Why can't a computer just host a game?
To provide a stable service, you need to do so on a computer which is not impacted by varying workloads. Ideally this systems should also be online (and connected to the Internet) 24/7. A desktop computer usually sees varying workloads, which can very much impact the gameserver and the players' experience. You usually want to shut it down at nights, too, or when you stop using it, which makes sense since desktops usually draw a lot more power than such a s small factor home server, which will usually consume way less than 10W.
The issue with this is, nobody really wants people leeching on their internet speed.
Well MegaGlest really only consumes very little bandwidth, so for the very most connections you would not ever notice it. Traffic shaping would be good to setup on your router if it supports it, but unless you fully load your line regularly, that's not too much of a concern.
Remind me again what kind of CPU/RAM/net a single server would need?
Well at least a CPU comparable to a single core x86_64 gigahertz CPU would be good to have, this can be partially spread if you have more cores, but still you want a minimum comparable to an 800 MHz ARMv5 per core there. For memory, I guess you can get away with 500 MB system RAM is you run a standard Linux 3.x image, though 1 GB would be better if you run other services there, too. Both CPU and memory allocation surely depend much on the number of players and map size you have there.
I have one hobby VPS and its got 1 virtual core, 256MB RAM and 5 GB/month network.
And I run a git server on it. So if anyone knows enough linux to tell me how to set up accounting so that I can give a glest server a max of 128MB RAM and 3GB/month net, I could make it available.
Not enough RAM. Linux will already eat a remarkable part of it. The virtual CPU
may also be insufficient, depending on what it is backed by and how the slicing is setup. Thanks for the offer, though.
http://wiki.megaglest.org/Dedicated_ServerThe system configuration I had in mind for this home server is an ARMv6 single or dual core with 0.5 or 1 GB RAM which draws about 5 watts average, that's about what you get at this price tag - taking into account that you also need storage, enclosure, cooling, wiring, handling / shipping fees, and - should anything be left - maybe even a minor donation to the projects involved.
To compare:
The lightest netbook (with integrated graphics, single multi-core CPU, 1 RAM chip, SSD) costs about 300 USD, lasts for 3-5 years, and draws about 10 watts minimum (not average).
The lightest desktop (with integrated graphics, single multi-core CPU, 1 RAM chip, single HDD, monitor, wired keyboard + mouse) costs about 350 USD, lasts for 6-8 years, starts at about 40 watts (this may be lower now, I haven't looked into this for a while).
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