rec.autos.simulators

    I've got a K6-2/350 and a V.D.2 card and ect...  using a cable
modem.  Running off line with EVERY thing on I get 15fps in the pits and
that increases to 34/36 after two laps.  When I host a race with three
other drivers everything is fine.  But hosting 20...  My frame rate
stays at 35/36 but my screen hick ups twice every second.  This is with
all graphics off and sound down to 3.

    I want to host a GP race shortly but I don't think it would be wise
with this system. So,  What is the smallest CPU that can be used to host
on VROC with 19 others?

--
=========================================
Mike Barlow of Barlow Racing?
MikeBa on the TEN network.
Member of R.O.R. 1999
http://www.racesimcentral.net/~marknjess/noflame.html
=========================================
Racing online with the help of......

Race Communications Association
http://www.racesimcentral.net/

Holodyne Engineering

Mystic Music

Kevin Caldwell
Calgary, Canada

So,  What is the smallest CPU that can be used to host

I don't think a cable modem can support 19 clients.  The
problem is more likely related to bandwidth of you connection
than a lack of CPU power.  Of course, more cpu is always better,
but even with the fastest Pentium III, I doubt you'll be able to
host 19 people reliably.

Can't wait for the GP races to start!  Please make the start
time 10pm EST or later :)

--
Pat Dotson
IMPACT Motorsports
http://www.impactmotorsports.com/pd.html

David Erb

Our fellow league member, Bart Westra, has done all the calcs of band width
requirements. He has lots of very technical info about on-line GPL at:

http://people.a2000.nl/bcwes/gpl.htm

Kevin
  PS: Hope your cable is fixed!

In case you don't want to go through all the details on my page:
128Kb upload should be able to accommodate about 9 clients when using the
standard 3/84 3/84 core.ini settings.
Switching to 4/84 4/84 would increase this to 12 clients but also increase
client to client latency by about 40ms.

Of course your cable co's backbone connection to the internet needs to have
enough capacity as well. They garantee your modem speeds on their internal
network at most.

Regards,
Bart

    Maybe I have not made my self clear.  I do have a tendency to do that.  The
Internet connection is no problem.  The only cars that warp are the ones that
are using 33.6 modems and/or the ones that don't know about the 36fps rule.

    The Question I wanted to ask was... What is the minimum CPU, Video, Sound,
ect.. for a computer to host 20 cars on the internet.  Forget about the internet
connection, That will do strange things,  And forget about using VROC as that
will take up some cache.  I just need to know what the minimum computer is for
hosting 20 cars over the internet.

    Currently I have a K6-2/350.  I'm thinking of getting either a K6-3/4xx or
going with a pentium 2/xxx.  Would a pentium 266 for the cpu be good enough?
will the k6-2/350 be good enough?  What is the minimum for 20 cars with the host
using the lowest graphics res. with no eye candy.  With my current machine I can
host the 20 cars but, even with no eye candy and at low res. and 36fps I get
about 2 screen hickups/second.  It's almost like running at 2fps.

    So..

CPU?
Video card?
Sound card?
MB?
Cache?
System ram?
ect..
ect..

Mike Barlow

BTW> current core.ini is 3/84

Race Communications Association
http://members.xoom.com/RCA/toc.html

Holodyne Engineering

Mystic Music

%     Currently I have a K6-2/350.  I'm thinking of getting either a K6-3/4xx or
% going with a pentium 2/xxx.  Would a pentium 266 for the cpu be good enough?
% will the k6-2/350 be good enough?  What is the minimum for 20 cars with the host
% using the lowest graphics res. with no eye candy.  With my current machine I can
% host the 20 cars but, even with no eye candy and at low res. and 36fps I get
% about 2 screen hickups/second.  It's almost like running at 2fps.

%     So..

% CPU?
% Video card?
% Sound card?
% MB?
% Cache?
% System ram?
% ect..
% ect..

I don't think there is a PC made yet that can handle full 20 cars on the
internet (and maybe not on most LANS -- 100meg maybe).  Last
night I somehow ended up with 20 people via VROC with my 256k ADSL host
(PII300).  The amazing thing was that no one was getting disco'ed!  The
big problem was everyone was experiencing almost double their normal
latency count to my host.  I assume it was my machine (being over-taxed)
having to send out packets that was causing the high latency counts.  I
have done some repeated traceroutes on some hosts and find that many are
overtaxed.  This is either because the routers on their side are not
configured properly (or are already carrying more data than is optimal)
or that it is their machine that is "tossing" packets.  Both are
important, but I have seen clean traces up to the host machine with the
host machine being 3-5x slower in response time or tossing packets (and
sometimes both).  Just guessing, I would assume a PII450 could handle
14-16 clients assuming everything else was running perfectly (i.e., the
net and every clients connection to it).

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

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