Looking for Big Brother Bot (B3) users on a VDS

[wally]

Hello everyone,

I am new to NFO. I'm having issues at the moment with B3 running on the 2 CoD4 game servers I am running here and I am looking to see if anyone else here is running a VDS, CoD4, and also B3.

Prior to my move to NFO, I used to be on a linux dedicated server, and ran both of the B3 instances on 2 CoD4 game servers without a problem, even after moving IP's (with the same GSP.)

At the moment, I have a managed-VDS, 2 CoD4 servers, and both experience the same issue. The B3 bot starts just fine. I am able to see B3 starting in-game. The problem is, it doesn't immediately give me an output when I enter any command. It usually takes anywhere from 2-5 minutes, and sometimes it doesn't even give an output.

After some testing between the B3 host and I, our best guess is that the game server log file isn't syncing immediately as it should. It does the exact same thing on both servers. My B3 host has even gone as far as creating a new database for B3 - all the changes return the same delay.

We've also changed from 2 to 1 (as suggested by B3 forums) in g_logsync with the same results.
// Log Settings
set g_logsync 2 // 0=no log, 1=buffered, 2=continuous, 3=append
set logfile 1 // 0 = NO log, 1 = log file enabled
set g_log "games_mp.log" // Name of log file, default is games_mp.log
set sv_log_damage 1

To recap, the only change I have done is gone from a Linux dedi machine to a Windows VDS.

It would be greatly appreciated with any input.

Thanks in advance,
Wally

[Edge100x]

g_logsync 2 is not a valid value -- you have to choose either 0 or 1. The latter may be the best option for you. The default value is 0. (So many sites have that same incorrect comment that they must just be copying each other.)

We don't set up our CoD4 servers with any unusual settings in this regard. Is there enough activity in the CoD4 servers that you are testing with that lines are being frequently written out?

How often does your host have B3 configured to check the FTP?

If you manually download the logfile through the FTP immediately after issuing your command, do you see your command?

This appears to be a duplicate of http://www.nfoservers.com/forums/viewto ... =44&t=7072.

[wally]

After more testing, with all g_logsync #'s, 2 works best for syncing (0 doesn't sync at all; 1 does barely any immediate logging). However, this still does not fix the issue.

Server activity: this would be a non-issue. I've experienced the same results with our most popular server and my testing server.

I'm not exactly sure but I would imagine a lot because:
Rcon from 216.38.9.13:-7506:
status
Rcon from 216.38.9.13:-7506:
status
Rcon from 216.38.9.13:-7506:
status
Rcon from 216.38.9.13:-7506:
status
Rcon from 216.38.9.13:-7506:
status

^and that's just part of it.

After testing for the past hour and a half, I get an immediate output from B3 when I download the gamelog to my PC. Other than that, it only gives an output when the round restarts, or the map changes. Basically, it only gives an output when the gamelog ends up syncing with the gameserver.

And yes, I created a new thread because support said to ask in the forums for other users running B3 which hopefully they could give us more info.

Lastly, I'm wondering if being on an unmanaged-VDS would return the same results..

[.=QUACK=.Major.Pain]

I just started using B3 for the first time this week with a BF3 server.
It's installed on an unmanaged VDS and seems to run fine.

But both VDS and BF3 servers are both located in Dallas, so I guess the delays would be minimal. Also running it on a Windows VDS. Also running XLRStats and Echelon with it.

Are your B3 and COD servers located close together?

[Edge100x]

After more testing, with all g_logsync #'s, 2 works best for syncing (0 doesn't sync at all; 1 does barely any immediate logging). However, this still does not fix the issue.

g_logsync 2 is not a valid value -- I am serious about that. When you set it, the server makes it 1. If you read the value after you set it, you will see what I mean.

After testing for the past hour and a half, I get an immediate output from B3 when I download the gamelog to my PC.

B3 should be downloading the game log in the same way through the FTP, so this tells me that the problem is most likely with your B3 host or their B3 configuration -- such as them not having it download frequently enough. Try running B3 personally and see how it runs.

And yes, I created a new thread because support said to ask in the forums for other users running B3 which hopefully they could give us more info.

It sounds like whoever you talked to did not realize that there was already an existing thread, which I had responded to and which was still open and usable. But, that is ok.

Lastly, I'm wondering if being on an unmanaged-VDS would return the same results..

If you ran B3 yourself on the unmanaged VDS, you would likely not have a problem. Having it run locally (not using FTP) is the normal configuration.

[badbadrobot]

Are you running mods on the server? Like promod? If that is the case, logs only sync or parse at the beginnin/end of the rounds or match. I think this is a shortfall of the mod, not the server itself.

We learned this when working on Paronicon 2 and adding COD4 support. http://paronicon.com/beta

[wally]

Are your B3 and COD servers located close together?

Not sure where B3 is hosted but I imagine somewhere in the 48 states. That shouldn't be of a problem as my prior GSP was also in Dallas and I didn't run into these issues.

After more testing, with all g_logsync #'s, 2 works best for syncing (0 doesn't sync at all; 1 does barely any immediate logging). However, this still does not fix the issue.

g_logsync 2 is not a valid value -- I am serious about that. When you set it, the server makes it 1. If you read the value after you set it, you will see what I mean.

I tested your idea and sure enough, it reverts back to 1.

After testing for the past hour and a half, I get an immediate output from B3 when I download the gamelog to my PC.

B3 should be downloading the game log in the same way through the FTP, so this tells me that the problem is most likely with your B3 host or their B3 configuration -- such as them not having it download frequently enough. Try running B3 personally and see how it runs.

I downloaded B3, installed (my local machine) all necessary programs for it (wamp server), and it does exactly the same thing as what the B3 host is experiencing.

Lastly, I'm wondering if being on an unmanaged-VDS would return the same results..

If you ran B3 yourself on the unmanaged VDS, you would likely not have a problem. Having it run locally (not using FTP) is the normal configuration.

Right. But I'd like to avoid changing to an unmanaged VDS for now as I would lose all my IP's I have right now. If I can keep them, I will gladly switch to unmanaged to avoid this problem.


Thanks for the help.

[wally]

Are you running mods on the server? Like promod? If that is the case, logs only sync or parse at the beginnin/end of the rounds or match. I think this is a shortfall of the mod, not the server itself.

We learned this when working on Paronicon 2 and adding COD4 support. http://paronicon.com/beta

Not running any mod on either of the 2 servers I'm running B3 on. 1 is a Free-for-all Broadcast, and the other is a Mixed-Gametype. Both are running stock files.

[Edge100x]

What's strange is that you said that you can download the log directly and see the output sooner than B3 does. Are you certain that this is the case? If it is, then the server is doing its job properly, and the source of the problem has to be B3.

[wally]

What's strange is that you said that you can download the log directly and see the output sooner than B3 does. Are you certain that this is the case? If it is, then the server is doing its job properly, and the source of the problem has to be B3.

Well, by output, I mean this is what I do and see:
-If I enter !list in-game. B3 won't give an output until the round or map restarts.

-If I enter !list in-game, and then I download the gamelog (mid game) to my localmachine, B3 will then output the message.

It just seems like the gamelog isn't updating with the server until the end of the map/round for some odd reason.

at this point, I don't think it's B3 as the B3 host and my local install do the exact same thing.

[Edge100x]

Unfortunately what you've described does confirm it is B3, and more specifically a bug in B3 (and not something host-specific). The fact that you are able to see the changes means that the server wrote them properly. Downloading the log as you did is exactly what B3 could/should be doing, and it is clear that this is not happening.

Perhaps B3 is only checking the time on the file with "ls", when it needs to actually re-download it? Windows 2008+ caches directory output (by design), but updates the cached information when a file is read or its properties are specifically viewed, meaning that your downloading the file would adjust the directory output. B3 should be written to understand this behavior, but it's possible that the developer didn't do that.

[.=QUACK=.Major.Pain]

Looking through the B3.xml, there are not any settings that could cause a delay that I can see.

Only thing I did see was:

Code: Select all

		<!-- RCON timeout -->
		<set name="timeout">3</set>

Maybe increase it? Possible that there is a poor connection between B3 and game servers and your commands are timing out?

But as mentioned, your input is logged immediately, but seems the output back to the server isn't happening correctly.

[wally]

I don't see that in CoD4's b3.xml. It's probably game specific, as that's the first I've seen that.


Anywho, my B3 host started a thread in B3 Forums a few days ago which can be found here: http://forum.bigbrotherbot.net/general- ... banterror/

MordyT says that: set g_logsync "1" <<< needs to be running at 2.

Unfortunately, I do not have the Linux gameservers to try that on there... I'll probably rent a test server elsewhere and see if I get the same results with them and will post back here.

[Edge100x]

It's strange and discouraging that a moderator of that forum does not know "2" is an invalid value for g_logsync -- it has never been valid for CoD4, and the game tells you this when you read it. In any case, we know that the issue is not with the server's writing to the file, because when you download the file, you see the correct output. That definitively means it was written, and we can close the book on g_logsync.

What I said before about B3 not compensating for the fact that Windows caches directory output is the most likely scenario. The developer can easily work around this by downloading a small portion of the logfile, then looking at the directory again; or, if they prefer the brute-force solution, by just re-downloading the whole file.

[wally]

It's strange and discouraging that a moderator of that forum does not know "2" is an invalid value for g_logsync -- it has never been valid for CoD4, and the game tells you this when you read it. In any case, we know that the issue is not with the server's writing to the file, because when you download the file, you see the correct output. That definitively means it was written, and we can close the book on g_logsync.

So I borrowed a cod4 server from a friend (he rents elsewhere), and configured B3, and got it connected.

The server recognized all my B3 commands immediately. At the moment, I do not know if it's Linux / Windows OS. The logsync was set to 2 in the config but in console it showed 1. I guess it didn't matter what it's set to, but it's doing the necessary things to log in there.

What I said before about B3 not compensating for the fact that Windows caches directory output is the most likely scenario. The developer can easily work around this by downloading a small portion of the logfile, then looking at the directory again; or, if they prefer the brute-force solution, by just re-downloading the whole file.

I guess that's the last alternative. Hopefully they could read your responses and see what they have to say.

Thanks again.