​

Rust Server Common Issues & Troubleshooting Guide

​

Connection Issues

​

Players Can’t Connect to Server

• “Connection Failed” errors
• Server not appearing in browser
• Timeout errors during connection

​

Check Server Status

1. Verify server is running in control panel
2. Check server console for error messages
3. Confirm server startup completed successfully

​

Port Configuration

1. Verify port 28015 is open (UDP)
2. Check firewall settings on server
3. Confirm port forwarding (self-hosted servers)
4. Test port accessibility with online tools

​

Network Troubleshooting

# Test server connectivity
ping your-server-ip
telnet your-server-ip 28015

​

Server Not Showing in Browser

​

Steam Server Registration

• Wait 10-15 minutes for new servers to appear
• Restart server to re-register with Steam
• Check Steam server status at steamstat.us

​

Server Configuration

# Ensure these settings in server config
+server.hostname "Your Server Name"
+server.description "Server Description"
+server.url "http://yourwebsite.com"
+server.headerimage "http://yoursite.com/image.jpg"

​

High Ping and Lag Issues

​

Server Location

• Choose server closest to player base
• Consider multiple locations for global players
• Monitor ping times regularly

​

Network Optimization

# Server startup parameters for better networking
+server.tickrate 30
+server.netcache_size 100
+fps.limit 60

​

Performance Problems

​

Low Server FPS

• Server FPS below 20-30
• Stuttering gameplay
• Delayed player actions

​

Resource Allocation

1. Increase RAM allocation (minimum 8GB, recommended 16GB+)
2. Ensure adequate CPU cores (4+ cores recommended)
3. Use SSD storage for better I/O performance

​

World Size Optimization

# Reduce world size for better performance
+server.worldsize 3000  # Instead of 4000
+server.maxplayers 50   # Reduce if needed

​

Plugin Management

1. Audit installed plugins - remove unnecessary ones
2. Update plugins regularly - newer versions often perform better
3. Monitor plugin resource usage - identify performance hogs

​

Memory Issues

​

Garbage Collection

# Force garbage collection
gc.collect

# Monitor memory usage
pool.print_memory

​

Memory Optimization Settings

# Startup parameters for memory management
+gc.buffer 256
+pool.mode 2

​

Server Crashes

​

Plugin-Related Crashes

1. Check plugin compatibility with current Rust version
2. Review error logs in oxide/logs/
3. Disable plugins one by one to identify culprit
4. Update or remove problematic plugins

​

Memory-Related Crashes

1. Increase server RAM allocation
2. Monitor memory usage trends
3. Implement automatic restarts during low-population hours

​

Corrupted World Files

1. Restore from backup if available
2. Generate new world with different seed
3. Check storage device for hardware issues

​

Admin and Permission Issues

​

Admin Commands Not Working

​

Verify Admin Status

# Check if you're properly set as admin
status
# Look for your name in admin list

​

Permission Configuration

# Re-add admin permissions
ownerid STEAMID64 "YourName" "Admin"
server.writecfg

​

uMod Permission Issues

# Grant admin permissions in uMod
oxide.grant user STEAMID64 admin
oxide.usergroup add STEAMID64 admin

​

Plugin Commands Not Responding

​

Plugin Status Check

# Verify plugin is loaded
oxide.plugins

# Reload problematic plugin
oxide.reload PluginName

​

Permission Verification

# Check user permissions
oxide.show user STEAMID64

# Grant specific plugin permissions
oxide.grant user STEAMID64 pluginname.use

​

World and Map Issues

​

World Generation Problems

• Blank or corrupted terrain
• Missing monuments
• Unusual landscape features

​

Regenerate World

# Change world seed to generate new map
+server.seed 12345
# Restart server to apply changes

​

Verify World Size

# Ensure world size is appropriate
+server.worldsize 4000  # Standard size
# Smaller sizes: 3000, 2000, 1000

​

Save File Corruption

​

Restore from Backup

1. Stop server immediately
2. Restore latest backup from control panel
3. Test world integrity before going live

​

Manual Save Recovery

1. Navigate to server/SERVERNAME/ folder
2. Look for .sav backup files
3. Replace corrupted save with backup
4. Restart server and test

​

Update and Maintenance Issues

​

Server Won’t Update

​

Manual Update Process

# Stop server first
# Run SteamCMD update
steamcmd +force_install_dir ./rust_server/ +login anonymous +app_update 258550 +quit

​

File Permission Issues

1. Check file permissions on server directory
2. Ensure SteamCMD has write access
3. Run as administrator if needed (Windows)

​

Disk Space Problems

1. Check available storage space
2. Clean up old logs and temporary files
3. Remove unused plugins and files

​

Plugin Compatibility After Updates

​

Plugin Verification

1. Check plugin compatibility with new Rust version
2. Update plugins to latest versions
3. Test critical plugins before opening server

​

Configuration Review

1. Backup current configs before updating
2. Compare config changes after update
3. Restore custom settings if overwritten

​

Player-Related Issues

​

Player Data Corruption

• Players spawn as fresh spawns
• Lost player progress
• Inventory/blueprint issues

​

Player Data Recovery

1. Check player data backups in control panel
2. Restore individual player files if available
3. Use admin commands to restore items/blueprints

​

Prevention Measures

1. Enable automatic backups for player data
2. Regular manual backups before major changes
3. Monitor player data file sizes for corruption

​

Authentication Issues

​

VAC Authentication Errors

1. Restart Steam client completely
2. Verify game files integrity
3. Check VAC status and wait if issues exist

​

Server-Side Authentication

# Check server authentication settings
+server.secure 1  # Enable VAC protection

​

Monitoring and Prevention

​

Server Health Monitoring

​

Performance Metrics

• Server FPS (target: 25-30+)
• RAM usage (should not exceed 80%)
• CPU usage (sustained high usage indicates issues)
• Network latency (ping times)

​

Log Monitoring

1. Review server logs daily
2. Check plugin error logs regularly
3. Monitor crash reports and patterns

​

Preventive Maintenance

​

Weekly Tasks

• Review server performance metrics
• Check for plugin updates
• Clean up log files
• Test backup restoration

​

Monthly Tasks

• Full server backup before major changes
• Review and update plugins
• Analyze player feedback and issues
• Plan server optimizations

​

Related Guides

• Setup Rust Server - Initial server configuration
• Admin Commands - Server management tools
• Installing Oxide/uMod - Plugin framework setup
• Popular Plugins - Essential server plugins

​

Frequently Asked Questions