sv_downloadurl

[cbm.daveybaby]

Chaps and Chapesses.

Dunno if this isalready common knowledge amongst the server admin, but theres a new server cvar in steam that allows clients to download maps etc from an http server instead of the gameserver.

Originally posted by "steam forums"
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Posted in the steampowered forums by KaOsX
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SUMMARY
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Half-Life now supports the download of custom content (maps, skins, sounds, and so on) from a HTTP server (ie: webserver) when connecting, instead of downloading directly from the game server itself.

HTTP downloading has three major benefits:

1) There is no impact on the game server when downloading custom content, as a completely separate HTTP content server does the transfer

2) Players will download custom content at their maximum transfer rate, resulting in *much* faster downloads

3) Players who are downloading custom content do not take up a player slot on the server while they wait


WHAT PLAYERS CONNECTING TO A SERVER WITH CUSTOM CONTENT WILL SEE
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When a player connects to a server utilizing custom content, one of two things will occur:

1) If the server is not configured for HTTP download, the game server will use the normal "trickle" download mechanism

2) If the server is configured for HTTP downloading, the player will see an enhanced download dialog, and much faster downloads.
While this content is downloading, they are not connected to the game
server. Once the download finishes, they are automatically reconnected to the game server, and ready to play.


CONFIGURING YOUR SERVER TO USE FAST HTTP ASSET DOWNLOADING
----------------------------------------------------------

1) Make a list of all the custom files (bsp, wav, mdl, etc) used on your server

2) Put these files on a HTTP server (ie: webserver), keeping the folder layout intact

3) OPTIONAL: To display a "banner image" to players that download content, place a 340x56 pixel image in the file {custom content directory}/gfx/banner.gif

4) Set the sv_downloadurl cvar to "http://yourserver/custom_content_directory/"


Example:

Your server uses the non-standard map "de_generic", which requires the following files:

Code Select Expand

C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamCache\your@email.address\Counter-Strike\cstrike\maps\de_generic.map
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamCache\your@email.address\Counter-Strike\cstrike\de_generic.wad
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamCache\your@email.address\Counter-Strike\cstrike\sound\ambience\de_generic_a.wav
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamCache\your@email.address\Counter-Strike\cstrike\sound\ambience\de_generic_b.wav
C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamCache\your@email.address\Counter-Strike\cstrike\sound\ambience\de_generic_c.wav
You have web space (perhaps through your ISP) with the URL "http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt" that you will use to host your custom content.

To do this, you copy the files needed for "de_generic" to your webspace, placing them in a folder called "my_cstrike" in your webspace top-level directory, keeping their directory layout intact.

You now have the following files in your webspace:

Code Select Expand

http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/maps/de_generic.map
http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/de_generic.wad
http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/sound/ambience/de_generic_a.wav
http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/sound/ambience/de_generic_b.wav
http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/sound/ambience/de_generic_c.wav

For a banner, you will have the file:

Code Select Expand

http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/gfx/banner.gif
You now set the "sv_downloadurl" cvar on your game server to :

Code Select Expand

"http://www.turtlerockstudios.com/~matt/my_cstrike/"Now, players who connect to your server will automatically download the map "de_generic" and its required files from your webspace when they connect (unless they already have it, of course).


TECHNICAL DETAILS
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* The maximum length of the sv_downloadurl is 127 characters

* A username and password can be specified for the HTTP server by embedding them in the sv_downloadurl like so:

Code Select Expand

http://username:password@www.somewhere.com/( Note - recent IE patches make disable this functionality )

* If a connecting player has an existing file of the same name, it will not be overwritten. The download file will be skipped.

* Certain game-crtical and/or dangerous files cannot be downloaded (ie: *.exe, *.vbs, etc)
[/b]

Apologies if this is old news.... but IMO its the most significant thing to happen to CS for quite a while. Custom maps will no longer clear servers out within 5 seconds just because half of the people havent downloaded it yet.

[Edit : for clarity, the forum software keeps messing with the display of the URLS  :angry: ]

[Anonymous]

Nice find DB. Appreciate you passing on the info. Cheers

[Dr Sadako]

Top post with good info. Thanks a lot. :thumbsup:

[TeaLeaf]

muchos thanx

TL.

[OldBloke]

Good info ... and now implemented on both MeatHook and Homer.

Cheers m8.  

[Anonymous]

...and very impressive it was too

[Zok]

:withstupid:

[Anonymous]

Thats 2 people who have said that tonite. I'll get a complex