1. Can I run a server and play
Half-Life from the same computer? This is one of the
most frequently asked questions of server admins - and
the answer is, YES. By default, both the client and
server use port 27015 to run, that is why you initially
get errors. So, to make it work, you must manually
alter the port for either the client or the
server. The easiest way to do this is just append the
target line of your shortcut with "-port 27016". Linux
admins, add that to your command line. However, keep
in mind that anyone else connecting to your server is
going to have a good amount of lag because your system
resources are being split between the client and
server.
2. How do I set the name, or
"hostname", of my server? This is a very basic
setting. In your server.cfg file, just add the line
"hostname <NameOfServer>" where <NameOfServer>
obviously is the name that you want to give your
server. If you didn't initially know how to set the
name of your server, then you are probably more of a
novice server admin. Not a problem, but you will
definitely want to check out the
How To Page
that fully explains how to get your server up and
running.
3. How do I take remote control, or
"rcon", of a server? We have written up a detailed
description of how rcon works over on the
How To Page.
4. Is there a list of Half-Life
commands and/or variables? We have a list of CS
commands and variables as well as an unabridged list of
general Half-Life commands over on the
Commands Page.
5. I keep getting these llamas TKing
(teamkilling) or spamming on my server - how do I kick
and/or ban them? I've written up a nice little section
that covers all the bases for kicking/banning players
over on the
How To Page.
6. My server is initially a low ping
server, but pipngs skyrocket the more people
join? This can happen for many reasons. But for the
most part, I have found, is that many of you server
admins just are not honest with yourselves - and let me
explain. Some of you are trying to run a server but
you just do not have the hardware or Internet
connection needed to run one. Sure, it is a lot of fun
running servers, but if you don't have the equipment,
then it's just not going to work. You can check out
Valve's recommended minimum requirements, but to be
honest, I think the requirements should be much more
strenuous, especially with the mods (because they are
more CPU intensive). Many of you others still might
have pretty good hardware, and a cable connection, so
you pump up your maxplayer limit to 16+. That's just
not going to happen, and it's due to the way cable
works. It is a WAN (wide-area-network) and your
connection is shared. I have found 12 to be the
definitive max for a cable server, and that is pushing
it. But the bottom line is, be honest with yourself -
don't be afraid to admit that you don't have the
equipment or that you are trying to push your server
too hard. Because you may start off with an empty, low
ping server, and a whole bunch of people join (for that
low ping issue), and then your server cannot hold them
all. Pings rise, their tempers rise cuz they have
spent the whole night trying to find and "honest" low
ping server, and your server earns a bad rep. Now,
another reason has something to do with Gamespy,
Pingtool, and other server finders constantly doing UDP
port scans, which in effect, kind of floods your
server.
7. How do I
change maps? There are two commands available to
change maps, and it is very important which one you
use. The first command, and old school admins from
other games will recognize it - "map <mapname>". This
does in fact change the map, but it also boots all
clients from your server as well. The other command,
the one that you should use, is "changelevel
<mapname>". This changes the map WITHOUT booting all
the players from your server.
8. I want to run a Linux server - how
do I do it? Well, I am not quite the Linux guru that I
would like to be, but with the contributions of a guru
I have available a section for your Linux admins on the
How To Page
as well as some helpful scripts available on the
Files Page. You
will also want to check out the
Linux portion of this FAQ
for basic troubleshooting questions as well as tips.
9. I have a LAN set up and want to run
a server for the LAN but don't know how? Use "sv_lan
1" in your server.cfg to enable LAN only dedicated
server mode. Also, try either adding "setmaster none"
in your config file or else "-nomaster" to the target
line of your hlds shortcut to keep your server from
trying to connect to the WON authorization servers.
10. I have a
password set for my server, but how do I remove the
password remotely, using rcon? After properly taking
rcon of your server, pull down your console and type:
"rcon sv_password "none"".
11. What does
SZ_Getspace mean? I get asked this question a lot,
mainly because it can be an common sight on your
server. Basically what it means, though, is that a
client is too slow in receiving the data packets that
the server is sending to it.
12. What does
the number and FPS mean on the dedicated server
window? This number represents the network frames per
second rate of data flow. On the old version of the
dedicated server software, we were able to change this
number (the Tic). As more players join the server, or
the more your server bogs down, the lower this number
drops. Once it gets to around 25 FPS or below, it's
time to optimize your server for better performance,
fewer players, etc.
13. How do I
make Message Of The Day work? MOTD (Message Of The
Day) is a simple concept. If a file called motd.txt
does not already exist, create it. Then enter a few
lines of text in this file with information such as
your server name, your server's information website,
and any other messages you want to tell the connecting
clients. Each line of text will be centered and yellow
when viewed by the clients. As far as I know, it still
does not work in the Linux server version, and also
does not work with some mods.
14. Where can I grab the latest server
software and/or server patches? Although most of these
main Half-Life News sites will have a files section, a
good place to start that always has the latest and most
up-to-date files is on the
PlanetHalf-Life Files Page.
Or for a full array of all sorts of files, just head
straight over to
FilePlanet,
or
WON.net.
15. How do I find out what my ip address is? Well,
it depends on what OS (operating system) you use. If
you have Win95/98, what we need to do is click your
Start button, select Run. Then type "winipcfg" and hit
Enter. Then look for your IP Address. If you have NT,
click Start —> Run. Type "cmd" in the Run line, and as
a suggestion, go to full screen mode. Type
"ipconfig/all" and search for your IP Address. If you
are a Linux user, at the command prompt, type
"ifconfig" and grab your IP.
16. Are there any good server admin
message boards or mailing lists? Valve has a few
mailing lists just for that purpose - one for hlds, one
for linux port, and one just for announcements. This
info is posted near the top of the
Links Page. WON.net
has a good Server Admin message board.
17. Why do clients keep complaining
about receiving the error "Expecting ' { ' , got..."
when trying to find my server? This is an error on
WON's side, due to them updating their servers and
such. For a temporary fix, have your clients delete
the favsrvs.dat file from your Half-Life directory.
18. I have
Windows 2000 and I keep getting this
"WSACONNRESET_GetPacket:" error? Unfortunately, there
is no workaround for getting rid of this error right
now, but there will be a fix for it in the next
Half-Life update. Erik from Valve says that it
shouldn't cause any actual problems to the server, but
may spam that packet message to the server
console. (Although I have been told by some server ops
that it does indeed crash the server sometimes) Also,
add "-noipx" in the hlds shortcut command line - this
will reduce the number of times this error occurs.
19. Can I
have more than 20 players on my server? Here's the
deal - the official CS maps are released with a maximum
of 20 player spawn points, so if you start a server
with a player max higher than 20, then players will
start to get telefragged (meaning they will instantly
die upon spawning) So, even though your hardware might
be able to handle more than 20, keep it at 20 or else
your clients will start to get mad as hell and probably
won't return.
20. I keep getting an error about my
CD Key whenever I try to play, similar to "Could not
connect to the server - Reason: Disconnected: CD key
already in use" - what can I do to play? The CD Key is
an issue with the Half-Life game itself. It has
nothing to do with any particular mod, such as
Counter-Strike, and since it is an intricate part of
the game, you need to talke to the makers of the game,
Valve
- there is nothing we can do.
21. Do you have a CD Key that you can
send me? Hell no we don't! Get yourself a job, save
up some money and go buy your own valid copy of
Half-Life from the store. Then you will have your own
CD Key which no one else can use (unless you ignorantly
give it out).
