Post Scriptum / Squad 44 Dedicated Server Troubleshooting

Post Scriptum / Squad 44 Dedicated Server Troubleshooting

Server Not Appearing in the Server Browser

Symptom: Server runs without errors but is not found in the in-game browser.

Checklist:

• Allow 5–10 minutes after first launch for Steam registration.
• Confirm port 27165 (Steam query port) is open via UDP.
• Verify the server binary is pointed at the correct map layer name as the launch argument — an invalid layer name may cause the server to crash silently.
• Servers without a valid LicenseId in Server.cfg do not appear on the official licensed-server list. They may still appear on the unlicensed / community list.

Quick test: Add the server to your Steam favorites list using <IP>:7787. If it appears there but not in the browser, the query port (27165) may not be correctly forwarded.

Players Cannot Connect

Symptom: Server appears in browser but players get timeout or "failed to join."

• Confirm ports 7787 and 7788 are open (UDP) in addition to 27165/27166.
• Check that MaxPlayers has not been reached; reserved slots count against the visible cap.
• Ensure the player's game version exactly matches the server version — mismatch causes immediate disconnect.
• On Linux, check the process is not crashing and respawning on its own:

  sudo journalctl -u postscriptum -n 50
  

Server Crashes on Startup

Common causes:

• Invalid layer name in the launch argument — check the exact layer string against the current game's layer list.
• Corrupt installation — re-run app_update 746200 validate via SteamCMD.
• Insufficient RAM — less than 12 GB causes near-immediate crashes on layer load.
• Missing Linux libraries — install required dependencies:

  sudo apt install libsdl2-2.0-0 libc6 libstdc++6
  

Check PostScriptum/Saved/Logs/ for a crash log with a stack trace.

Config Changes Not Taking Effect

• Post Scriptum reads Server.cfg and Admins.cfg only on startup. A running server does not hot-reload configuration.
• MapRotation.cfg is read between rounds — layer rotation changes take effect at the next map change.
• Bans.cfg is read dynamically — bans added while the server is running take effect immediately.

RCON Connection Refused

• Verify Rcon.cfg has the correct Port and Password, and the server was restarted after editing.
• Check the RCON port (default 21114) is open for both TCP and UDP.
• Confirm no other process occupies port 21114: ss -tulnp | grep 21114
• Ensure your RCON client is not using an outdated password.

High CPU Usage

• Post Scriptum is CPU-intensive on large player counts. A server with 80+ players should have at least an 8-core CPU at 3.5 GHz.
• Reduce -maxPlayers to 50–60 if the host is under-powered.
• Daily restarts clear in-memory state that accumulates over long uptimes.

Outdated Server Version After Update

• Always run app_update 746200 validate in SteamCMD after each game update.
• Do not use app_update 746200 alone — the validate flag ensures corrupt or missing files are replaced.
• If SteamCMD reports the server is up to date but players still see a version mismatch, delete the steamcmd/appcache/ directory and re-run the update.

Getting More Help

• Official Discord: squad44.com → join the server and find #server-admin
• Steam forums: Squad 44 Discussions
• Provide log excerpts from PostScriptum/Saved/Logs/ when seeking support — timestamps and error strings significantly speed up diagnosis.