Lets Make a Mega Server!
 

Question:

Why don't we all try and organize a mega distributed server system? with even 10 computers distributed over the net we could run 2 zone servers a piece and have a huge server farm running (in comparison to the current offerings) hehehe... if we could get some kind of permenant distributed server system up, and allow people to sign up as zone servers and link in, anyone running a zone server stable for more than a week gets gm status... we could work out the details later, all I am saying is that it would be easy with this emu design to develop a distributed network... if everybody that runs a server now could dedicate 2 zone servers we could have a huge server running... even if they could pitch in 1 zone server, the machine would be able to handle many users per zone, and we could still have tons of zones up...

if anyone is interested in this send me an email at: glasswalker@cogeco.ca

I would like to hear who might be interested...

oh and I have about a dozen friends that would run servers if they see some interest first... the problem is they don't want to be the first... so if we can pull together the server will grow, and we will attract more users too :)

Not sure if that would work because of the database server being hit across the network. Good luck though.

Possibly if mysql could be set up to run on each of the servers running... But to simply replicate changes, similar to the way that windows 2000 domains replicate the active directory over a WAN link...

You could properly startup the zones, it would take a while, you send about 15 megs of information, but I believe there is a bit of information when the zone first starts up that stalls the server (Which then the client disconnects because it does not want to wait)

15 megs. GOOD GOD!!!

I will be happy to have my own private eq for friends.

items are 360 bytes each, 32000 items, 11520000 bytes roughly 11.25 megs just right in items. Funny thing is, at one time we use to send it to each zone, now emumemshare only requests it once, made a big difference :)

So, what the hell is IPCs ?????

You only know if you were in the chat room last night :D

Yes I know the db data the zone file requests is huge... but what if there was a mysql server on each zone server... that way there is a copy of the database locally, no network based copying... and changes to the database are replicated to all the zone servers to the world server and back again, to sync up the data every 5 minutes or something... and if only the changed data is synced that keeps traffic to a minimum... This is how win2K handles active directory shares between domain controllers, it can't have every user authenticating and such back to a single server, the WAN traffic would be huge... so it has local domain controllers for each lan, and these sync up the changed data with one another every once in a while... The active directory can sometimes be as big as 50-100meg but it replicates fine over dialup with no real big performance hits... if microsoft can do it I am sure we can at least make a stab at it?

Theoriticially it wouldnt be hard to set up, there are a few ways to do it.

1st, start off with 2 servers, each using the exact same database, each running 2 zones a piece. With mysql clustering/replication, you could keep these in sync, but this would be a bit slow, one acts as a master, the other a slave, so data updated on the slave might not be immediately available on the master. The better solution would be a 3rd log database that acts as a replicator, it gets posted the sql transactions on the other servers, which get immediately sent to the other servers in the clusters, so its pretty immediate in terms of data transfer. The mysql pipe is pretty thin, so a few mysql write transactions a second arent going to kill you in terms of bandwidth. Especially if you consider what changes in mysql, the data that is going to change is going to be player related mostly, so thats about the only data you need to pass around. You're not going to be passing around npc data, zone, items, etc, all that will be replicated initially when you set up the cluster. You could change those directly in the log server, and push it out to the servers. This kind of replication is pretty common.

Heres some information on a simple master/slave replication.
http://www.ls-l.net/mysql/

Its shouldnt be hard to set up, and it does have the benefit of allowing you to focus all your bandwidth on a single zone or two.
If the zoneserver is optimized well enough, it should be able to handle the load of 20+ players in a zone, but thats just an educated guess.

The hardest part would be getting the people together at the same time, and getting them organized. It's like herding cats...

Interesting... I was pretty sure you could do replication in SQL...

This is good... so it would not be a huge bandwidth hog on the servers to do this...

if you organized it as:

1 machine for worldserver
1 machine for sql master
and then 1-2 zones per member server from there in...

Interesting... we will have to look into this further :)

Oh, and also... have you ever actually tried to herd cats? it isn't easy... hehehehe... it is funny... but not easy...

I figure if it is realistic to do, we could get a domain name up for the server, and a basic website... then hand out subdomains to "members"

People would have to take a 1 week "application" phase to get member status... during that time a simple script is run on the server to ping the host and simulate bandwidth spikes over time... as long as the host stays reliably up for a week or so, then they can join the serverfarm as member... after another week as member server, they then (if stable) get Lead GM status...

This way we can weed out the newbies that want to join in for the fun of it but can't run a stable server...

If this works it could be kickass...

Combine that with a new db update, and I almost have my db filter utility ready which will accurately filter out all dupe spawns automatically...

I think realistically by the time basic pathing is done on the emu, we could also have a 90% complete DB filtered out for dupes, and running on a decent 24/7 serverfarm for everyone to enjoy!

Now we need to rally some supporters :) hehehe...

here kitty kitty kitty :) hehehehehe

Actually, the best way to do it would be each mysql server configured as a dual master/slave.

They would push data around to one another... Each would be set as a slave to all of the other masters, and each of the other masters would be one of it's slaves. The connection map on this thing would look like something from a spirograph....

The more you have, the more bandwidth your going to consume in the traffic obviously, but until you get past 4 or so, I don't think it would be to bad.

Thats pure conjecture though, but once again, pretty minor cofiguration setup change on the part of the sql servers.

ooo... cool...

That would take determination and teamwork, but in the long run would be worth it. I am all for it and will contribute as much as possible. Just let me know.

Once there is a good, clean database that everyone agrees on as a base, I'd be willing to try it out. Im using it like that now on my linux/windows machines, I run a mysql server on my windows box, and its easier for me to replicate the linux server than it is to connect to my linux mysql server using eqadmin.

hmmm
 

I would be more than happy to dedicate a computer to 1 zone, unfotunately my cable company doesn't allow a large amount of data transfer so I would lose my subscription if I did this. However in a couple months or so I should be switching providers to one with more bandwidth and the permission to do this. I'll keep you guys updated.

I'd be *glad* to help
 

If you guys ever did get this server up and running, I'd be more than happy to switch over and GM it for ya. Not sure if this project is still in the makings, it's somewhat of an old post. Anyway, lemme know.

- Zerjz

if..
 

if this actually can be done and is still alive and kicking i too would be willing to donate a server for a zone or 2 :)

This has me tongue tied, dunno what side to be on. Heres the deal, i would love to recreate the Everquest world making my own footprints in freshly laid soil instead of following all those footsteps of everyone else. #Cast and #Castspell would have to be disabled! Most definately, and really if you try it out the AA points cause MAJOR lag when adding points really fast and disconnect the players from the server. Its not human to put in AA points when you can just summon items like rwtest ac ring. If you dont want the mega server to be legit play on a mini server.

Im not trying to speak for everyone here but i can log into any server and #level 65 and #summonitem anything i want at any time. What i would like to see is a new community of Legit Questers that wish to rebuild norrath and create their own version of history. When you have 100 level 65's in the same zone there is nothing to kill therefore there is no need for 100 people with same gear. Legit servers on the other hand require a few more players to equal the ammount of skill required to level. Hence the MEGA server idea, for ALOT of users. You see what im trying to say?

I know you want a big server so you can talk to anyone you want and stuff, but hey... we (legitzorz) actually NEED those players on our server so we can progress forward in time. Thank you for your time and i am now passing out.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hello there everyong... long time no see...

I have not been involved in the eqemu community for a month or two now, but it is great to see that my idea to run the megaserver is still alive and kicking...

I am still interested in doing this, the problem being what was mentioned before... We NEED a good stable database first... because constant database updates being replicated over the internet is unreasonable...

I am still very excited about trying this, but we need a more finished DB first...

Also I have allways thought of it being a legit server...

I planned on setting it up so that all players only have the abilities of players on real eq. And the only GMs there would be would be permenant server owners...

but I agree completely, if we can create a real copy of norrath and make it capable of supporting many players, it could be alot of fun, and we could rebuild the world our own way... Have the ability to alter content to the users whims and all around have a good time without:

A) Paying
B) The control of the corporate opressor (AKA Verant / Sony)
C) The bore of doing something that has been done a million times in an old dying world

Anyway... KEEP THIS TOPIC ALIVE!!! PLEASE!!!

If we can build interest in this idea, then when the time comes that the DB may be ready, I can see the EQEMU world migrating to a true alternative to paid EQ play...

Thanks,

Talk to you all later!

(And hope to see you online sometime...)

If i can get it through my router, i'd be happy to host 2-4 zones

Indeed...
 

Hmm sounds like a plan... well i dunno bout the uber leet programing and network stuffs but you get it running to were i can put servers onto it or something i could prob have 2 zones running on one comp and 2 zones running on the other...dunno cant login atm patched on accident and it fucked up my emu so gonna have to wait a while lol alright cya dudes



Lucid

oh snap this is old post lol uhm yeah anyway *cough*

i'd be happy to have one computer running a zone or however much, i'm gonna be getting a crappy P2 233mhz and gonna give it some ram and have it runnin eqemu server but if this is a go, i'd be able to have one goin all the time.

233 wont be enough *coughs*

lol not even 1 zone huh...figures lol

pfft i have a p2 233 mhz server, it just needs a lot of ram.

Wow... who would have thought this thread would last this long...

I started this months ago...

Anywho... I am still interested in running this, and many people have proposed interest in running servers...

The database replication needed is possible... And as long as the machines are on good stable connections with low pings it should work...

With the amount of support I have seen, we should be able to easily support 15-20 zones simultaneously...

One thing I think we would need to do is weighting... that would need to be done at the code level... Somewhere in the communication between world and zone server, the zone servers should be weighted to allow for proper load balancing between them... that way the machines with lower pings and more resources free can grab up busy zones, leaving the smaller less popular ones for slower servers...

With that all in place this could easily work...

So Lets Rally Support People!!! All those interested please email me at glasswalker@cogeco.ca and I will take a tally of actually interested people, I will work on either gaining developer support for our venture, or doing it myself...

The database is relatively mature, and should work allright...

And we are capable of many features to make it fully playable...

Lets make this happen!!!

Hmmm.....This looks fun/confusing. I havent even been a member for a day yet, but i think i will stay for more then a couple of days hehehehe.... On this "Mega Server" we will still be able to #summonitem right? (or all of those things) :?:

Actually I was planning on making the mega server normal... so no summonitem or other god like commands...

you will still need to play like normal on the sony servers...

Basically it is exactly the same as sony servers, just free :)

(allowing summonitem and other commands is great for a kick now and then but it makes it not fun for the actual players out there that want to play for real)

However the rules will probably be a little more slack than sony server :)

Thats cool, free too Hehehe thats better. more exp per kill will be nice :D i havent even been able to get past 32nd on EQ, thats why i wanted this Emulator...

Yeah I hope this would be a legit mega-server...I mean being God is fun for a few days, but it gets boring afterawhile....

--Aiden

Ive never been God though :(

Sign me up :D

But my webserver only is only a 2Gb P4, with 512Mb of ram. Don't no if thats big enough to be of any use. My router kicks ass though, (Overclocked & water cooled 100Mhz Arm-5 chip)
My downtime is 30secs a month (I like to clear out the routing tables)

The only major thing its doing is sharing a few thousand files on kazaa, and Id gladly shift that elsewhere to run some zones (Can I state a preference for the faydark?)

That webserver is P L E N T Y :shock: ! I can run upwards of 40 zones on my Athlon 1.4, but only if i dedicate it to that purpose alone. I think your 2Ghz can handle 2 or so :D .

but but but i like summon items :(

I like summonitem but i like item creation in general. When you are a lvl 65 warrior dual wielding 100dmg 5dly weapons that proc Strike of Solusek and Can o' Whoop Ass you are havin REAL fun.

Froak?
Fffrrroooaaakkk!!!

ya! or it would be real cool to have free weapons in each armory like in qeynos spawning on the ground :P and they should make realistic EQ like killing each MOB lvls you :P and if you kill a merchant he drops like 5k pp! and magic items should be uber like glow or burn and stuff and kill non boss creatures instantly :D

summonitem i s a lot of fun too cause the WORST part of eqlive was trying to lvl up from low levels :/ and having no money and no anything.

legit would be cool
 

out of the years i played eq i always waited for a new server to come out so i could be one the first people to create a guy on that server and have people the same level as me fighting all the way to the max level...but everytime some person would have there high level toon transfered from a different server and would screw it up for all the low level people that are trying to work hard to start over on a new server. if this server isnt legit it would be the same way...oh well just throwing out my opinion so there it is...later 8)