help Can't get ARK server to work on Linux?

[Ejo2001]

Hello

I have been trying to set up an ARK server countless of times, and I have never been able to get it up and running. I have been following a dozen of guides, I have tried different hardware setups, docker, VirtualBox, Proxmox, etc, but it just outright refuse to work.

I have been following this guide https://youtu.be/_v6yFtNg6yA (except making it a service, I just wanted it up and running first before I did that)

I start the server with:

TheIsland?SessionName=SomeName?listen?QueryPort=27015?RCONPort=27020?Port=7777

It starts the server, but it gets stuck on this:

Shutdown handler: initalize.

Using binned.

4.5.1-0+UE4 7038 3077 404 10

[S_API FAIL] SteamAPI_Init() failed; SteamAPI_IsSteamRunning() failed.

Setting breakpad minidump AppID = 346110

 

At that point, it just completely freezes. The log says:

 

[2022.10.07-19.51.48:664][ 0]Log file open, 10/07/22 19:51:48

[2022.10.07-19.51.48:664][ 0]New Save Format enabled

[2022.10.07-19.51.48:664][ 0]ARK Version: 350.5

[2022.10.07-19.51.48:664][ 0]PID: 1025

[2022.10.07-19.52.18:849][ 0]Primal Game Data Took 28.68 seconds

[2022.10.07-19.52.21:299][ 0]SteamSocketsOpenSource: gethostname failed ()

[2022.10.07-19.52.21:299][ 0]gethostbyname failed ()

[2022.10.07-19.52.30:397][ 0]Server Initializing with BattlEye Anti-Cheat Protection. If you do not wish to use BattlEye, please launch with -NoBattlEye

[2022.10.07-19.52.30:403][ 0]BattlEye successfully started.

[2022.10.07-19.52.42:842][ 0]Server: "SomeName" has successfully started!

[2022.10.07-19.52.42:902][ 0]ADayCycleManager DayCycleManager3,

[2022.10.07-19.52.46:374][ 0]Commandline: TheIsland?SessionName=SomeName?listen?QueryPort=27015?RCONPort=27020?Port=7777

[2022.10.07-19.52.46:374][ 0]Full Startup: 58.94 seconds (BP compile: 0.00 seconds)

[2022.10.07-19.52.46:374][ 0]Number of cores 4

 

 

That is the latest log, and it seems to have logged another command, which I used before, but still didn't get to work.

The machine it runs on is a Proxmox VM running Ubuntu 22.04 with 8Gb of RAM and 4 cores and 100Gb storage.

Can anyone see what I am doing wrong? This has been driving me nuts for 2+ years at this point

[DirkInSA]

The log looks weird - Its moaning about SteamAPI being running? So it kinda looks like your steam command is not OK?

From the Ark "console" output it looks like the server has started OK? Where does the other bit of log that you posted come from?

4 hours ago, Ejo2001 said:

[S_API FAIL] SteamAPI_Init() failed; SteamAPI_IsSteamRunning() failed.

Setting breakpad minidump AppID = 346110

 

This looks more like a kinda syslog or maybe shell messages? The comment around cannot init steam is (maybe) where the actual fail is. I have not run on a linux box since forever, so cannot really comment - but it is perhaps steam command not installed OK?

[Ejo2001]

17 hours ago, DirkInSA said:

The log looks weird - Its moaning about SteamAPI being running? So it kinda looks like your steam command is not OK?

From the Ark "console" output it looks like the server has started OK? Where does the other bit of log that you posted come from?

This looks more like a kinda syslog or maybe shell messages? The comment around cannot init steam is (maybe) where the actual fail is. I have not run on a linux box since forever, so cannot really comment - but it is perhaps steam command not installed OK?

According to people online, it's supposed to throw the steam api error (Seems to be common with steam servers apparently). 

 

The log I found was located in a log file in another directory, and it seems it only logged once and then never again. It's so confusing

[DirkInSA]

On 10/8/2022 at 12:05 PM, Ejo2001 said:

2022.10.07-19.52.46:374][ 0]Commandline: TheIsland?SessionName=SomeName?listen?QueryPort=27015?RCONPort=27020?Port=7777

[2022.10.07-19.52.46:374][ 0]Full Startup: 58.94 seconds (BP compile: 0.00 seconds)

[2022.10.07-19.52.46:374][ 0]Number of cores 4

Your box seems to be running - try from a command line
 ps -A  u | grep shootergame    or  ps -A u | grep 1025  (this being the pid that reflects in the log) to see that the program is still running.

And then
netstat -4 -a -p -n

To see if your ports (7777 udp) at least are being "listened" on by the same executable. So you should see something like this
udp        0      0 0.0.0.0:7777             0.0.0.0:*                           1025/shootergame

If that all comes out OK - then your server is in fact running - and any fail around connection & etc is down to firewalls & nat and portforward on the server and or on your internet gateway.

Note: This post should probably be in the "server admin" forum ... But no stress