Hi there, currently I've been using a friends server to host my mud, but it's getting a little bit annoying as he doesn't always have it up and running.

I have four Questions:

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1) With online servers such as wolfpaw, do I simply use Putty or a similar program to log onto the server and edit/delete/add files and host the mud?
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2) Will I recieve a website domain name when purchasing server space for my mud hosting?
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3) How much server space etc with I need for QuickMUD mud hosting, and possibly a simple website?
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4) Does anyone have suggestions for Simple, Cheap and Reliable servers that I should look into?
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1) Yes, and probably also a FTP/SFTP client too.
2) Probably not. Most hosts will give you yourname.host.com or host.com/yourname. If you want www.yourname.com, you need to register it separately.
3) Any of the free hosts on here will give you ample space for QuickMUD and probably any other stock codebase you'd like to try.
4) LooHosting.com has been great, I know Zeno runs a good one, too. zeno.biyg.org maybe? Hope I got that right :D I'm also toying around with the "Private Server" I now have via DreamHost…Not a total VPS (no root), but it seems like it can handle most games ok…

Yes, yes, minimal, Internet Services Unlimited


They'll handle domain registration for you, php, anything you need. It's a commercial ISP owned and staffed by gamers. They can get you going for free, and anything else you need is available for a few bucks a month - no packages, you just buy what you need.

I'm running three games, a webpage and a forum there for less than $10 a month. If I keep on about how great they are, it will be like icky spam, but I've known the owner for over a decade. He's a good guy.

http://mu.wikia.com/wiki/Free_MU*_Hosts
http://mu.wikia.com/wiki/MU*_Hosts

I know Zeno and myself give you the www.servername.com/~username for your webspace. and if you get your own website then we can just point it to your site name and it's all fine and dandy.

Zeno's is zeno.biyg.org and has a great fast service and he's a good guy to boot. I, myself, am learning how to run a server as well at loohosting.com You can also choose from those links that Zeno gave.

I personally recommend a vps. If you're paying for hosting, a vps is usually the same price and you get so much more. Assuming you know the basics of linux and server administration, but there are guides out there for that.

Go with Zeno, EvilEye, or Loo.. there are several other good free ones out there too.

I would advise against EvilEye.

-Crat

I'm starting a mud hosting service. I haven't really finished setting up the server yet, but if you shoot me an email admin(at)ratstick.com i can set an account up for you to test out if you'd like.

Just give me the username you'd like to have and i'll reply with your password.

Personally I would recommend Third Generation hosting, for anyone looking into pay servers. I've found them to be the best out of any of the options out there. :unclesam:

That host looks pretty good, but does "1 MUD Shell Account" mean "1 port"? If so, this is the exact reason MUD hosts are pointless to use when you could get a VPS for the same price. I was fed up with having to buy a higher package on MUD hosts just to use another port, so I moved to a VPS.

Are game ports reserved for each account? And how many ports are available?

We reserve 25 ports per hosting package and 50 ports for Legend hosting packages. All game ports are reserved at the time of purchase and monitored at the firewall to provide security and reliability. If you require additional ports please contact the Technical Support Department.

from Third Hosting FAQ

Yeah, shell account = port I believe. It's aimed at in development MUDs that don't have a need for more than one port.

If you choose to go with paid, for about 11$ you can go with eapps hosting, which I use, for a VPS. Not as much HD space as Third Gen, but should be way more than enough for a mud. I run various blogs and forums and whatnot as well as muds when the itch comes to me. They use CentOS for the server OS, pretty easy to use, no complaints from me and no real downtime either. Their Support guys are really helpful and fast. http://www.eapps.com/Docs/VPSStandardPri...

Crat, that EE thread was funny to re-read hehe.

-Syn

So, if i were to develop solely on this plan using Vim / Ruby 1.9 would there be issues with my CPU usage etc?
I ask this because I have had issues with a hosting company before. I was running 'make' a lot because I was developing in C++,
but I kept getting emails about my CPU usage and it was pretty annoying.

Sure, any bursty CPU usage that you might have could trigger the CPU usage emails, just like 'make' does. It depends on what you're doing, really. vim is unlikely to have CPU-intensive operations, but your Ruby code will do whatever you tell it to… :wink:

fivebean.com has a $5 128mb vps if you use the coupon code "Ubuntu" (the owner is a moderator on ubuntuforums), and I've heard very good things.

burst.net has a $5 512mb vps, but I've heard very bad things from some people regarding their support. I'd use this only if you expect to never need support of any kind.

I found an interesting blog recently that's useful for choosing a vps:

http://www.lowendbox.com/

I also try to save hosts that look good here:

http://delicious.com/georgekoliver/hosti...

Did you ever get an explanation?

You should be fine. It kinda depends on what you're doing, but in general I haven't had this problem in the past with Ruby. I can safely say you shouldn't ever be spiking like make in normal operations.