Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

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Edge100x
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Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Edge100x »

We have a server up and running called "NFOservers.com: Dallas #1" that has never crashed, and it has been solidly full (32/32) since the 31st. Its properties:

* Rush mode
* PB off
* No 3rd party admin tools are being used; the admin daemon is running, but nobody uses it
* Only one map in the cycle: levels/MP_012GR (the newest map)

This suggests to me that configurations that differ from this might lead to crashes -- such as different game modes, PB being on, and certain other maps. I think that the most likely culprit for many crashes is the simultaneous use of 3rd party admin tools, though. We already know that doing a couple of rapid map reloads can cause problems with our tool, and I suspect that having multiple admins interacting with a server at the same time (viewing its events and issuing commands) also may lead to problems.

Do those who see a lot of crashes here also heavily use admin tools, or have multiple admins connected at once to the server with separate instances of their tools?
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Jack the Smack »

Is autobalance on or off?
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Edge100x »

Auto-balance is on.
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Shekky »

my server has crashed twice now and it seems to be completely random I've had everything off except autobalance, friendly fire, and Hardcore the only thing I've used my admin tool for was to save the Banner for my server as the easy setup don't seem to set the banner for my server. I am using Firefox latest version.

during gameplay me and my other admin only used a !say command to broadcast a message to the server I may have said about 4 or 5 messages over 4 or 5 hours. the admin daemon is enabled as well.

I've turned off auto-balance for now to see if this will keep my server from crashing.

is there any other suggestions I should try?
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Mike Rowe
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Mike Rowe »

Rush mode
punkbuster disabled
autobalance disabled
nfo daemon running
high cpu priority with nfo

my server can be full 24+ hours with no crash. Hope R9 is even more stable
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Dashit »

I usually monitor the server while im at work during the nightshift.

Not sure if this would cause no one to join my server for 4 days now or now....

I even tried totally new settings, and My server is still dead a door nail.

I did ask TimeX, cause I wanted to go back to R7...but it sucks we cant :/

Hopefully R9 works next week, Basicallys its make or break for me if R9 fixes my server issues.
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by merc248 »

Dashit: I've had success with "tricking" the EA master server by throwing in this line in pb/pbsv.cfg:

pb_sv_task 30 -1 vars.punkBuster false

Restart the server after adding the line into pbsv.cfg. DO NOT restart PunkBuster manually, PB will remain on even after restarting the server itself, but if you restart PB (pb_sv_restart I believe?), PB will not turn back on. This will advertise your server as having PB off, even if it's still on.

Also, I don't think I've had any crashes with PB on, autobalance off, admin daemon on with both of my servers.
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Dashit »

merc248 wrote:Dashit: I've had success with "tricking" the EA master server by throwing in this line in pb/pbsv.cfg:

pb_sv_task 30 -1 vars.punkBuster false

Restart the server after adding the line into pbsv.cfg. DO NOT restart PunkBuster manually, PB will remain on even after restarting the server itself, but if you restart PB (pb_sv_restart I believe?), PB will not turn back on. This will advertise your server as having PB off, even if it's still on.

Also, I don't think I've had any crashes with PB on, autobalance off, admin daemon on with both of my servers.
I am now to being an admin, How exactly do you edit the pb/pbsv.cfg file?
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by merc248 »

Go to your "control panel" on NFO, click on the server you're interested in configuring, then click on "File Manager." In the file drop down menu, click on "pb/pbsv.cfg," then on the drop down menu next to that, make sure it's on "Edit," then click submit. In the next page, you'll see the contents of pb/pbsv.cfg; throw the vars.Punkbuster line at the bottom of that file, then click "Save."
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Dashit »

merc248 wrote:Go to your "control panel" on NFO, click on the server you're interested in configuring, then click on "File Manager." In the file drop down menu, click on "pb/pbsv.cfg," then on the drop down menu next to that, make sure it's on "Edit," then click submit. In the next page, you'll see the contents of pb/pbsv.cfg; throw the vars.Punkbuster line at the bottom of that file, then click "Save."
Ugh Really wish I could edit my posts.

I do not see pb/pbsv.cfg in the drop down menu, all I see is pb/sv_viol.log. Other then that there is no cfg file what soever....Do I need to add this in then?
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by merc248 »

Do you have PB enabled? Check in "easy setup." pbsv.cfg should've been automatically generated.
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Dashit »

merc248 wrote:Do you have PB enabled? Check in "easy setup." pbsv.cfg should've been automatically generated.
Yes it is enabled. Been enabled for 3 days, and I have restarted the server after enabling it too.
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by merc248 »

Hm, try disabling it, restart the server, then enable it again, and then restart the server again.

Either that, or you can create a file on your computer called pbsv.cfg, copy and paste the following, then upload it using the file manager:

Code: Select all

;Auto Generated by PunkBuster Server
;   Some of the following settings may not apply,
;   consult manuals at evenbalance.com for full documentation
pb_sv_MsgPrefix "PunkBuster Server" //[PB Message Prefix (default=^3PunkBuster Client)]
pb_sv_MaxDlRate 4 //[KB/sec requested per file (default=4)]
pb_sv_MaxConDls 1 //[Concurrent downloads (default=1)]
pb_sv_KickLen 2 //[Minutes (default=2)]
pb_sv_CvarFreq 6 //[# of range checks per minute]
pb_sv_CvarLogging 1 //[1=Reg. Log, 2=Var Log, 3=Both, 0=Neither]
pb_sv_CvarWalk 1 //[0=disabled, 1-4=Walk through obtained Cvar lists]
pb_sv_CvarUserPulse 99 //[Frequency to auto-send CvarUser (minutes)]
pb_sv_CvarChangedPulse 99 //[Frequency to auto-send CvarChanged (minutes)]
pb_sv_CQC 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=1)]
pb_sv_LogSync 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_SsFloor 1 //[Low screenshot filename serial #]
pb_sv_SsCeiling 100 //[High screenshot filename serial #]
pb_sv_SsCmd "" //[Filename of system command to run after screenshots]
pb_sv_SsWidth 320 //[Requested pixel width of remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsHeight 240 //[Requested pixel height of remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsXpct 50 //[Percentage across screen for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsYpct 50 //[Percentage down screen for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsSrate 1 //[Sample Rate for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsDelay 0 //[Maximum delay client waits before capturing screenshot]
pb_sv_SsPath "" //[Path where remote screenshots are saved]
pb_sv_AutoSsFrom 60 //[Min # of seconds to wait before requesting next ss]
pb_sv_AutoSsTo 1200 //[Max # of seconds to wait before requesting next ss]
pb_sv_AutoSs 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_ssLogging 0 //[1=Reg. Log, 2=SS Log, 3=Both, 0=Neither]
pb_sv_ssTimeout 0 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_Sleep 60 //[# of Milliseconds (default=60)]
pb_sv_PowerMin 10 //[Power Points]
pb_sv_PowerDef 1 //[Power Points]
pb_sv_PowerKickLen 5 //[Minutes (default=5)]
pb_sv_HttpPort 0 //[Port #]
pb_sv_HttpAddr "" //[External IP Address]
pb_sv_HttpRefresh 30 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_HttpKey "" //[Key]
pb_sv_HttpMaps "" //[Map list (separate by spaces)]
pb_sv_ScoreKick 0 //[Min score (negative)]
pb_sv_ChangePeriod 999 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_ChangeMax 1 //[Max name changes allowed]
pb_sv_DupNameGrace 0 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_AutoUpdBan 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_ExtChar 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_GuidRelax 2 //[1=UNKN, 2=WRONGIP, 4=DUP (add desired values)]
pb_sv_RconReload 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_HttpMapsPath "" //[Path where maps are loaded from in WebTool]
pb_sv_HttpColText1 "FFFFFF" //[Text Color #1 in WebTool (default=FFFFFF)]
pb_sv_HttpColText2 "0000FF" //[Text Color #2 in WebTool (default=0000FF)]
pb_sv_HttpColBack1 "000000" //[Background Color #1 in WebTool (default=000000)]
pb_sv_HttpColBack2 "808080" //[Background Color #2 in WebTool (default=808080)]
pb_sv_HttpColLine1 "FF0000" //[Line Color #1 in WebTool (default=FF0000)]
pb_sv_HttpColLine2 "0000FF" //[Line Color #2 in WebTool (default=0000FF)]
pb_sv_HttpColMsg "FF0000" //[Message Color in WebTool (default=FF0000)]
pb_sv_HttpShowGuid 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_Restrictions 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=1)]
pb_sv_FileWhitelist "" //[Folder Filename Filename ... Filename]
pb_sv_EmptyName 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_LogFloor 1 //[Low log filename serial #]
pb_sv_MinName 0 //[Min Characters in Player name (default=0)]
pb_sv_MaxName 0 //[Max Characters in Player name (default=0)]
pb_sv_LanMask "" //[IP Address Mask for LAN Players (default=)]
pb_sv_Lan 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_UpdateGrace 600 //[Seconds to wait before Update Failure kick]
pb_sv_NoGuidGrace 1 //[Seconds to wait before No GUID kick]
pb_sv_AliasFn "" //[Filename (default="pbalias.dat")]
pb_sv_AliasAutoLoad 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_AliasMax 0 //[Max # of Aliases to track for each PB GUID]
pb_sv_AliasMaxEnforce 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_load pbsvlog.cfg //load remote logging settings (if pbsvlog.cfg exists)

;Badname List - pb_sv_badname [grace_period_secs] [disallowed text]

;Cvar Range List - pb_sv_cvar [cvar_name] [type] [value(s)]
pb_sv_cvarempty

;PB UCON Settings / Lists
pb_sv_usessionlimit 8
pb_sv_ucontimeout 300
pb_sv_uconmaxsendrate 16
pb_sv_uconempty
pb_sv_uconadd 1 "208.122.49.138" "pbbhub1" "pbbanshub"
pb_sv_uconignoreempty
pb_sv_task 0 7200 pb_sv_ver
pb_sv_task 0 86400 pb_sv_update
pb_sv_task 30 -1 vars.punkBuster false
LOOK OVER EACH LINE and see if it's stuff you'd want to have enabled on your server. The last set of lines on the bottom are for PBBans.com streaming, the last three lines are stuff I've added so that the server automatically updates every night, provides a keepalive for PBBans.com, and sets the PB variable to false for EA master server reporting.

The only other variable I've changed was pb_sv_autoss (I've set it to 1 in my config; if it's set to true/1, then the server takes PB screenshots randomly of all players.)
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Dashit »

merc248 wrote:Hm, try disabling it, restart the server, then enable it again, and then restart the server again.

Either that, or you can create a file on your computer called pbsv.cfg, copy and paste the following, then upload it using the file manager:

Code: Select all

;Auto Generated by PunkBuster Server
;   Some of the following settings may not apply,
;   consult manuals at evenbalance.com for full documentation
pb_sv_MsgPrefix "PunkBuster Server" //[PB Message Prefix (default=^3PunkBuster Client)]
pb_sv_MaxDlRate 4 //[KB/sec requested per file (default=4)]
pb_sv_MaxConDls 1 //[Concurrent downloads (default=1)]
pb_sv_KickLen 2 //[Minutes (default=2)]
pb_sv_CvarFreq 6 //[# of range checks per minute]
pb_sv_CvarLogging 1 //[1=Reg. Log, 2=Var Log, 3=Both, 0=Neither]
pb_sv_CvarWalk 1 //[0=disabled, 1-4=Walk through obtained Cvar lists]
pb_sv_CvarUserPulse 99 //[Frequency to auto-send CvarUser (minutes)]
pb_sv_CvarChangedPulse 99 //[Frequency to auto-send CvarChanged (minutes)]
pb_sv_CQC 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=1)]
pb_sv_LogSync 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_SsFloor 1 //[Low screenshot filename serial #]
pb_sv_SsCeiling 100 //[High screenshot filename serial #]
pb_sv_SsCmd "" //[Filename of system command to run after screenshots]
pb_sv_SsWidth 320 //[Requested pixel width of remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsHeight 240 //[Requested pixel height of remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsXpct 50 //[Percentage across screen for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsYpct 50 //[Percentage down screen for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsSrate 1 //[Sample Rate for remote screenshots]
pb_sv_SsDelay 0 //[Maximum delay client waits before capturing screenshot]
pb_sv_SsPath "" //[Path where remote screenshots are saved]
pb_sv_AutoSsFrom 60 //[Min # of seconds to wait before requesting next ss]
pb_sv_AutoSsTo 1200 //[Max # of seconds to wait before requesting next ss]
pb_sv_AutoSs 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_ssLogging 0 //[1=Reg. Log, 2=SS Log, 3=Both, 0=Neither]
pb_sv_ssTimeout 0 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_Sleep 60 //[# of Milliseconds (default=60)]
pb_sv_PowerMin 10 //[Power Points]
pb_sv_PowerDef 1 //[Power Points]
pb_sv_PowerKickLen 5 //[Minutes (default=5)]
pb_sv_HttpPort 0 //[Port #]
pb_sv_HttpAddr "" //[External IP Address]
pb_sv_HttpRefresh 30 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_HttpKey "" //[Key]
pb_sv_HttpMaps "" //[Map list (separate by spaces)]
pb_sv_ScoreKick 0 //[Min score (negative)]
pb_sv_ChangePeriod 999 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_ChangeMax 1 //[Max name changes allowed]
pb_sv_DupNameGrace 0 //[Seconds]
pb_sv_AutoUpdBan 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_ExtChar 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_GuidRelax 2 //[1=UNKN, 2=WRONGIP, 4=DUP (add desired values)]
pb_sv_RconReload 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_HttpMapsPath "" //[Path where maps are loaded from in WebTool]
pb_sv_HttpColText1 "FFFFFF" //[Text Color #1 in WebTool (default=FFFFFF)]
pb_sv_HttpColText2 "0000FF" //[Text Color #2 in WebTool (default=0000FF)]
pb_sv_HttpColBack1 "000000" //[Background Color #1 in WebTool (default=000000)]
pb_sv_HttpColBack2 "808080" //[Background Color #2 in WebTool (default=808080)]
pb_sv_HttpColLine1 "FF0000" //[Line Color #1 in WebTool (default=FF0000)]
pb_sv_HttpColLine2 "0000FF" //[Line Color #2 in WebTool (default=0000FF)]
pb_sv_HttpColMsg "FF0000" //[Message Color in WebTool (default=FF0000)]
pb_sv_HttpShowGuid 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_Restrictions 1 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=1)]
pb_sv_FileWhitelist "" //[Folder Filename Filename ... Filename]
pb_sv_EmptyName 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_LogFloor 1 //[Low log filename serial #]
pb_sv_MinName 0 //[Min Characters in Player name (default=0)]
pb_sv_MaxName 0 //[Max Characters in Player name (default=0)]
pb_sv_LanMask "" //[IP Address Mask for LAN Players (default=)]
pb_sv_Lan 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_UpdateGrace 600 //[Seconds to wait before Update Failure kick]
pb_sv_NoGuidGrace 1 //[Seconds to wait before No GUID kick]
pb_sv_AliasFn "" //[Filename (default="pbalias.dat")]
pb_sv_AliasAutoLoad 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_AliasMax 0 //[Max # of Aliases to track for each PB GUID]
pb_sv_AliasMaxEnforce 0 //[0=No, 1=Yes (default=0)]
pb_sv_load pbsvlog.cfg //load remote logging settings (if pbsvlog.cfg exists)

;Badname List - pb_sv_badname [grace_period_secs] [disallowed text]

;Cvar Range List - pb_sv_cvar [cvar_name] [type] [value(s)]
pb_sv_cvarempty

;PB UCON Settings / Lists
pb_sv_usessionlimit 8
pb_sv_ucontimeout 300
pb_sv_uconmaxsendrate 16
pb_sv_uconempty
pb_sv_uconadd 1 "208.122.49.138" "pbbhub1" "pbbanshub"
pb_sv_uconignoreempty
pb_sv_task 0 7200 pb_sv_ver
pb_sv_task 0 86400 pb_sv_update
pb_sv_task 30 -1 vars.punkBuster false
LOOK OVER EACH LINE and see if it's stuff you'd want to have enabled on your server. The last set of lines on the bottom are for PBBans.com streaming, the last three lines are stuff I've added so that the server automatically updates every night, provides a keepalive for PBBans.com, and sets the PB variable to false for EA master server reporting.

The only other variable I've changed was pb_sv_autoss (I've set it to 1 in my config; if it's set to true/1, then the server takes PB screenshots randomly of all players.)
Wow very informative. I accually rebooted my server after you said I needed to have PB on etc. But again that file is not there.

I will give shit a shot, and see how it goes....Maybe this will even fix my problem of my server now showing up on the server list.

I will let you know. Thanks again Merc
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Re: Potential causes of BC2 crashes?

Post by Dashit »

I keep getting this.

For security reasons, DICE does not yet allow you to edit files outside of AdminScripts and pb. Please change other settings through your Easy setup page or resubmit with a filename inside one of these folders.

I tried to upload the file that I created, and Make a new one though the File manager option...
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