RPGamers Network - How To Become a Mirror Server

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How To Become an RPGN Mirror Server

Many people inquire about the requirements of becoming an RPGN Mirror Server, and hopefully this will help answer those questions. First, you must understand the purpose of a mirror server. Our goal is to help share the wonderful world of game music with as many people as possible. To do so however, requires a lot of bandwidth, and can be quite costly. Instead of putting all of our music into one server, we have a team of volenteers who offer their bandwidth, servers and assistance to help our network. We have a few basic guidelines, which you should be sure you are willing to agree with, before considering joining...

Sharing - All of our servers are no ratio. What this means, is that the user does not have to upload anything to download. We do this to ensure that downloading from our site is as hassle-free as possible. Mirrors may put personal requests in their login messages, and ask people to upload, but they can never require it. If you do wish to accept uploads, I recommend creating a seperate 'upload' account, which can only access your uploads folder. This allows people to send you files even if your download slots are full.

Types of Files - We ask that the 'rpgamers' account on your server only contain any of the following items: Game Music, Game Music related materials, such as sheet music and remixes, FMVs, fan-made game music videos, Anime OSTs. We do not allow 'warez' (programs, games, etc) on our servers, and highly advise against normal MP3 songs which are licensed by the RIAA. People can find these songs in many other places, lets keep our focus on game music.

Internet Connection - As much as we appreciate the kind offers we have gotten from our dialup users, we only accept high-speed servers at this time. DSL, Cable and better lines are what we are goaling for. These lines usually start at around 15kb/sec upload, which is fine. Make sure when considering how many users to allow on at once, to consider your maximum upload speed. We recommend atleast 5kb/sec per slot you open.

Reliability - As many of our users will tell you, one of our main problems is the lack of uptime with our servers. We do not expect you to keep the server up 24 hours a day, but if you do plan to have it down for a lengthy amount of time, that you mention this on your mirror page. If you plan to have it open only during some hours of the day (for example, overnight), you should also mention this on your mirror page. Remember, some of our users come from various time zones, so be clear about which one you are in. If you for whatever reason can no longer be a server for us, please simply drop me an email, and I'll help you close your account. We thank all of our mirrors for their support over the years!

Perks of being a Mirror - Seem simple so far? Since you're still reading, I figure now is a good time to fill you in on some of the advantages of becoming a member of our community...

By becoming a mirror, we try to offer some things to you in return, like a thank you.
Custom DNS names are coming at some point. When they are in place, you will recieve your own DNS name for your server. This means instead of needing to show your IP, you will show something like "yourname.rpgamers.net". This feature is still in BETA stages, and not yet available.
Email addresses "@rpgamers.net" are available to mirrors, but are very limited. Currently we are limited to the number of accounts allowed, so the sooner you inquire, the more chance you'll get one, or be put on the waiting list for one.
Other mirrors tend to browse the mirrors, and help out with uploading of personal requests. This can mean priority in getting some of the music you are looking for.
If you use IRC, you are free to drop into #RPGN on irc.magicite.net (our very own server!). We hang out there, and as a mirror, theres a good chance you won't be kicked too many times during our kick wars ;)
You'll get to share game music with everyone, which is a nice feeling all around.
You'll be "RPGN" staff! Cool! :D

The Application Process - Well, thats pretty much it. Applying to become a mirror is just about as simple. All you need to do is drop an email over to admin[at]rpgamers.net and let me know you're interested. If you already have a server up, thats great, be sure to include connection information so I can poke around and have a look. We ask that the account on your server have the username "rpgamers" to show you are an official mirror. If you don't have a server setup yet, no problem. Drop on over to our forums or chatroom and one of our staff will be glad to help you out. If you have any questions feel free to contact me and inquire about anything regarding the mirror setup process.

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you a member of our community soon!

Locke Cole,
RPGamers Network Administrator
admin[at]rpgamers.net