Virtual servers are the ideal hosts for minecraft servers. Setting up a Minecraft server is simple, but there are a few requirements you must double-check:
+ Xen-based VPS. Due to differences in how Java works with OpenVZ and Xen, a Xen server is recommended for best performance.
+ At least 1gb of RAM. Less will work for a small server, but 1gb or more is recommended.
+ CentOS operating system installed.
On to the Minecraft server setup:
1. Start by installing Java-JDK:
yum install java-1.6.0-openjdk
2. Check if Java was installed:
which java
The following will be displayed if it was properly installed:
/usr/bin/java
3. Switch to the root directory, if you’re not there already:
cd
4. Create a directory for Minecraft:
mkdir Minecraft
5. Enter the directory:
cd Minecraft
6. Download Minecraft:
wget http://minecraft.net/download/minecraft_server.jar
7. CHMOD the Minecraft .jar like so:
chmod +x minecraft_server.jar
8. Minecraft is now installed. You’ll now need to install “screen” to keep the Minecraft server running after the SSH session is closed.
yum install screen
9. Use the screen and run Minecraft. Enter screen:
screen
10. Start up Minecraft (you can edit the 1024M value to match your server’s RAM):
java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui
To get back to the normal screen, press these keys: Control+A+D
To get back to the screen where Minecraft is running:
screen -r
You should now be off and running with a fully functional Minecraft server!
