PARTICIPANT IN A FINALISTS JAM
This Blog is an entry in the completed Minetorials : Tutorials with a Minecraft Theme.

Minecraft Blogs / Tutorial

Everything about hosting!

  • 602 views, 1 today
  • 5
  • 2
  • 5
niklon's Avatar niklon
Level 50 : Grandmaster Pegasus
127
Everything about Minecraft Hosting


Create an amazing server!



Hosting a Minecraft server is not easy, if you want to keep your server fresh, clean and professional.



There are two kinds of server which I will be talking about: A Vanilla Minecraft, and Bukkit.



With this tutorial your server will be 20% cooler!






How to host a server?


There are 3 ways: Hamachi, Port forwarding and a Dedicated server.


1. Hamachi o allows you to start a server on a local network and open it to the world with a magic program called Hamachi. This kind of hosting is not efficient, and IPo s of the server are very long. Additionally you cano t spread the IP without the Name of the Hamachi network and Hamachi Password. Those will allow him to connect to your virtual network, and then, using the IP, to join Your server. IP is usually long, and starts with 5, for example 5.124.117.110.


2. Port forwarding o much more efficient, because all you need is to launch a console and start having fun. But there is a trick o you have to obviously forward your ports.


3. Dedicated Server o the easiest, the best, the most efficient, the fastest. But when something is so good, there must be something not good. And yes there is o they cost money. Sometimes a lot. The more RAM your server has, the more you have to pay.





How to prepare a server:


I. Vanilla o Download a Minecraft server(Windows, Other OSo s), create a new folder, and put your file in there. Click twice on it, and it will create a lot of new files on first startup. Look in the file server.proporties, and set up the server however you want. Here is an example file:


#Minecraft server properties


#Wed Feb 15 14:01:26 CET 2012


allow-nether=false //defines if Nether is allowed


level-name=world //whato s the name of the world


allow-flight=false // If flying is allowed


server-port=25565 //Server port(leave it like that)


level-type=DEFAULT//Leave this like that


level-seed=-610655407//Seed of your level


server-ip=5.124.117.110//Server IP


spawn-npcs=true //If it should spawn villagers


white-list=false //If there should be white-list


spawn-animals=true //If it should spawn animals


online-mode=false //If it should run in online mode(described below)


pvp=true //Defines if it should allow Player vs. Player


difficulty=0 //Defines difficulty


server-name=Unknown Server //Server name


gamemode=0 //Default gamemode(0-survival,1-creative)


max-players=125 //Maximum players allowed on the server.


spawn-monsters=true //Defines if it should spawn monsters


generate-structures=true //Defines if world generator should spawn villages and strongholds


view-distance=10 //Defines maximum view distance


motd=Niklons's Minecraft Server //Defines Message of the day





Set this file however you want and continue to next step.


II. Bukkit


Setting a Bukkit(custom server) looks a bit different. Download the newest Bukkit(here).


You now have a file called craftbukkit.jar(if not change it to this name) put it in a fresh folder, and create a new text file. Type in this short program written by me(especially for this tutorial):


@echo off


color 0E


echo *****************************************


echo YOU ARE ONE STEP OF LAUNCHING YOUR SERVER


echo ................................................................................


echo *****************************************


:loop


:Tak


cls


color 0A


java -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -jar craftbukkit.jar


echo *****************************************


echo SERVER HAS BEEN SAFELY STOPPED


echo o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦o ¦..


echo *****************************************


echo Restart the server?


choice


if "%ERRORLEVEL%"=="1" GOTO TAK


color


echo Ending the script...


pause


Exit





Paste this text to your newly created text file, click Save Aso ¦, select All file types and type startup.bat


Then click twice on this file and wait till bukkit loads*. Then type command o stopo , and wait till Bukkit stops. Then type o No when it will ask if it should restart the server, and click enter. A lot of files were created now, including folder o pluginso , which will be important later. Your server is now set up, and choose how you want to spread it to the World!(Hamachi, Forwarding or Dedicated)








III. How to start a Hamachi server:


You need to download and install program called Hamachi(here). Restart your computer, and look in menu o Networko o o Create a new Networko . Type the name you want, and select an easy password, for example o 123o . You have now created a new network. If ito s not launched, start it using the o O with stroke insideo button. Alt-click your network name, and choose o Copy IPv4 adreesso . When you did that, go to file server.proporties, and find line o server-ip=o , after symbol o =o paste your server IP, be sure that there are no spaces there. Then click twice on the o startup.bato , your server is now launched and ready to be used.


IV. How to forward ports:

What is my external IP?


It requires various settings per manufacturers of your router or modem, and models. You may check here how to forward ports for your router. When you are done, you must check whato s your external IP. Remember, if you dono t have static IP, it may change by each router startup. You will have to update your file each times this happens. When you checked your external IP, go to file server.proporties, find line o server-ip=o , and after symbol o =o paste your server IP, be sure that there are no spaces. You are done? Okay, your server is now ready to launch! Spread the IP and profit!


V. How to start a Dedicated server


Okay, I see that youo re looking for some serious stuff. I warn you here, that if you want to start a dedicated server, you need some money(the more RAM you want the more you will have to pay). When you are sure that you have some money, and you are decided to start a Minecraft business, go on this site, and find offer that seems most interesting. Choose wisely, and dono t get fooled. When you have bought a server, they will provide you FTP connection data. Usually bukkit is installed by default, so you dono t need any kind of craftbukkit.jaro s, all you need to do is to configure it and upload plugins. Below I will write different technics of advertising and making your server better. To connect to FTP I recommend FileZilla or TotalCommander





Advertising


Advertising is very important for your server. Basically, this is the most important thing if you want a big server. Here I will say about 2 most popular ways of advertising your server.


Advertising on Planetminecraft:


Firstly, create an interesting and attractive banner for your server. The best it would be if ito s animated, colorful and in correct resolution.


Write an nice and short message describing your server, for example:



XXX is one of the most awesome servers around! Venture with your fellow faction members and help them strive toward being the top of the food chain, the champions. Show everyone what you have in the arena. Warriors, Cowards, Teams, Noobs, Heroes: Choose your kind of guy/gal as you venture to try kill off everyone who opposes you or stands in your way, as your hatred BURNS through the cavernous deeps.



Create a nice logo, and put it on the top.


Select best Special Tags, and fill other needed informations. Just after posting you will see A LOT of people coming. Most of them filter servers to o Lastesto because they want to join first and earn op/staff(yes this is true story!). Now, every 24 hours go to your submission, click on update log and click o BUMP SUBMISSIONo it will move it to the top, and you will have a lot of newcomers again.





Minecraftforum.net advertising:


Advertising on minecraftforum is less efficient, but may provide a lot of players as well. Most of steps are the same, create a logo and welcoming message. You may also post server rules and ranks which are available to earn on your server. Find yourself a good friend, and keep up a good conversation on your server topic. Related to your server, of course. This trick will keep your server at the top of the server list.


Plugins o server customization


Most important server plugins:


If you want to start a serious business, plugins are very important. Ito s the only thing(almost) which makes Bukkit a great and valuable thing. Here I will add a few plugins that your server should have to work without problems.


Essentials o Will provide new useful commands and expand vanilla Bukkit


NoCheat o Will stop players from using any kind of cheat


PermissionsEx o Permissions made easy, how to control what your players do.


ChatMenager(in pex zip) o Expansion of PeX, you may change the syntax of your chat. Remember to go to it's config, customize, and set "enabled" to true!


ModifyWorld(n pex zip) o Control what Players do in your world. Remember to go to it's config, and set "enabled" to true!


Vault o This will be extremely useful if you will install other plugins. Ito s a bridge for plugins(hooks).


WorldEdit o Most awesome plugin ever made. Helps you to create improbable things.


WorldGuard o Secure cuboids. Stop greifers from touching your stuff! Compatible with WorldEdit wand.


^^&&^^


Those are the most important plugins, which your server needs very badly. Click on each plugin to get more info about it. Here are some other useful plugins:


Automatic Ranking - Password-based: MasterPromote. Timed: AutoRank.


Seperate Worlds - MultiVerse or MyWorlds.


Block Protection -WorldGuard, EpicZones and Residence.


Skills/RPG leveling - McMMO or Skillz.


Classes/Clans - Factions, Heroes or SimpleClans.


Hunger Games - Too many to list. Do a search!


Custom Commands - kTriggers or Commander


Ban crafting of [Insert item here] - NoItem.


Custom World Generation - TerrainControl.


Custom Triggers and Scripts - VariableTriggers.


This short list will provide you a lot of useful plugins.





Additional info:


1. Logging plugins: Your server may be visited by AVO or other greifing teams. You may install logging plugins, which allow you to rollback those nasty greifers! I recommend you LogBlock or CoreProtect.


2. Create a dynmap of your world. Plugin called dynmap will allow you to have an real-time map of your server!(must have!)


3. Minequery o allow services as Gametracker or MinecraftViewer to create real-time banners of your server. Remember to go to config, set enable.query=true and query.port= to the port you wish to have(it may be the port you connect to, or even should)


4. PlotMe o Do you have a creative server? GREAT! Because you may install this amazing plugin and almost totally get rid of any grief. This plugin will keep your server fresh and clean! It will require MultiVerse(or any other plugin which allows custom terrain generation).


5. BeHerobrine o This plugin allows you to become a herobrine!(skin+nametag), it provides a lot of useful commands if you want to scare your players!


6. NoPL o Stop players from typing /pl /plugins /ver and /version! You spent a lot of time to choose your plugins and configure them. Dono t let others to copy your server!



Here I end this tutorial. I will make spotlights of different, less known, useful or funny plugins. Io m developing servers for over half a year and has a lot of experience in that. Subscribe If you have any questions or you want me to make a blog about something just tell me what do you need in comments! Also, please help me to win the tutorial contest by giving me diamonds and favourites.



Thanks, niklon.
Tags

Create an account or sign in to comment.

1
07/23/2012 12:30 pm
Level 1 : New Miner
Mazin6341
Mazin6341's Avatar
Useful Guide. :)
1
07/15/2012 6:40 am
Level 27 : Expert Creeper
Schatten
Schatten's Avatar
I couldn't finish it b4 you left, thats why I couldn't give a comment, after finishing it you made me want to make a server, which i can't due to my lousy internet.
1
07/15/2012 10:10 am
Level 50 : Grandmaster Pegasus
niklon
niklon's Avatar
You may always use option V :)
1
07/14/2012 7:07 pm
Level 37 : Artisan Blob
Nox Aeterna
Nox Aeterna's Avatar
Nice guide
1
07/15/2012 6:02 am
Level 50 : Grandmaster Pegasus
niklon
niklon's Avatar
Thank you!
Planet Minecraft

Website

© 2010 - 2024
www.planetminecraft.com

Welcome