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The two details that cause most failed installations are Linux’s Steam library requirement and networking: start the server with SCS Software’s server_launch.sh wrapper (or provide steamclient.so where Linux expects it), and forward both TCP/IP and UDP for the physical dedicated ports if you want browser visibility.
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What the ATS dedicated server does
A dedicated server is a headless ATS session that runs independently of a player’s game client. SCS Software describes the main advantage over a normal Convoy host this way: the session remains running when nobody is connected, so players can leave and return without waiting for the original host to start the game again.
The server process does not need ownership of ATS or its downloadable content. You can therefore put the files on a separate Linux machine, including a rented VPS or dedicated host, while players use their own game installations. The server still needs package metadata generated from a normal ATS installation so it knows which map, DLC and mods the session uses.
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This is different from simply opening a Convoy session in the game. A Convoy depends on the host’s game process and usually disappears when that host quits. A dedicated instance has its own configuration, ports, logs and optional persistent identity.
Hardware and operating-system requirements
Steam’s published Linux requirements for ATS list the following baseline and recommended specifications. Valve published these figures in 2016; they describe the game rather than a measured dedicated-server benchmark. Use them as a floor, choose a currently maintained 64-bit distribution, and leave storage headroom for logs, package files and updates.
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|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Ubuntu 14.04 64-bit | Linux 64-bit |
| Processor | Quad-core 3.3 GHz | Quad-core 4.6 GHz |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 12 GB RAM |
| Storage | 25 GB | 25 GB |
Do not treat the old Ubuntu version in that table as a recommendation to deploy an unsupported operating system. A current, security-supported 64-bit distribution is the safer choice. A dedicated server’s actual load depends on player count, map and mod setup, logging and the other services sharing the machine.
Choose where the server will run
Self-hosting at home
Running the server on a home Linux machine avoids a monthly hosting bill and gives you direct access to the operating system, logs and backups. You must supply continuous power, keep the machine patched, configure the router and firewall, and accept whatever public-address and upload limitations your ISP imposes. Browser visibility requires a reachable public address or correctly configured forwarding.
Using a rented Linux VPS or dedicated host
A rented machine normally gives you a public address and a datacenter connection, which removes much of the router work and makes persistent uptime easier. Before paying, confirm that the plan provides a public IPv4 or usable IPv6 path, permits inbound and outbound UDP as well as TCP, supplies enough CPU, RAM and disk for your setup, and allows game servers under its terms. Check bandwidth policy and the physical region so latency is appropriate for your players. You remain responsible for updates, firewall rules, backups and the ATS configuration.
Install the dedicated-server files
1. Create a separate Linux account
Use a non-root account dedicated to the server. Give it ownership of the installation and home directories, and grant administrative access only through your normal system-management method. Keeping the game process away from root limits the damage from a configuration mistake or a compromised service.
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Install SteamCMD from your distribution’s supported package or Valve’s documented SteamCMD distribution. The dedicated server is identified by Steam app ID 2239530. SteamCMD is the route to use when the full Steam client is not installed on the Linux machine.
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A typical interactive session looks like this; adjust the directory to your chosen location:
steamcmd
force_install_dir /srv/ats-server
login anonymous
app_update 2239530 validate
quitIf your SteamCMD package uses a different executable path, run the same commands through that package’s launcher. The important value is the dedicated-server app ID, not the ATS game ID.
3. Plan updates explicitly
SteamCMD does not auto-update this server. Run an update job yourself, such as a scheduled maintenance script or a manually invoked maintenance window. Stop the server before replacing files, run app_update 2239530 validate, review the logs, and start it again. Keep a copy of server_config.sii, the two package files and your service or launch scripts before an update so a bad change can be reversed.
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Start it correctly on Linux
Use the supplied launcher
In the server installation directory, start the supplied server_launch.sh wrapper. It sets up the Steam client library environment expected by the dedicated executable and is the preferred Linux launch method.
cd /srv/ats-server
./server_launch.shThe first successful launch creates the server home directory and a default server_config.sii. Stop the foreground process with Ctrl+C after that first run if you need to edit the configuration or copy package files.
If you launch the executable directly
A direct executable launch must be able to see steamclient.so at ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so. Use the documented symlink approach to place the library there, or keep using server_launch.sh so the wrapper handles the environment. Do not ignore a missing-library error and continue with networking changes; the process must initialize Steam correctly first.
Generate the package files from a normal ATS installation
The headless server needs three files in its home directory:
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server_config.sii, which contains session and administrative settings;server_packages.sii;server_packages.dat.
The last two files describe the active map, DLC and mod setup. Generate them from a normal ATS game installation rather than trying to build them by hand.
- Start ATS on a machine with the map, DLC and mods you intend to use.
- Enable the developer console in the game’s configuration by setting
uset g_console "1". - Launch the game and press
~to open the console. - Enter
export_server_packagesand press Enter. - Locate the newly created
server_packages.siiandserver_packages.dat. - Copy both files into the dedicated server’s home directory, next to its
server_config.sii.
If the server machine does not contain the full game, no additional ATS DLC or mod data needs to be copied for this package mechanism. The headless server cannot access Steam Workshop directly, so regenerate and recopy the package files whenever you change the active setup on the normal game installation.
Configure server_config.sii
Open the file created by the first launch with a text editor. It stores the session description, network ports, logon token, player limit and moderators. Make a backup before each change and keep the file readable only by the server account if it contains a logon token.
Ports and instance identity
Set both virtual ports and both physical dedicated ports. The documentation’s example uses these values:
| Setting | Example value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
connection_virtual_port |
100 | Virtual connection endpoint used by the session. |
query_virtual_port |
101 | Virtual query endpoint used by the session browser. |
connection_dedicated_port |
27015 | Physical port for player connections. |
query_dedicated_port |
27016 | Physical port for server queries. |
Those are examples, not mandatory universal values. Every simultaneously running instance needs different ports and a different logon token. Virtual ports must also be unique between instances. Physical dedicated ports must not collide with another process on the host.
Players, password and moderators
The documented default for max_players is 8. Treat that as the configuration limit shown by the current documentation, not as a performance guarantee; recheck the setting after server updates. Set a password when the session is for a private group.
There is no in-session user interface on the dedicated server for promoting moderators. Put the relevant Steam IDs in moderator_list before players connect, and review that list whenever the group changes.
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Persistent logon token
For a persistent server identity, obtain a Steam game-server logon token and place it in server_config.sii. When generating the token, select the ATS game app ID, not the dedicated-server tool’s app ID 2239530. Keep the token secret; anyone who obtains it may be able to impersonate the server identity.
Make the server reachable
Public address and NAT behavior
The dedicated server does not perform NAT punching. To appear in the public session browser, it needs a public IP address or router port forwarding. A server behind NAT may still be reachable through a direct search, but browser visibility is not guaranteed without a reachable public endpoint.
Forward both protocols
Create firewall and router rules for both TCP/IP and UDP on the physical dedicated ports you selected. Forward the connection port and query port to the Linux host. Do not forward the virtual ports; they are internal session values rather than the sockets exposed by the machine.
On the Linux host, allow only the chosen dedicated ports and the administration access you actually need. If you change the ports in server_config.sii, change the router and host-firewall rules together. An open port with no corresponding server listener, or a listener blocked by the host firewall, produces the same symptom to a remote player: the server appears offline.
Run, monitor and stop the process
Start the server with server_launch.sh after the configuration and package files are in place. For unattended operation, run it under a service manager or terminal supervisor appropriate to your distribution, using the dedicated Linux account and an explicit home directory. Keep standard output and error available during the first launch so you can see initialization failures.
The server home folder contains the two most useful diagnostic files:
server.log.txtrecords normal startup, connections and configuration errors.server.crash.txtrecords crash information when the process terminates unexpectedly.
Stop a foreground process with Ctrl+C. Before planned maintenance, tell players when the session will be unavailable, stop the process cleanly, update or edit one item at a time, and inspect the next startup log before declaring the maintenance complete.
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Host more than one ATS instance
Multiple instances must not share mutable identity or network settings. Give each instance:
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- a separate home directory;
- its own
server_config.sii; - unique connection and query virtual ports;
- unique physical dedicated ports;
- a distinct Steam game-server logon token.
SCS exposes -homedir to select the instance’s home directory and -nosingle for running more than one process. Use those options in each instance’s launch command or service definition. Keep each instance’s logs and backups in its own directory so a package export or configuration change cannot silently affect another session.
Troubleshoot the common failures
SteamAPI_Init() failed or a missing Steam library
The typical message is [S_API FAIL] SteamAPI_Init() failed; unable to locate a running instance of Steam, or a local steamclient.dll. On Linux, first switch to the supplied server_launch.sh wrapper. If you must launch directly, verify that ~/.steam/sdk64/steamclient.so exists through the documented symlink arrangement and that the server account can read it. Restart after correcting the library path.
The process starts but the server is not in the browser
- Confirm that the server has a public IP or that the router forwards the physical connection and query ports to the correct host.
- Confirm that both TCP/IP and UDP rules exist; forwarding only one protocol is insufficient.
- Check the Linux firewall for the same ports.
- Make sure the values in
server_config.siimatch the router rules and that no second process is using them. - Remember that direct search can work behind NAT even when browser listing does not.
Players cannot join after a configuration change
Read server.log.txt for a bind or configuration error, then verify that the package files are in the active home directory rather than only in the normal game’s directory. Confirm that the server process was restarted after editing server_config.sii and that the physical ports remain unique.
The server lacks a map, DLC or mod setup
Run export_server_packages again from the normal ATS installation with the intended content active, then copy both generated files together. The dedicated process cannot fetch Steam Workshop content itself, so a package export is required whenever the active setup changes.
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That behavior is expected when you rely on SteamCMD alone: it does not auto-update the dedicated server. Run your update job during a maintenance window, check the installed files and restart the process. Preserve the configuration and exported package files because updating the tool does not recreate your desired session settings.
Security and reliability checklist
- Use a dedicated, non-root Linux account.
- Run a currently supported 64-bit distribution and apply operating-system security updates.
- Expose only the selected physical connection and query ports, plus necessary administration access.
- Use a password for private sessions and keep
moderator_listlimited to trusted Steam IDs. - Protect the Steam game-server logon token as a secret.
- Back up
server_config.sii,server_packages.sii,server_packages.datand important logs. - Test a clean stop and restart before advertising the server to players.
- For several instances, verify every home directory, token and port independently.
Dedicated server or ordinary Convoy host?
Choose a dedicated server when the group needs a session that remains available without a player acting as host, when players are in different time zones, or when you want to place the service on a rented machine. Choose an ordinary Convoy session when a temporary event is sufficient and the host is willing to keep the game running. The dedicated approach adds Linux administration, package generation, firewall work and update planning, but it removes the dependency on one player’s active game session and can run without ATS or DLC ownership on the server machine.
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