basic-usage

Introduction

This basic usage of LinuxGSM will help with getting started. For more advanced usage see pages for a specific command.

Note: Generic "gameserver", "gamename" and "username" values are used for this guide; replace these with your own values.

Installation

The full installation guide can be found at linuxgsm.com. Follow the basic instructions to install a game server.

Available Commands

To see a list of available commands, execute ./gameserver with no argument.

gameserver@game:~$ ./gameserver
Usage: ./gameserver [option]
GameName - Linux Game Server Manager - Version 170110
https://linuxgsm.com/gameserver

Commands
start             st |Start the server.
stop              sp |Stop the server.
restart           r  |Restart the server.
...

A wiki page for every command is available. Basic tasks and commands are detailed below.

See Command List for a full list of commands.

Running your Server

To start-stop-restart your server, use the following commands:

./gameserver start
./gameserver stop
./gameserver restart

Getting Game Server and Hardware Information

The details command provides information relevant to the game server. Such as config file's location, start parameters settings, and many other information.

./gameserver details

Configuring a Server

Configuring a game server requires altering settings in various locations. Configuration is split in two main sections, Linuxgsm configuration and Game configuration.

LinuxGSM Config

LinuxGSM configuration handles settings related to LinuxGSM and game server definitions. For example settings for alerts and backups. Definitions for game server name, location, Steam App ID, start parameters.

LinuxGSM Configs are located in

lgsm/config-lgsm/gameserver

For more info, see LinuxGSM Config Files.

Game Config

Game servers have several methods of configuration. This means configuration will vary depending upon which game server is being setup.

There are two main methods a game server is configured, either with config files or start parameters. Servers can use one or a mixture of these methods.

note: LinuxGSM will also priorities the usage of config files over start parameters.

Config Files

Most servers use a configuration file to alter settings. Whenever possible, LinuxGSM provides an enhanced default config file from https://github.com/GameServerManagers/Game-Server-Configs.

The details command will provide you with the config file location.

./gameserver details

Sample output:

Config file:   /home/username/serverfiles/gamename/cfg/gamename-server.cfg

You can edit this file with any Linux text editor such as nano or vi.

LinuxGSM does not provide specific information about altering this configuration file except for some special games showed in "Game Info" section from the wiki. There are many websites that provide documentation and support on configuring your server.

Start Parameters

Many game servers require Start-Parameters when configuring some settings. Start parameters are command line options appended to server's executable when you start it.

These parameters can be reviewed using the details command.

To alter them, edit the LinuxGSM config files using vi or nano and edit variables from the ## Server Start Settings section. The #### LinuxGSM Settings #### section allows customising many different settings.

For more info, see Start-Parameters.

Updating a Game Server

Most game servers receive regular updates the game developers. These servers can be updated automatically using the update feature.

update command

The update command checks if an update is available for the server. The server will update and restart only if required.

./gameserver update

For more info, see update

validate command

For SteamCMD servers only, the validate command checks the integrity of server files to make sure files are not corrupt and match the remote version. This can be useful if an update fails or the server is frequently crashing.

./gameserver validate

For more info, see validate

Updating LinuxGSM

LinuxGSM is regularly updated with various enhancements and fixes; Because of this the LinxuGSM updater is available. For more info, see update-lgsm.

./gameserver update-lgsm

For more info, see update-lgsm

Automating tasks

You can use Cronjobs to automate any LinuxGSM command. Most commonly used are:

  • Automatically check for updates. update

  • Automatically check for server crash and restart if needed. monitor

  • Automatically keep LinuxGSM up to date. update-lgsm

  • Automatically restart the server at a given time. start-stop-restart

  • Automatically update and restart the server. force-update

  • Automatically backup the server. backup

For more details, see Cronjobs.

Running on Boot

To run a server On-Boot, using a monitor cronjob is recommended; any server that was online before a machine reboot will be restarted.

For more info, see On-Boot or Monitor.

Troubleshooting

Logs

Various logs are available. They can help you checking for your server's health and diagnosing issues.

Logs location: log/

For more info, see [Logging.

console command

The console command allows you to view the live console of a running server and to enter commands (if available). If the game offers a good console output, it could help diagnose issues along with logs.

./gameserver console

To exit the console press “CTRL+b, then d”.

Note: pressing “CTRL+c” will terminate the server.

For more info, see console.

debug command

Use debug mode to help you if you are having issues starting the server. Debug allows you to see the output of the server directly to your terminal allowing you to diagnose any problems the server might be having.

./gameserver debug

For more info, see debug.

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