Operation Flashpoint: Dedicated Server

Introduction

This article covers some of the aspects of the dedicated server for Operation Flashpoint. Please feel free to update this article with any related information.

Startup Options

Example

"OFPR_Server.exe -config=server.cfg -netlog  -nomap -port=2302 -mod=hisky"

-config= <---- Specifies the config file to use. See server.cfg
-mod=    <---- Extra command to run folder mods
-nomap   <---- Command to run default addons and only run extra addons when mission is Exe
-netlog  <---- Command to Record IP address to find id changers and cheaters
-restart <---- Restarts the server if it is crashed/shutdown
-port=   <---- Port for the server to listen on.
-dplay   <---- In OFP this specifies Direct Play networking option

Performance Tuning Options

There are also some parameters that can be used to fine-tune network performance. You can add following entries to Flashpoint.cfg (the main Flashpoint configuration file)

MaxMsgSend=<limit>; 
Maximum number of messages that can be sent in one simulation cycle. Increasing this value can decrease lag on    high upload bandwidth servers.

Default: 128  
MaxSizeGuaranteed=<limit>; 
Maximum size of guaranteed packet in bytes (without headers). Small messages are packed to larger frames.

Guaranteed messages are used for non-repetitive events like shooting.
Default: 512  

MaxSizeNonguaranteed =<limit>; 

Maximum size of non-guaranteed packet in bytes (without headers). Non-guaranteed messages are used  for repetitive updates like soldier or vehicle position.

Increasing this value may improve bandwidth requirement, but it may increase lag.

Default: 256  

MinBandwidth =<bottom_limit>; 

Bandwidth the server is guaranteed to have (in bps). This value helps server to estimate bandwidth available. Increasing it to too optimistic values can increase lag and CPU load, as too many messages will be sent but discarded.

Default: 131072  

MaxBandwidth=<top_limit> Bandwidth the server is guaranteed to never have. This value helps server to estimate bandwidth available.  

MinErrorToSend=<limit> Minimal error to send updates across network. Default value is 0.01. Using smaller value can make units  observed by binoculars or sniper rifle to move smoother.  

MaxCustomFileSize=<size_in_bytes> Users with custom face or custom sound larger than this size are kicked when trying to connect.

The greatest level of optimization can be achieved by setting the MaxMsgSend and MinBandwidth parameters. For a server with 1024kbps we recommend the following values:

MaxMsgSend = 256;
MinBandwidth = 768000;

Linux

To install and use the dedicated server on Linux, you'll need the following:

• Game data from a Windows installation of OFP.
• The server executable installer archive
• The gunzip compression program from the gzip package.
• The gcc C compiler package.
• The "uudecode" program from the sharutils package.

Getting the game data

In order to run a dedicated linux server, you won't need all the OFP files that are installed on your Windows machine. Community member Kegetys has made a useful script that will create an archive with just the files you need. Visit his OFP page and download and use the Linuxarch10.zip script to create a minimal set of files needed. Then, upload the resulting archive to your server.

Installation

There's a post on the BI forums describing the installation: Linux server setup howto _{(dead link)}

Downloads

The Windows OFP Dedicated server can be found here

The Linux OFP dedicated server is here

See Also

server.cfg

In Game Server Commands