Troubleshooting dedicated BMS server issues

[DarkFib3r]

My team and I are trying to troubleshoot some BMS server issues and I am looking for some tips and tricks.

Over the last few months our dedicated BMS server has been unreliable. Symptoms include all players getting disconnected simultaneously from the server in 2D, short pauses in 3D for some or all players, and perpetual pauses in 3D for all players when the server disconnects all the players from the game. Interestingly, the server itself does not lose connectivity to the Internet; TeamViewer sessions still work and players can reconnect to the BMS server after getting disconnected. But something gets in the way of the BMS server and the players. The network at the datacenter has had some issues with packet loss and latency (1% packet loss; 30-3000ms latency; 300ms jitter; all volatile) but actual connectivity to the server is rarely an issue and bandwidth is never an issue.

The server is running on a VM and has 200mbs up and down. We commit the server to 3D during multiplayer sessions; the 3D host uses some DLLs that makes up for the server not having a 3D accelerator and renders the 3D server session as a black screen. This also reduces the CPU load on the server when hosting. I can provide more technical information on the server itself, but I do not have access to the information right now. We have anywhere from 8 to 28 players connecting and playing at a time and the sessions seem to go smooth when we are all connected. Player bandwidth quality is generally good, but some players do have low or flaky bandwidth and they tend to lag in game.

Interestingly, one of our members is hosting a VM using a similar setup and we have found this instance to be more stable for up to 28 players. While that’s good for us as a workaround, it is desirable to be able to localize what the issue is on our server so we can fix it and use it.

Are there any logs that might help shed some light on what is causing these problems on our main server? Have you experienced these symptoms with a dedicated BMS server before? What tips and tricks can you share to help isolate and resolve the issues I am describing? Thanks in advance for any help!

[Reaper58th]

any add-ons installed? which theatre? Maybe post the servers falcon bms.cfg here …

[DarkFib3r]

No add-ons installed. Theater is Elouda’s 1989 theater (latest version). I’ll post the bms.cfg later.

[Arty]

Take a look at my hotlist. Your answer is there.

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[DarkFib3r]

Hi Arty,

First, thanks for pointing me to your hot list - it is a remarkable piece of work.

Regarding my problem, I could not find any topic related to the server disconnecting all players nor could I find any topic regarding multiplayer log files. When you stated “Take a look at my hotlist…Your answer is there…” did you mean that it would likely be there or that you know for a fact that it is there?

Thanks again for your help!

[Arty]

I believe there is only one reference for server.
Else look at the second post it must be in the 3 last records.

Edit: it was my last record and the only for server…
https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/showthread.php?14032-Server-reverts-to-2d-map-on-it-s-own&p=195895&viewfull=1#post195895

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[DarkFib3r]

Got it, thanks.

Having the server stopping it’s dedicated flight is not the issue I am referring to above. That post was helpful to keep the dedicated in game, but it does not help shed light on why the server may be booting all the players from its sessions from time to time.

[Arty]

Try the mono switch on the server and observe the logs.
Add -mono to the server shortcut command. Logs iirc are stored in falcon user folder.

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[Shadow]

Hi Dark

We’re not using our server much these days (mainly for stability reasons) Lets get together and chat,

[DarkFib3r]

@Shadow:

Hi Dark

We’re not using our server much these days (mainly for stability reasons) Lets get together and chat,

Thanks Shad! I’d love to chat!

[DarkFib3r]

@Arty:

Try the mono switch on the server and observe the logs.
Add -mono to the server shortcut command. Logs iirc are stored in falcon user folder.

Tried -mono and ran a test. It was interesting - everyone connected and things seemed to work just fine. Seven of us sat in 2D for about 1.5 hours. When I tried to move the map on the server, I got a BMS is not responding error and it was hung.

The logs showed that the BMS server just stopped responding after about 45 minutes. However, the logs on my client showed some sort of heartbeat detail that seemed to stop after the server hung. Things looked fine from my client session, but BMS was certainly down. It’s not the exact issue I was trying to replicate, but it was interesting nonetheless.

My next step is a full clean reinstall of BMS on the server. That will be a better testing environment and I am suspicious of it.

[Arty]

1.5 hours in 2d? Hmmmm?
Did u set the atc.ini for this correctly? Or u left it with default?

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[bawki]

we didnt change AIpulltime but playerbumptime is very high