SuXoRs Gaming News

Donation

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:46:55 +0000

Hey guys,

Don't forget to keep donating! I'd like to bring some new features and things to you all in the near future

Server Down

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:59:18 +0000

Server is currently down for unknown reasons.

We are working on it and hopefully it will be back up soon.

Ventrilo : Cleaning House

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 22:37:34 +0000

Okay... so anyone who was on the ventrilo in the past knows it was full of a rather hostile bunch, who made it hard to enjoy being on there.

I've cleaned house, and now I need my patrons here at SuXoRs to do me a huge favor... get on the vent!

For those of you who are maybe unfamiliar with what Ventrilo is...

Quote

Ventrilo 3.0.0 is the next evolutionary step of Voice over IP (VoIP) group communications software. Ventrilo is also the industry standard by which all others measure themselves as they attempt to imitate its features.

By offering surround sound positioning and special sound effects on a per user, per channel, per server or global configuration level the program provides each user the option to fully customize exactly how they wish to hear sounds from other users or events.

Ventrilo is best known for it's superior sound quality and minimal use of CPU resources so as not to interfere with day to day operations of the computer or during online game competitions. It is also preferred for the simple user interface that any first time computer user can very quickly learn because the most commonly used features are immediately visible and can be activated with a single click of the mouse.

Q: Where can I get Ventrilo?
A: Ventrilo can be downloaded at the official website for both PC & OSX at http://www.ventrilo.com/ (Mac), if you are on a Linux based machine, you can download Mangler here.

Q: What can I use the Ventrilo server for?
A: Ventrilo is a VoIP service, meaning you can talk to your friends, clan mates, guild mates, or just others in general without being in game. You can use it for anything from organizing a raid, to general chat, to playing Team Fortress or Counter-Strike! It's more so YOUR server, and you can choose to do with it whatever you want!

Q: Okay! Sounds great... why weren't we using it before?
A: Honestly? I think people didn't like being on there. There was a previous group that were also vent admins that made the place rather hostile and felt bad to be around. Worry no more... that issue has been resolved finally.

Q: All right Dave, sounds good - so how do we connect?
A: Simple! Once you've installed Ventrilo - click on the User Name arrow and make a login. No password required! Once you've done that make a new Server entry and place the following in each field.

IP: 74.200.68.136
PORT: 5004

Leave the other fields blank and then hit connect!

Q: That's too complicated! I don't want to do all that!
A: Very well. I have made you a Magic Button! simply click it and it will auto-input the information for you!

See you on the server!
Dave

Back from Iraq

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:22:24 +0000

As of today I am officially back from Iraq.

On my way back, we stopped at several locations! None more annoying to be at than Canada. So, for my Canadian brethren here, I picked this up in Gander, New Foundland:

Thought you might have appreciated that.

Major Maintenance and Upgrades Coming

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:16:24 +0000

Hello everyone,

As you should all be aware, back in January/February we upgraded the server's hardware to improve performance and scalability. However, even with that hardware we are not utilizing the server as best we could be. So I have put together a plan to get the most performance and stability out of our servers.

Starting in August (dates to be determined) I will be performing server maintenance and system upgrades. Currently, we are running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise (32-bit) with IIS 6.0. The years of service this server has undergone have taken it's toll on the operating system and platform itself. While I firmly believe that Windows is the best platform for HLDS and Source to run on, maximizing performance can be a struggle, especially under Windows Server 2003.

My plan is to completely reformat the machine and install Windows Server 2008 and upgrading IIS 6.0 to version 7.0, thereby bringing the server and platform to the latest server standards possible. Windows Server 2008 and IIS 7.0 are not just a shiny new package to install over Windows Server 2003; Windows Server 2008 and IIS 7.0 are completely redesigned to maximize the performance, stability, and security of server platforms. Windows Server 2008 is strictly a 64-bit platform, but is completely backwards compatible with all 32-bit software. The 64-bit operating system will be a major factor to enhance the performance of the server and gameservers running on it.

This maintenance will be conducted over the course of 3 to 5 days, and will consist of five phase. The schedule will be as follows:

Phase I (Day 1):

Conduct full server backups and backup integrity verification
Backup all software and server configurations to reinstate upon reinstall
Prepare temporary server using the same hardware to temporarily host our gameservers to minimize downtime
Prepare all updates, software, and configuration parameters
Inspect hardware and perform hardware testing to ensure stability of current hardware

Phase II (Day 2):

Perform reformat and installation of Windows Server 2008 and IIS 7.0 on server
Update and configure Windows Server 2008/IIS 7.0
Install and configure essential software (to include TCAdmin, FileZilla FTP Server, PHP/Perl, MySQL/MSSQL, etc.)
Configure network and

Phase III (Day 3 - 5):

Perform backup of entire system to keep a "fresh" image of the server configuration available in case of emergency
Configure network properties to maximize security with the best performance possible
Verify software and applications are stable and compatible. Correct any issues present
Begin transferring original server files and gameservers to the freshly rebuilt server (possibly restore from backups?)
Verify server files and gameservers are intact and ready to use

Phase IV (Days 3 - 5):

Conduct live testing of gameservers (turn them on, verify they work, correct any issues) and applications - offline
Perform backup of entire system once again to ensure availability of final configuration in case of emergency
Shutdown temporary server and transfer all control and network traffic to freshly rebuilt server
Conduct live testing of gameservers - online

Phase V (Days 3 - 5+)

Perform mainenance and cleanup of servers and residual software, applications, etc. used during upgrade
Monitor upraded server for performance, stability, and any issues that arise from upgrade

I am hoping during this upgrade that the downtime associated with such a long and complicated procedure will be minimized. I do not foresee any major issues regarding this upgrade, but as Murphy's Law dictates, what can go wrong will go wrong and at the worst time. I apologize in advance if the gameservers are down for any extended period of time. Mistakes and complications do happen, however. In any case, I will do my best to complete this on schedule and with little downtime.

Thank you all for your continued support. I will be updating this as we get closer to when I will be performing this maintenance and upgrade.