README

Minetest init.d script
======================
by orwell96

This repository contains a basic script collection that
allows to run a Minetest server as a regular user,
controlled by an init.d service.

Dependencies
============
You need the 'setuidgid' command from the 'daemontools'
package, or a similar program.

Setting up
==========

I assume you have set up a Minetest server ready to run as
some arbitrary user (not root) on your GNU/Linux system
that uses the /etc/init.d directory to manage services.

Working as the privilegeless user, do this:

1. Clone the repository

2. The 'initd' directory inside this repo contains a
Minetest mod. Move it to a location where Minetest
can load it and eventually enable it.

3. Inside your server's minetest.conf, add a configuration
option
----------
initd_loop_file = <loop_filename>
----------
3. Edit the options inside conf.sh so that they mirror
your Minetest setup. MINETEST_LOOPFILE is supposed to be
/path/to/the/world/<loop_filename>
(the same file name as the one in initd_loop_file)

Now become root:

4. Create a file inside /etc/init.d (with a name you choose),
with the following content:
----------
#/bin/sh
setuidgid <your user> /path/to/the/initd.sh $1
----------
This just invokes the initd.sh script as the privilegeless
user, passing the command (start, stop, status a.s.o.).

5. Find out how your system handles init.d scripts and
enable your newly created system service. You eventually
need to add some comments to your init.d file.
Just look into other init.d scripts how those should look.

Operating
=========
When you've set everything up properly, your minetest server
should now start when the system boots.
In the next examples <name> is the file name of the init script.

Controlling via service system:
-------------------------------
You should be able to run commands like 'service <name> start'
on your Minetest service. If that doesn't work, a last resort
is to run /etc/init.d/<name>

Controlling from the minetest server user:
------------------------------------------
If you are logged in to the user the server runs as, you can
control it the same way as you would do for system services,
by directly running the initd.sh script
e.g. initd.sh start

Controlling from ingame:
------------------------
In addition to the /shutdown chatcommand which works as usual,
you can also invoke /restart, which will instruct the service
to restart the server immediately.

Final notes:
============
- The restart system is only enabled when the option
ask_reconnect_on_crash is enabled in minetest.conf
(this currently also applies to the '/restart' command)
- When the minetest server crashes within 5 seconds
after it started, it is not automatically restarted.
- The loop file configuration must match, else the server
will neither restart on a crash nor by using the /restart
command.
- The debug.txt (minetest's log output) will be located
inside the repository directory (next to the initd.sh script)


Suggestions and improvements are welcome.