How to run DayZ (Standalone) as a Windows Service with FireDaemon Pro.

DayZ is a very difficult post apocalyptic survival game where you face off against zombies and other players. This is the standalone version of game.

DayZ 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 DayZ service, plus other Windows services via your web browser.

DayZ Dedicated Server Setup Under FireDaemon Pro

Please follow the steps below to set up a DayZ 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.

Step 3: Download, Install and Configure the DayZ Dedicated Server

The server files can only be downloaded with a Steam account that owns the game. In the section below, replace USERNAME and PASSWORD with your Steam username and password.

NOTE: Before installing the server files, make sure you read the server EULA as the developers of DayZ might hold you legally responsible if you break their rules. Find it here.

Download the DayZ 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 USERNAME PASSWORD +force_install_dir "C:\DayZ" +app_update 223350 validate +quit

If the server 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).

Open "C:\DayZ\serverDZ.cfg" and edit it to your liking. In particular change "hostname", "maxPlayers" and "instanceId" (the last one is important if you host multiple servers).

Step 2: Set Up DayZ as a FireDaemon Pro Service

• "-config=serverDZ.cfg" Loads the config file.
• "-port=2302" Set's the server port to 2302. Increment if you host multiple servers.
• "-profiles=C:\DayZ\ServerProfile-1" Set's the server profile. Increment the number if you host multiple servers.
• "-dologs" Logs all server messages.
• "-adminlog" Enable the admin log.
• "-cpuCount=4" Sets the number of logical CPU cores to use for parallel tasks processing. It should be less or equal than the numbers of available cores.
• "-log" creates log files.

You can find the list of ports you need to open on your router/firewall from here.

Need to wipe the player database? Delete this file "C:\DayZ\mpmissions\dayzOffline.chernarusplus\storage_X\players.db"

Need to wipe the the entire database? Delete this folder "C:\DayZ\mpmissions\dayzOffline.chernarusplus\storage_X"

Replace X in the above paths with the instance ID of the server you're deleting the database of. If you just have 1 server, it will be "storage_1".

Next, click on the FireDaemon Pro Settings tab:



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

• (Optional) Logon Account: Enter the Windows account under which the game is to be run, e.g. the current user account.
• Password / Confirm Password:  Enter the logon account's password twice.
• (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 7: Verify that DayZ is Running Correctly