Provisioning On-line Games: A Traffic Analysis of a Busy Counter-Strike Server

DMCA

Provisioning On-line Games: A Traffic Analysis of a Busy Counter-Strike Server (2002)

Cached

Download Links

Other Repositories/Bibliography

DBLP

by Wu-chang Feng , Francis Chang , Wu-chi Feng , Jonathan Walpole

Venue:	in Internet Measurement Workshop
Citations:	87 - 12 self

BibTeX

@INPROCEEDINGS{Feng02provisioningon-line,
    author = {Wu-chang Feng and Francis Chang and Wu-chi Feng and Jonathan Walpole},
    title = {Provisioning On-line Games: A Traffic Analysis of a Busy Counter-Strike Server},
    booktitle = {in Internet Measurement Workshop},
    year = {2002},
    pages = {151--156}
}

OpenURL

Abstract

This paper describes the results of a 500 million packet trace of a popular on-line, multi-player, game server. The results show that the traffic behavior of this heavily loaded game server is highly predictable and can be attributed to the fact that current game designs target the saturation of the narrowest, last-mile link. Specifically, in order to maximize the interactivity of the game itself and to provide relatively uniform experiences between players playing over different network speeds, on-line games typically fix their usage requirements in such a way as to saturate the network link of their lowest speed players. While the traffic observed is highly predictable, the trace also indicates that these on-line games provide significant challenges to current network infrastructure. As a result of synchronous game logic requiring an extreme amount of interactivity, a close look at the trace reveals the presence of large, highly periodic, bursts of small packets. With such stringent demands on interactivity, routers must be designed with enough capacity to quickly route such bursts without delay. As current routers are designed for bulk data transfers with larger packets, a significant, concentrated deployment of on-line game servers will have the potential for overwhelming current networking equipment.

Keyphrases

on-line game busy counter-strike server traffic analysis concentrated deployment popular on-line current networking equipment close look speed player usage requirement uniform experience significant challenge on-line game server current game design current router different network speed synchronous game logic network link game server enough capacity extreme amount stringent demand current network infrastructure loaded game server packet trace last-mile link small packet traffic behavior bulk data transfer

DMCA