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What's your dedicated server architecture?

  • #1
  • First Post: May 25, 2007 2:52am May 25, 2007 2:52am
I am in the process of setting up my EA on a dedicated server.

Looks like I am bound to Windows with MT4.

So now I have to pick an MT4 broker. Any opinions here?


For my server, I am looking at data warehouses in California. Calpop and Coloserve are on my list....

What do you seasoned guys use? AlwaysUp? How about monitoring software?

I'd sure appreciate any help you (Piccolo, Skyline, Tesla, etc...) can offer.

Thanks.
  • #2
  • May 25, 2007 5:37am May 25, 2007 5:37am
I have my servers at the office, a 100Mbit/s fiber and a backup link. some UPS and a diesel generator, hehe. Sounds scary but its not mine, I just use my employers infrastructure.

Maybe check out this hoster: http://www.voxel.net but they are not in California.

If you put windows 2003 R2 server on then you can have multiple accounts for yourself doing various tasks and even maybe offer MT4 hosting as business? hehe

having your live mt4 account at an ISPs site is the way to go.
  • #3
  • May 25, 2007 7:06am May 25, 2007 7:06am
I'm wanting Oanda for it's low spreads.... too bad the API is $600/month.

What are they thinking??? Their clients are smalltime traders like me and you, any large firm would do an ECN before using a broker.... Strange that they would deter traders like that.

The idea is to automate the MT4 signals to Oanda through a macro recorder.

Any idea, guys? I want the best of both worlds.... Automated signals that MT4 gives along with tiny spreads over at Oanda.
  • #4
  • May 25, 2007 9:42am May 25, 2007 9:42am
Quoting tdion
I'm wanting Oanda for it's low spreads.... too bad the API is $600/month.

What are they thinking??? Their clients are smalltime traders like me and you, any large firm would do an ECN before using a broker.... Strange that they would deter traders like that.

The idea is to automate the MT4 signals to Oanda through a macro recorder.

Any idea, guys? I want the best of both worlds.... Automated signals that MT4 gives along with tiny spreads over at Oanda.
the cost for oanda decreases with the volume traded.
doesn't efx/mbtrading offer a free API trading? they are an ECN and require only $400 to open an account. maybe someone who is using them can explain more.
  • #5
  • May 25, 2007 10:35am May 25, 2007 10:35am
Rackspace: $390/month is their entry level server... a little to steep for my blood.

I've found ServerPronto.com to offer Windows 2003 w/ 24/7 software/hardware monitoring for under $80/month.
  • #6
  • May 25, 2007 10:40am May 25, 2007 10:40am
Just buy a cheap dell for $400, UPS and get a backup internet line. It will be cheaper if you don't have problems managing your own server (that is, your dog won't eat into it etc).
  • #7
  • May 25, 2007 11:15am May 25, 2007 11:15am
What if it goes down while I'm out? At least a monitor can text me or email at the time of failure.

A UPS won't last too long either.

Extra internet + internet + power, etc... well over $100/month

Hosting seems more practical.
  • #8
  • May 25, 2007 11:18am May 25, 2007 11:18am
alternative could be a dual wan setup at your main premise.
what benefit(s) do you hope to obtain?
are you auto-trading unattended accounts?
  • #9
  • May 25, 2007 11:38am May 25, 2007 11:38am
I will trade my own money, and maybe other's too....

I have considered a pair of panasonic toughbooks with two seperate cellphone carriers.... I would constantly have to charge them up though, but it's an idea. I also considered running the cell phone version of MT4 on two pocket PC's....

This isn't as cost effective as a data warehouse though. At least there is 24/7 support at the data warehouse.
  • #10
  • May 25, 2007 11:40am May 25, 2007 11:40am
yeah, it would be nice to get the oanda api... apparently
there is considerable resources required to support
the API people , so thats why its not free.
  • #11
  • May 25, 2007 6:31pm May 25, 2007 6:31pm
Quoting tdion
I will trade my own money, and maybe other's too....

I have considered a pair of panasonic toughbooks with two seperate cellphone carriers.... I would constantly have to charge them up though, but it's an idea. I also considered running the cell phone version of MT4 on two pocket PC's....

This isn't as cost effective as a data warehouse though. At least there is 24/7 support at the data warehouse.
the problem is switching between the connections. it has to happen in real time.

80$ sounds good. in that voxrox thingie I could set up a virtual box for 120$ or so. 80 is cheaper.

just whenever I am online with my laptop I login via remote desktop into my server and check status, charts etc.

I saw a guy on a forum who bought a server with 4 quad cores in it just to find out that MT4 is not multi threaded and optimization only works on one core.
  • #12
  • May 25, 2007 7:09pm May 25, 2007 7:09pm
i'm using windows server on layeredtech.com
  • #13
  • May 25, 2007 7:16pm May 25, 2007 7:16pm
Quoting piccolo
the problem is switching between the connections. it has to happen in real time.

80$ sounds good. in that voxrox thingie I could set up a virtual box for 120$ or so. 80 is cheaper.

just whenever I am online with my laptop I login via remote desktop into my server and check status, charts etc.

I saw a guy on a forum who bought a server with 4 quad cores in it just to find out that MT4 is not multi threaded and optimization only works on one core.
4 quad cores?? Dang talk about overkill. If you code your EA right, the optimization goes quickly. I optimize mine with over 100 trillion possible combinations, over 4 months and it just takes me 30 minutes, and I just have a basic 2 ghz dell laptop. The secret is to develop a strategy that just looks at the last close, which all system should do since tick data in metatrader is bs.
  • #14
  • May 25, 2007 8:55pm May 25, 2007 8:55pm
long time ago i trade with locale broker, when they open my MT4 account in their office, and i open the same account at home, we both trade the same account at the same time....
not long before confusion begins and bancrupted.
  • #15
  • May 26, 2007 2:43am May 26, 2007 2:43am
Thanks for the replies guys.

Aicccia close only doesn't give highs and lows.... guess your strategy didn't require them?

Quoting aicccia
The secret is to develop a strategy that just looks at the last close, which all system should do since tick data in metatrader is bs.
  • #16
  • May 26, 2007 9:51am May 26, 2007 9:51am
Hi,

I am using Virtual Private Server with WinXP. I know this configuration is not usually as most VPS use Win2003 operating systems. I have got this specially arranged thanks to my friend working at an IT company.

I use VPS to test my software projects relating to MT3 and MT4 (robot trading software with multiple MT3 accounts, MT4 multiple terminal Launcher).

With this VPS and WinXP, I think up to 20 MT4 terminals can be opened, however their total CPU is basically 10% with peaks around 60-80%.

So, this VPS is great for beginning FX robot programmers.

Jeff
For hiring me to program EA's, please PM me.
  • #17
  • May 26, 2007 9:51am May 26, 2007 9:51am
Quoting aicccia
4 quad cores?? Dang talk about overkill. If you code your EA right, the optimization goes quickly. I optimize mine with over 100 trillion possible combinations, over 4 months and it just takes me 30 minutes, and I just have a basic 2 ghz dell laptop. The secret is to develop a strategy that just looks at the last close, which all system should do since tick data in metatrader is bs.
well, there is the genetic thingy in MT4. remove the checkbox and it will do the actual trillion combinations and you will grow your beard even tho you just use last close.

but it does pretty much depend on the system and what you are looking to accomplish. cpu power will make you only curve fit faster, hehe.

and if the guy can buy 4 quad core box for testing then he must be doing something right, too.

in the end its all relative. all I know it is better to put your money in an account and trade than invest in hardware.
  • #18
  • Edited 5:53pm May 26, 2007 1:32pm | Edited 5:53pm
Quoting tdion
Thanks for the replies guys.

Aicccia close only doesn't give highs and lows.... guess your strategy didn't require them?
okay so maybe that will slow the optimization some, but one thing that always speeds it up is make sure you access indicator data as infrequently as possible. In my example, I only look at the last close so instead of all the indicators getting their data every tick, they only get it on the last close. This is done by defining all the indicator values in a function above Start(I call my function OpenPrefetch), and then using code like this:
after the start
Inserted Code
if((OTFTime!=iTime(Symbol(),OpenTF,1))) 
         { 
         OpenPrefetch();
         OTFTime=iTime(Symbol(),OpenTF,1);
         }
If you're optimizing on every tick, you'll see huge increases in optimization speed if you only update the indicator values when you need to. I believe I saw a 500% increase in optimization speed on my EA when I arranged my EA this way.
  • #19
  • Last Post: May 26, 2007 4:24pm May 26, 2007 4:24pm
Quoting aicccia
okay so maybe that will slow the optimization some, but one thing that always speeds it up is make sure you access indicator data as infrequently as possible. In my example, I only look at the last close so instead of all the indicators getting their data every tick, they only get it on the last close. This is done by defining all the indicator values in a function above Start(I call my function OpenPrefetch), and then using code like this:
after the start
Inserted Code
if((OTFTime!=iTime(Symbol(),OpenTF,1))) 
         { 
         OpenPrefetch();
         OTFTime=iTime(Symbol(),OpenTF,1);
         }
If you're optimizing on every tick, you'll see huge increases in optimization speed if you only update the indicator values when you need to. I believe I saw a 500% increases in speed on my EA when I arranged my EA this way.
good point.
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