Minecraft isn’t a particularly hardware-intensive game. However, if you’re looking to run your own server there are some important points to consider. RAM is the first hurdle you'll encounter. This means that for every four to five users who are using your server, you will need around 1GB of RAM. Your primary roadblock will be your Internet connection. Your first stop: CanIHostaMinecraftServer.com. Enter your connection speed, as well as the RAM of your server machine, to find out how many people you can support simultaneously. If that number is a bit low, consider renting space on a dedicated Minecraft server-or having fewer friends. There are many servers hosts to choose. A quick Google search will help you get started. But before you choose one, you should have a clear idea of how many players you're likely to have on your server, and how much money you're 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. The server.jar file can be downloaded from the same page if you intend to run it on a Mac or Linux. (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 from Windows. It will immediately start creating a world and populating the world with critters. The Mac/Linux option will require a little more effort. For either platform, ensure you have the latest Java version installed. minecraft That task will be handled by Macs via software upgrade. Java's Download Page can be used to download the appropriate Java 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. Skip to the section appropriate for your system. Windows users can skip straight to Getting Your Friends Inside. Linux Users Open the terminal in Linux. You will find the instructions in different distributions, but they are most likely found under Accessories in the Applications menu. 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 assign 1GB of RAM to your server. 1GB is the limit if you are using Java 32-bit. If you're using a 64-bit version of Java, you can replace '1024M' with however many megabytes of memory you'd like to assign. For example, you can specify 2048M for 2GB, 4096M for 4GB, etc. Mac Users Open TextEdit on a Mac and copy or 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). Select Make Plain Text in the Format Menu. Then save the file as begin.command and move it into the server folder. 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, and your server will start up. Getting your friends in Everyone who wants to participate must select the Multiplayer option 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 on the exact same network, they will be able to connect by typing localhost into their server address bar. To allow friends to connect remotely, they will need to know your external IP address. Enter What is mine IP address into Google to see the information you need in a box just above the results. Sharing your single-player world of single-player 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. First, find the world that you created solo. Click the Start button in Windows. Type %appdata% (without quotation marks, but with spaces fore-and-aft) into the search box. Press Enter. The '.minecraft folder should be 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, find the line that reads levelname=world and change the name to your own world. When you fire up your server again, your creation will be available to all who have access to it to play on.
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