🖥️ Server Administration Guide

Complete guide for running, monitoring, and maintaining R-Type game servers.

📋 Overview

This guide covers:

• Server installation and setup
• Configuration management
• Monitoring and logging
• Performance optimization
• Security best practices
• Troubleshooting

---

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

Linux

# Download server package
wget https://github.com/YourOrg/Rtype/releases/download/v1.0.0/r-type-server-linux-v1.0.0.tar.gz

# Extract
tar -xzf r-type-server-linux-v1.0.0.tar.gz
cd r-type-server

# Run server
./r-type_server

Windows

# Extract ZIP package
Expand-Archive -Path r-type-server-windows-v1.0.0.zip -DestinationPath C:\rtype-server

# Navigate to directory
cd C:\rtype-server

# Run server
.\r-type_server.exe

Basic Configuration

Edit config/server/server.toml:

port = 4000                   # Server port
max_players = 8               # Maximum concurrent players
tickrate = 60                 # Server update rate (Hz)
name = "My R-Type Server"     # Server name
password = ""                 # Leave empty for public server

---

⚙️ Configuration

Server Settings

config/server/server.toml:

# Network Configuration
port = 4000
host = "0.0.0.0"              # Bind to all interfaces
max_players = 8
timeout = 30                  # Client timeout (seconds)

# Server Identity
name = "Official R-Type Server #1"
motd = "Welcome to R-Type! Have fun!"
password = ""                 # Optional password protection
region = "US-East"            # Server region
public = true                 # List in server browser

# Performance
tickrate = 60                 # Update rate (30, 60, or 128)
max_bandwidth = 0             # KB/s per client (0 = unlimited)
compression = true            # Enable packet compression

# Features
allow_spectators = true
max_spectators = 4
enable_chat = true
enable_voice = false

Gameplay Settings

config/server/gameplay.toml:

# Difficulty
difficulty = "normal"         # easy, normal, hard, nightmare
enemy_scaling = true          # Scale with player count
friendly_fire = false

# Progression
starting_level = 1
max_level = 10
respawn_time = 5              # Seconds
respawn_invincibility = 3     # Seconds of invincibility

# Power-ups
power_up_spawn_rate = 0.3
power_up_duration = 30        # Seconds

# Scoring
score_multiplier = 1.0
team_shared_score = true

# Time Limits
level_time_limit = 600        # Seconds per level (0 = none)
game_time_limit = 0           # Total game time (0 = none)

# Advanced
max_enemies_on_screen = 50
projectile_limit = 200

---

📊 Monitoring

Log Files

Logs are written to logs/ directory:

• server.log - General server logs
• error.log - Error messages only
• access.log - Connection/disconnection events
• game.log - Gameplay events

Log Configuration

config/server/config.toml:

[logging]
level = "INFO"                # DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR
file = "logs/server.log"
console = true                # Also print to console
max_size_mb = 100             # Max log file size
rotate = true                 # Rotate when full
keep_rotated = 10             # Keep last 10 rotated logs

Real-time Monitoring

View Logs

# Follow latest logs
tail -f logs/server.log

# Search for errors
grep -i error logs/server.log

# Count connections today
grep "Client connected" logs/access.log | wc -l

Server Statistics

Run admin command:

# If server has admin console
echo "stats" | nc localhost 4000

Or check web dashboard (if configured):

http://your-server:8080/stats

---

🔐 Security

Firewall Configuration

Linux (UFW)

# Allow game port
sudo ufw allow 4000/udp

# Allow admin port (if enabled)
sudo ufw allow from 203.0.113.42 to any port 4001

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

Linux (iptables)

# Allow game port
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 4000 -j ACCEPT

# Save rules
sudo iptables-save > /etc/iptables/rules.v4

Windows Firewall

# Allow inbound UDP on port 4000
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "R-Type Server" `
    -Direction Inbound `
    -Protocol UDP `
    -LocalPort 4000 `
    -Action Allow

Access Control

config/server/config.toml:

[security]
# Rate limiting
rate_limit = 100              # Max packets/second per client
burst_limit = 200             # Burst allowance

# Banning
auto_ban_threshold = 5        # Ban after X warnings
ban_duration = 3600           # Ban duration (seconds)
permanent_bans = [            # Permanent ban list
    "203.0.113.100",
    "203.0.113.101"
]

# Whitelist (optional)
whitelist_only = false        # Only allow whitelisted IPs
whitelist = [
    "203.0.113.42",
    "192.168.1.0/24"          # Allow entire subnet
]

# Admin IPs
admin_ips = [
    "203.0.113.42"            # Your IP
]
admin_password = "your_secure_password"

DDoS Protection

[security.ddos]
enabled = true
max_connections_per_ip = 4
connection_rate_limit = 10    # Connections per minute
packet_rate_limit = 1000      # Packets per second

---

👥 User Management

Admin Commands

Connect as admin:

# Using netcat
nc -u localhost 4000
AUTH admin your_secure_password

Available commands:

STATS                         # Show server statistics
PLAYERS                       # List connected players
KICK <player_id> <reason>     # Kick player
BAN <ip> <duration> <reason>  # Ban IP address
UNBAN <ip>                    # Unban IP address
BROADCAST <message>           # Send message to all
CONFIG RELOAD                 # Reload configuration
SHUTDOWN                      # Graceful shutdown

Ban Management

Manual Ban

# Ban IP for 1 hour
echo "BAN 203.0.113.100 3600 Cheating" | nc -u localhost 4000

View Ban List

cat logs/bans.log

Edit Ban List

Edit config/server/bans.json:

{
  "bans": [
    {
      "ip": "203.0.113.100",
      "reason": "Cheating",
      "timestamp": "2025-12-15T10:30:00Z",
      "expires": "2025-12-15T11:30:00Z",
      "permanent": false
    }
  ]
}

---

🚀 Performance Optimization

Server Resources

Minimum Requirements:

• CPU: Dual-core 2.0 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB
• Network: 10 Mbps upload
• Disk: 100 MB

Recommended (8-16 players):

• CPU: Quad-core 2.5 GHz
• RAM: 2 GB
• Network: 50 Mbps upload
• Disk: 500 MB (SSD preferred)

CPU Optimization

[performance]
thread_count = 4              # Worker threads (0 = auto)
use_affinity = true           # Pin threads to CPU cores
priority = "high"             # Process priority

Network Optimization

[network]
send_buffer_size = 262144     # 256 KB
receive_buffer_size = 262144
tcp_nodelay = true            # Disable Nagle's algorithm
compression_level = 6         # 0-9, higher = more CPU

Memory Management

[performance]
preallocate_entities = 1000   # Pre-allocate entity pool
preallocate_packets = 500     # Pre-allocate packet buffer
gc_interval = 60              # Garbage collection (seconds)

---

📈 Monitoring Tools

Built-in Web Dashboard

Enable web dashboard:

[web]
enabled = true
port = 8080
host = "127.0.0.1"            # Only local access
username = "admin"
password = "secure_password"

Access: http://localhost:8080

Prometheus Metrics

Export metrics for Prometheus:

[metrics]
enabled = true
port = 9090
path = "/metrics"

Metrics exposed:

• rtype_players_total - Current player count
• rtype_games_active - Active games
• rtype_packets_sent - Packets sent per second
• rtype_cpu_usage - CPU usage percentage
• rtype_memory_usage - Memory usage (bytes)

System Monitoring

Linux (htop)

sudo apt install htop
htop -p $(pgrep r-type_server)

Resource Usage Script

monitor.sh:

#!/bin/bash
while true; do
    echo "=== $(date) ==="
    
    # CPU usage
    CPU=$(ps -p $(pgrep r-type_server) -o %cpu= | tr -d ' ')
    echo "CPU: ${CPU}%"
    
    # Memory usage
    MEM=$(ps -p $(pgrep r-type_server) -o %mem= | tr -d ' ')
    echo "Memory: ${MEM}%"
    
    # Network usage
    echo "Network:"
    ss -ntu | grep :4000 | wc -l
    
    # Active connections
    echo "Connections: $(ss -ntu | grep :4000 | wc -l)"
    
    echo ""
    sleep 30
done

---

🔄 Maintenance

Backup

Automatic Backup

backup.sh:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/rtype"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Backup config
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/config_$DATE.tar.gz" config/

# Backup logs
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/logs_$DATE.tar.gz" logs/

# Backup database (if any)
if [ -f "data/server.db" ]; then
    cp "data/server.db" "$BACKUP_DIR/server_$DATE.db"
fi

# Keep only last 7 backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -type f -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $DATE"

Add to crontab:

# Run daily at 3 AM
0 3 * * * /opt/rtype-server/backup.sh

Updates

Manual Update

# Stop server
sudo systemctl stop r-type-server

# Backup current version
sudo cp -r /opt/rtype-server /opt/rtype-server.backup

# Download new version
wget https://github.com/YourOrg/Rtype/releases/download/v1.1.0/r-type-server-linux-v1.1.0.tar.gz

# Extract
sudo tar -xzf r-type-server-linux-v1.1.0.tar.gz -C /opt/

# Restore config
sudo cp -r /opt/rtype-server.backup/config/* /opt/rtype-server/config/

# Restart server
sudo systemctl start r-type-server

# Verify
sudo systemctl status r-type-server

Automated Updates

auto-update.sh:

#!/bin/bash
CURRENT_VERSION=$(cat /opt/rtype-server/VERSION)
LATEST_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/YourOrg/Rtype/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name)

if [ "$CURRENT_VERSION" != "$LATEST_VERSION" ]; then
    echo "Update available: $CURRENT_VERSION -> $LATEST_VERSION"
    # Perform update...
else
    echo "Server is up to date"
fi

---

🔧 Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

Check logs:

tail -n 50 logs/error.log

Common issues:

1. Port already in use:

   sudo lsof -i :4000
   # Kill process or change port

2. Permission denied:

   chmod +x r-type_server

3. Missing dependencies:

   ldd r-type_server
   # Install missing libraries

High CPU Usage

Check game load:

echo "STATS" | nc -u localhost 4000

Optimize settings:

[performance]
tickrate = 30                 # Reduce from 60
max_enemies_on_screen = 30    # Reduce from 50

High Memory Usage

Enable memory profiling:

[logging]
memory_profiling = true
profile_interval = 60         # Seconds

Check for leaks:

valgrind --leak-check=full ./r-type_server

Network Issues

Test connectivity:

# From client machine
nc -zvu SERVER_IP 4000

Check firewall:

sudo iptables -L -n -v | grep 4000

Monitor packet loss:

# Server side
watch -n 1 'ss -u -a | grep :4000'

---

📋 Systemd Service

Create Service File

/etc/systemd/system/r-type-server.service:

[Unit]
Description=R-Type Game Server
After=network.target
Documentation=https://yourorg.github.io/Rtype/

[Service]
Type=simple
User=rtype
Group=rtype
WorkingDirectory=/opt/rtype-server
ExecStart=/opt/rtype-server/r-type_server
ExecReload=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=rtype-server

# Resource limits
LimitNOFILE=4096
LimitNPROC=2048
MemoryLimit=2G
CPUQuota=200%

# Security
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=strict
ProtectHome=true
ReadWritePaths=/opt/rtype-server/logs /opt/rtype-server/data

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Manage Service

# Enable on boot
sudo systemctl enable r-type-server

# Start/stop/restart
sudo systemctl start r-type-server
sudo systemctl stop r-type-server
sudo systemctl restart r-type-server

# Reload config
sudo systemctl reload r-type-server

# View status
sudo systemctl status r-type-server

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u r-type-server -f

---

🌐 Reverse Proxy

Nginx (for web dashboard)

/etc/nginx/sites-available/rtype-dashboard:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name dashboard.rtype-server.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/rtype-dashboard /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

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📚 Related Documentation

• Deployment Guide
• Configuration Reference
• Troubleshooting
• Network Protocol

Happy server administration! 🎮