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Upgrading or Downgrading Your Rust Server

Complete guide to changing your server resources including RAM, CPU threads, storage, and location

OCNetworks Team
6 min read
Updated November 2025
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Complete Guide to Upgrading & Downgrading Rust Servers

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about changing your Rust server resources. Whether you need more power for additional players or want to optimize costs, OCNetworks makes it simple to adjust your server configuration.

Quick Overview

  • Instant Processing: Configuration changes applied within 5-10 minutes
  • Flexible Options: Change RAM, CPU threads, storage, or location independently
  • Prorated Billing: Only pay the difference for your remaining billing period
  • Zero Data Loss: All server files, mods, and configurations preserved
  • Automatic Backups: System creates backup before any changes

Prerequisites

Before upgrading or downgrading your Rust server:

  • Active Service: Your Rust server must be in active status (not suspended)
  • Client Area Access: Login credentials for billing.ocnetworks.co.uk
  • Payment Method: Valid payment method on file (for upgrades)
  • Server Notification: Inform your players about potential brief downtime

Step 1: Access Your Service

Navigate to Service Management

  1. Login to billing.ocnetworks.co.uk
  2. Click Services in the top navigation menu
  3. Select My Services from the dropdown
  4. Locate your Game Servers - Rust service
  5. Click on the service name to open the details page

Step 2: Navigate to Upgrade/Downgrade

Accessing Configuration Options

  1. From your service details page, locate the left sidebar
  2. Click the Actions dropdown menu
  3. Select Upgrade/Downgrade Options
  4. You'll be redirected to the configuration selection page

💡 Pro Tip: The upgrade/downgrade page shows your current configuration on the left and available options on the right for easy comparison.

Step 3: Select Your New Configuration

Available Upgrade Options

SERVER RAM

  • 4GB Starter: £-6.00 GBP - Best for 50-75 players, vanilla gameplay
  • 6GB Bronze: £-3.00 GBP - Supports 75-100 players, light mods
  • 8GB Silver: Standard tier - 100-150 players, moderate mods
  • 10GB Premium: £3.00 GBP - 150-200 players, extensive mods
  • 12GB Gold: £5.00 GBP - 200-250 players, heavy mod support
  • 16GB Platinum: £12.00 GBP - 250+ players, custom large maps

CPU THREADS

  • 2 CPU Threads - Entry level for small servers
  • 4 CPU Threads - Recommended for 100+ players
  • 6 CPU Threads - Optimal for heavily modded servers
  • 8 CPU Threads - Maximum performance for large communities

M.2 NVMe STORAGE

  • 50GB - Vanilla servers with minimal mods
  • 75GB - Standard modded servers
  • 100GB - Heavy mod collections + custom maps
  • 150GB - Extensive plugins + multiple map backups
  • 200GB - Large communities with full backup history

LOCATION

  • Maidenhead, England - Low latency for UK/EU players (Primary)
  • London, England - Alternative UK location (Subject to availability)

Understanding Pricing Adjustments

Upgrade Pricing (Positive Values):

  • Displayed as £3.00 GBP, £5.00 GBP, etc.
  • Additional monthly cost for increased resources
  • Prorated charge applied immediately
  • Future invoices reflect new pricing

Downgrade Pricing (Negative Values):

  • Displayed as £-6.00 GBP, £-3.00 GBP, etc.
  • Monthly cost reduction for decreased resources
  • Credit applied to your account
  • Used automatically on next invoice

⚠️ Important: Pricing shown is the difference from your current plan, not the total cost. For example, if your current 8GB plan is £25/month and you upgrade to 10GB Premium showing £3.00, your new total is £28/month.

Step 4: Review & Complete the Change

Final Configuration Review

  1. Review all selected changes carefully
  2. Verify the pricing adjustments are correct
  3. Check your new total monthly cost
  4. Click the green Continue button

Payment Processing

For Upgrades:

  1. Review the prorated charge for your current billing period
  2. Complete payment using your stored payment method or add new payment details
  3. Wait for payment confirmation (usually instant for card payments)

For Downgrades:

  1. Review the credit amount being applied to your account
  2. Confirm the downgrade request
  3. No payment required - credit applied automatically

What Happens During the Change

Server Reconfiguration Process

Automated Process Timeline:

  1. Backup Creation (1-2 minutes) - Full server snapshot created
  2. Graceful Shutdown (30 seconds) - Server saves world and stops cleanly
  3. Resource Reallocation (2-3 minutes) - New RAM, CPU, storage provisioned
  4. File Migration (1-3 minutes) - Server data moved if needed (storage/location changes)
  5. Configuration Update (30 seconds) - Server parameters adjusted for new resources
  6. Server Restart (1-2 minutes) - Rust server starts with new configuration
  7. Verification (30 seconds) - System confirms successful startup

Total Downtime: Typically 5-10 minutes depending on changes made

⚠️ Expected Downtime: Your server will be offline during the reconfiguration process. We recommend scheduling upgrades/downgrades during off-peak hours and notifying your players in advance.

After the Configuration Change

Verification Steps

1. Check Service Details:

  1. Return to Services → My Services
  2. Open your Rust server service
  3. Verify the new resource allocation is displayed correctly
  4. Confirm server status shows as Active

2. Access Game Panel:

  1. Navigate to panel.ocnetworks.co.uk
  2. Open your server from the server list
  3. Check the Console tab for any startup errors
  4. Verify server resources in the stats panel

3. Test Server Connection:

  1. Launch the Rust game client
  2. Open the console with F1
  3. Connect using: client.connect YOUR_SERVER_IP:28015
  4. Verify you can join successfully

Post-Upgrade Optimization

If You Upgraded RAM:

  • Consider increasing server.maxplayers to allow more concurrent players
  • Monitor RAM usage to ensure headroom for player growth
  • Install additional plugins/mods if desired

If You Upgraded CPU:

  • Potentially increase server.tickrate for smoother gameplay (consult support first)
  • Consider adding more complex server-side mods
  • Monitor CPU usage during peak hours

If You Upgraded Storage:

  • Install additional custom maps
  • Enable more frequent automatic backups
  • Consider storing multiple world saves

If You Changed Location:

  • Update any third-party monitoring tools with new IP (if IP changed)
  • Notify players if connection details changed
  • Test latency from different regions

Performance Impact Reference

RAM Upgrade Benefits

  • 4GB → 8GB: +50-75 player capacity, basic mod support to moderate mods
  • 8GB → 12GB: +100 players, extensive plugin ecosystem support
  • 12GB → 16GB: +50-100 players, large custom maps, heavy mod collections

CPU Upgrade Benefits

  • 2 → 4 Threads: +50% tick rate improvement, better NPC AI
  • 4 → 6 Threads: +33% performance, supports complex economy plugins
  • 6 → 8 Threads: Maximum performance, ideal for 200+ player servers

Storage Upgrade Benefits

  • 50GB → 100GB: Double mod capacity, 2-3x map backups
  • 100GB → 200GB: Extensive plugin collections, full 30-day backup rotation

Billing & Payment Details

Prorated Billing Explained

Upgrade Example:

Current Plan: 8GB RAM - £25/month
New Plan: 12GB RAM - £30/month
Days Remaining in Cycle: 15 days (50% of month)

Prorated Charge: (£30 - £25) × 0.5 = £2.50
Next Full Invoice: £30.00

Downgrade Example:

Current Plan: 12GB RAM - £30/month
New Plan: 8GB RAM - £25/month
Days Remaining in Cycle: 20 days (67% of month)

Account Credit: (£30 - £25) × 0.67 = £3.35
Next Invoice: £25.00 (minus £3.35 credit = £21.65)

Payment Method Options

  • Stored Payment Method: Automatically charged for upgrades
  • Account Credit: Applied first before charging payment method
  • New Payment Method: Add card/PayPal during checkout

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Server Not Starting After Upgrade

Symptoms: Server shows offline status 15+ minutes after upgrade

Solutions:

  1. Check the Console tab in game panel for error messages
  2. Verify no mod conflicts with new resource allocation
  3. Try manually restarting the server from the panel
  4. Contact support if issue persists beyond 30 minutes

Configuration Shows Old Values

Symptoms: Billing panel shows old RAM/CPU values

Solutions:

  1. Clear browser cache (Ctrl + Shift + R on Windows)
  2. Log out and log back into the client area
  3. Wait 5-10 minutes for system database synchronization
  4. Contact support if values don't update within 1 hour

Payment Declined

Symptoms: Upgrade payment fails during checkout

Solutions:

  1. Verify card has sufficient funds and is not expired
  2. Check card supports international transactions (if outside UK)
  3. Try alternative payment method (PayPal, different card)
  4. Contact your bank if repeated failures occur
  5. Contact billing support at billing@ocnetworks.co.uk

Mods Not Working After Upgrade

Symptoms: Oxide/uMod plugins failing post-upgrade

Solutions:

  1. Reinstall Oxide/uMod framework from game panel
  2. Verify plugin compatibility with current Rust version
  3. Check plugin configurations for hardcoded resource limits
  4. Review plugin console logs for specific error messages

✅ Best Practice: Always create a manual backup before upgrading/downgrading. While automatic backups are created, having your own ensures additional peace of mind.

Support & Assistance

Getting Help

24/7 UK Support Channels:

  • Live Chat: Available in client area (2-5 minute average response)
  • Support Tickets: Submit Ticket (1 hour response guarantee)
  • Email: support@ocnetworks.co.uk
  • Discord Community: Join Server for community support
  • Phone: Available for critical issues (provided in urgent support tickets)

Service Level Agreement

  • Upgrade Processing: Completed within 15 minutes or money-back guarantee
  • Downgrade Processing: Completed within 1 hour
  • Support Response: Within 1 hour for all tickets
  • Critical Issues: Within 15 minutes for server-down situations

Related Resources

Continue optimizing your Rust server with these guides:

Need Help? Our support team is available 24/7 at support@ocnetworks.co.uk or via live chat in the client area.

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