Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

Hi guys,

I've read this on lots of forums but no one seems to have any concrete reason about this.

Is it true that running multiple servers from the same SRCDS is bad? Like does it really cause stability issues, performance issues, LAG?

If i make separate folders for each server, but make a symlink for all the standard stuffs like maps, models, materials and sounds, etc to save space, would that still be considered as sharing the same directory and make things unstable?

I intend to run pure servers and also heavily modded servers

Would running the pure servers in the same directory be ok?

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

It's not bad, but you should fork the server (Have a Separate SourceMod/CFGS)

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

I've shared maps folders to 20 servers without any problem.

I think its ok to do for models, materials, sounds too.

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

can you link me to more information about this forking?

I've never really heard it before.

is it like

i make 4 sm folders
each instance i point to 1 sm folder?

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

Use linux.
Make a common repository (steamcmd installation), then make 1 folder for each server, COPY instance specific files and make symbolic links to common files.

I've used this layout and it works very well.
Also you get IO improved because of disk cache. (Remember you load big files once on disk cache this way).

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

Instance specific files - server.cfg, autoexec.cfg, cfg folder, logs, sourcemod, metamod.

Should i add other files?

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

plugins/modules configurations, I don't know. I'm from hlds not srcds but it's almost the same. :fox:

Maybe logs folder?

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

actually, i was a windows server user and recently ported to linux as i heard from many that linux is much more stable and better in performance wise. so i thought, why not? give it a try.

I'm trying to make those symlinks, but i'm only able to get the main folder.

The internal files are not symlinks.

I should be having all files and folder inside point to symlink right? (recursive symlinks)

Please guide me about symlinks and point me to the right direction. I'm new to symlinks... :/

I greatly appreciate your help.

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

cp -rs will create symlinks to files instead of copying them.

Re: Multiple servers from same SRCDS installation => Bad?
 

You can symlink:

folders: ln -s /originalfolder/somefolder /instance/
files: ln -s /originalfolder/anotherfolder/file.ext /instance/anotherfolder

So what you have to do is:

.- For full folder symlink: symlink folders
.- For folders with specific and global files, create the same folder structure and link global files, create custom files

It's a hard work. I suggest to create your own tar.gz file with your symlinks skeleton, then you can use that file to install each game instance and after that create custom files (or include default custom files in your tar file)


PS: cp -rs will work, but it's better in performance to symlink full folder and not each file.