How to run 7 Days To Die as a Windows Service with FireDaemo Pro.

7 Days To Die is a post apocalyptic zombie survival game where you can scavenge, build and destroy the world to survive the zombie onslaught. It combines elements of Minecraft with DayZ and is brutally hard (much harder than DayZ) on the default settings.

The 7 Days to Die dedicated server can be run as a Windows service using FireDaemon Pro. This allows you to start and run the dedicated server automatically when Windows boots and before login. FireDaemon Pro also allows you to start multiple instances of the game server, monitoring them and automatically restarting those instances in the event they crash. FireDaemon Fusion can also be used to manage your 7 Days to Die service, plus other Windows services via your web browser.

7 Days to Die Server Setup Under FireDaemon Pro

Please follow the steps below to set up a 7 Days to Die dedicated server as a Windows service with FireDaemon Pro.

Step 1: Download and Install SteamCMD for Windows

SteamCMD is a command-line version of the Steam Client. Its primary use is to install and update various dedicated servers available on Steam using a command-line interface.

1. Create a folder on your system, for SteamCMD, C:\SteamCMD
2. Download SteamCMD to this folder. A single ZIP file steamcmd.zip is downloaded.
3. Extract the contents of the ZIP file into the folder. A single program file, steamcmd.exe, is extracted.
4. Double-click steamcmd.exe. This will download SteamCMD and corresponding support files into the C:\SteamCMD folder.

Step 2: Download and Install FireDaemon Pro

1. Download FireDaemon Pro installer
2. Double-click installer and follow the installation wizard to complete the installation.
3. For more information about installing FireDaemon, see the FireDaemon Pro Users Guide.

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Step 3: Download and Install the 7 Days to Die Dedicated Game Server

Download the 7 Days To Die server files via the Steam SteamPipe servers. Go to the directory where you installed SteamCMD and create a shortcut to "SteamCMD.exe". In the shortcut, edit the properties and in the target box, at the end of it (with a space before the following), put:

+login anonymous +force_install_dir "C:\7 Days To Die" +app_update 294420 validate +quit

The game is currently 9.1GB.

If the game successfully downloads, the command window will close on its own. Otherwise it will stay open and tell you what went wrong (most likely you don't have enough free disk space).

Step 4: Set Up 7 Days to Die as a FireDaemon Pro Service

Double click the FireDaemon Pro icon on your desktop, then click on the New (i.e. +) button in the toolbar (or type Ctrl + N) to create a new service. Enter the information into the fields as you see below. Adjust the path names to suit your installation. Note the required parameters.

The most important field on the tab is the Parameters. The Parameters define the initial setup of your server. The full parameter list should be as follows:

-quit -batchmode -nographics -configfile=serverconfig.xml -dedicated

• -quit -batchmode -nographics runs the game in command line mode
• -configfile=serverconfig.xml executes the specific config. We recommended you make a copy of it and use the copy so when the game updates and overwrites serverconfig.xml, you can dont lose changes.
• -dedicated runs the dedicated server
  
  

Step 5: Next, click on the FireDaemon Pro Settings tab:

Enter appropriate values in the fields on the Settings tab as follows:

• (Required) Logon Account: You must run 7 Days To Die as the user you installed it as. In the Logon Account field type your username (e.g. Administrator) and then enter the user's password twice in the Password and Confirm fields.
• (Required) Job Type: You must set job type to "Global Job".
• (Optional) Interact with Desktop: If this setting is enabled (default), the game server's output messages can be seen in the console window on Windows Session 0. To switch to Session 0, it may be necessary to install FireDaemon Zero and ZeroInput. Alternatively, this setting may be disabled, in which case the game server's messages will be hidden.
• (Optional) Priority: To allocate more CPU time to the game server, select a higher scheduling priority in this field.
• (Optional) CPU Bindings: To run the game server on a specific CPU, specify the appropriate CPU in this field.

Step 6: Next, click in the Lifecycle tab. 

Set Shutdown By to Forceful Termination and check "Console Program".

Step 7: Lastly, click the Save and Close (ie. the tick) button on the toolbar. 

If the service's Startup Type is set to Automatic or Automatic (Delayed-Start), it will start immediately.

Step 8: Verify that 7 Days to Die is Running Correctly

The 7 Days to Die game server's status can easily be checked on the main FireDaemon Pro Services List - look for a Running Status value and a numeric Process ID (PID) value.

If the service's Interact with Desktop setting is enabled, the game status can also be verified by switching to Windows Session 0 to view the game's messages.

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How to run 7 Days To Die as a Windows service for 24x7 availability
How to monitor and restart 7 Days To Die if it crashes, hangs or shuts down
How to start 7 Days To Die at system boot, without any user intervention
How to schedule 7 Days To Die to start/restart at specific times and dates
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