Restart server periodically?

[Pazuzu]

I was wondering if there is a way to restart a server at a given time everyday (4am for example).

Could it be done using a cron job (something which I know nothing about)?

I've seen plugins (there's a script for Eventscripts I believe) that supports this kind of thing, but I'd rather not bloat my server just for this small purpose.

Thanks.

[Muppet]

Say you have a script to start your server named go.sh:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

gamedir="/home/<username>/srcds/"
cd $gamedir
process=`ps auxxwww | grep ./srcds_run | grep -v grep | awk '{print $6}'`
if [ -z "$process" ]; then
  echo "Couldn't Find Game Running. Restarting"
  nohup ./server.sh
  echo"ok"
fi

Which checks for the srcds_run process and if it can't find it, it will start the server using another batch called server.sh:

Code:

screen -A -m -d -S sskcs ./srcds_run -game cstrike -ip blah -port 27015 -maxplayers 18 +map de_dust2 -tickrate 100 -autoupdate

You would run go.sh every minute using cron task (terminal: crontab -e):

Code:

* * * * * /home/<username>/srcds/go.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

Now, to restart the server at 4am, all you need to do is execute a separate batch to kill the srcds process and the go.sh batch will kick in to restart the server. In this case, its called kill.sh:

Code:

killall -9 screen
killall -9 srcds_run

And you would run this at 4am every day using:

Code:

0 4 * * * /home/<username>/srcds/kill.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

[Pazuzu]

Wow. Thanks for the detailed answer. I use linux all the time at university but unfortunately have never used cron.

Muppet Wrote:You would run go.sh every minute using cron task (terminal: crontab -e):

Code:

* * * * * /home/<username>/srcds/go.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

I know this would be a tiny process to run, but would it be better to just run it between 03:50 and 4:15 or something (so that it starts the server after a kill)? And if so, how?

Muppet Wrote:Now, to restart the server at 4am, all you need to do is execute a separate batch to kill the srcds process and the go.sh batch will kick in to restart the server. In this case, its called kill.sh:

Code:

killall -9 screen
killall -9 srcds_run

And you would run this at 4am every day using:

Code:

0 4 * * * /home/<username>/srcds/kill.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

Will the kill commands only effect my user account? They won't touch other users' screens/srcds_runs?

Also, I've never used crontab before. Do I just enter these commands on seperate lines?

So, run crontab -e, then enter:

Code:

* * * * * /home/<username>/srcds/go.sh >/dev/null 2>&1
0 4 * * * /home/<username>/srcds/kill.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

Many thanks again for your help.

[Muppet]

go.sh is best run every minute. Its there just to make sure the server is always up and running. If it detects the server is not running at all (for any reason - random crash say at 10pm), it will detect it within 1 minute and restart the server for maximum uptime.

Yes, those cron tasks will only be run under your user account as long as you dont 'sudo crontab -e' and just 'crontab -e' (cron tasks for your user only).

And yes, exactly. One per line.

[Pazuzu]

Excellent.

Just one quick check - 0 4 * * * wont be run at every minute inside 4 o'clock will it? My head is telling me it should be 0 4 0 0 0 (or something similar), but I'm sure I'm wrong.

Thanks again.

[Muppet]

Nah, that would be * 4.

minute hour day month dayofweek

where * = do it every

[Pazuzu]

Ah ok. Thanks

[mianosm]

I use these two scripts - and have cron run the restart version of them every day at 5am. I utilize webmin in order to input all of my cronjobs. : )

Startscrtiptcss1

Code:

#!/bin/sh
##Start/stop/restart a Valve dedicated server
# All configuration changes should occur in <scriptname>.conf. Only change the name of the call below if you are using a different name for the script
cd /srcds_l
. ./startscriptcss1.conf

service_start() {

#This is the startup script, which will start the server based off of the .conf file specified above, and write the screen name as the pid
        if [ ! -f $DSPATH/$DSNAMEdonotuse.pid ] && [ ! -f $DSPATH/$DSNAMESHORT.pid ]; then
            if [ -x $DSPATH/$DSNAMEdonotuse ]; then
                echo "Starting $TITLE: Services"
                echo "$DSPATH/$DSNAME $DSOPTS"
                cd $DSPATH; $DSINTERFACE $DSPATH/$DSNAME $DSOPTS
                sleep 1 # prevent race condition on SMP kernels
                ps -ef |grep SCREEN |grep "$CLIENT" | grep -v grep | awk '{print $2 }' > $DSNAMESHORT.pid
                echo -e "$DSNAMESHORT Process ID Written to $DSNAMESHORT.pid\n$DSNAMESHORT Server Process ID Written to $DSNAMESHORT.pid"
                cp $DSNAMESHORT.pid /srcds_l/cstrike/$DSNAMESHORT.pid
            fi
        else
            echo -e "Server is Already running."
        fi
}

service_stop() {

# This script is just getting the process id of the server that was written to the file it created earlier so it can kill it.  
    for vdspid in $(cat $DSPATH/$DSNAMESHORT.pid);
      do
        kill $vdspid;
    rm -rf $DSNAMESHORT.pid;
        break;
    done
    rm -rf $DSPATH/cstrike/$DSNAMESHORT.pid;
# This command is just clearing out any *DEAD* screen sessions. Those can become a pain really quick
    screen -wipe 1> /dev/null 2> /dev/null
}

service_restart() {

# Simple enough. It is making a call to the stop service and then it waits for a second then it calls the start script

  service_stop
  sleep 1
  service_start
}

service_status() {
# This is checking to see if $DSNAMESHORT.pid file exsists
if [ -f $DSPATH/$DSNAME$DSNAMESHORT.pid ]; then
# Pulling in the values to evaulate if they are true or not
PROCESSRUN=`cat $DSPATH/$DSNAME$DSNAMESHORT.pid`
PROCSERV=`ps -ef | grep SCREEN | grep "$CLIENT" | grep -v grep | awk '{ print $2 }'`

# This is checking to see if the currently running process ID matches with the pid created when the server was started
    if [ "$PROCESSRUN" == "$PROCSERV" ]; then
    echo -e "$DSNAMESHORT is running on process `cat $DSPATH/$DSNAMESHORT.pid`\n" # It found this process ID matches and is outputting what it is currently running on
    fi
else
    echo -e "$DSNAMESHORT is offline. This could be due to someone or something else that killed it." # Apparently the server is offline
            if [ "$PROCSERV" ]; then
            echo -e "However a Process Matching the same criteria was found at process ID $PROCSERV....\n Might be worth a investigation" # Wait, it found another server matching the same criteria running under a different process ID.
            fi
fi

#Checking to see if this file exsists

if [ -f $DSPATH/$DSNAMESHORT.pid ]; then
echo "$DSNAMESHORT Server is running on process `cat $DSPATH/cstrike/$DSNAMESHORT.pid`" # It found the file exsists and is outputting the info
else
echo -e "$DSGAME Server is offline. This could be due to someone or something else that killed it\nor it is just rebooting" #Oops the server is active or the pid file got deleted.
fi
}

# This service is used watch the process that is currently running
service_watch(){

# Check if there is someone already attached

if [ `screen -wipe | grep $CLIENT | grep -v grep | awk '{ print $2 }'` == '(Attached)' ]; then
    echo -e "Someone is already attached to the console of the server.\n Might want to check who"
else

# Looks like noone is watching it right now....

    screen -r $CLIENT
fi
}

# This service is used to clean house if the script is reporting erroneous info.

service_clean(){

rm -rf *.pid;
rm -rf $DSPATH/cstrike/*.pid;
screen -wipe 1> /dev/null 2> /dev/null;
}

case "$1" in
'start')
  service_start
  ;;
'stop')
  service_stop
  ;;
'restart')
  service_restart
  ;;
'status')
  service_status
  ;;
'watch')
  service_watch
  ;;
'clean')
  service_clean
  ;;
*)
  echo "usage $0 start|stop|restart|status|watch|clean"
esac

startscriptcss1.conf

Code:

#!/bin/sh
CLIENT='css1';                                          # Identifier for attaching screen session
TITLE='SRCDS';                                          # Name that is shown during start-up messages
DSPATH='/srcds_l';                                      # Where Steam is installed
DSIP='24.23.21.20';                                    # IP address you want to use to start server with
DSNAME='srcds_run';                                     # Either hlds_run or srcds_run
DSNAMESHORT='css1';                                     # Label only
DSGAME='cstrike';                                       # Game type (valve, cstrike, czero, etc)
DSIMAP='de_dust';                                       # Load this map initially
DSPORT='27015';                                         # Game server listens on this UDP port
DSSIZE='32';                                            # Maximum number of players to allow
DSUSER='gaming';                                        # Which user is running the process
DSTICKRATE='66';                                        # Tick Rate
DSSERVERFPS='600';                                      # Server FPS Rate
DSCFGFILE='server1.cfg';                                # Choice of which server config to draw from
# Don't edit this unless you need the script to do something special
DSOPTS="-game $DSGAME +map $DSIMAP -ip $DSIP -port $DSPORT -rcon_port $DSPORT -autoupdate +maxplayers $DSSIZE -pidfile $DSNAMESHORT.pid -tickrate $DSTICKRATE +fps_max $DSSERVERFPS +exec $DSCFGFILE"
# This is the caller for the screen process. Only change if this is different from where your screen process currently resides.
DSINTERFACE="/usr/bin/screen -A -m -d -S $CLIENT"

I use the ./srcds_l/startscriptcss1 restart in order to restart the server through the crontab.

[Pazuzu]

Blimey. Thanks for the answer.

I think I'll stick with Muppet's simpler scripts as I tried them last night and they worked perfectly.

Thanks again though.

[ClanWoof]

Hello there, I could not get this to work for me, not sure if I screwed it up or not here is what I got.

my go.sh

Code:

#!/bin/sh

gamedir="/home/<srcds>/srcds/dust2/"
cd $gamedir
process=`ps auxxwww | grep ./srcds_run | grep -v grep | awk '{print $6}'`
if [ -z "$process" ]; then
  echo "Couldn't Find Game Running. Restarting"
  nohup ./server.sh
  echo"ok"
fi

Then I have my server.sh

Code:

* * * * * /home/<srcds>/srcds/dust2/go.sh >/dev/null 2>&1

Do I put the < > in my username?
Also when I crontab -e Do I do that as my user or Root. Thanks.

[Muppet]

Yes, you have to replace <srcds> with your username:

Code:

/home/girlyboy/srcds...

crontab -e can be done with just a normal user account - there is no need to do this as root.

[ClanWoof]

Thanks, found out I never used ctrl x
Woot

[Grandma]

Does anybody know of a script that does exactly this but remotely?

I run a linux webserver with a crontab running on it. I want to run a script that will just issue the quit command via RCON to my gameservers - which are running on a different machine (windows Server 2008 R2). I'd imagine the different OS system is not an issue due to

I have a utility which will restart the server if it detects it to not be running, so a quit will serve my purposes well.