UG - I don't recall asking for your suggestion, but my reply is this: If I knew whether or not I would be gone for more than 2 "hour" at a time, none of this would be an issue. The fact is, unless I'm AFK doing something quick (like feeding the cat, or answering moronic forum suggestions) then I have absolutely no idea how long it's going to take. Sorry. It could be 2 minutes....... it could be 5 hours; such is life.
eViL - I never said I planned to break the rules. Being AFK, in itself, is perfectly fine!!.... as long as you are not interfering with other players in your AFK state. Since, if I know I'm going to leave the comp, I usually find a nice out-of-the-way spot... NOT in anyone's way... it CANNOT be said that I am "interfering" with ANYONE. kthx.
Silvanoshei - Thanks for the well thought out comments. In reality, I only go afk for long periods of time AT NIGHT, when a maximum of 6 people are on the server. I am hardly preventing anyone from playing. And if you're so concerned about the average 3 kB/sec of bandwidth a typical player uses, it begs the question: Why are you running a server in the first place? It's like owning a pet when you can't afford a vet when he gets ill. Besides, last I heard, Particle's l33t server has no monthly upload/download limits, so this whole thing is moot...