Managing Servers¶

This guide covers everyday operations: starting, stopping, and inspecting your CS2 servers using the csm binary.

Using `csm`¶

The main entrypoint for managing servers is the csm CLI/TUI:

sudo csm       # Launch interactive TUI (installs, updates, status, logs, cleanup)

The TUI has four main tabs:

Install - Install dependencies, run the install wizard, set up auto-update cron
Updates - Update CS2 game files, update plugins, update server configs (RCON, maxplayers, GSLT)
Servers - View dashboard, logs, start/stop/restart servers, add/remove/reinstall servers
Tools - MatchZy database management, edit configs, unban IPs, map thumbnails, public IP, force update CSM, CLI help

Common CLI commands¶

# Setup & Installation
sudo csm install-deps           # Install core system dependencies
sudo csm bootstrap              # Install/redeploy servers (non-interactive)
sudo csm install-monitor-cron   # Install cron-based auto-update monitor

# Server Control
sudo csm start [server]         # Start all servers (or specific server number)
sudo csm stop [server]          # Stop all servers (or specific server number)
sudo csm restart [server]       # Restart all servers (or specific server number)
sudo csm status                 # Show tmux status overview

# Updates
sudo csm update-game            # Update CS2 game files after Valve update
sudo csm update-plugins         # Update plugins (download + deploy)
sudo csm update-server <n>      # Update a specific server instance
sudo csm monitor                # Run one iteration of the auto-update monitor

# Server Management
sudo csm reinstall <server>     # Completely rebuild a server from master (fixes corrupted files)
sudo csm update-config <server> # Regenerate server.cfg and autoexec.cfg (fast, no file copying)
sudo csm unban <server> <ip>    # Unban an IP address (use 0 for all servers)
csm list-bans <server>          # List all banned IP addresses for a server

# Cleanup
sudo csm cleanup-all            # Danger: remove all CS2 data and user

Consoles and logs via `csm`¶

Servers run inside tmux sessions for easy console access. The csm binary provides helpers:

sudo csm status          # See all server sessions
sudo csm attach 1        # Attach to server 1 console
sudo csm logs 1 100      # Show last 100 lines of console output
sudo csm logs-file 1     # Print the raw log file path for server 1
sudo csm list-sessions   # List all tmux sessions
sudo csm debug 1         # Run server 1 in foreground for debugging

When attached to a tmux session:

Press Ctrl+B, then D to detach without stopping the server.
Type commands directly into the CS2 console.

Scaling servers¶

You can add or remove servers without a full reinstall:

# Via TUI: Navigate to Servers tab → "Add servers" or "Remove servers"

# Via CLI (prompts are easier in TUI):
# Adding servers copies from master-install and applies your existing config
# Removing servers deletes the highest-numbered servers

Fixing corrupted servers¶

If a server has corrupted game files (e.g., gameinfo.gi errors, crashes), use the reinstall command:

sudo csm reinstall 2     # Completely rebuilds server 2 from master-install

This will: 1. Stop the server 2. Delete the corrupted server directory 3. Copy fresh files from master-install 4. Apply all your existing settings (ports, RCON, hostname, GSLT) 5. Start the server automatically

Your configuration is preserved - only the game files are replaced.

Updating configuration without reinstalling¶

If you just need to fix or regenerate server.cfg and autoexec.cfg (for example, after fixing config syntax errors), use the faster update-config command:

sudo csm update-config 1     # Regenerates configs for server 1 (takes < 1 second)

This is much faster than reinstall since it doesn't copy game files. It will: 1. Regenerate server.cfg with proper formatting 2. Regenerate autoexec.cfg 3. Fix file ownership 4. Restart the server to apply changes

Managing IP bans¶

If an IP address gets banned for RCON hacking attempts (e.g., Docker network IPs being incorrectly banned), you can unban it:

# Remove IP from banned RCON requests (specific server)
sudo csm unban 1 172.19.0.3

# Remove IP from banned RCON requests (all servers)
sudo csm unban 0 172.19.0.3

# Clear all IPs banned for RCON attempts (specific server)
sudo csm unban-all 1

# Clear all IPs banned for RCON attempts (all servers)
sudo csm unban-all 0

# List banned IPs for a server
csm list-bans 1

Note: The server must be restarted for the unban to take effect. You can restart with sudo csm restart <server>.

You can also use the TUI: Navigate to Tools tab → Unban IP address or Unban all IPs.

Where servers live¶

By default, server directories are under the CS2 user’s home, for example:

/home/cs2servermanager/server-1
/home/cs2servermanager/server-2
/home/cs2servermanager/server-3

Each server has its own game folder with CS2 binaries and configs. Shared configuration is managed via the repo’s overrides/ directory (see Guides → Configuration & Overrides).