2.5.0.14044.316: Multiplayer Server Crashes Every 5 mins, to 2 hours

Project: DCS Open Beta 2.5.0.14044.316

Type: Bug

Status: Testing on the server

Reported: yes

Priority: Critical, Server Destroyer

Summary: Multiplayer server I know of is constantly crashing between 5mins to 2hours. No correlation to what is being done on the servers. Happening without anything linking to what is the cause yet

Description:

Multiplayer servers are constantly crashing between 5mins and 2 hours like clockwork. Throwing a transport.dll error over and over

Attachments(version 2.5.0.14044.316 Only!):

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dxlfqh8nslo1kd3/AAD7TKUJDCJivfiy2fVNIQY7a?dl=0

Ours crashes every few minutes as well.

It's pretty game breaking. MULTIPLAYER SELLS MODULES! Please fix.

We had some transport.dll fixes in the patch, but I am looking into this one now, give me some time

 

thanks

Thanks Newy, let me know if I can help/test - I am willing to make simple mission files with code in them, if we can find the thing that causes this the better!!! I can give you exact snippets on how I spawn/destroy groups/statics, the entire engine I wrote myself, so I am using the DCS API directly and have ultimate control on what exactly happens

Hi Drexx

 

if you have a simple mission that will reproduce the issue please attach it here.

 

It will make things a lot easier for reporting and testing after any fix

 

thanks

Yea, I will try - haven't figured out the exact cause yet, maybe if I made a script that coalition.addGroup() and unit:destroy() a bunch of times, think it has something to do with spawning and destroying units or statics, It would help me if I knew what transport.dll library was responsible for, so I can narrow my testing down, without source code its tough

I made a very simple mission with just 2 flyable aircraft taking off from Batumi and flying around, and we ran that on our MP server without any issues. The server didn't crash, nor did our clients (both clients and server crashed repeatedly with Through the Inferno running).

think it has something to do with spawning and destroying units or statics

Indeed, that's what my squadron member suggested as well.

*edit*

Something that's bugging me a bit lately, with the new error reporting method, is that the window "Unfortunately DCS has crashed. Do you want to collect diagnostic data?" Is always out-of-focus when the crash occurs in VR (you can't alt-tab to it), meaning you can't ever collect the data, and the only way of exiting DCS seems to be task manager -> end process.

Unfortunately I was unable to get he track to replay correctly.

 

Will continue to monitor for this bug.

 

thanks

I wonder if it has anything to do with my external engine sending in all the commands(it builds lua commands dynamically and sends them in to execute), I am offloading all the overhead of the game to an outside nodeJS/mongoDB server(huge performance increase so far), its running lovely instead of the transport.dll crash every hour. But when it does fall over, when it restarts, it comes back up and respawns every unit right where it left off, essentially achieving perpetual war!

Hmm, will try to figure it out some more, this is the biggest bug on my radar atm.

I made a very simple mission with just 2 flyable aircraft taking off from Batumi and flying around, and we ran that on our MP server without any issues. The server didn't crash, nor did our clients (both clients and server crashed repeatedly with Through the Inferno running).

 

 

Indeed, that's what my squadron member suggested as well.

 

 

*edit*

Something that's bugging me a bit lately, with the new error reporting method, is that the window "Unfortunately DCS has crashed. Do you want to collect diagnostic data?" Is always out-of-focus when the crash occurs in VR (you can't alt-tab to it), meaning you can't ever collect the data, and the only way of exiting DCS seems to be task manager -> end process.

I also use VR, seems that when you press the spacebar, it will act as if you clicked the ok button.

drop me a PM if you find anything

Will do, when I get home from work, Ill setup a few tests that are self contained(no obfuscation)

Can you attach the same mission with non-compiled 'dynamicdcstrue.lua' script ? Please describe also what units created by this script?

I included the file, but all thats in there in is the sync code to sync offsite to my nodeJS server, then I run direct API commands back to the server which are wrapped in pcalls, when commands are running I dont get a crash at any of those times (I have them spitting out to the log file).

My server has a database with every unit in the game (thats not an addon), it spawns random units at each base in random places, making it truely dynamic and randmized, you never know whats around the next corner, I also spawn units during the game when people sling load crates (using the small UAZ-469 truck (due to the real crate destroy crash bug I think you recently fixed)), when they spawn the crate where they want it, then unpack (unit:destroy()), then it spawns the real unit it was made for. thats the extent of the crate system I built, I am not using any librarys on the server except my 1 script

So I believe its one of the direct API commands thats being wonky, 2 hours ago we made it to 4 hours, then the next restart the server lasted 45 mins, its really weird. Ill update the initial attachment folder with the newer crashes too.

Let me know, I know my server is unconventional but its really fun and amazing when after a restart the whole map rebuilds itself where it left off (760+ units spawn through this system, it never crashes or locks up at this point so it cant be that)

Let me know if I can try or do anything, I still want to know what the transport.dll library is responsible for, to narrow my process of elimination (I try to give you guys better info on a bug when I can find it)

Thanks for looking into this! Best sim ever (else I would of never put the sheer amount of time into developing for it)!

-Drex

DynamicCaucasus_1.00.25_253_FORRIK.miz

Run mission, take A-10C, get error:

 

—-------------------------

[string "C:\Users\rik\AppData\Local\Temp\DCS 20\/~mis00006278"]:138: attempt to index global 'dynamicDCS' (a nil value)

stack traceback:

[C]: ?

[string "C:\Users\rik\AppData\Local\Temp\DCS 20\/~mis00006278"]:138: in main chunk

—-------------------------

 

Where is your missionScripting.lua (line 137)?

Hmm, I have been doing this for over a year, I probally need to take a look at it again,

I use to write to files but I dont anymore, I just need the lua socket library,

My current MissionScripting.lua file is:

dynamicDCS = { require = require }

--Initialization script for the Mission lua Environment (SSE)

dofile('Scripts/ScriptingSystem.lua')

--Sanitize Mission Scripting environment

--This makes unavailable some unsecure functions.

--Mission downloaded from server to client may contain potentialy harmful lua code that may use these functions.

--You can remove the code below and make availble these functions at your own risk.

--local function sanitizeModule(name)

-- _G[name] = nil

-- package.loaded[name] = nil

--end

--do

-- sanitizeModule('os')

-- sanitizeModule('io')

-- sanitizeModule('lfs')

-- require = nil

-- loadlib = nil

--end

Rik, can you explain to me what transport.dll library is in charge of? It would narrow my search,

I can post here all the commands I run in my system if you like, all the API commands with full unit templates, we don't have very much documentation on the API so we do our best.

I REALLY need this to be fixed

Possibly not helpful to your issues Drexx, But we are running a very complex offloaded mission with elements int he cloud also, prior to the hotfix we got Transport.dll crashing very often, however post patch getting 7 hours before a crash now, something is definitely better by a long way.

I believe transport is relating to routing, we have not got many dynamically routed groups, we still have "some" but most of them are driven by templates of existing routes.

Will this hotfix be released tomorrow or monday?

Alright, thanks for the quick update Bignewy!

Thank you Bignewy and USSR Rik for helping us out.