This Manual is Windows Counter-Strike Only!

Thats CS:S and the new released DOD!

"For DOD look at the excellent guide Trizik has done!"

Trizik Guide Here!

I will not be able to give support anymore!

Subjects:

- Guide installing CounterStrike Dedicated Server
- Downloading or making a Server.cfg
- Making a Message Of The Day (MOTD)
- Changing Mapcycle
- RCON guide and MOD links
- Adding bots to your server
- Firewall/Router Settings
- Lag issues
- Other Links


First, create a folder where the files for the dedicated server will be located. In this manual, C:\srcds will be used as the server directory. Verify 1 GB of free space is available on the drive. 

Next, download the HLDS_UpdateTool from here: 

HLDS_UpdateTool

Copy this file where you like. Doubleclick it and follow the instructions. The destination folder to use is: C:\srcds. Some files will be copied to this directory when finished, one of them is: HldsUpdateTool.exe
Doubleclick on HldsUpdateTool.exe, so it will update itself. We will be using this file in the next sections.


Download the Server Files Now, we download the server files that are required to run the server. Depending on your connection this could take from a few minutes to a few hours. 
[color=yellow]If you have HL2 already installed, then there is a quicker way to get the files, click here if you want to know how, if not then proceed...

The next section need to be completed via the DOS command line. To go there do this:
Click Start, then Run, Type in cmd then click the OK button. Once the Command Prompt is up, we need to change directory by typing this in the command line: cd C:\srcds

First watch how fussy the command line can be 
(watch the whole video or you might download 600mb of what you dont want!)

http://www.ezyguides.com/video/css-download2.htm

Or go to Bones site and watch more little video's like above!

Bones Site!. 

Now type the following in the command line or copy from here:

hldsupdatetool -command update -game "Counter-Strike Source" -dir c:\srcds 

This will download all the server files needed to run a Standalone Source Dedicated Server.
Once finished retrieving the files, this text will appear: 

HLDS installation up to date

If it's not working the first time then try again, again and again  

From time to time you will need to update your server, just follow the same steps to do this or make a batch file. 


[b]Creating a shortcut to run the server 
Go to your C:\srcds directory. Find srcds.exe Right click on it and create a shortcut. Now right click on the newly created shortcut and go to properties. Click on the tab shortcut, in the Target line you see probably the following: C:\srcds\srcds.exe Now we need to add the following behind this line to get the server started properly.

-console -game cstrike +ip 213.132.175.152 +maxplayers 20 +map de_dust

Of course you fill in your IP (whatismyip), you can change the maxplayers and which map you want to start the server with. But don’t forget the space between srcds.exe and -console! So the complete line would be like this:

C:\srcds\srcds.exe -console -game cstrike +ip 213.132.175.152 +maxplayers 20 +map de_dust

Click OK when finished.


Start the server
All you need to do now to start your server is doubleclicking the shortcut you created. 
If you encounter a problem, try deleting the +ip 213.132.175.152 in the shortcut or try reading this thread.


Creating a server.cfg
Now that you have your own server it’s time to give it a name and the settings you want. That's done with a file named server.cfg In this post as a reply I have posted my server.cfg, just scroll with your mouse and you will find it. 


Message Of The Day
A Message of The Day (MOTD) is the first screen you'll see if you connect to a server. I'll show you how to change this welcome sreen, just scroll with your mouse to a reply I made.


Changing the Mapcycle
If you want to change your mapcycle all you have to do is open mapcycle.txt. You can find this file here:

C:\srcds\cstrike\

When opened you can delete maps or change the mapcycle order.
Ofcourse make sure you save your changes.


Adminning your Server (RCON & MOD)
Now that you have personalized your server, I will try to explain to you how to control your server using RCON. Scroll your mouse and in a reply I made you will find more info about RCON and little info about MOD's.

Firewall/Router Settings
If you can't see your server in the list or your friends are not able to connect to your server then this could have many causes. One of them is that you're behind a firewall or a router.
If your server is behind a firewall and/or you are using a router, you need to open/forward these ports:

UDP 1200 (Friends Network)
UDP 27000 to 27015 (Gameport)
UDP 27020
TCP 27030 to 27039 
TCP: 27015 (SRCDS Rcon port)

Go to the website of your manufacturer if you don't know how to open/forward these ports. Or if you have a router you can go to this website: www.portforward.com
Here you can find some other suggestions, where you may find an answer.


My server LAAAGS!
Needforspeed made a very good guide about running a lag free server. 
You should read it!

For CounterStrike most of the settings are changeable in the server.cfg. If you used my server.cfg you can see these settings in the title “SET RATES”. I found this formula in Drek's thread:

bandwidth X 128 / server size = sv_maxrate

Example: If you have an upload of 768 Kbps and you want a 24 player server, then the formula goes like this: 768 x 128 / 24 = sv_maxrate 4096

Drek's thread will get you in a direction, but I think it comes down to trial and error. If you experience lag then play with the settings.


More Info
Keep the following websites in mind, they will give you more info about Source Dedicated Server in the future:

www.hlds101.com
www.srcds.com