SOLVED - Yet another Dedicated Server Problem but with a twist

As said, i have no more Ideas.....such Things are hard to judge, when you don't have the affected Computer in your own House.
Good Luck, that you get it solved.

 

The last straw.

Just for the hell of it this morning on my own computer in my house behind a router with port forwarding. I can run the Dedicated Server that comes with the full version of rFactor2 and it connects to Steam and works fine. Then I kill it and try and run the SteamCMD Dedicated Server and it says "Not Broadcasting" for a split second then says, "Not Connected To Steam".

It's not friggin' broadcasting to Steam and my network is now verified to be setup correctly. Is there a switch somewhere that I'm missing ?

On top of all this - it does this EXACT behavior on two different computers at two different physical locations. I've been known to make a mistake or two but I'm a retired computer engineer with network experience. I have some idea of what I'm doing.

 

My last Idea... did you try it with running the Steam Command Dedicated Server as an Admin already?

 

oh yeah. Running as admin made no difference. Something is not allowing the SteamCMD server to broadcast to Steam. But as I said in my previous post, the Dedicated Server that comes with the full install of rFactor2 works fine. I can't believe I'm the only one having this problem.

 

Yes, it indeed is strange.
There was another User with a similar Problem, but he disappeared, so that we don't know if he could solve it.
This is his Thread

 

The problem was the file, steam_appid.txt, was not in the root of the Dedicated Server folder. Without this, the server doesn't broadcast and matchmaker says, "Not Connected To Steam".

I followed the instructions on https://docs.studio-397.com/users-guide/setting-up-a-dedicated-server exactly on 2 different computers and this file did NOT get installed on either of them. When I found that the full install of rFactor2's Dedicated Server worked, I copied each file from the root directory over from the full install to the Dedicated install, one at a time, and fired up the server after each file copy, until I found the file that made it connect. Can't believe other people aren't having this problem and it needs to be fixed so this file gets installed. A couple lines of code to check for the existence of this file and display an error if it's not found would be nice also.

One good this is I found a great tool for checking UDP ports called UDP Test Tool 3.0. It's free and easy to use.

It's a good thing rFactor2 drives so realistically. Because it can be painful to work with.

 

Good Find!
And strange, that this File wasn't installed/generated.

 

yep, as Chris said good find, just for shits and giggles I installed a brand new steamcmd server about 5 minutes ago and that text file was included, dunno why yours wasn't. Do you use the "validate" option when installing. I tried with and without (the validate option) and both times the text file was included, I generally use it and the last part of my batch file looks like +app_update 400300 validate +quit

 

I did it exactly as the documentation said,
steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir ../rFactor2-Dedicated +app_update 400300 +quit

I actually did this a total of 3 times thinking that maybe I missed a step but everytime it failed to install the steam_appid.txt file.

 

A warning message should have been displayed by SteamCMD (I think) mentioning that option "force_install_dir" must be given _before_ login as anonymous user ... I need to check it, but nearly sure and maybe the cause of not writing the text file.

 

That isn't it. I saw the warning message and changed it after the second install and before the 3rd.

 

Hard to say what happened because while working on my rf2 server manager scripts I ran the installation with SteamCMD several times without any issues and steam_appid.txt was always created.

Strange ...

 

I just noticed i also use -validate in the options of the steamcmd command ... Try if it makes the .txt.

-validate or +validate, can't remember. Will check once at home.

 

Some other people have said they found the bug. If SteamCMD Dedicated is installed on a computer that has never had Steam and full install of rFactor2 on it, then it works correctly. Otherwise, it does what it did to me.

 

I think I'm going to wrap the SteamCMD and Dedicated Server batch files under a GUI wrapper just for StockCars. I may make it somewhat generic for all racing mods. Other people have done this and I've looked at them. I want to make this even easier and specific to racing. I may even design a tool that automates the mas2.exe so creating rfmods and rfcmps doesn't take a pHD to figure out.

rFactor is a great racing sim but the tools behind it are not intuitive to use. And I'm being nice.

 

Also, every time you run SteamCMD it deletes the steam_AppID.txt file. Could they have made this more difficult to work with ? Maybe... but they'd really have to try. And for what reason does this 5 byte text file need to be deleted ? All it contains is the 36590 Steam content ID number.

 

I can not confirm that. I did have Steam and rFactor 2 installed before i installed Steam Command and the Steam Command dedicated Server.

Also here i can not confirm it.
It never happened to me.

Maybe it's a simple Windows User Rights Problem.
Check the Windows User Rights, that you have for the Folder of Steam Command and the Folder of the Steam Command dedicated Server.
And when you run a batch File to update the Server or download Content to it, run it as an Administrator.
Maybe i missed a Post, but you seem to be the only One with this Problem, so it's obviously no general Problem.
At least i have never seen anyone else reporting it.

 

Hello @redapg and @Joel.Brown . I have the same issue than @Joel.Brown . I installed one VM in bridge mode, just to mount a RF2 Dedicated Server. I installed first SteamCMD in a folder at the root of C: and i installed Rfactor2-dedicated in the same location :
C:\rfactor2-Dedicated
C:\steamcmd
I opened and port-forwarded all the good ports as mentionned in the R397 procédure. In France with Free, and it was already said, we need to ask to have the full stack IP V4, and it is already OK with this.
I tried many things since the last week. I even tried to install it first in a W2k22 Server.
The steam_appid.txt is ont the rfactor2-dedicated folder, and i added it on the steamcmd folder.
I checked the rfactor2-dedicated connexion log (in logs folder) and i have this :
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] Log session started
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] [0,0] SetSteamID( [A:1:0:0] )
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] CCMInterface::OnNetworkDeviceStateChange -- Saw device up, connecting to Steam
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] CCMInterface::OnNetworkDeviceStateChange -- Saw device up, connecting to Steam
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] CCMInterface::OnNetworkDeviceStateChange -- Saw device up, connecting to Steam
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] [0,0] Server says 0% of connections should be websockets, we rolled 97 - using UDP as default.
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] CCMInterface::YieldingConnect -- no CMs cached locally, calling ISteamDirectory/GetCMList web api for launcher type 'default'. . .
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] CCMInterface::YieldingConnect -- web API call failed (status = 0)
[2023-12-05 23:41:36] [1,2] Connect() starting connection (eNetQOSLevelMedium, 162.254.193.6:27017, UDP)
[2023-12-05 23:41:44] [1,0] ConnectFailed('Connection Failed':0) (0.0.0.0:0, UDP)
[2023-12-05 23:41:44] [0,0] StartAutoReconnect() will start in 0 seconds
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Server says 0% of connections should be websockets, we rolled 4 - using UDP as default.
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-fra2.steamserver.net:27033) results: 59.0000ms + load 59.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-ams1.steamserver.net:27019) results: 56.0000ms + load 51.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-par1.steamserver.net:27023) results: 55.0000ms + load 50.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext2-fra2.steamserver.net:27030) results: 54.0000ms + load 56.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27030) results: 52.0000ms + load 59.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-par1.steamserver.net:27030) results: 51.0000ms + load 50.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-ams1.steamserver.net:443) results: 48.0000ms + load 57.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-par1.steamserver.net:443) results: 47.0000ms + load 59.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-fra1.steamserver.net:27025) results: 43.0000ms + load 59.0000 (1136 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] Existing WebSocket ping data (ext1-ams1.steamserver.net:27031) results: 42.0000ms + load 52.0000 (2392 seconds ago)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] PingWebSocketCM() (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27037) starting...
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] PingWebSocketCM() (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27022) starting...
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] PingWebSocketCM() (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27028) starting...
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] PingWebSocketCM() (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27037) failed talking to cm (timeout/neterror - Invalid)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] PingWebSocketCM() (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27022) failed talking to cm (timeout/neterror - Invalid)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] PingWebSocketCM() (ext2-fra1.steamserver.net:27028) failed talking to cm (timeout/neterror - Invalid)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [1,3] Connect() starting connection (eNetQOSLevelMedium, ext1-ams1.steamserver.net:27031, WebSocket)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [1,0] ConnectFailed('Connection Failed':0) (0.0.0.0:0, WebSocket)
[2023-12-05 23:41:45] [0,0] StartAutoReconnect() will start in 3 seconds
The server (Blue Racing) does not appear on the @redapg list...
Any idea of what cause this issue ?

Thanks

 

Inside the steam_AppID.txt file it should say: 365960

I assume yours does ?

It also looks like you have no internet connection but I'm sure you've tried to ping or run a browser or something to verify you have internet.

 

Thank you Joel for the answer

Yes indeed, the Appid say 365960.
I even started the server without the AppID.txt. The server start but the Matcher Status is the same : Not connected to steam.
And the server is unreacheable.