UT99 Server Upgrade to Windows 7?

[Arkon]

Greetings UT99 community. This is my first post on here.

I'm currently running a UT99 server through Windows XP SP3, and I was wondering if I should upgrade the server to Windows 7 Ultimate. I was looking all over the internet for comparisons between XP and Win 7 comparisons in gaming, and most people say Windows 7 is all around a more efficient, stable, and faster operating system, but others say XP is a better gaming OS in general, especially with older games. I'm also in a dilemma between choosing 32-bit and 64-bit Ultimate versions. What I'm looking for right now is mostly stability and efficiency. The server generally uses anywhere between 200-260MB of RAM only when running UT99 dedicated, but uses a maximum of 605MB when playing UT99 itself, after several hours. The reasons why I have this overkill PC running a dedicated UT99 server are it is very quiet, and it was incredibly inexpensive to acquire.

Here are the server specs:

- Dell Optiplex GX620
- 2.8GHz Pentium D (HT)
- 2GB DDR2 RAM
- Intel GMA 950 Graphics
- Vista Capable

Suggestions? Thanks for reading!

[Dr.Flay]

2 things to say...
1) Linux
2) and Aaaagh! intel GFX, run away, ruuuuuun!

The on-board GFX will be using the same RAM as the CPU, so you will use more RAM than you expect.
Also GL has been "broken" in intel windows drivers for over 10 years, and they don't want to fix it.

[Metalfist]

If you have less than 4GB of RAM, then it's not required to get 64-bit.
The maximum of 32-bit is 4GB of RAM (that it can detect) and 64-bit extends that limit.

I'm not sure about XP or 7, but I would choose 7, bcs its more up-to-date. Also I don't have any problems my windows 7 (32 and 64 bit) for UT99 and works good when I host. I don't know if there will be changes in server performance, so I leave that for someone else.
I think that argument of that XP runs better with older games is more meant for other older games that don't run as well on newer systems. UT runs pretty well on the newer systems too.

@Dr.Flay: Do (Intel) GFX matter that much for a server? I mean the client renders it on his side right?

[Dr.Flay]

Obviously not on a pure dedicated server, but as Arkon mentioned playing on the rig, I thought I'd point out where the bottleneck is.
Which brings me to another point.
If it is a dedicated server for a 12 year old game, then you won't gain much by putting it on Win7.
Do you need DX10+ functionality ?
You should be able to have a rock-solid XP (32 or 64)

I notice a lot of peoples reports of a faster system one way or the other, are often not based on equals.
eg. Often comparisons are based on a fresh 64bit Win7, from a choked-up, years old, 32bit XP.

If you have (as most do) a 64bit CPU with 32bit XP, then obviously the 64bit Win7 will be faster, as you should have been using 64bit XP.

I think the point is moot though, as you ought to use Linux for a server.

[UT99.org]

Windows server 2008 r2 with a ssd

[Arkon]

Thanks, everyone! I might do Linux as Dr. Flay suggested, since I have Ubuntu 10.04 (will try Xubuntu), but I might also try Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit. I had suspicion over XP's OpenGL driver because it does not work right on some cards that ARE capable of using it, and also, the GMA 950 is good enough for this, since I mostly play on my Mac Pro ("Arka" is the one who "plays" on the PC); However, I can't believe I just mentioned GMA and "good" in the same sentence. Unfortunately, the GX620 is the ultra-small form factor, and it cannot be conventionally expanded beyond RAM, HDD, and CPU, but it's fast for a tiny PC.

Also, I thought there were advantages other than maximum RAM capacity within the 64-bit architecture. I thought it optimizes a 64-bit CPU's performance beyond that of one running in 32bit mode, somehow, but I dunno; I'll stick with either Win 7 32-bit or Ubuntu, if stuff like drivers work out with Linux.

EDIT------------------------------------------- by papercoffee

Trying out Xubuntu right now, and it's quite frustrating! But I'll catch on.

So far, it looks very nice, and it definitely runs more efficiently than Windows XP SP3. I might customize it before I use it as a server again because there is a lot of frustration with some parts of the interface, since my niche is OS X. However, I was expecting a lot more UI similarities....

EDIT------------------------------------------- by papercoffee

Xubuntu became extremely frustrating, and I've been working on it for hours, and I just now worked on UT, to no avail. I'm going to used Windows 7, for now, and try some other version of Linux in the future. What is the most recommended version of Linux I should use? Ubuntu does not seem to be the way to go at all.

Please avoid double posts next time ...this is not a live chat you can edit your last post and put in additional content.

Sorry about that.

Anyways, despite more RAM being used, it's running a lot more stable in Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 (32-bit). So far, it uses no more than 900MB of RAM (this was with Internet Explorer 8 open, as well) compared to a max of around 650MB in XP, but the extra 250MB being used is definitely worth it, so I guess I'll stick with W7 until I figure out how to work Linux better in the future. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[Dr.Flay]

If you use Windows with an intel (or ATI) GFX chip, use the d3D9 renderer.

GL Tip for intel users.
Sometimes you can bypass intel's blocking of GL functionality. OpenGL screen-savers are an easy/good example.
Change the file extension of an OpenGL screen-saver from *.scr to *.Scr or *.sCr or *.scR
Like magic ! now they work properly

Note with Windows 7
Sometimes log files can be missing the last few lines
http://www.ut99.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3639&p=34231

[MrLoathsome]

What sort of issues were you running into with Linux?

UT has a low footprint. Most of the ram you are seeing as being "used" is probably cached, and your hardware is way
more than is needed for a UT server. Multiple dedicated UT servers can be hosted on a P3 server with 4gb ram, and
most of the "used" memory is cache.

[$carface]

If you want to run a Server, do it on Linux. If you want / insist windows then Windows Server 2008 R2 is the one

What issues were you experiencing with Linux? I'd suggest you try debian or Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Otherwise CentOS (if you still want to try Linux, it's great as an OS) I'd also suggest a pre-emptive kernel. Bare in mind if you are playing on the same computer then you will need to either use WINE to run the game itself or you'll have to use the native Linux UT client (I'm not sure how good it is). You should also take into consideration your (obviously) limited Linux knowledge. You are likely to mess something up if you aren't careful so you might want to think about Windows more seriously. I'd definitely recommend Windows Server 2008 R2.

[Col_D_Stirling]

I have been building PCs for almost 20 yrs, and have had a computer in my house since 1981. UT server will run fine on Windows 7. My server is running on Windows 8, and runs great. Any issues are usually client based. Linux would be an even better choice. I am going to install Linux on a flash drive and install a UT server there. Anyway, for all the CTF fans, I am running a CTF/DM server with Reg Weapons, IG and Sniper Arena. The IP is 50.82.68.7:7787. Come check it out

[Arkon]

If you want to run a Server, do it on Linux. If you want / insist windows then Windows Server 2008 R2 is the one

What issues were you experiencing with Linux? I'd suggest you try debian or Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Otherwise CentOS (if you still want to try Linux, it's great as an OS) I'd also suggest a pre-emptive kernel. Bare in mind if you are playing on the same computer then you will need to either use WINE to run the game itself or you'll have to use the native Linux UT client (I'm not sure how good it is). You should also take into consideration your (obviously) limited Linux knowledge. You are likely to mess something up if you aren't careful so you might want to think about Windows more seriously. I'd definitely recommend Windows Server 2008 R2.

My knowledge of Linux is indeed limited, but it's not little. I know about wineskin/cider wrappers. In fact, I knew about these and how they worked in Linux before I did in OS X, and, if I didn't mention it earlier, Mac OS X is my main OS. It doesn't matter anyways because I decided to sell the Optiplex, and run the server on a slightly older (but better) custom PC with Windows 7, and it runs perfectly fine in terms of hardware performance. I wish I was able to stick with Server 2008 R2, but it was giving me issues with the current PC in the long run, so I'm sticking with W7.

I have been building PCs for almost 20 yrs, and have had a computer in my house since 1981. UT server will run fine on Windows 7. My server is running on Windows 8, and runs great. Any issues are usually client based. Linux would be an even better choice. I am going to install Linux on a flash drive and install a UT server there. Anyway, for all the CTF fans, I am running a CTF/DM server with Reg Weapons, IG and Sniper Arena. The IP is 50.82.68.7:7787. Come check it out

Been using Windows 7 for months now, so you're absolutely right. I hate Windows 8 with a passion hotter than a TeraKelvin. The only issues now that are not client-based are the upload speeds simply because U-Verse sucks. We ran rigorous tests on our download and upload speeds, and the upload speeds are abysmal.

Then we went to a nearby friend's house, who had xfinity by the way. His download speeds almost doubles ours, and his upload speeds are more than half our download speeds. This is also important for monster hunt and UT Survival because these mods and files are large.

On the other hand, I'm moving soon, so guess what ISP I might use then?