The blind leading the stupid. A game server runs no more faster under Linux than Windows, and there's a LOT of drawbacks and headaches involved with trying to do it under linux (on an SSH command line remotely, more than likely, if you're renting a VPS).
I've been running BF2 and BF2142 game servers for 6 years, and I've used both Linux and Windows. With Linux, it can be done, but you're going to have a lot of headaches. Windows blows Linux out of the water as a game server platform, because you can Remote Desktop easily into your server, and check on your game processes... mod files... copy files, edit files... everything. Linux, its a total pain to do this on the command line, and a total headache using Xwindows.through Xming, or VNC.
Whatever OS system your game client was designed to run on the year it was released, is going to be the best OS to run your server on as well. Usually this is XP behind a router NAT firewall with port forwarding. Windows Server 2003/2008 will work as well and are more secure. You can host it at home, or rent a VPS. You'll find the Linux VPSs are cheaper than the Windows VPSs... but there's a reason... you have to be a good bash hacker writing scripts to write code to check on your server and restart it when it dies. And it will. Often. Your game server will die like 2-10 times a day. You need a script running that will watch it like a hawk and automatically relaunch it when it does.
Under Windows you can do this easily with Process Lasso or the bundled game process watcher that sometimes comes with the game server (i.e. BF2launcher).
You can also try to run your game server on Micro or TinyXP for a smaller memory and disk footprint (useful if you're running it on an SSD drive, which is a very good idea)... but I found no particular advantage beyond those two reasons. They are rather crippled versions of Windows (because they've been stripped down) which can lead to problems later when you need to install some piece of software that depended on something that has been removed from those distros.
If you are hell bent on running a game server under Linux, check my script here and fiddle fart with it... to modify and use to launch and relaunch your game server process when it dies:
CHOPPERGIRL's AIRWAR
Again, let me save you a couple of months of headaches... go with Windows. I've worked with and installed just about every version of Windows and Linux known to man... and after running game servers remotely using both, Windows smokes Linux all to hell for ease of remote maintenance of your game server, which is going to be a big issue if you fiddle and tweak with your mods *a lot*.
Be sure to use Process Lasso to set your game server process to high under Windows, or under Linux (yuk), nice it to a high priority value (but not too high). Don't go real time or highest priority on either. Search your process list for other processes started under your user name or unused services (stuff like GoogleUpdateServices or jucheck.exe or spoolv.exe... and kill them or lower their process to Low (Idle). It's not terribly important to do so... but if your CPU should ever hit 100% because you set max players too high... it will... at 100%... ignore those processes marked Low for the duration, until some free cycles are again available.
More important than anything else, make sure to get your max players setting right through lots of testing. You never want to exceed your max upper bandwidth, or CPU... or both can't keep up moving the packets out, with the ones coming in, and something will have to give... and the game server will (if its smart) try to degrade things nicely and drop packets for fast moving stuff (gunships, planes) and you'll start to see lag. Also, keep in mind, on servers like 2142, if you move the Titan, CPU usage goes up as well. For under 32 players, guestimate about 13K/s needed per player... i.e. a 24 player server would need about 320k/s. As the number of players goes up, this amount increases.. per player... exponentially.
Quantity does not beget Quality. Don't be fooled. The best game experience is between 16-32 players. For me, anything over 24 players, and there's just too many bloody people... things become pointless and impersonal... and its no fun anymore. 16 awesome to medium decent players on a server, smoke a 64 player server full of idiots any day of the week for fun and game experience.
Your mileage may vary, but again... 6 years of experience running game servers and modding on the bare metal...
Top tip: Invest in at least a 40gb SSD drive for your game server box, a copy of Edit Plus (for editing tweak/con/py files, a copy of Process Lasso, and maybe a copy of BuzOf... and learn how to enable and use Windows Remote Desktop You'll be glad you did. A P4 3200 can run about a 24 player server. An old dual core AMD 3200X2 can run about 24-32 players. An i7... can run four BF game servers at once or more, assuming you have that many IPs. BF2/BF2142 are multithreaded, so they will sort of spread their load across cores (though not always flatly).
If instead of running your game server on your own box at home, you rent a server from a game server company, forget getting one with a CPanel or Control panel... and pass them by. You won't be able to see a desktop or get at anything, without sweet talking the server admin... so installing custom mods is out of the question, or requires his intervention. Instead, rent a Windows VPS, and zip your entire game server directory, and upload your files using Filezilla Client and Filezilla Server. With Windows Desktop, it will be like you're right on the keyboard and desktop of that computer, and you can unzip it, double click your game server, and run it, and SEE THAT IT IS RUNNING (or any error message boxes that pop up). With limited CPANEL access, you're totally in the dark. Avoid gameserver companies that rent game servers pre installed that use CPANEL like this... and instead, rent a Windows VPS (spend the extra money rather than getting a Linux VPS). You'll be glad you did.
CHOPPERGIRL
CHOPPERGIRL's AIRWAR
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