How To Start Your Own Minecraft Server

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Minecraft isn't very hardware-intensive, but it's important to remember some key points if you want to host your own server. RAM is the first thing you'll encounter. You'll need approximately 1GB RAM for each four to five people who will be using your server. Your primary roadblock will be your Internet connection.



Your first stop: CanIHostaMinecraftServer.com. Enter your connection speed and the amount of RAM inside your prospective server machine, and this website will let you know how many players you can expect to support simultaneously. If that number is a bit low, consider renting space on a dedicated Minecraft server-or having fewer friends.



There are many server hosts that you can choose from. A quick Google search will help you get started. Before you decide on one, however, you need to know how many players your server will have and how much money you are willing to spend.



If you'll be hosting only a few friends, you can run a Minecraft server on your own hardware; the process is fairly simple. If you plan to install your server on a Windows machine, head over to the Minecraft downloads page and grab the executable. Download the server.jar file from the same webpage if you plan to run your server on a Mac, Linux or Windows machine. (Note: If you plan to run this in Ubuntu, use the Windows server download link.)



Whether you're running on Windows or Mac/Linux, dump the file you've downloaded into its own folder, as it creates a few configuration files of its own when running. Double-click the executable in Windows. It'll immediately set to work creating a world and populating it with critters.



It takes a little more work to use the Mac/Linux option. You must ensure that Java is up-to-date on both platforms. That task will be handled by Macs via software upgrade. On Linux, go to Java's download page and grab the appropriate version for your distribution.



Once you've installed the latest version of Java, you'll need to tell the Minecraft server how much memory to allocate to the server. Soundz promising You can skip to the section that applies to your system. Windows users can jump to "Getting Your Friends in"



Linux Users



Open the terminal in Linux. Instructions will vary depending on the distribution. However, you'll likely find them in the Applications menu under Accessories. Navigate to your Minecraft server folder (cd NAME OF YOUR FOLDER), and type the following command:



java -Xms1024M -Xmx1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui



This will give your server 1GB of RAM. 1GB is the limit if Java is 32-bit. If you're running 64-bit Java you can replace "1024M", with however many megabytes, that you'd like to allocate. You can, for example, specify 2048M in order to allocate 2GB or 4096M in order to allocate 4GB.



Mac Users



If you're on a Mac, open the TextEdit application, and type (or copy and paste) the following lines of code.



exec java -Xmx1G -Xms1G -jar minecraft_server.jar



Allocate as much memory as you'd like by changing '1G' to the number of gigabytes you'd like to set aside (2G for 2GB, 4G for 4GB, and so on).



In the Format Menu, choose Make Plain Text. Save the file to start.command and then move it to your server directory. Next, go to the Terminal. Type chmod +x and drag the start.command file into the Terminal. It will grant the file appropriate permissions. Finally, double-click "Start.command" to activate your server.



Invite your friends to join you



All players who wish to participate must select Multiplayer on Minecraft's main Menu. To instruct Minecraft to remember details, players can choose between Direct Connect (for a temporary visitor) or Add Server (for permanent connection). If everyone is connected to the same network they can connect by simply typing localhost in the server address bar. If friends want to connect remotely, you'll need to figure out your external IP address. Simply type "What is my IP Address" into Google. The box will appear above the results.



Sharing your single-player world with friends



In your Minecraft server folder, look for the file named 'server.properties' and open it with your favorite text editor. The Minecraft Wiki provides an extensive guide to configuring your Minecraft server. This article will focus on how to transfer a world that you have been playing on to the Minecraft server you just created.



The first step is to find the world you created while playing solo. In Windows, click the Start button, and type " %appdata% " (without quotation marks but with spaces fore and aft) and press Enter. The.minecraft> folder should be located at the top. Your world will be in the Saves folder; copy that folder into the folder that contains your Minecraft server. In the 'server.properties' file, look for the line that reads 'levelname=world' and change 'world' to the name of your own world. Your creation will be available for anyone who has access to your server the next time you fire it up.