10 FPS - possible cause identified?

[[JDRS] Bart]

Core2Duo E6550 2.33GHz
4GB RAM
Windows Server 2003
Mani-Admin
MetaMod
SourceMod
EventScripts
ZombieRiot

srcds.exe" -game cstrike -console +ip 192.168.1.201 -port 27016 +maxplayers 32 -tickrate 66 +fps_max 600 +map zm_420_beachstrike_b2 heapsize 2097152

So I've been noticing that my server starts out running a consistent 490-515FPS, but after anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, FPS is down to 10.0, and stays there, and there is massive lag.

What's strange is that when I check stats, I notice that my user count increases by one every time a map changes, even if there are no players in the server. What is that about?

**EDIT**

I've done some additional testing and determined the following:

• User increase on map change occurs even with NOTHING but SRCDS loaded.
• Increase in user count = decrease in FPS
• User count >18 = 10 FPS
  

**/EDIT**

[[JDRS] Bart]

More frustration...

So I used HLDSupdatetool, which updated dedi to ver. 99, and now my server crashes when a player connects, prior to spawning, if either ES Tools or Source Python Extensions is loaded.

[assmunk]

(05-04-2010, 11:02 AM)[JDRS] Bart Wrote:  More frustration...

So I used HLDSupdatetool, which updated dedi to ver. 99, and now my server crashes when a player connects, prior to spawning, if either ES Tools or Source Python Extensions is loaded.

Es tools is filled with bugs and backdoors, be careful

As for the fps, I have never seen that before, maybe try reinstalling the os or upgrading to 2008

[[JDRS] Bart]

Thanks for the response. Glad to know about the problems with EST. I have a couple of plugins that used it, and I was using one function from it in my own mod, but thankfully I was able to code a workaround, so I'm just not using EST anymore.

As for the FPS problem, I'm not completely opposed to an OS reload if it's absolutely necessary, but this is already a relatively fresh OS installation. Upgrading to 2008 isn't really an option at this point though.

It seems to me that this almost has to be a SRCDS issue, whether it's a bug or the way it's intended to function. I just don't know which is the case. Can anyone tell me what 'Users' as reported by the 'stats' command is? Without knowing what it's supposed to report, it's very difficult to know where to look.

[Nisd]

One thing i would try, would be, remove the fps_max, and the "heapsize" as i got no idea what that is.

[[JDRS] Bart]

(05-04-2010, 11:35 PM)Nisd Wrote:  One thing i would try, would be, remove the fps_max, and the "heapsize" as i got no idea what that is.

Thanks for the suggestion Nisd. Did that and got same result. I can see how either of those could potentially effect overall FPS capability, as fps_max is a throttling function, and heapsize allocates a specific amount of memory (2GB in my case), but my FPS issues are undeniably linked to something associated with this user count, it seems to me.

Just to clarify, this is happening as a result of something that is triggered on map load, even with no addons, and no players. Predictable FPS drop with no players in the picture at any time in the process says to me that it can't possibly be related to rates, at least in consideration of what I think I know!

[loopyman]

I have seen some badly designed maps produce memory leaks on customers servers. Over time the customer will use up to 2GB of RAM in one instance of srcds.

Now, does the same server WITHOUT addons do the same thing?

[assmunk]

(05-05-2010, 02:44 AM)loopyman Wrote:  Now, does the same server WITHOUT addons do the same thing?

"User increase on map change occurs even with NOTHING but SRCDS loaded."

I would also assume that he is trying on standard maps too, and he says when maps change so I dobut that all of his maps have bad code.. but its possible, but would be freaky

Would you be apposed to me RDPing into the server? I have alot of experience with Windows Servers and Game Servers, so I might be able to find the issue (it may be a registry setting within windows)

[[JDRS] Bart]

(05-05-2010, 06:34 AM)assmunk Wrote:  

(05-05-2010, 02:44 AM)loopyman Wrote:  Now, does the same server WITHOUT addons do the same thing?

"User increase on map change occurs even with NOTHING but SRCDS loaded."

I would also assume that he is trying on standard maps too, and he says when maps change so I dobut that all of his maps have bad code.. but its possible, but would be freaky

Would you be apposed to me RDPing into the server? I have alot of experience with Windows Servers and Game Servers, so I might be able to find the issue (it may be a registry setting within windows)

I have not, in fact, tried on standard maps, to be honest. And in light of today's testing, while the user count does increase with nothing but SRCDS loaded, it is starting to look like perhaps the lag issue that manifests when the user count reaches 18-19 is related to the Zombie Riot mod. I took it to a user count of 20 today without Zriot loaded, and did not experience the lag and 10 FPS, but then there were no bots in the game either.

Now one thing I did notice, and I know this may not be the most appropriate forum for this but I'll mention anyway in the interest of full disclosure, is that while the zriot bots don't join the server until a human player does, they continue to be kicked and respawned by the console (mod) after there are no human players left in the game.

That being said, I'm still perplexed as to what the users count in stats is supposed to be actually reporting. If it is in any way related to the server slot count, I can certainly see how the combination of a user count of over 16 in conjunction with 16 bots and one or more players could start to cause problems, but obviously I'm working on just a theoretical assumption of what the things I'm seeing mean.

Assmunk, I have no problem at all with you RDPing in and taking a look around, and thanks very much for the offer of assistance. I'll get in there tomorrow and see what I need to do, if anything, to make that happen for you. When this box was last deployed as an active server, it had a certificate, which has since expired, and I'm a bit rusty on it.

You can email me at bart@betteraudio.com to coordinate further if you like.