DEV Community: Niccolo Govender

Escaping VRAM Fragmentation: Multi-Model Serving with SGLang

Niccolo Govender — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 10:58:00 +0000

Serving Large Language Models (LLMs) efficiently requires more than just throwing GPUs at the problem. If you are dealing with sluggish inference, you are likely suffering from VRAM fragmentation and poor batching optimization.

In this tutorial, we cover how to deploy SGLang on a bare-metal server to solve these issues.

Key Takeaways:

SGLang Architecture: Understand how SGLang handles KV cache and request batching to eliminate memory waste.

Multi-Model Serving: Learn the configuration required to run multiple LLMs concurrently on the same GPU without resource contention.

Deployment Steps: A step-by-step guide to getting the environment up and running on a raw Linux machine for zero hypervisor overhead.

Stop wasting your compute cycles. Read the full guide here:
https://www.idatam.com/tutorials/howto/deploy-sglang-multi-model-gpu-server/

If you need a reliable, unvirtualized environment to test this stack, check out our line of bare-metal Dedicated Servers:
https://www.idatam.com/dedicated-servers/

AI #MachineLearning #Python #DevOps

Eliminating Coastal Latency: Architecting in Chicago

Niccolo Govender — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:43:26 +0000

If you are building applications that serve users on both the East and West coasts, forcing traffic through a single coastal node introduces massive ping penalties. The solution? Deploy in the Midwest.

Chicago provides an incredibly balanced latency profile (roughly 20ms to NY, 45ms to LA). At iDatam, our Chicago bare metal servers are built for developers and sysadmins who need exact hardware specifications. We offer Intel Core and AMD Ryzen for single-threaded tasks, AMD EPYC/Intel Xeon for Proxmox/ESXi virtualization, and specialized GPU instances for LLM training. Combine that with 1-100Gbps uplinks and 250Gbps of DDoS protection at the network edge, and you have a bulletproof environment starting at $69/mo.

Build your server architecture here: https://www.idatam.com/dedicated-servers-usa/chicago/

Optimizing LatAm Routing: The Madrid Bare Metal Advantage

Niccolo Govender — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:16:28 +0000

If you are building applications that serve users in both Europe and South America, forcing traffic through North American geographic routes introduces massive ping penalties. If you need seamless connectivity to Brazil alongside <10ms ping to Barcelona and Lisbon, you need to deploy in Madrid.

In our latest post, we break down the network architecture of the Spanish capital. We explore how BGP routing and peering at ESpanix and DE-CIX Madrid reduces network hops, and why bare metal servers hosted in 100% green-energy facilities are the preferred choice for enterprise data ingestion and secure VoIP environments.

Check out the technical breakdown here: https://www.idatam.com/blogs/madrid-the-digital-bridge-between-europe-and-latin-america/

Optimizing Transatlantic Latency: The London Bare Metal Advantage

Niccolo Govender — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:44:04 +0000

If you are building applications that serve users on both sides of the Atlantic, forcing traffic through suboptimal geographic routes introduces massive ping penalties. If you need <10ms to Paris and ~70ms to New York, you need to deploy in London.

In our latest post, we break down the network architecture of the UK capital. We explore how BGP routing and peering at the London Internet Exchange (LINX) reduces network hops, and why 10Gbps bare metal servers are the preferred choice for intensive data ingestion, game server hosting, and high-frequency trading.

Check out the technical breakdown here: https://www.idatam.com/blogs/why-london-reigns-as-europes-it-capital/

Reducing Latency in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Johannesburg Bare Metal Advantage

Niccolo Govender — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 11:47:55 +0000

Forcing South African users to fetch data from Europe introduces an unavoidable 150ms+ penalty dictated by the speed of light through fiber. If you are developing real-time applications, you need localized compute.

In our latest post, we break down the network architecture of Johannesburg. We explore how peering at JINX and NAPAfrica reduces network hops, how local data centers conquer grid instability (load shedding), and why bare metal is the preferred choice for massive ERP and FinTech databases in the region.

Check out the technical breakdown here: https://www.idatam.com/blogs/why-johannesburg-is-the-premier-hub-for-dedicated-servers/

Optimizing APAC Latency: Why We Deploy Bare Metal in Chennai

Niccolo Govender — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:23:34 +0000

When building high-frequency trading platforms, real-time gaming backends, or heavy VoIP networks, milliseconds matter. While Mumbai is the traditional go-to for Indian infrastructure, routing traffic to Southeast Asia from the west coast introduces unnecessary network hops.

In our latest post, we break down the network architecture, submarine cable landings (like BBG and i2i), and latency benchmarks that make deploying dedicated servers in Chennai a massive advantage for developers and sysadmins targeting the Asian market.

Check out the technical breakdown here: https://www.idatam.com/blogs/why-chennai-is-the-ultimate-hub-for-dedicated-servers/

How to Set Up an NGINX RTMP Server on Linux in 7 Steps

Niccolo Govender — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:49:24 +0000

Building your own media server is an excellent way to learn about networking, NGINX, and video protocols. If you want to bypass paid multi-streaming services, setting up your own RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) server is the way to go.

Here is what we cover in our latest tutorial:

The Stack: We use a standard Linux dedicated server (Ubuntu/Debian) paired with nginx and libnginx-mod-rtmp.

Compilation & Installation: Step-by-step commands to get the required dependencies and install the web server.

The NGINX Config: We provide the exact nginx.conf blocks needed to set up an RTMP application, configure chunk sizes, and enable live streaming.

Multi-Push (Restreaming): How to add push directives to forward your stream to YouTube, Twitch, or custom endpoints.

Client Connection: Testing the server by pushing a stream from OBS Studio.

It's a lightweight, highly performant project that saves money and gives you total control over your video routing.

Check out the full 7-step tutorial with all the code snippets here:
https://www.idatam.com/tutorials/howto/set-up-a-free-rtmp-server-on-a-dedicated-server/

linux #nginx #tutorial #streaming

Troubleshooting Slow Dedicated Servers: A Developer's Guide

Niccolo Govender — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:32:21 +0000

As developers, we often push our infrastructure to the limit. But when your dedicated server starts lagging, it impacts deployments, database queries, and user experience. Here is a breakdown of common bottlenecks and how to resolve them.

Software & OS Bottlenecks

Rogue Processes: Unoptimized code or memory leaks in your application can easily max out CPU and RAM.

Log Overflow: If your applications are logging excessively without rotation, disk I/O will suffer.

Action: Use tools like htop, iotop, and audit your system logs. Optimize your database queries and implement caching.

Hardware Bottlenecks

Disk I/O Limits: Compiling code and running heavy databases on HDDs is a recipe for lag. Switch to NVMe SSDs.

Thermal Throttling: If the CPU gets too hot, it downclocks. Monitor your server's thermals and component health.

Diagnostics First

Don't guess—measure. Analyze your network traffic, check dmesg for hardware faults, and run disk subsystem speed tests.

For a complete walkthrough on optimizing and fixing your server, check out our full tutorial:
https://www.idatam.com/tutorials/howto/fix-dedicated-server-slowing-down-issue/

devops #sysadmin #linux #webhosting

Troubleshooting Dedicated Server Slowdowns: A Quick Guide

Niccolo Govender — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 11:51:23 +0000

Hey Devs! 👋

Dealing with a sluggish dedicated server is a rite of passage for any sysadmin or backend developer. Before you decide to just upgrade your hardware (and spend more money), it's worth diagnosing the actual bottleneck.

Are you dealing with:

Runaway processes eating up CPU?
N+1 query problems killing your database?
Disk I/O limits on older drives?

We've shared a detailed tutorial on how to identify these issues and implement fixes to get your server running at optimal speeds.

Check out the full tutorial here: Why Is Your Dedicated Server Slowing Down?

What tools do you use for server monitoring? Drop your favorites in the comments! 👇

Why 1Gbps is the New Dial-Up: Gaming Infra in 2026

Niccolo Govender — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:35:13 +0000

If you're still hosting community clusters on a home PC or a "budget" VPS, you're fighting a losing battle against 2026 simulation logic.

The Simulation Bottleneck
Modern titles like Aska and Palworld have moved beyond simple state synchronization. They now simulate complex AI pathing and persistent physics server-side. This creates a massive computational overhead that consumer hardware isn't built to handle 24/7.

2026 Infrastructure Benchmarks
Stop looking at "vCPU" counts and look at the Data Path:

Uplink: 10Gbps to 100Gbps burstable ports are now mandatory to prevent packet queuing during high-concurrency events.
Storage: PCIe Gen 5 NVMe is required to eliminate I/O wait times during world exploration.
Compute: AMD EPYC™ 9005 (Zen 5) offers the single-thread performance necessary for "tick-heavy" game loops.

The "Bare Metal" Requirement
In a VPS environment, "noisy neighbors" steal CPU cycles, leading to erratic tick rates. For production-grade community hosting, Dedicated Bare Metal is the only way to ensure 100% resource availability and sub-40ms pings via Direct Peering.

Stop buying the affiliate-driven "Top 10" hype. Check the verifiable network stats instead.

[Read more at iDatam.com]

Hardware Benchmarks for 2026: Why your 1Gbps Port is the New Bottleneck

Niccolo Govender — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:22:32 +0000

As devs, we often focus on the code, but the bare metal matters. If you're deploying AI models or massive database replications in 2026, a 1Gbps port is a "queueing" nightmare. You need 10Gbps to 100Gbps burstable ports and Zen 5 architecture. This article breaks down the latency differences in Tier-1 peering vs. generic transit.

Check out the specs:https://www.idatam.com/blogs/best-dedicated-servers-usa-2026/