Account
You need a zeuz account to use zeuz orchestration and online services. Every account contains one or more projects and is linked to one or more developers.
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Active payload
A payload that is currently running. Reserved and unreserved payloads are both types of active payloads.
Allocation
An allocation is a set of rules used by the zeuz scaler to determine how to scale up and down by adding or removing bare-metal machines or cloud servers. These rules include the hardware configuration, payload and scaling to run your game, as well as the geographic regions to which the rules apply. To set up an allocation use the zeuz control panel.
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Bare-metal machine
A computer that executes instructions directly on logic hardware without an intervening operation system.
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Bare-metal server
A bare-metal server is a physical server that is dedicated to a single tenant, and runs on a bare-metal machine.
Cloud server
A cloud server is a hosted, and usually virtual, server that is accessed by users over a network. Cloud servers usually provide the same functionality and support the same operating systems and applications as physical servers that run in a local data center.
Hybrid Cloud works with these cloud providers:
Developer
A zeuz control panel user. Developers can access all projects created in an account, and can access the APIs.
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Docker
Docker is the third-party service we use to create a container of your game server. A container is a standalone, executable package of software and it includes everything you need to run your game server. We take the game server image you give us and put it into a Docker container.
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Environment
You use an environment to group a number of allocations together so that you have a consistent configuration and payload for use with a structured release management process. You can create a number of environments for your project. Usually you use this to configure each environment for a different stage of the development process, for example development, testing or staging.
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Free payload capacity
The number of container spaces that are available to spawn payloads instantly for an allocation. The scaler can automatically assign bare-metal machines or cloud servers from your pool to make this number of container spaces available.
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Game server
The server software that computes your game world.
zeuz uses an image of your game server executable code and its dependencies (the system libraries, tools, and files which the server code requires to run) to create a Docker container. zeuz then uses this Docker container in a payload to run your game’s server software on server hardware. (The server hardware is either on bare-metal machines, or on cloud servers, or a combination of the two using Hybrid Cloud.)
Game server image
A game server image is also referred to as:
- an image
- a server image
- a game image
A game server image is a package that contains all the files needed to run your game server. zeuz needs an image of your game server to use in a payload on bare-metal machines or on a cloud server. zeuz takes the game server image you upload and puts it into a Docker container.
The image includes details of your game’s executable (binary) file and the settings to use during your payload’s deployment.
Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid Cloud allows you to configure your allocations to use payloads on cloud servers in addition to bare-metal machines. The scaler selects bare-metal machines over cloud servers until no more are available, then it selects cloud servers for subsequent payloads.
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Image
See game server image.
Machine scaling
The scaler uses the free payload capacity to determine when to add or remove bare-metal machines or cloud servers from an allocation. This is called “machine scaling”.
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Manager
A zeuz control panel user with administrator rights. Managers have similar access to Developers (access all projects created in an account, and access the APIs). In addition, managers can also invite new developers, revoke access and edit developer account information.
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Matchmaking
The zeuz matchmaking service allows you to configure rules for matchmaking in your game for whole teams or individual players. Matchmaking is connected to zeuz orchestration so that there is spare game server capacity that is ready for when a new game server is needed for your game.
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Omnibus package
The complete zeuz SDK, containing all components and the API Reference documentation. The Omnibus package includes source code and precompiled binaries for all major operating systems (Windows, macOS and Linux). It also includes an Unreal Engine plugin and a Unity package, with an example Unity Scene to demonstrate a zeuz API.
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Online services
A number of online services for use with your game. These include online features for a game lobby, matchmaking, authentication and user profiles.
Orchestration
Orchestration is the configuration of your game's hosting on bare-metal machines, cloud servers, or Hybrid Cloud. You do this via the zeuz control panel where you set up hosting allocations based on scaling rules. Use zeuz orchestration to allocate bare-metal machines or cloud servers to your game, and set the rules for when they are added or removed.
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Payload
A payload defines an instance of your game server’s software that runs as a containerized service. zeuz creates the payload using:
- An image of your game’s server-side executable and
- the commands that describe how to run it.
zeuz uses Docker to create a container from your game server image. You create the payload definition for each allocation in the zeuz control panel.
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Reserved payload
Payload definition
You define a payload as part of creating an allocation. The payload definition includes the image of the game server you want to use for that allocation, along with commands and settings you want to use to run the game server.
Payload quota
The resources you need for a single payload. The payload quota includes the core count, memory, storage, IO bandwidth and internet bandwidth requirements for a single payload.
The scaler uses the payload quota to determine how many payloads can run on each bare-metal machine or cloud server.
Payload runner
The software that zeuz puts in the Docker container to start the game server. The payload runner also monitors the status of the game server to see if it has started or not.
Payload scaling
The scaler uses the payload quota to determine when to add or remove bare-metal machines or cloud servers from an allocation. This is called “payload scaling”.
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Project
You must create a zeuz project for each game title you want to use zeuz hosting, orchestration, or online services with. To do this, in the zeuz control panel, you enter a title and description when you first create a project. An account can contain one or more projects and each project can contain one or more environments.
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Region
The geographic area in which your zeuz allocation’s server hardware (bare-metal machines and cloud servers) resides. Regions are: US, Asia, Australia, Australia (GCP-N1), Europe, Russia, US-East, US-Mid, US-West, South America. You specify regions when you define an allocation.
Reserved payload
An active payload that is connected to players and is running a game. A reserved payload is listed as an active payload in the zeuz control panel.
A reserved payload is different to an unreserved payload which is used to create spare game server capacity that is ready for when a new game server is needed for your game.
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Scaling
There are two methods used to determine when to add or remove bare-metal machines or cloud servers from an allocation:
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Scalability
A system's ability to add and remove resources in line with increasing and decreasing workloads.
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Scaler
The scaler uses your settings to allocate bare-metal machines or cloud servers, to your game’s hosting provision, and add or remove them as the game server workload changes. You edit the scaler settings in the zeuz control panel. The settings include scaling rules and hardware configuration requirements that determine how many payloads run on a bare-metal machine or cloud server.
When a payload is about to start, if none of the server hardware currently running the game has enough capacity to run the new payload, the scaler runs it on a new bare-metal machine or cloud server. The scaler selects bare-metal machines over cloud servers where possible.
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Unreserved payload
An active payload that is not connected to players. Unreserved payloads are started by the scaler so that there is spare game server capacity that is ready for when a new game server is needed for your game. You set the number of unreserved payloads for an allocation in the zeuz control panel.
Note: When a payload starts up, it is listed as an active payload in the zeuz control panel; an active payload might be a reserved payload, which is connected to players or it might be an unreserved payload which is not connected to players. The Docker container of an unreserved payload might be: downloading the game server image, starting up the game server, or waiting, ready to connect to players.
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ZCP
See zeuz control panel.
zeuz control panel
The zeuz control panel (also known as ZCP) is a web-based tool which you use to orchestrate (manage, configure, and scale) server hosting environments for computer game worlds which are known as projects. The zeuz control panel has two user levels developer and manager. You can access the zeuz control panel at https://zcp.zeuz.io/.
zeuz mini
A limited version of zeuz online services which you can run locally on your development machine for testing and development purposes. Part of the zeuz SDK Omnibus package.
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zeuz tool
A utility that allows you to use the command-line and APIs to perform a number of operations with game server images and create a user for your game.
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Updated about 9 hours ago