[dustinandband]

Hello,

Oftentimes when renting a game server I prefer to rent privately from someone's personal dedicated machine instead of going the VPS/VDS route (except when renting from NFO servers). Over the years I've found that sometimes updates don't get uploaded for a week after I sent them (sometimes not at all), or I need to correct some bugs and reupload updates maybe 2 or 3 times before an issue is fully resolved. Preparing updates and sending them over is cumbersome and time consuming. So I've been thinking of a way to automate the process.

My server config is designed to shut off when everyone disconnects, or every hour if it's empty. A cron job runs every minute, launching a shell script which checks for official game updates & workshop collection updates before relaunching the server. I'm wanting to add functionality to this script so that it can sync server config updates as well.

What would be some ways to auto-sync updates to a game server which I don't have FTP access? Obviously the person I'm renting from would have to be willilng to install the cron job / shell script to their server - so they'd need to feel that it's secure and fully tested.

I've contemplated using rsync (something like this, except pulling (instead of pushing) + no dry run), but there's a few downsides, like needing to rent a vps just for syncing updates, the security issue (multiple server owners having access to that machine), being a hassle for admins to configure, etc.

Ideally I'd have a private github repository that's synced to all the servers.

I'm wondering if anyone's done anything like this before and if so, what method did you use?

[DennisF]

I'm not sure what kind of files you need to have synced but I just use ftp to apply changes to multiple servers at once.
If you are renting a non managed server, even if it's from soneone privately, without ftp access, they are probably not going to provide other options anyways.

[dustinandband]

Originally Posted by DennisF I'm not sure what kind of files you need to have synced but I just use ftp to apply changes to multiple servers at once. If you are renting a non managed server, even if it's from soneone privately, without ftp access, they are probably not going to provide other options anyways.

FTP isn’t an option. 2 things I’m trying to do:

1) Automate the server config update process so I only have to keep 1 server (or a private github repository) updated and others will automatically sync to it before restarting.

2) find a method of doing that which wouldn’t be a security risk for anyone I privately rent from.

Dedicated server owners wouldn’t want someone having ftp access to their machine, so I’m looking for an alternative (as I explained originally).

[DennisF]

How do you apply changes or upload stuff to the server without ftp access?

[dustinandband]

Originally Posted by DennisF How do you apply changes or upload stuff to the server without ftp access?

The server owner would need to be willing to have a script running that syncs files from a server or private github repository.

Kind of off-topic example is the steam workshop downloader script, which uses steam API to automatically keep any maps within a steam workshop collection up-to-date. Running this script - you don't need FTP access to upload, delete, or update any maps - you just need to edit your workshop collection and the server will sync those updates automatically:
https://github.com/dustinandband/Aut...estart.sh#L180

I'm looking to do something similar, except it's server config files I'm wanting to keep synced.

[nosoop]

Someone's going to have to host the infrastructure you'll sync from eventually.
The pull model's probably the way to go so there's no additional configuration per-server on your end.

I haven't had the need to yet, but if I had to, I'd narrow it down to the following two:

• A public or private Git repository; clients clone the repository using read-access deploy keys to download the configuration files (please don't use normal git for storing large binary / non-text files)
• Backblaze B2 / similar web hosting; have a client plugin, external script, or extension that requests a manifest file via HTTP(S) on a known URL then installs all your required files separately

A plugin (plus choice of HTTP client extension) would probably be good enough for most cases.

[DennisF]

Doubt that it will be "more secure" than ftp which again can sync and provide read/write only too.

[dustinandband]

Trying to come up with logic for this script. Looks like a lot of work and variables to think of, for example this was a draft for the github logic:

Spoiler

need to:

1)
	Pull any changed / new / removed files from online github repository
		
		Possible issue:
			When verifying a L4D2 update ("validate" flag after running steamcmd), the git files would most likely get removed.
			(Look into running git from another directory)

2) OPTIONAL - may be bad design choice

	Any locally added, removed, or updated files should be detected and get overwritten if it doesn't sync with github repo
		
		Example:
			I manually add a plugin to a local server (which isn't in the github repo). That plugin should get removed when the auto-restart.sh script gets run.
		
		Possible issue:
			Some plugins may automatically write to a file and use that data (instead of writing to a database). If the file's geting overwritten then the plugin won't function properly.
			Can't think of any plugins that do this off the top of my head I'm sure there are some.
			Would either need to add an excluded files & directories option or scrap this idea all together.

3)
	Use something that works for large compiled binary files (git LFS?).
	
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might just want to use rsync and rent a VPS for applying updates at this point. Would just need to figure out how to allow admins to use that without giving them the ability to FTP into the hosting update server.

Think I'd rather just put this up for a $100 commission. Probably wouldn't make up for all the R&D but at least getting the script started would be nice. Can post below with (include your paypal email) as long as it's in a working state and syncs additions, deletions, and updates to server config files.

I'm wanting the server config update check to run from the auto-restart.sh script (it can be a separate python / shell script that gets DL'd and called), since that script is already being used for the other two update checks.