only reason they wouldn't recommend running a server from their services is because most servers require a static IP and almost every ISP uses DHCP, so there is always the chance your IP can change after any DHCP release/renew. If they provide you access, bandwidth and an IP route-able on the internet, I see no reason for you not to do whatever you want with it as long as it is legal. Do you have any idea how many people run some time of server application from their home PC through their ISP? Most technical people have ran one type or another at some point in time. Even P2P could be considered running a server from home if you want to be picky about it. Where do you draw the line? Post a link to a court case that was actually won from an ISP while you are at it.

I am not trying to start a debate or pick a fight. I just won't want what you said to scare people away from running their server from home.

Verizion = allows it
Comcast = allows it
Time warner (road runner) = allows it
ATT = allows it

They are the providers I know for a 100% fact allow it.

Comcast 100% doesnot allow it. I have had them since they took over AT&T in my area 7 years ago. Read their Terms of Use.

Expressly prohibited stated right in comcasts use policy.

Time warner:


Verizon:

AT&T's site is so gayed up I can not located their Internet terms of use, Just their website Terms of use.


the 3 terms I quoted from can easily be gotten to from the ISps website or searching "Acceptable Use" Followed by the ISP name. They clearly state you are not to hos a webservice or a server on the line they grant you access to.

Edit: and to be clear, there is NO Residential Internet service provider that allows their customers the use of servers, web hosting or the like. It is in everyone of their terms of use, which noone seems to ever read.

I won't lose any sleep.

Dax

i'm shivering in me boots

Just got off the phone with Comcast, there terms of use change depedning on the area you live in.

It is aloud here where I live (low population, wont effect others) but not aloud in say Chicago, so check your area.

Time warner allows it, thats what my parents have had for years, and I have hosted servers there, also had it in texas and was able too.

Verizion, allowed it in my area, you actually need to sign into your account and read your terms of use for them, same this as comcast, if your in a high populated area you cant, low population area you can.

<<<also if you spend the extra $10-20 to upgrade to business class you wont have this issue, any business class is able to host.

I think this is getting a little off the original topic, but I would like to point a few things out:

This is basically saying don't use the Internet connection as a backbone for any kind of dial-up connection (think RAS on Windows Server or Dial-Up Server in the days of Windows 98). It does state not to use it to host websites, but it doesn't say anything about servers (like E-mail, gaming, file sharing, etc). There is also no terminology, like in the Comcast one, that indicates it's not limited to just those. So, unless there is some other terminology in there that I'm missing, I fail to see where they won't let you run a server.

To be honest, the reason that ISPs say this is, if everyone was doing it, their networks wouldn't be able to handle it. This is part of the reason upload speeds are capped as low as they are. I feel stupid because there is a saying that you learn in Networking classes (a something-something rule) that basically says a small percentage of your users use about 90% of your resources. That's just a fact of network administration, and what networks are built around (well, at least in a general sense).

I think you're talking about the 80-20 rule. In Networking it's said that 20% of your users use 80% of your resources.

There's also a joke about it...something like: 80% of your users know how to turn on a computer 20% of the time.

My main point was that you aren't at risk of any legal action being taken against you unless you are hosting illegal services from your home, which EQEmu is NOT. There is no legal recourse for hosting a server so people don't have to worry about getting taken to court over it. Sure, the ISP may be able to terminate your service if they actually found out and cared, but the chance of that are even extremely low if any.

The only reason they even care at all is because they don't want to oversubscribe for an area and then have to upgrade their own bandwidth. All networks provide services to customers that in total are many times over what the network can actually handle. They do this because the chance that everyone on the network will try to use all of their bandwidth at the exact same time is extremely low. But ya, if everyone ran a server in your neighborhood, there would be a problem lol.

ISPs aren't in the business of suing their subscribers. The worst thing they would possibly do is ask you to purchase one of their business lines - to which you just say "no thanks", and move on.

Dax

Sorry to keep this going in this thread, but I work for a wireless ISP. Our TOS does include a server clause on our network, BUT with certain terms. A home server doing nothing more than being a server, OK...a WinXP (98,2000, etc) with a P2P app running as a file share server = disconnect BUT only after certain bandwith usage. A business server on a residential account? Fine, but no static IP, nor any priorty service if the connection fails. Point here is, its still all about how you use your connection. The TOS for any provider only serves as a legal ground for them to make any decision up to and including discontinuing your service.