A mod such as Multi Theft Auto: San Andreas, like many commercial server-based games, can provide lots of custom content at times. Players may need to download such content from the server when they first join it, but sometimes it takes longer time than it should.
Such problems can be worked around by using an external source for downloads, which will improve both the server performance (by offloading some of its work to a separate webserver), and download speeds.
In order to configure the Fast Download service on your gameserver, you need a webspace with an FTP access, from which players will be downloading the data. It could be eg. a hosting space, provided by your ISP, or any webhosting package.
If you have ordered the FastDL account with your server, it will be perfect for this task, so you should use that one.
Once you have the webspace for FastDL, it is time to start configuring it. There are two steps for this:
- First one should be a one-time step, where you prepare the FastDL webspace and configure it in the gameserver config file.
- The second one will be placing the neeeded files on your FastDL webspace.
Please keep in mind, you will have to repeat the second step every time you change something within your resources - regardless whether it be a file edit, or adding a new resource.
Preparing FastDL webspace and configuring it in the gameserver config file
1. Use an FTP client to connect to your webspace account. Go to the main directory, which is accessable from the Internet. In other words - the directory which contains files you see when you type in the webspace address in your internet browser.
If you use our FastDL account, after connecting you will be in the correct directory already.
2. Create a new directory on your webspace, eg. mtasa .
3. Use GameCP panel to edit the gameserver main configuration file (mtaserver.conf).
Log in to your GameCP account, then go to filemanager and browse to the directory which contains your mtaserver.conf file, then press Edit button.
(as per recommendation in the config file, do not place a slash ( / ) at the end of the url)
6. Save the file and restart your gameserver.
Once you have finished the above steps, upload the needed files as explained below.
Placing the needed files on your FastDL account
1. Use an FTP client to connect to your gameserver FTP account.
2. Go to the main server directory, then to this directory: mods/deathmatch/resource-cache
3. Download the http-client-files directory to your PC. The files which are required for the FastDL are located inside that directory.
4. Use an FTP client again and connect to your FastDL webspace FTP account
5. Go to the folder which you have created in the FastDL preparation, point 2 (in our example - mtasa), then upload the contents of the http-client-files directory (which you have just downloaded) to that folder. Allow overwriting files if there will be such a need (only applies when you repeat this process).
6. Restart your gameserver after you have finished uploading all the files to your FastDL account.
7. Done. When you try to connect to your server, you should notice that files are downloading much faster now.
Important: Make sure to ALWAYS repeat the step of uploading the needed files to the FastDL account every time you make a change in your gameserver resources. Failure to do so might cause the server not to utilise the FastDL service anymore.
Published: 24-08-2011 15:58
Last edited: 12-05-2012 09:08
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