Server guides
Measurable guidance on choosing, setting up and tuning servers. Every guide is built on real resource figures and verifiable steps rather than marketing copy.
How to set up a Garry's Mod server: a step-by-step guide
Installing Garry's Mod via SteamCMD: 32-bit libraries, Workshop collections and authkey, FastDL, opening ports and common first-boot mistakes.
UpdatedHow to set up a Satisfactory server: a step-by-step guide
A Satisfactory dedicated server via SteamCMD: claiming the server, loading a save, managing autosaves, opening ports and first-boot mistakes.
UpdatedHow to set up a Terraria server: a step-by-step guide
A vanilla or tModLoader Terraria server: serverconfig.txt settings, the autocreate trap, backing up the world file, port 7777 and first-boot mistakes.
UpdatedHow to set up an Unturned server: a step-by-step guide
Installing Unturned via SteamCMD: starting with ServerHelper, Commands.dat settings, Workshop maps and plugins, opening ports and first-boot mistakes.
UpdatedHow to set up a RedM server: a step-by-step guide
The CitizenFX rdr3 artifact, txAdmin, choosing VORP or RSGCore, MariaDB and utf8mb4, the storage cost of streamed assets and port 30120.
UpdatedHow to set up a SA-MP or MTA:SA server: a step-by-step guide
Setting up two separate platforms: SA-MP server.cfg and 32-bit libraries, MTA:SA mtaserver.conf and the ASE query port, how open.mp differs, and ports.
UpdatedHow to set up a Silkroad Online server: a step-by-step guide
A Windows and MSSQL based Silkroad private server: edition limits, gateway/agent/shard start order, IP configuration and port rules.
UpdatedDDoS protection with your own ASN: LOA, IRR and RPKI steps
The records to finish before announcing your range through another network: the ASN and /24 prerequisites, LOA, the IRR route object, RPKI ROA and cutover day.
UpdatedWhat are RPKI and ROA? Why a wrong ROA makes your announcement invisible
The three fields of a ROA, the valid/invalid/not-found outcomes, and the two classic mistakes: a stale origin ASN and a maxLength left wider than needed.
PublishedGRE tunnels and MTU: the "site loads but downloads never finish" problem
GRE adds 24 bytes per packet, cutting the payload to 1476 on a 1500 MTU. Skip MTU and MSS clamping and large packets vanish silently — how to spot and fix it.
PublishedWhy is /24 the smallest announceable range? Your options if you own a /25
Prefixes longer than /24 are filtered in the global table. Why the limit exists, what announcing a /25 does, and the four options left to smaller holders.
PublishedHow many servers fit in a cabinet? U planning, power budget and out-of-band management
Twenty-one servers do not fit in 21U. After the PDU, switch, patch panel and cabling, 15-16U is left — and the real limit is usually watts, not units.
PublishedInstalling an SSL certificate in Plesk and moving the site to HTTPS
DNS before the certificate, the 301 redirect and mixed content after it. The right order for installing free SSL in Plesk, and the usual mistakes.
PublishedCreating mailboxes, forwarding and spam settings in Plesk
Mailbox or alias, IMAP or POP3, should the spam filter delete or mark? How SPF, DKIM and DMARC keep your outgoing mail out of the spam folder.
PublishedPointing a domain at your hosting: DNS records and propagation
Name servers or an A record, why the TTL is lowered first, what propagation really is. The order of the move, and the DNS mistake that stops your mail.
PublishedMigrating a WordPress site from another provider
Copy first, verify second, DNS last. Moving files and the database, wp-config, testing through the hosts file, and the serialised data trap.
PublishedTaking and restoring backups in Plesk
What a panel backup covers, why a copy outside the server is mandatory, when a full restore does damage, and how to bring back a single database.
PublishedHosting plan limits: reading disk and traffic usage and freeing space
Where your limits are shown, why the subscription is blocked on overuse, the four things that fill a disk, and when to move up a plan.
PublishedI can't connect to my server: what to check, in order, for SSH and RDP
What to check, in order, when SSH or RDP stops working: what the error message means, testing the port, console access and when to open a ticket.
PublishedWhy did my server slow down? Telling CPU, RAM, disk and network bottlenecks apart
Isolate the cause of slowness in five minutes: load average, top, free, iostat and the network. Which measurement points at which bottleneck.
PublishedWhy did my ping go up? Diagnosing path, congestion and game server latency
Why does ping degrade on a server that was fine? Reading mtr correctly, measuring the right protocol, jitter, and ruling out an attack.
PublishedAm I under a DDoS attack? How to tell, and what to do
Most slowdowns are not attacks. The symptoms that separate an attack from a resource bottleneck, what to measure, and what to do during one.
UpdatedMy site won't load: is it DNS, the server, or the certificate?
Which layer is the browser error pointing at? The steps that separate DNS, web service and certificate faults, and the direct-IP test that settles it.
PublishedThe disk is full: finding what is eating it and clearing it safely
Space or inodes, finding what is eating the disk, the deleted-but-still-open file trap, and what is safe to delete first.
PublishedHow to set up a CS2 server: 64 tick, latency and multiple instances
A CS2 community server from scratch: Ubuntu setup, SteamCMD, setting a GSLT, port 27015, running several instances on one machine and first-boot mistakes.
UpdatedHow to set up a Palworld server: memory appetite and version matching
A Palworld server from scratch: SteamCMD, PalWorldSettings.ini, UDP 8211, version matching, and the restarts and backups its memory appetite demands.
UpdatedHow to set up a Valheim server: the world file and backup discipline
A Valheim server from scratch: SteamCMD, launch parameters, UDP ports 2456-2458 and how to back up the world file properly.
UpdatedHow to set up an ARK server: one process per map and cluster logic
An ARK server from scratch: SteamCMD, GameUserSettings.ini, ports 7777/27015/27020, cluster setup and the RAM calculation per map.
UpdatedHow to set up a DayZ server: mod load and the central economy
A DayZ server from scratch: SteamCMD, serverDZ.cfg, UDP 2302-2305, and loading Workshop mods and their keys the right way.
UpdatedHow to set up a Conan Exiles server: Windows install and a bloating database
A Conan Exiles server from scratch: the Windows base, SteamCMD, ServerSettings.ini, ports 7777/7778/27015 and keeping the database file from bloating.
UpdatedHow to set up a Project Zomboid server: Java memory and the mod list
A Project Zomboid server from scratch: SteamCMD, the Java -Xmx ceiling, port 16261 and the Steam ports, and loading Workshop mods with both lines.
UpdatedHow to set up a 7 Days to Die server: world generation and the blood moon
A 7 Days to Die server from scratch: SteamCMD, serverconfig.xml, ports 26900 and 26901-26902, world generation and sizing for the blood moon.
UpdatedWhat is a VDS and how does it differ from a VPS?
The real difference between VDS and VPS is resource sharing. What overselling means, how a noisy neighbour affects you, and what to ask before buying.
UpdatedHow much vCPU and RAM does a server need?
Adding vCPUs does not always help; some workloads are bound to one core. Sizing by workload type, how the RAM calculation works, and when to upgrade.
UpdatedHow to set up a FiveM server: a step-by-step guide
A FiveM server from scratch: choosing the OS, installing FXServer via txAdmin, the ESX/QBCore database, opening ports and common first-boot mistakes.
UpdatedWhat is DDoS protection? What to check when buying a server
The difference between L3/L4 and L7 protection, the limits of “unlimited protection”, and why UDP floods on game servers need separate handling.
UpdatedHow to set up a Minecraft server: RAM and plugin planning
Paper or Forge, the Java -Xmx trap, how plugins and world size affect RAM, and four things to check before the hardware when TPS drops.
UpdatedHow to set up a Rust server: the wipe cycle and resource planning
How worldsize affects RAM and start-up time, how the wipe cycle changes your hardware choice, and port and RCON security.
UpdatedServer software compatibility and licensing: Windows or Linux?
Which server software requires Windows and which runs on Linux? A compatibility table for games and applications, Windows Server licensing and baseline RAM.
UpdatedWhy does server location matter? Ping and latency
Latency is determined by distance, not hardware. Typical ping values from Türkiye, how much it matters per game, and how to measure it with mtr.
UpdatedSlot planning on a game server: how much resource for how many players?
A slot is an upper bound, not a capacity. A per-game RAM-per-player table, a worked example, and when raising the slot count stops being enough.
UpdatedServer backup strategy: what, where and how often?
The 3-2-1 rule, why a backup on the same machine is not a backup, taking a consistent copy of a database, and the restore test.
UpdatedConnecting to a server over SSH: first steps, and a key instead of a password
The first connection, what the fingerprint warning means, generating an ed25519 key, and how to disable the password without losing access.
UpdatedConnecting to a Windows server over RDP, and the risk of leaving it open
Connecting from Windows, macOS and Linux, the real risk of an open port 3389, three protective steps, and why you should ask about a fallback access route.
UpdatedServer security: the basic steps to take on day one
Eight steps: SSH with a key, port policy, the database port, management panels, and how Docker bypasses the firewall. With a checklist.
UpdatedMySQL performance tuning for game servers
Turning on the slow query log, sizing innodb_buffer_pool_size, the flush trade-off, and how a single index ends peak-hour stuttering.
UpdatedWhat is an NVMe SSD? How it differs from a SATA SSD, and why it matters
The difference is in the interface: queue depth, IOPS and latency. Which workloads it decides, which it does not affect at all, and how to measure it with fio.
UpdatedWhat do uptime and SLA mean? The difference between 99.9% and 99.95%
What the percentages mean in minutes, the four items that make an SLA real, why planned maintenance is excluded, and what uptime does not cover.
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