Crash no auto restart

[[SOL] Psycho]

Our gameserver rentals are taking turns crashing without restarting. Last two lines on console log are;
*** glibc detected *** free(): invalid next size (normal): 0x0805c528 ***
./hlds_run: line 321: 28574 Aborted $HL_CMD

Has anyone else seen this? Or anyone know what is causing this.

[meathead]

Been having non-restarts also, due to the 512 limit error. Used to restart own its own. Here's what support at GS is telling me.
Unfortunately, whether or not the server restarts after a crash is a shot in the dark. When the server crashes, the process remains up (most of the time), until it is restarted manually. It would be virtually impossible to detect, however, sometimes, the process does end and it does restart on its own.
So however,sometimes,most of the time= No help

[[SOL] Psycho]

I haven't got that song and dance yet, they are still working on it. Funny the servers always restarted before. Now all the sudden they go offline.

[gunsofnavarone]

OMG, I thought I was the only one! This has been happening to our server too for the past 3 days. I installed the ultimate_sounds plugin and thought that maybe I didn't do it right and it was crashing the server. I disabled the plugin and restarted the server, and later on it crashed again.

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it or not, but each day, a bit after 9:00am ET it has crashed. I thought it was weird that it was occuring at around the same time each day, but now I'm beginning to wonder.

[Dr.G]

well i think its odd it didnt show before. i have a server on my pc for testing and such. and if i dont close the app it self my pc will get "stuck" on that app till i hit "end now"...

[meathead]

I had some plugins with models running that were sending me over the 512 limit on a couple of maps, turned them off and server has been up for 184 hours with no problems. What has changed for me, is the restart having to be done manually, after a crash.

[gunsofnavarone]

I've got a question: Do we all share the same Server Rental provider? I am curious if this is occurring with just one source, or does the fault lie with Steam?

Our server rental is with Gameserver.com
Physical server location: NY/NJ

[diamond-optic]

when my gameservers.com NJ server crashes, 99% of the time it restarts on its own...

[[SOL] Psycho]

We have 3 rentals from gameservers.One in Chicago, one in NY, and one in Atlanta. They all did the crash and had to be restarted manually. Most did it a couple of times. Seem to be ok for now. I also run 2 servers both windows on a box at my home. They rarely crash and when they do serverdoc restarts them.

I am curious if anyone with a rental from another provider has been getting these crashes.

[gunsofnavarone]

I discovered something this morning, and reported it to Gamerserver.com in trying remedy this/these issues. Maybe others can check to see if this also applies to you as well. Here is what I noted and reported in my support ticket with them:
================================================== ==========

Here's is something of note:

When I view the server using HLSW (Half-Life Server Watch), it reports AMX Mod X as version 1.8.0.3660. But yet, their webpage (as of Aug 16, 2008) they released AMX Mod X 1.8.1.

I do not know what the difference in versions is, but what I do know is this:

Approx. 1 1/2 to 2 months ago I did a complete re-install of the server. This tells me that Gameserver.com has not kept up with the most recent versions as it would've/should've installed that version. So, it is quite possible that some of the plugins I have are either scripted or compiled for the newer version which the older version may be having trouble trying to read/interpret.

[diamond-optic]

i think the include files between the 2 versions are pretty much the same...

tho 3660 does have some issues with the dod modules (like: Fixed amb1126 (http://fs.alliedmods.net/?do=details&task_id=1126): dod_set_model() crashed)

[gunsofnavarone]

That's funny. After I posted here, I sent them 2 more replies on my support ticket, and one of them was pointing out that very issue and thread.

Hey, I don't know if this is the cause at all, but before the "put the monkey on the back" of their subscribers, they should ensure that the service and product they offer is current.

[diamond-optic]

well i think they tend to lag behind when it comes to addons because they usually will give an update time to make sure its stable and whatnot... tho 1.8.1 has been out for quite a while now....

and plus having an auto install or whatever of addons like AMXX and such isnt exactly their priority and its more of an extra.. when it comes down to it, it is sorta the individual server admins responsibility to keep any addons up to date if they wish


but i will agree.. at this point they should offer 1.8.1

[[SOL] Psycho]

Our servers have been updated to 1.8.1.3746 for months. Our Atlanta server has crashed twice today and had to be manually restarted. Different errors in console log every time.

[diamond-optic]

ok this just started happening with my server yesterday... talked to the guy i know that works for gameservers and he said its happening to alot of ppl running hl1 based servers.. said he thinks its the new hlds_run script and said something about how it looks like its trying to run the amd version or some such..

he tried setting mine back to using the old hlds_run script or whatever so ill see how that works..

[gunsofnavarone]

Oh that's just great! Just minutes before I came in here to see if anything new was in here, I initiated a server reinstall (something they suggested to me about a week ago because they couldn't determine the cause).

I don't know why they can't address the problem with Steam/Valve and get this fixed once and for all.

Now I'm gonna have to reupload all the other stuff and I'm still gonna have the problem until it's fixed.

[gunsofnavarone]

Given my last post, thank you to Diamond for at least giving us a glimmer of hope and for getting "some" results whereas nobody else has been able to.

[TigerMan4]

I`ve gone round and round with Gamerservers over this.

their answer is "We only install tried and true stable versions of amxmodx"

Meaning , if it's new and could have a bug or two ,they won't install it , they only install the version that was working best , sometimes you could be 4 versions away from the most recent , but they won't install it , they only install what they say , works without bugs.

also , I have another issue with gameservers.

Their support sucks the beanie ! , I have noticed ( keep in mind I have been a gameserver renter for over 5 years , same server ) and for the last year , their support has gotten horrible , sometimes it could take them 24hours plus , just to restart my server when it crashes , and I am unable to restart it , and no matter how many times I tell them.

"You need to restart my server and activate the amxmodx again , because everytime you restart it , you turn off my amxmodx and I have to enter another support ticket that takes 24 more hours to answer" (infact it took 48 hours to get my last ticket answered)

they do the same thing , restart and disable everything from metamod up.

Sorry guys , but gameservers sucks the beanie hard core style., and they arn`t getting any better at all.

oh yeah , and let us not forget what they did the last time my server crashed , they did a vanilla intall on their own , and erased all 500 of my maps , mods and plugins , waypoints , and everything that I had spent 5 years building and was running fine untill they "F !D " with it !...okay I`m still a little hostile over that :)

[diamond-optic]

Given my last post, thank you to Diamond for at least giving us a glimmer of hope and for getting "some" results whereas nobody else has been able to.


so far it seems to be restarting on its own.. ill give it a few more crashes till i let them know that this seems to be the fix

[[SOL] Psycho]

I still would like to know if any servers not hosted by Gameservers have experienced this. At this point it seems to be a Gameservers problem only.

I agree with TigerMan, their support sucks. They told me that it was my "amx" causing the lockups. I need to find a good host that is reasonably priced to move to.

[TigerMan4]

escapedturkey.com :)

[meathead]

Heard of that but wasn't sure if they were for real. Last time I checked it was TX servers only or do they have some new locations now?

[TigerMan4]

i`m not sure , I just know they offer great prices.

Narc had recomended them to me a long time ago and they are still around.

(they offer washington dc now too )

[gunsofnavarone]

If you wade your way through the Support tab on their site, you'll find this:

Support Ticket Response Time:
1 - 2 Business Days

This may be a bit of a hinderance to some folks who desire hours to 1 day (and apparently there's no weekend support).

[[SOL] Psycho]

I saw that, but for the record I have sent two support tickets since last night and both have been answered.

[meathead]

My server box at gs is having big issues tonight. Ftp connections times out. Took about 10 minutes for the server to reset. Currently running but 3-4 minutes for a mapchange and gameplay is laggy. 1 hour with no support response.

[meathead]

Gs is moving me to a new box. After the first 14 hour wait they have been working with me nicely. Crossing my fingers!
:rolleyes:

[TigerMan4]

just hope they dont do to you what they did to me , they said there was a hd failure and they lost all my stuff , and I had to completely re-install everything , and I still cant get my map manager to work.

[[SOL] Psycho]

Gs is moving me to a new box. After the first 14 hour wait they have been working with me nicely. Crossing my fingers!
:rolleyes:
I hope it works for you bro.

I rented an Escaped Turkey server to test. $15 a month for 32 slots. I ping around 40 from north Florida. Chose the Texas location. Adding plugins and maps when I can. Working fine so far. From what I see so far I would recommend these. Not as easy to set up as most but doable.

[gunsofnavarone]

so far it seems to be restarting on its own.. ill give it a few more crashes till i let them know that this seems to be the fix

So how is this working out for you?

I just put another ticket in today asking them how long this is going to continue with daily crashes.

[TigerMan4]

Servers shouldnt crash on their own , but this seems to be common practice now with Gameservers , ticket time is an average of 8 hours before any response and it's typically a fluffy automated response on the first go round , about how they handed to one of their level 1 admins or something , and then another 8 hours plus before another response , the last ticket I had , I had to re-open 4 times to get the problem fixed , they kept telling me it was fixed and it wasn't , bunch of BS !

[diamond-optic]

So how is this working out for you?

seems to be all good now.. havent had to manually restart it at all since


Servers shouldnt crash on their own , but this seems to be common practice now with Gameservers , ticket time is an average of 8 hours before any response and it's typically a fluffy automated response on the first go round , about how they handed to one of their level 1 admins or something , and then another 8 hours plus before another response , the last ticket I had , I had to re-open 4 times to get the problem fixed , they kept telling me it was fixed and it wasn't , bunch of BS !

yeah the gs ticket system is quite bloated and shitty... but i rarely ever use tickets since i know some of the guys that work there i just contact them directly :P nice to be a vip hahah

[gunsofnavarone]

Problem resolved. Haven't had a crash since they fixed mine. They didn't like what I had to say, but hey, if the ends justify the means, I don't care. Afterall, I'm the customer paying their checks!

This is part of what transpired, and a portion of it came from this very thread.

<<"Our gameserver rentals are taking turns crashing without restarting. Last two lines on console log are;
*** glibc detected *** free(): invalid next size (normal): 0x0805c528 ***
./hlds_run: line 321: 28574 Aborted $HL_CMD

Has anyone else seen this? Or anyone know what is causing this.">>

This particular error can be caused by multiple things and can happen commonly when a plugin or server process attempts to access an invalid pointer/memory location and is normally the result of poor or buggy code. Without further context your quotation is useless.

All this being said, I did move forward with applying the older hlds_run script. Restart your server from your my.gameservers.com account page to take advantage of the changes. Let me know if your server still fails to restart after a crash occurs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Never once did they, for all appearance sake, check on recent changes by either them/valve/steam that I had pointed out to them previously.

Anyways, I've started a second server elsewhere. So if they can't provide the support that I expect in the future, then it's Adios! to them.

[Tank]

OFFTOPIC:

I use to be a customer with GameServers but left because I needed a better performance server then they could offer however I do have an advice, or actually two for people who are still a customer with GS.

- Create a ticket and right after (make sure you remember the time difference if you are not from the US) join their IRC channel and just copy paste your ticket number in their channel.

This helped me to speed up reaction times

- If shit hits the fan, start remembering them about your history with them, how many years, months whatever you've been with them and just threaten to cancel payments and to move to another company, suprisingly how willing they become to help you right after that (helped me out).

Last advice: PM D-O since he's a VIP with GS, just let him solve it for you :D

[[SOL] Psycho]

ok this just started happening with my server yesterday... talked to the guy i know that works for gameservers and he said its happening to alot of ppl running hl1 based servers.. said he thinks its the new hlds_run script and said something about how it looks like its trying to run the amd version or some such..

he tried setting mine back to using the old hlds_run script or whatever so ill see how that works..

My servers are still going offline. Did this fix yours D-O, or any one else s? I can't get Gameservers support to change my hlds_run script. Is there any way to find out exactly what your contact at gameservers did to fix yours?

Ticket KQZ-13012 has been updated by Brian Rak [staff].

There is no way to revert this file.

[diamond-optic]

when i get home from work today (if i have time, otherwise tomorrow) ill talk to the guy that changed the script for me and ill get a way for you to contact him.. im sure he'll do it for you

[[SOL] Psycho]

Many thanks, I keep wondering why they (gameservers) don't fix it for all their customers.

[diamond-optic]

check your PMs psycho :)


and on a side note... i feel the need (due to the alcohol con tent of my blood) to point out that this is NOT the fault of your host (be it gameservers.com or not) ..the new (and possibly *broken*) hlds_run script is the result of valves incredible knowledge


so theres no need to be an ass to anyone from your host and blame them for *breaking* the auto-restart

not sure who exactly it was that was twisting things around and throwing me into the mix, but its totally unnecesary (as well as unfair) ... and when it comes to this stuff, patience and politeness go a long way.... plus u never know what might get back to me :P

[clibinarius]

*BOT* is experiencing the same difficulties, and has been for some time. It is a key reason some key admins got sick of things.

[[SOL] Psycho]

"and on a side note... i feel the need (due to the alcohol con tent of my blood) to point out that this is NOT the fault of your host (be it gameservers.com or not) ..the new (and possibly *broken*) hlds_run script is the result of valves incredible knowledge" Quote from above

My biggest problem with them is that their support refused to apply this "fix" to my servers. Told me there was no way to do it. Since most of us don't have personal friends working for Gameservers, we can't get a serious problem fixed. Got to try hard to blame this on Valve. In the mean time our servers just go off line for hours, very frustrating for someone trying to get and keep traffic on a server.

In case anyone was wondering, my Escaped Turkey server has not gone off line yet. A month so far.

[clibinarius]

Has it crashed yet, Psycho? In any event, it seems more stable...the gs servers crash with some frequency, and don't reboot, and I'm wondering if that's universal. If its crashed and rebooted, it would mean they don't have the issue at all...

[[SOL] Psycho]

I am sure this server has crashed, the main thing is I haven't had to restart it manually. I asked on this thread a couple of times if anyone with a different host than gameservers has had this off line problem. No one so far has said they did.

I am talking about the server I rented from Escaped Turkey. This also is a linux format. About six weeks without going off line.

[meathead]

UPDATE
I just had the change made at GS, seems to restart on it's own now.
I've had good luck with one guy on their support team, so no complaints at the moment!
Meathead

[[SOL] Psycho]

I wish I could get him to do mine, The support staff I get told me it can't be done.

[meathead]

I posted a link to this forum in my request :)

[diamond-optic]

I posted a link to this forum in my request :)


great.. get me in trouble for opening my mouth hahaha


i could just be a jerk and tell you all who to ask to have the ticket assigned to, but ill give the guy a break haha

[TigerMan4]

./hlds_run: line 321: 20338 Segmentation fault $HL_CMD

I got this error last night and the server would not restart on its own.

it use to restart on its own unless there was a serious crash.

and I too get the 512 over limit bs.

that's new as well.

[TigerMan4]

who should I talk to at gameservers to get them to fix mine.

and what should I say exactly.

when mine crashes , it wont restart unless I do it manually.

I gave admin (web start only ) on my server via gameservers to one of my clanmates (because I cant watch it all the time to restart it when it crashes), and I didnt realize that in the admin page for auto restart there is a log report and in the log report it lists the rcon password , this person started banning and kicking people through hlsw using the rcon password from the log to do it...mainly admins with imunity.

there is another problem with GS right there.

[meathead]

I just posted them a link to this thread and they got the right guy to fix mine.