Game Server Business RFC

Hey,

I'm thinking of going into the game server business, so I'd like your impressions on the business side of this type of enterprise. (I'm not interested in servers as I can rent them too, thanks)

What I'm looking for is some general overview answers to the following; if you have links that also would be fine.

There seems to be more of the direct server rental rather than game timeslots for individuals that I've seen so far.

So, basically, how can I setup so that people buy a timeslot on a server running Counter Strike etc? Do I need to limit their IP's from the server side, or is there an admin trick to allowing only those who have subscribed on a website access to the server? This makes the public/private moot as only clan servers would need private game passwords.

what is your feeling regarding windows vs linux servers? I'm into linux so would probably go for the linux admin'g, but how has your experience gone with either windows or linux?

I'm guessing that I could run 3 games at once on a single moderate server, but is this a good guess or not realistic? I'm thinking Counter Strike again. If another game server is used, how many for <Your Game Server Here> games can you run at once with how many slots?

That's it for now. Any comments or links would be greatly appreciated. I'm just a techie looking looking looking for a new job, so you're thoughts will really save me some serious time!

best regards
sf2k