1. Adam T (Testing) - Github
2. Fongoh LOKNJINU (Research) - Github
3. Vangx033 (Testing) -Github
4. Glanel Houenouvi (Documentation) - Github
5. Kasia Lor (Support) - Github
- Introduction
- Shortcomings
- Hardware Platforms
- Protocols & Firewall
- Raspberry Installation
- SootSplash Installation
- Difficulties Encountered
- Screen
- Deployment Success
- Updating Server
- Recovering Server
- Backing Up Server
- How to Play and Access
- Conclusions
A Minecraft Server is what our group deployed for our final project in the Networking 3 - Linux class. There are five members in the group and each one has a special role to work with. Check out our Github accounts to find out more and see the documentation that goes along with our project.
- Mostly online interactions.
- Some team members dropped.
- No prior knowledge of the game by remaining team members.
a. Raspberry Pi 3(Manual steps Installation)
This is Server on Raspbian on the armv7l platform.
b. Raspberry Pi 3(Script Assisted Installation)
This Rasbian server was used for testing the scripts to check on errors.
c. SootSplash Server
This is a Server built on Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.4.0-119-generic x86_64)
a. Minecraft is compiled using Java. It will use the Transmission Control Protocol(TCP) of the Internet protocol suite. This permits the connection between users while playing the game. The following characteristics describe the TCP;
- Connection oriented
- Guaranteed reliable
- 3-way handshake
- Connection established between two neighbors
- A send SYN to B
- B send SYN ACK to A
- A send ACK to B
TCP will use Port 25565 in order to establish connection with users from the server. b. SSH : Secure Shell is the protocol used to access any of the servers
c. Firewall: The server needs to be protected from external access. The following will be added in the iptables.
-A INPUT -p tcp -m state --state NEW --dport 25565 -j ACCEPT
It is recommended we use Raspberry 3 with its 1Gigabyte of RAM and a quad core ARM cpu.n\This version does not need overclocking configurations. We can download the OS for installation on your raspberry usb micro sd here. Using [etch] we can make our micro sd card bootable. The Rasbian Stretch version is preferable and you can decide between the Lite or Desktop images.
We will use a raspberry Pi for test purposes and to start a small minecraft server for a lan server. The tested environment shall be transferable into a dedicated server provided. This dedicated server shall have its server.properties file reconfigured to accomodate the bigger server on a dedicated Linux hardware with Intel/AMD processors. In addition, since Rasbian is a debian distribution, all configurations and instructions would work on Debian servers.
Via using your console
Via using ssh: ssh pi@address
Minecraft requires Java to run. We will download the latest Oracle Java. We will change to the /opt directory, use wget to download and accept Oracle agreements and then extract contents to the opt folder. The following command will help us;
cd /optsudo wget --no-cookies --no-check-certificate --header "Cookie: gpw_e24=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oracle.com%2F; oraclelicense=accept-securebackup-cookie" http://download.oracle.com/otn-pub/java/jdk/8u161-b12/2f38c3b165be4555a1fa6e98c45e0808/jdk-8u161-linux-arm32-vfp-hflt.tar.gzsudo tar -zxvf jdk-8u161-linux-arm32-vfp-hflt.tar.gz
We will configure the Java environment to permit our our system access the jav$ We will use the following commands;
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/jdk1.8.0_161/bin/java 1sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/javac javac /opt/jdk1.8.0_161/bin/javac 1
We will then set this java version as the default versions. Select the right v$
sudo update-alternatives --config javasudo update-alternatives --config javac
We will then check our java version
java -versionjavac -version
Lets update and upgrade our system
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgradeInstall gitsudo apt-get install git
Lets install screen to assist us run the minecraft server console while logged out of pi.
sudo apt-get install screen
We will install the Spigot Minecraft Server build. Lets create a folder
cd /home/pi
sudo mkdir ~/codeblockers
cd ~/codeblockers
We will download the buildtools
wget https://hub.spigotmc.org/jenkins/job/BuildTools/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/target/BuildTools.jar
Then build our server. This compilation process takes close to an hour on a Pi 3 system.
sudo java -jar BuildTools.jar --rev 1.12.2
Once the compilation is completewe should ensure we are in the codeblockers directory and run the server for the first time.
sudo java -Xms512M -Xmx1008M -jar /home/pi/codeblockers/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
We will then accept the EULA agreement after the server stops running.
sudo nano eula.txt
Inside the eula.txt, change the line eula=false to _eula=true_
Let us now change the server properties
sudo nano server.properties
The following properties are recommended for a start, but you can change server.properties following its Wiki.
- Minecraft server properties
- spawn-protection=16
- generator-settings=
- force-gamemode=true
- allow-nether=true
- gamemode=0
- enable-query=false
- player-idle-timeout=0
- difficulty=2
- spawn-monsters=true
- op-permission-level=4
- announce-player-achievements=true
- pvp=true
- snooper-enabled=true
- level-type=DEFAULT
- hardcore=false
- enable-command-block=false
- max-players=10
- network-compression-threshold=256
- resource-pack-sha1=
- max-world-size=29999984
- server-port=25565
- debug=false
- server-ip=
- spawn-npcs=true
- allow-flight=false
- level-name=world
- view-distance=10
- resource-pack=
- spawn-animals=true
- white-list=false
- generate-structures=true
- online-mode=true
- max-build-height=256
- level-seed=
- prevent-proxy-connections=false
- use-native-transport=true
- motd=CodebMinecraft Server
- enable-rcon=false
Now lets rerun our server
sudo java -Xms512M -Xmx1008M -jar /home/pi/codeblockers/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
Lets make the minecraft server to run from a script.
mkdir /home/pi/startupcd /home/pi/startupnano minecraft.shInside our minecraft.sh, we will add the following scripts.
#!/bin/bash
cd /home/pi/codeblockers/ && java -Xms512M -Xmx1008M -jar /home/pi/codeblockers/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
We will save the file and make it executable
chmod u+x minecraft.shLets start the serverscreen<---hit enter at the message that appears.sudo /home/pi/startup/minecraft.sh
To exit the screen session hit CTRL AD
We will edit the /etc/rc.local file
sudo nano /etc/rc.local
Insert the following before the last line exit 0
screen -dm -S minecraft /home/pi/startup/minecraft.sh
sudo screen -r minecraft
This will permit restoring the minecraft server
cd ~tar -zcvf codeblockers_backup.tar.gz ~/codeblockers
We can now copy this zip file to a safe location or server. Restoration should be done regularly considering we have to entertain others and their achievements. This is this area which needs technical support in great details.
This will be installed on sootsplash.csci2461.com, a server hosted by Digital Ocean.
Via using ssh: ssh useraccount@sootsplash.csci2461.com
Minecraft requires Java to run. We will download the latest Oracle Java. We will change to the /opt directory, use wget to download and accept Oracle agreements and then extract contents to the opt folder. The following command will help us;
cd /optwget --no-cookies --no-check-certificate --header "Cookie: gpw_e24=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oracle.com%2F; oraclelicense=accept-securebackup-cookie" http://download.oracle.com/otn-pub/java/jdk/8u161-b12/2f38c3b165be4555a1fa6e98c45e0808/jdk-8u161-linux-x64.tar.gztar -zxvf jdk-8u161-linux-x64.tar.gz
We will configure the Java environment to permit our our system access the java binary and compiler necessary in building our minecraft server. We will use the following commands;
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /opt/jdk1.8.0_161/bin/java 1sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/javac javac /opt/jdk1.8.0_161/bin/javac 1
We will then set this java version as the default versions. Select the right version option.
sudo update-alternatives --config javasudo update-alternatives --config javac
We will then check our java version
java -versionjavac -version
Lets update and upgrade our system
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgradeInstall gitsudo apt-get install git
Lets install screen to assist us run the minecraft server console while logged out of pi.
sudo apt-get install screen
We will install the Spigot Minecraft Server build. Lets create a folder
cd /opt
sudo mkdir minecraft
cd minecraft
We will download the buildtools
wget https://hub.spigotmc.org/jenkins/job/BuildTools/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/target/BuildTools.jar
Then build our server. This compilation process takes close to 45 minutes on this server.
sudo java -jar BuildTools.jar --rev 1.12.2
Once the compilation is completewe should ensure we are in the minecraft directory and run the server for the first time.
sudo java -Xms1024M -Xmx2048M -jar /opt/minecraft/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
Xms1024M and Xms2048M are parameters telling java to start with 1GB of ram as a minimum for the spigot jar file and grow to 2GB maximum. We will then accept the EULA agreement after the server stops running.
sudo nano eula.txt
Inside the eula.txt, change the line eula=false to _eula=true_
Let us now change the server properties
sudo nano server.properties
The following properties are recommended for a start, but you can change server.properties following its Wiki.
- Minecraft server properties
- spawn-protection=16
- generator-settings=
- force-gamemode=true
- allow-nether=true
- gamemode=0
- enable-query=false
- player-idle-timeout=0
- difficulty=2
- spawn-monsters=true
- op-permission-level=4
- announce-player-achievements=true
- pvp=true
- snooper-enabled=true
- level-type=DEFAULT
- hardcore=false
- enable-command-block=false
- max-players=30
- network-compression-threshold=256
- resource-pack-sha1=
- max-world-size=29999984
- server-port=25565
- debug=false
- server-ip=
- spawn-npcs=true
- allow-flight=false
- level-name=world
- view-distance=10
- resource-pack=
- spawn-animals=true
- white-list=false
- generate-structures=true
- online-mode=true
- max-build-height=256
- level-seed=
- prevent-proxy-connections=false
- use-native-transport=true
- motd=CodebMinecraft Server
- enable-rcon=false
Now lets rerun our server
sudo java -Xms1024M -Xmx2048M -jar /opt/minecraft/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
stop to stop the server and complete the remaining phase of the installation.
Lets make the minecraft server to run from a script.
cd /opt && sudo mkdir scriptscd scriptsnano minecraft.shInside our minecraft.sh, we will add the following scripts.
#!/bin/bash
cd /opt/minecraft/ && sudo java -Xms1024M -Xmx2048M -jar /opt/minecraft/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
We will save the file and make it executable
chmod u+x minecraft.shLets start the serverscreen<---hit enter at the message that appears.sudo /opt/scripts/minecraft.sh
To exit the screen session hit CTRL AD
We will edit the /etc/rc.local file
sudo nano /etc/rc.local
Insert the following before the last line exit 0
screen -dm -S minecraft /opt/scripts/minecraft.sh
sudo screen -r minecraft
This will permit restoring the minecraft server
cd /opttar -zcvf minecraft_backup.tar.gz minecraft
We can now copy this zip file to a safe location or server. Restoration should be done regularly considering we have to entertain others and their achievements. This is the area which needs technical support in great details.
When we issued the java build command we encountered this error when the script ran;
/usr/bin/java: 1: /usr/bin/java: Syntax error: word unexpected (expecting ")")
To solve the above we used the open jdk environment as our installation was based on Oracle Java To install open jdk the following commands should be used;
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:openjdk-r/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openjdk-8-jdk
This defines the “PPA for OpenJDK uploads (restricted)” as an additional package repositiory, updates your information, and installs the package with its dependencies (from that repository). It should be noted that each time you write a command which has to alter system files sudo must be used as this is a secured server. This is different from your local server.
When we ran our server it could not bind to port 25565 as another instance was running so we did the following;
sudo lsof -n -i
To kill the process and finally make the server start.
sudo fuser -k 25565/tcp
This helped me to restart the server. But during class discussions, we noticed we had to work with firewalls. The iptables proofed that the tcp port 25565 was not listed and had to be added by administrative rights.
We applied this rule;
sudo /sbin/iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 25565 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT
While in class the following command was utilised.
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 25565 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT
The current issue we face is the fact that once there is a broken pipe, our server cannot restart. This we figured out.
We decided to use sudo to lanch the script. It is worth noting that Sootpslash Server has many services and security protocols. This therefore means, access to certain files by a session will not obtain total read and write permissions.
Consquently, launching the server as the adminstrator assures the server to give permissions on file changes while the game is on.
Likewise we changed the /rc.local to launch the minecraft server from startup if the main server reboots. We have not tested this yet!! We also made installation scripts for Raspberry and Linux platforms as there is a hardware difference.
It should be noted that, it is preferrable to run the script manually rather than automatically if the user does not have full control over the server session.
Screen is a full-screen window manager that multiplexes a physical terminal between several processes, typically interactive shells. When a program terminates, screen kills the window that contained it.
TMUX is another full-screen window manager with capabilities like screen and is developed to outperform screen with more funstions. These softwares permit us to continue from wherever we stopped in our terminals. We installed screen to assist us control our Minecraft Server from its terminal. This is why we include screen in the automatic script to run the server once Ubuntu server boots. This permits the Administrator to run the server session. The following command in our codebminecraft.sh script explains it better; When editing the rc.local file
sudo nano /etc/rc.local
add the following into the line before exit 0...
screen -dm -S minecraft /opt/scripts/codebminecraft.sh
Whenever the server is running and you closed the terminal before and will want to check the server,
just run the following command in your session;
_screen -r_
The folowing are different instances of using screen.
To list screen terminals;
screen -ls or screen -list
To resume a screen session use;
screen -r
To detach a screen session use;
screen -d
You can resume and detach a particular session with this sample command;
screen -r -d ~~30608~~
30608 being the terminal session you want to resume.
It has been an educative ride for our team. Doing research and testing was fun but getting into difficulties was more educative as it opened up more venues for research. ** Launch Server**
| Platform | Boot Directory | Boot Command |
|---|---|---|
| Rasbian | cd Startup | sudo ./minecraft.sh |
| Ubuntu Server | cd /opt/scripts | sudo ./codebminecraft.sh |
It is essential you create automatic backups. Ensure the location is able to store such backups. Lets use our installed server as an example. In order to play on this Minecraft server, everyone will need a Mojang account to LOGIN. To obtain an account click Here. Now you have an account... You need the Minecraft Client software to access!!! In your Mojang account, there are links to download for Windows, Linux and MAC users. Choose the client software that matches up with your Operating System.
Once your Client software is launched, Choose Multiplayer.
This will lead you to insert the name of the server preferably Code_B_Minecraft.
The server address will be 167.99.232.136.
Join The Server and I will be on alert to Welcome you OnBoard.
To chat while in the server, just type T on your keyboard.
That's it!
These are pictures of our installation and servers functioning:
Active Servers:
Pi Server:
Pi Server:
Pi Server:
SootSplash Server:
SootSplash Server:
SootSplash Server:
Both Servers:
Mojang releases new versions of minecraft server. It is necessary to upgrade the server when necessary.
The following process ;
Login to the server and stop the minecraft server. In the minecraft console type stop and hit enter.
cd /opt
tar -zcvf minecraft_backup.tar.gz minecraft
cd /opt/minecraft
wget https://hub.spigotmc.org/jenkins/job/BuildTools/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/target/BuildTools.jar -O BuildTools.jar
Then we rebuild the new spigot server.
sudo java -jar Buildtools.jar --rev 1.12.2
Then update the minecraft.sh startup script to use the latest jar file.
cd /opt/scripts nano minecraft.sh`
Update the command to start the new jar file.
`cd /opt/minecraft/ && java -Xms1024M -Xmx2048M -jar /opt/minecraft/spigot-1.12.2.jar nogui
Save the file. Restart the server.
It is important to regularly backup your Minecraft server. At times exception errors occur when you log into your minecraft server. Or many things disappear from the world. The world may have been corrupted for any number of issues such as software problems or disk errors.
With backups available, restore the previous backup with the following;
Delete the existing minecraft folder you created
cd /opt
sudo rm -r -f minecraft
Copy the previously saved minecraft.tar.gz file to your /opt folder. Restore your minecraft world by
tar -zxvf minecraft.tar.gz
Restart the server and the minecraft server will be successfully restored.
To Backup the server, do the following; login to the server
cd /opt
tar -zcvf minecraft_backup.tar.gz minecraft
Copy the minecraft_backup.tar.gz to a safe location. This file will be used to restore your world when needed.
Do this frequently or use the cron scheduler to automate the process at a specified time each day.
Here are the steps on how to connect to the Minecraft server, please skip to step #4 if you already have an account.
- Go to https://minecraft.net/en-us and click 'Buy Minecraft' to purchase the game.
- Enter your address email, password and DOB to create an account.
- Choose your Operating System (Windows or MAC) and install the application
- Launch the application and you should see more options such as Single Player, Multiplayer and ect.
- Click one that you would like to play and click "Add Server". Enter the name and the IP address of the server you would like to join.
- Once the server is added, click the server and "Join Server"(Our sootsplash server IP address is 167.99.232.136).
- Application will load and take you into the game.
- To exit, please press "ESC' key and click "Disconnect".
| Keyboard Button | Function | |
|---|---|---|
E |
Move forward | |
S |
Move backward | |
A |
Move left | |
D |
Move right | |
Spacebar |
Jump | |
Right click mouse |
Attack | |
ESC |
Exit game |
Please refer to these two URLs if you are new to minecraft;
How to play: http://www.minecraftopia.com/how_to_play_minecraft
Useful keys for the game: https://www.minecraft101.net/g/controls-and-keyboard.html
This project has been very great. Our team had its group discussions via text and via discord.
The picture shows all our team, and this shows we lost 2 members but it never slowed us down.
We have understood that working as a team means supporting each other.
Many circumstances arrive in the development phase.
As team contributors we come to understand to bare the weaknesses of others and teach each other in order to push forth the project. No one is indespensable. Time management is our only key to success.
Kasia Lor took over support and permitted us to go over our presentation and check out the minecraft client presentation.
Xee took care of Testing, as he tested the scripts on his Pi and found errors which we identified in our Difficulties area and he also gave a clear cut presentation on how to access the server as well as how to play.
Glanel was in charge of the documentation which permitted us to compile all sections of our project into one main body, as well as corresponding with team members to check on their level of work and time of publishing.
Fongoh took care of research and permitted us to get the minecraft server up and running and managing the server.
Our project has as limitation, users having to buy access from Mojang in order to play, therefore limiting interested users. We can only conclude that it is possible to host a game server. Consequently, we can associate with a game programmer in order to compile a server as such and manage it which can yield income from users obtaining access or permitting free access and monetize the game. We also realised Minecraft server online can be used as a chat server amongst users as the administrator whitelist users and blocks unidentified users from accessing. This is a medium to communicate privately and of course rules must be made. As a security insight, people can chat over minecraft and we should check on how to monitor over its ports for any National security words if we happen one day to be national security experts.