mcserver/docs/operations-manual.md

Server Operations & Administration Manual

1. Instance Target Context

Set the active container target in your shell session:

export INSTANCE_NAME="mc_forge_server"

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2. Data Preservation Reference Matrix

When performing world resets or maintenance, classify directories according to this matrix:

Category	Directory / File Path	Purpose	Action on Reset
Immutable	data/config/	Mod configuration files (except player auth store)	Preserve
Immutable	data/mods/	Server mod JAR files	Preserve
Immutable	data/automodpack/	AutoModpack configuration & client host payload	Preserve
Immutable	data/server.properties	Generated server settings	Preserve
Immutable	data/eula.txt	EULA agreement file	Preserve
Volatile	data/world/	Dynamic terrain & player data	Delete to reset seed
Volatile	data/config/lts_auth/players.json	LTS Auth player account credentials	Delete on full reset
Volatile	data/logs/	Server console log files	Safe to purge
Volatile	data/crash-reports/	Crash stack traces	Safe to purge
Volatile	data/simplebackups/	World backup archives	Store or purge
Volatile	data/.cache/	Mod resource cache	Safe to purge
Volatile	data/modernfix/	Structure cache files	Safe to purge

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3. Lifecycle & Reset Workflows

Clean World Reset (Preserving Configs & Mods)

docker stop $INSTANCE_NAME
mv data/world data/world_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
docker start $INSTANCE_NAME

Targeted Dimensional Wipes

docker stop $INSTANCE_NAME
rm -rf data/world/DIM-1    # Nether
rm -rf data/world/DIM1     # End
docker start $INSTANCE_NAME

Full Nuclear Server Reset

docker compose down
rm -rf data/world data/logs/* data/crash-reports/* data/.cache data/modernfix/structureCacheV1 data/usercache.json data/banned-players.json data/banned-ips.json data/ops.json data/config/lts_auth/players.json
docker compose up -d

Host File Ownership Recovery

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ./data
chmod -R u+rwX ./data

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4. Diagnostics & Telemetry

Log Filter Pipeline (Errors & Warnings)

docker logs $INSTANCE_NAME 2>&1 | grep -iE "ERROR|WARN|Exception|Fatal|Failed|Caused by" | tail -n 60

Health & Container Status Check

docker ps -f "name=$INSTANCE_NAME" --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}"

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5. Universal RCON Command Reference

Note

: For instance-specific mod commands (e.g., Distant Horizons pre-generation or FLAN claim reloads), refer to the specific instance's README.md.

Performance Profiling (spark)

docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "spark profiler --timeout 30"
docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "spark healthreport"

Moderation & Player Control

docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "whitelist add <player>"
docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "whitelist remove <player>"
docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "tp <player1> <player2>"
docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "gamerule keepInventory true"
docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "op <player>"
docker exec -i $INSTANCE_NAME rcon-cli "deop <player>"