OpenSim server: Part 2, where to put it?

Even if you right now only are interested in running a server at home for your own use, it might be wise to plan for that moment when you want to connect your Sim to some grid out in the real world. So start by looking at this table of some of the grids supporting the OpenSim servers: http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Grid_List

For me it was obvious to select the biggest one and that is currently OSgrid. The next step is to figure out were on the grid you want your sims to be placed. As long as your selected place is vacant it is totally up to you to find a good spot. For me it was important to find a place with surounding water and and some active neighbors. You can start by looking at the quickmap: http://quickmap.osgrid.org/

Here you can quickly see the layout of the regions and where there might be attractive spots for you. Just hold your mouse still and you will get the coordinates for the different spots. It is wise to also take the name and coordinates to a neighbouring sim that is inhabited already. As many sims are on private computers they might not be online all the time, so if that is important to you it is a good idea to log into the world and use the world map to teleport to that area and see if the regions are online and if they looks like something you would like to have as a neighbor…   ;o)

You can also have a look at a more detailed and zoomable map at: http://www.osgrid.org/index.php/gridmap

It works the same way, just hold your mouse still and you get the names and coordinates of the sims. Don’t miss the search function at the bottom left as you can search for a region by coordinates or by name… really useful.

The last tip for finding your perfect spot on the OSGrid is to use their suggestion service at http://www.osgrid.org/index.php/opencoordinates

It shows you how many neighbouring regions there are and the names of those, so you can go and have a look in world. Just use the world map in world and tp to one of those neighbors.

Now that you have decided for the optimal place for your sim, write down the X and Y coordinates (in that order) and give your region to come a good name. Hmmm one more thing….   lol. Your name has to be unique, so go to: http://www.osgrid.org/index.php/regionlist and do a normal search on that page to see if your name is free to use.