Help: Hosting a server on virtual machine

[Dravira]

Can anyone be willing to enlighten me on how to host servers through a virtual server? The group I am in would like to start putting stuff on our own server just wondering how to go about that without running it from personal machines as we are growing and it cant handle it ANY help is super appreciated. Thank you

[opjose]

Your question is a bit confusing.

Running a Virtual Machine (Server) is little different from a Hardware machine to the software that is running on it.

The Software that runs on the host (hardware) machine produces an environment that looks like hardware to the operating system installed on the VM.

If you have an ISO image of an installation disk for any later version of Windows you can bring up a virtual machine using free VM Host software such as VirtualBox. You don't need actual "Server" versions of the operating system to do this.

The biggest reason for running a DCS server this way this would be to make the virtual machine (DCS server) transportable to other hardware without having to redo everything again.

Otherwise you don't gain a lot.... performance on a VM is not quite as good as running on hardware.

You also DO NOT want to try running a DCS server on a VM that is running on a host that is also trying to run DCS separate to play the game.

[Dravira]

What we need to do is get a dedicated server up and since no one in the group has a pc that can run one 24/7 and be able to handle more than 15 players at once we need a server and since there are no actual companies out there that can do it such as host havoc we are trying to figure out what we need to do as in what type of server, how we go about finding a good server company since none advertise anything for dcs and how do we set it up. Hope thats a better understanding

[opjose]

What you want is a hosted Virtual Machine.

There are tons of companies that offer hsted virtual machine services... Amazon, Microsoft, etc.

Most will put up Microsoft Windows 2012 or Linux servers for you and you manage them remotely... however these may not be suitable VM's to run DCS on, as they will be missing operating system components that DCS may require.

It would be better to find a hosting service where you can upload your own VM image to and let their hardware running the virtual machine.

Note that typically you will pay over $100-$200 per month for this.

[Dravira]

Yea that wont work at that price point. Just was hoping those that do host from VM would be able to shed some light I know the bigger groups have to be doing that

[opjose]

There is always a cost involved... Either a dedicated VM, dedicated hardware, bandwidth and electricity, etc.

In your shoes I'd use a slightly older PC, and leave it running connected to the Internet.

[Dravira]

Well unfortunately no one has a second PC just not an option at all

[Dravira]

Appreciate all the help guys seems we need to get someone to buy another good pc to run it.

[Dravira]

Interesting

[opjose]

Not to throw a wet blanket on it, investigate the costs first.

AWS, Rackspace, Azure, etc. have on-line cost lookups.

[Dravira]

We did and a VM wont work for us we are out of options for right now until ED releases the server ability or in a few years when one of use gets a new pc

[Dravira]

I know right :P