Buffers
Note: The content on this page pertains to Managed Game Server Hosting (Clanforge). If you’re using Game Server Hosting (Multiplay), refer to the Game Server Hosting (Multiplay) documentation.
Buffers are predefined numbers of game server slots to keep in a specific state. They serve as an indicator to the reactive scaling system to scale up or scale down. There are two types of buffers: an Available servers buffer and an Offline servers buffer.
Available servers buffer
An available servers buffer is a predefined number of online, unallocated (available) game server slots that must exist in a fleet or fleet region. If the number of available server slots goes below or above the buffer value, it serves as a signal for the reactive scaler to increase or decrease (respectively) the number of available server slots by adjusting the number of active cloud instances. Game Server Hosting calculates the number of available server slots by subtracting the allocated server capacity from the total online server capacity.
Each fleet has a target available servers buffer, which is the number of servers that the fleet should have available for new players at any point. Each fleet region within a fleet can inherit its fleet’s available servers buffer or specify a different value that applies only to the specific region. For example, a fleet might have a target buffer of 120 game servers, and a region within the fleet might have a target buffer of 60 game servers. Refer to Fleet scaling settings.
Game Server Hosting tracks the number of available game servers within a fleet or fleet region and compares that number against the target buffer. As you allocate game servers in the buffer and the number of available game servers decreases, Game Server Hosting scales up the fleet or fleet region’s capacity to sustain the target buffer. If the number of available game servers exceeds the target buffer, Game Server Hosting scales down the fleet or fleet region’s capacity.
Note: Game Server Hosting aims to match the number of available game servers to the target buffer. However, Game Server Hosting can only scale the number of game servers up or down in groups equal to the fleet’s server density.
Offline servers buffer
An offline servers buffer is a predefined number of offline servers on a warm machine that must exist in a fleet or fleet region. The reactive scaling system keeps the target number of offline servers by comparing the current number of offline servers to the target number of offline servers before it deletes machines that have exceeded their shutdown TTL (time to live).