Read by Council Official Starmade server health satellite program

[BDLS]

The game needs an external program that launches when you're hosting a starmade server. It will periodically (configurable) check to make sure it's not locked up for too long or flat-out crashed. If it detects this, it'll try to close the current instance and automatically reload it back up. It will have an option to detect updates and automatically apply them and restart as well.

Come on it's current year, we shouldn't need external scripts to do this.

 

[Megacrafter127]

locked up for too long or flat-out crashed

Sadly, detecting that won't always be possible. If a large part of the game deadlocks itself, but the part telling the satellite program, that everything is fine, is not affected, how will the satellite know the server is locked up, after all, it is told, that everything is fine?

 

[BDLS]

I don't know the details of programming something like this, but I believe the current wrappers/plugins send data to the server and look for something specific sent back, like a whisper. It doesn't have to be perfect under all circumstances, but anything would be sweet.

 

[Reilly Reese]

Sadly, detecting that won't always be possible. If a large part of the game deadlocks itself, but the part telling the satellite program, that everything is fine, is not affected, how will the satellite know the server is locked up, after all, it is told, that everything is fine?

Well if a server wrapper guy can do it whats stopping Schine?

 

[jgames666]

Sadly, detecting that won't always be possible. If a large part of the game deadlocks itself, but the part telling the satellite program, that everything is fine, is not affected, how will the satellite know the server is locked up, after all, it is told, that everything is fine?

BTW this is super easy to do. You just have to make the satellite program act as a client periodically. It will try to connect to the server and if it can connect and make normal functions in-game work then it does nothing. Otherwise, or if it attempts to connect for too long (times out) then it kills the server process and restarts it. Simple as that.

EDIT: Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the script works this way, and probably anyone with some knowledge of programming and starmade could do this as a third party software. This may be why they have not bothered doing anything with it.

 

[Megacrafter127]

BTW this is super easy to do. You just have to make the satellite program act as a client periodically. It will try to connect to the server and if it can connect and make normal functions in-game work then it does nothing. Otherwise, or if it attempts to connect for too long (times out) then it kills the server process and restarts it. Simple as that.

EDIT: Actually I wouldn't be surprised if the script works this way, and probably anyone with some knowledge of programming and starmade could do this as a third party software. This may be why they have not bothered doing anything with it.

While possible, the testing script would be spawned as a player too. I do not know whether or not that would be desirable.

 

[jgames666]

While possible, the testing script would be spawned as a player too. I do not know whether or not that would be desirable.

Though that is true. There could be programmed in a spectator client that can not interact in the game but only observe. Or you can have the server assign itself a unique ID that this satellite program requires and give it privileges to connect as a player, but an invisible one.

This is just a thought anyway. Like I said it may be that Schine has planned not to do this because they are working on more important things, and a third party will definitely fill this void at some point. Possibly even in the form of a mod.

 

[Valck]

There is that little known tool StarNet.jar that communicates with the server process. All you need to do is call it periodically and check its output.

StarMade 0.09378: Fixes, shield balance & new admin tools

 

[jgames666]

There is that little known tool StarNet.jar that communicates with the server process. All you need to do is call it periodically and check its output.

StarMade 0.09378: Fixes, shield balance & new admin tools

Thanks! Did not know that actually. Will probably use that for my own server. Might make a tool for this myself. If I get around to it, I'll post it on here.