The dedicated server downloads about 15 GB and generates the world on first start, so plan 10-20 minutes before anyone can join, longer for a big random-gen world.
Ports
7 Days uses three consecutive ports (game, plus two for Steam networking); we allocate them when you order. The Network tab shows the first one, and that is what players use. A telnet port (TELNET_PORT) exists for admin access from the panel console.
Settings
Almost everything is in serverconfig.xml in the server root. Stop, edit, start. The Startup variables PASSWORD (join password) and GAME_DIFFICULTY (0-5) are written into it for you on each start. See serverconfig.xml.
Joining
Join Game → Connect to IP → node1.penguhost.com and the port. Or the server browser with the ServerName you set. The server is visible once GameServer.Init successful appears in the console.
RAM
8 GB for a default 6k map with 8 players; 12 GB for 8k+ maps or 16 players. Disk: 20 GB is comfortable; random-gen worlds take 1-3 GB each.