[NoloZero01]

SourceMod Smart FastDownloads

This allows server owners to define multiple FastDL nodes via a simple config file and spread players by redirecting each to the closest node available.

GitHub

Dependencies:

• SxGeo Extension (Uses SypexGeo database)
• DHooks
• [Optional] GeoIP2 that ships with SourceMod 1.11 Dev
• Own gamedata

How it works:

It uses either SypexGeo or MaxMind database to look up the approximate coordinates of a given client. Then it compares them against all known FastDL node coordinates, picks the one with the shortest distance and sends it's corresponding link to the client. FastDL node coordinates are looked up in the same database on startup. If client cannot be located, this plugin will fall back to the original default sv_downloadurl value.

Installation:

• Grab the latest release from here: GRAB RELEASE
• Install SxGeo or update to SourceMod 1.11 with newest GeoIP2.
• Upload the contents of the archive to your root sourcemod directory
• Open configs/fastdlmanager.cfg and add your FastDL nodes
• Load the plugin

Example node config entry:

		"Server Node 1"
		{
			"ip"		"8.8.8.8"
			"Link"		"http://example.com/tf"
		}

ConVars:

• sfd_debug - If enabled, writes debug-oriented information to fastdl_debug.log in the root sourcemod folder
• sfd_lookup - 0 - use SxGeo to locate clients, 1 - use GeoIP2 to locate clients

Compatibility:
Given correct gamedata, it should generally work on any given Source game, as it doesn't have any game specific dependencies.
For now I only provide gamedata for Team Fortress 2 Linux and Windows. Feel free to request gamedata for other games.

Known issues:

• Some IP addresses might not be present in the databases
• Undiscovered...

Future Plans:

• Add flag-specific access (so only clients with certain flags i.e. donors can use this)
• Allow players to choose their download node using a menu

Credits:

1. Naydef for helping me understand sigscanning, dhooks, helping with debug and providing Linux gamedata
2. Samm-Cheese for assisting in testing
3. NecGaming for providing their gameserver for live production testing
4. Suza for code cleanup tips
5. AlliedMods Discord members and their GitHub repos for help with random questions

PRs, suggestions and improvements are welcome. This has been running on a live 27-slot server for around a month now, and I found no issues. I still consider myself an advanced beginner, so this might have flaws.

[Alexmy]

I understand correctly that you can use several web hostings, the plugin will automatically select the closest one for the player?

[NoloZero01]

Hello.
Yes, that is correct. You have to specify the IP address of each web host (if you have a domain attached to it, just look it up via WHOIS or similar sources) in the config. The plugin will attempt to determine it's coordinates using the geo provider database on startup.
After that whenever a client connects, the plugin loops through each available web host and determines the geographically closest one, and sends it's respective address to the client.

Though be aware that the plugin is as accurate as the geo provider database is. If the IP of the client or the web server is missing the plugin will default to the standard fastdownload url. It's completely possible that the IP coordinates within the database may be incorrect (say the actual web host is in Germany, but the database thinks it's IP is in the US). I highly recommend keeping the database file up to date.

If you need further assistance with the plugin, feel free to DM me here.

[Alexmy]

It looks very cool, but I got an error. Do I need to add some extension?

PHP Code:

L 10/14/2022 - 09:54:24: [SM] Unable to load plugin "smart_fastdownloads.smx": Native "GeoipLatitude" was not found 


[NoloZero01]

Hello.

If you'd like to use GeoIP instead of SxGeo, you'll have to make sure that you're running the latest version of the GeoIP extension. I believe it ships with latest SM 1.11 builds these days.

Older versions do not have the coordinate and distance related natives available.