Server Backend & Management

Apr 16, 2024

•

Chris

Technical backend stuff about the server. Things like setting up the server, portforwarding, SSH to VM, using Tmux, etc…

Virtual Machine & MC Server Specifications

Virtual Machine:
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04.6 LTS
- OS: Oracle Linux (Version 8.9)
- Shape: VM.Standard.A1.Flex
- 2 CPU Cores
- 16 GB Memory
MC Server:
- Minecraft v1.20.4
- Fabric Loader v0.15.10
- Runs on Java 17

Running Server Via Terminal

The command follows: sudo java -Xmx12G -jar fabric-server-mc.1.20.4-loader.0.15.10-launcher.1.0.1.jar nogui
Default run command: java -Xmx<Amount-Of-Memory> -jar <server jar file> nogui

Website

This website used to utilize MCWebServer, a mod which allowed a MC server to run alongside a site. Built off Jekyll, a static site generator, the site was configured to run off port 80 (the default port for http sites) which meant I had to prefix sudo to the run command, granting superuser privileges and allowing it to bind to port 80. Not doing so would result in a “Server Connection error: Permission denied”. Since then I have migrated over to this HTTPS site you’re currently on that runs off WordPress, all installed via Hestia.

Running Server 24/7 By Utilizing Tmux

Tmux installation for Linux: sudo yum install tmux

Creating session: tmux new -As <name>
Listing all active sessions: tmux ls or tmux list-sessions
Attaching to session: tmux attach -t <name>
Detach from session: Ctrl B + D
Kill/Delete a session: tmux kill-session -t <name>

View all Tmux commands via Tmux Cheat Sheet

Video demonstration utilizing Tmux for a Minecraft server.

Other Useful Commands

List file space usage: du -h
List all directories only: ls -d */
Search for files within system: sudo find / -iname <file name>
Report file system disk space usage: df -h
Change user password: sudo passwd <username>
Finding IP address associated with the domain name: nslookup <domain>
Copy files via SSH: sudo scp -i <private-key> <file directory> <user@ipaddress>:<directory to copy to>

Firewall Rules & Commands

For Ubuntu:

Check if a port is being used: sudo ss -tuln | grep <port>
Verify and ping connections: telnet <ip> <port>
- Example: telnet 10.0.0.109 25565

To reset Hestia back to its default firewall rules run
sudo su - and iptables-save | awk '/^[*]/ { print $1 } /^:[A-Z]+ [^-]/ { print $1 " ACCEPT" ; } /COMMIT/ { print $0; }' | iptables-restore

For Linux:

// Example: Opening Port UDP & TCP at 8100
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=8100/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=8100/tcp

// Example: Closing Port UDP & TCP at 8100
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-port=8100/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-port=8100/tcp

// Example: Closing Port UDP & TCP at 8100
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-port=8100/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --remove-port=8100/tcp

// Finally, apply changes:
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

List all open ports in firewall: sudo firewall-cmd --list-ports
List all open services in firewall: sudo firewall-cmd --list-services
Check if a port is already being used: netstat -tuln | grep :<port>

Performing Backups

Zip file with command: sudo zip -r <name of zipped file> <file you want to zip>.
Copy zipped file by using the scp command or with WinSCP by simply dragging onto local machine.

Sources

Sites, Articles, & Documentation

Applications

Youtube Videos

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