Setting up a Dedicated Server

This guide explains everything you need to know to setup one or more dedicated servers for hosting races for rFactor 2 on Steam. The basic process involves first installing the dedicated server, then installing the tracks and cars you want and creating one or more “race events” with those that you can host. For every different server instance you can setup a profile, configure and open ports on your firewall and start hosting.

Introduction

This guide explains everything you need to know to setup one or more dedicated servers for hosting races for rFactor 2 on Steam. The basic process involves first installing the dedicated server, then installing the tracks and cars you want and creating one or more “race events” with those that you can host. For every different server instance you can setup a profile, configure and open ports on your firewall and start hosting.

The whole process does take some time and some steps might not be immediately intuitive, but in the end this gives you a very flexible hosting setup. If you have any questions while following this guide, please provide feedback so we can improve it.

Downloading and Installing

For people that want to host a dedicated server, a special installation is now available. It does not require you to install and run a Steam client, or log into Steam, but it does provide you with a dedicated server that will register with Steam, so it's visible in the server list.

The installation goes as follows:

• Download the SteamCMD archive from this link: http://media.steampowered.com/installer/steamcmd.zip
  
• Create a new folder on your system for SteamCMD, for example C:\Racing\SteamCMD.
  
• Put SteamCMD.exe from the archive you downloaded in that folder.
  
• Open a shell (Windows+R to run a command, and then type “CMD”).
  
• Go to the folder you just created: cd \Racing\SteamCMD
  
• Run the following command:
  

  steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir ../rFactor2-Dedicated +app_update 400300 +quit

Sit back and get a cup of coffee. Steam will download the full distribution for the dedicated server for you and install it in C:\Racing\rFactor2-Dedicated.

If you ever want to update your installation in the future, because a new version of rFactor 2 has been released, you can simply run the SteamCMD command again and your installation will automatically update to the latest version.

Setting up Shortcuts

Before you continue installing packages and creating events, it is worthwhile to setup a few shortcuts:

• A shortcut to either the 32 or 64 bit version of the dedicated server to host a race. You can find those in the Bin32/Bin64 folder of the installation. Make sure to add:

   +path=".."

  at the end of the line in "Target" to ensure that the dedicated server knows how to load all your content, otherwise the shortcut won't work! So the whole line in that "Target" field should be something like this:

  "C:\rFactor2-Dedicated\Bin64\rFactor2 Dedicated.exe" +path=".."

  
  
• A shortcut to the module manager that can be used to install packages containing tracks, cars or race events. You can find it in the Bin32 folder of the installation and it's called ModMgr.exe
  
• A shortcut to the package manager that can be used to create race events. It is located in the Support\Tools folder of the installation, a file called MAS2.exe.

Downloading Packages

The different tracks and cars that you can use to host races in rFactor 2 can be downloaded in different ways. Probably the most convenient way of doing so is through the same Steam Workshop that you are familiar with when playing rFactor 2. The biggest difference being that a server has no Steam account and therefore does not support the notion of being subscribed to content. However, that does not mean that you cannot download items from the workshop, but you have to do that differently.

Another way is to browse the internet and download from the various sites that provide content for rFactor 2. The content ISI provides can be found at http://rfactor.net/web/rf2/rf2dl/ but in general, how that works, depends on the site in question. That makes it hard to give a generic guide for that, which is why we will focus on using the Workshop here.

To download anything from the workshop, you do need a Steam account. You also need to know the Workshop ID of the item you want to download. If you browse the workshop, the URL will reveal this ID. For example: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=505225177

Open a command line and run SteamCMD to start the actual download of the item:

S:\Temp>steamcmd.exe +login USERNAME PASSWORD +workshop_download_item 365960 505225177 +quit

The command you are running will log into Steam, download an item from the workshop for a game with ID 365960 (which is rFactor 2) and the workshop item ID 505225177, and then quit. Now to find the item you just downloaded, go into the folder where you installed SteamCMD and then go to this path:

steamapps\workshop\content\365960\505225177

Again you see the ID of both the game and the workshop item in the path. That folder should give you the contents of the item. This is often a single package file, but could very well be a whole set of files. In the next section we will discuss how to install them.

Installing Packages

Once you have downloaded the packages you need, you can install them. The easiest way is to first copy the files you downloaded into the "Packages" folder of your installation. Then, using a shortcut you've setup earlier in the guide, run the module manager. The packages should now show up in the list and you can use the "Install" button to install them.

For hosting you need at least some kind of "Race Event" (which describes what cars and tracks you're hosting) and the corresponding cars and tracks. If you don't have a race event, you can also create your own. This is explained in great detail in a different guide.

Configuring your Firewall and Router

To make your dedicated server accessible for others, you probably need open up some ports in your firewall and potentially forward them from your router to the computer that is running the dedicated server.

The ports that the dedicated server uses can be configured in the Multiplayer.JSON file that can be located in the player folder in UserData. The following two settings configure the ports:

    "HTTP Server Port":64297
    "Simulation Port":54297

In addition to these two ports, Steam will use two extra ports (the ones directly after the HTTP server port) so for this example the following ports need to be opened:

UDP+TCP   54297
TCP       64297
UDP       64298
UDP       64299

Running the Server

In one of the previous sections you have already setup a shortcut to the dedicated server, so now all you need to do is launch it. A wizard will guide you through the final steps of selecting a race event, cars, tracks and configuring the many different options.

If you want to run more than one dedicated server on the same computer, you need to have a unique copy of the player folder for each. To set that up, start by going to your installation and then to the UserData folder. If you've already run the dedicated server before, you will see a "player" folder. If not, do that first. Then make a copy of the player folder, go in and change the ports (and possibly your router and firewall again). Then create a new shortcut to launch this dedicated server. In the "Target" field of this shortcut, add the following behind rFactor2 Dedicated.exe:

 +profile=player2

Assuming the copy of the player folder is called "player2". From now on, you can use this shortcut to launch this instance of the dedicated server. In theory you can add as many as you have ports, bandwidth, memory and CPU power for.

[SyLoN | trackartelier.de]

how can i use tracks and cars that are not from the workshop`?

[DurgeDriven]

You can also run a dedicated server "offline" a private one only you can join.
You are not persay online and get no lag or other online issues.
Why do that ? So you have ability to swap cars in garage which means you can test 12 GT3 in one session without reloading All other sims online or offline can't do this simple thing. None of them. i use this method all the time so i can test whatever cars I like in a single session which also keeps all your fastest laps or all cars everytime you drive them again.
If I want to do that in any other sim i have to reload session every car change ! and lose all my laptimes !

If you already have rF2 you don't have to redownload anything.
Use Beyond Compare to "flatten" workshop directory and copy the content you want to dedicated server\packages folder.
Then copy the same content from your installed folder into the dedicated server installed folder.
Start Mod Manager twice it will say all content installed. Without d/ling a thing.

[BadWallFlower]

If you are at home reading this page, as you want to host a race with a couple of friends. Your thinking this is complicated and hard to follow.

YOU ARE READING THE WRONG GUIDE !!!

This guide is for experienced Administrators, who are setting up a Dedicated Server (Has NO Game Controller/Steering wheel attached) in a Data Centre.


You need this Guide by Christopher Elliott
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=553030951

[Hans Kly]

Put your soul in peace, rFactor is Finished!
Pon tu alma en paz, ¡rFactor está terminado!
Mettetevi l'anima in pace, rFactor è Finito!
Mettez votre âme en paix, rFactor est terminé!

[FastMax_]

I understood hosting a server and then they went and changed the game and I gave up. It doesn't help that there are 2 official ways to host a server (there were 3 ways before the new UI) and it doesn't help that the MAS utility editor isn't setup properly nor does this guide tell you to set it up properly with making sure the correct folders are selected in the lower right of it.

So many details are missing and so much explanation is needed but the guide is written by someone who already understands what to do and it needs to be re-written by someone who just came to understand it for the first time and can understand how it will be trying to follow it as someone who is just learning.

[jcbwdavis]

@DrivingFast,it's not the port forwarding that's the issue. This is having to use a separate server from rF2 all together. I've managed to get it to work but then couldn't get in to it from the same pc and I don't have multiple pc's .I thought assetto corsa was silly until messing with this one.By far the most tedious I've come across. I love rF2 though,my favorite drive,just really hate their hosting problems.

[Big L]

Give this guide a try. Way more in depth.
https://github.com/afloesch/rfactor2-server-setup

[MAYAman]

Why is this so damn complicated? I've seen no less than four pages on the RFactor 2 forums pointing to another tutorial that says "Before you do this, make sure to do this" For F sakes, will someone make a damn tutorial that is in sequence or this game will never catch on.

[PROM]

Raceroom has Bathurst track

[05hit]

@[RWB] PROM Thanks, but I want the Bathurst track