Dedicated Server Basics
.You do not need to be a technical expert!

What is a "Dedicated Server" and can
I start my own server from home?
  
What do I need to get started and
how many players can I have?

The following pages should guide you through the basics.
Though this guide speaks of Medal of Honor, this can be applied to many
other games that run on the Quake engine, including Call of Duty

What is a Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server for MOHAA is simply one machine that is there to only serve other computers or players of the game.  A person would not play the game from the server, everyone would access the server from other computers only.   The machine is dedicated as a server only.

This is why when you host a game from within MOHAA, and you check the box marked "dedicated", the game launches and you only see the console displayed.   You cannot follow or join the game from the computer which is the server, you must join the server from another computer, through an internet connection or by a LAN Connection.

If you want to know how to host a game within MOHAA - Click Here

In the example below, the "Dedicated Server" is the black box connected to the internet.   If  you rent a server, or if your server is located in a different location from where you normally play,  you would have this type of connection, remotely setting up the server and controlling it.    You would connect to the internet, and join the game as you do any other server, but you could also log into the sever as the administrator.  

Can I start my own server from home?   YES!
You can launch your own "dedicated server" from your home today, as long as you have all of the necessary equipment and connections to allow for internet games or LAN games.   There are several factors to be considered before you jump into purchasing anything, so read on....

In this example below, the "Dedicated Server" is connected to the internet, but there is a LAN (Local Area Network) connection between the server and a local PC, which you would use to join games running on the server.    The game is launched in the server, and then you can join by LAN connection while others can join through the internet.    In a "LAN Party" all of the clients are connected to the dedicated server through LAN Connections, possibly without any connection to the Internet.

This is how I connect to my servers.

What do I need to get started and
how many players can I have?
Click Here