The Ark Server Manager is designed to help you set up and maintain your own Ark: Survival Evolved (tm) dedicated servers. It provides a simple user interface allowing you to create and edit server profiles containing all of the settings you need to customize the playing experience for you and your friends.

Written By
(HellsGuard and ChronosWS)

Maintained By
Bletch and the ASM Community[arkservermanager.freeforums.net]

What it does

• Manages the SteamCMD tool and Server installations/updates
  
• Organizes settings and writes INI files and command-line arguments automatically
  
• Tracks server status and allows direct control of server state
  
• Save and load server profiles - even import directly from an existing server deployment.
  
• Scheduled updates server files and mods
  
• Works with Survival of the fittest

What does it not do

• Configure third-party firewall products - it will configure Windows Firewall automatically however
  
• Open or redirect ports in your router

We cannot stress enough that you must have some slight tech knowledge as it will require you to access your modem/router and forward the proper ports, as well as possibly adding entries to your firewall and/or anti-virus software.

Version 1.1.433

Legal Stuff
Ark Server Manager and the Ark Dedicated Server Tool are free for use and modification under the GNU General Public Library (version 3)[www.gnu.org] license. Source code may be found here[github.com] and here[github.com].

Ark: Survival Evolved and the 'A' logo are copyrights and/or trademarks of Studio Wildcard. This project and its development is not affiliated with Studio Wildcard, its partners or affiliates.

• Full control over your server.
  
• Easy to use & navigate.
  
• Fully configurable to your liking.
  
• Simple updating of your server.
  
• Run multiple servers from a single machine.
  
• Import settings from existing servers, even ones you set up by hand.
  
• Automatically installs, updates and runs SteamCMD - no command-line knowledge needed.
  
• See real-time server status - know when your server is visible to others on Steam.
  
• Self-updating tool ensures you always have the latest features and bug fixes.
  
• Discord integration

No planned features are scheduled at this time.

Suggestions are always welcomed as well.

For release information, see the forum[arkservermanager.freeforums.net]

Ark Server Manager - Always the latest version
Download Here[raw.githubusercontent.com]

Installation Notes:
Download the zip file, unpack it wherever you like and then run Ark Server Manager.exe

Visit us on discord[discord.gg] if you have any questions or problems!

Let's go over a small check list before diving in.

Basic How To Center [arkservermanager.freeforums.net]

• You know your router/modem make & model. (You can find this ON your router/modem)
  
• You have access to your router/modem control panel. (Username & Password)
  
• You understand basic file & folder structures.
  
• You have the latest .NET Framework (4.5 or above)
  
• You have a Windows OS.
  
• You know how to click things and/or type.

If you have answered yes to all of the above, you're ready to move on and setup your server.


If your machine has a *direct* connection to the internet (for example it is wired directly into the modem), you probably don't need to do this. If however you are plugged into a router (for example to provide WiFi to your location), then you probably do need to do this. If your machine has an ipaddress that looks like 192.168.x.x, this section probably applies to you.

First, if you do not understand or know how to port forward, then head to Port Forward[portforward.com] and look up your modem/router, after clicking it you will probably see a page with an ad on it about buying a program, just press the "Close [x]" in the top right, then you will select the make of your modem/router, and finally you will select a game/program. Now ARK will probably not be on the list, so choosing a game and just replacing the port numbers are perfectly fine.

IMPORTANT: If you are running a virtual network program like Hamachi or Virtual Box or another VPN program, you probably need to set the MultiHome IP address. See below for more details.

Second, the ports you will need to forward are below.

• Server Port in the tool/manager (Default is 27015) in the UDP Protocol or TCP/UDP if available.
  
• Port 7777 in the UDP or TCP/UDP Protocol if available.

Here's an example from a popular router:




The ARK Server Manager communicates with Steam on port 27011. This port must be open for it to be able to determine whether your server is publicly available.

The ARK Server communicates on the two ports you configure, which by default ate 7777 and 27015 as above. If you are using a third-party firewall, you may have to open these ports (both TCP and UDP) manually. If you are using Windows Firewall, the ARK Server Manager can manage your firewall settings for you.

If you are running a Hamachi, Virtual Box or other VPN-style network, your machine will be on several networks at once. Only one of those networks will actually be visible to the outside world. You will have to determine which local IP address routes to the public internet (typically a 192.168.* one), and enter that in the MultiHome IP box before you start the server.


Ark Server Manager

When the application starts, it will first get or update the SteamCMD tool which is used to install and update the Ark: Survival Evolved binaries directly from Steam. Once it is finished, you will be presented with a screen and a default server profile.

Quick Start:

• A random password is generated by default - change these in the Administration section.
  
• Set your server name to something other than the default, please :)
  
• If you don't already have a server, set the Install Directory to where you would like the game installed. Then click 'Install' - this may take a while depending on your network.
  
• If you already have a server, click the 'Load' button, and find the GameUserSettings.ini file. For example: G:\Steam\SteamApps\common\ARK\ShooterGame\Saved\Config\WindowsServer\GameUserSettings.ini. The tool will set the Install Directory for you. You may then click 'Upgrade' if you wish to upgrade.
  
• Click 'Start'. Your server will start up. Note that servers may take several minutes to initialize, especially the first time.

Ark Dedicated Server Tool (Legacy)

Instructions on how to setup everything will be within the Tool itself, however, there are 2 different setup options that we shall now explain.

• Default Setup is mostly for inexperienced users who just want to have a nice and simple installation without messing with folders or anything of the sort. It will create all of the directories that it needs beside the Tool.
  
  
• Advanced Setup is for more experienced users or users wishing to select an already created server, it will allow you to select the folder that has your server files, or a folder that you want your server files to be in.

Should the Ark Server Manager crash for some reason, it will pop up a dialog explaining the situation and show you a crash log file. Please reach out on the discord support channel and provide the details.

First, be sure you read the Installation and Troubleshooting above. Particularly, make sure you have configured your router and firewall correctly. This is the most common cause of problems.

Common causes:

• You didn't wait long enough, especially the first time. It may take several minutes (in one person's case it took over an hour because their server was heavily overloaded). But if it doesn't show up after 5 to 10 minutes, you probably have another issue...
  
• Your firewall and/or router ports are not set correctly. Read the Installation and Troubleshooting section above. Ensure your ports are all correctly configured. Ensure your ports are set correctly in the Manager as well. The Server Port usually is 7777, the Query Port is usually 27015. Make sure your firewall wasn't accidentally set to *block* the ShooterGameServer.exe application as well.
  
• Your MultiHome IP is set when it shouldn't be, or set incorrectly. See the MultiHome Computer section in the Installation and Troubleshooting section of the guide for more information. This has been causing several people trouble because Ark doesn't always bind to the right address by default.

If after checking all those things your server still doesn't show up, ask one of us - we may be able to review your settings using TeamViewer and figure out the problem.

When the "oops" dialog closes, a file will open describing the crash. Please paste this into http://pastebin.com and post the link in the comments section.

If the server is running when you change the profile, those changes will not take effect until you stop and start the server again. If this is not your situation, it could be a bug in the tool. Open the GameUserSettings.ini file and examine the server settings and make sure the tool and the GameUserSettings.ini file agree. If they do not, let us know. Some settings like DifficultyOffset will always be different though, as we present a more 'friendly' view in the application.

Currently you cannot do this from within the manager tool. We are waiting for the Ark developers to implement RCON support. Rest assured that when they do, we will implement server commands directly from the manager.

Yes. Just make another profile.

This can happen on the first start of a brand new server. Shutdown your server, click the save button and restart. That should fix the issue.

If the name still does not change, make sure the Server Name is set, and it should not start with [] . Try removing any brackets in the name and relaunch the server.

Nope. Create a new profile and click 'Load'. Then find the GameUserSettings.ini file in your existing server's installation directory. The tool will import your settings for you and even recognize if the server is already running - no need to restart it!

Donations can be made via the application using the Donate button or you can support by spreading the word to others.

Some users in certain jurisdictions are unable to access the github service - for example users in China. If this is the case, please let us know on discord and we will work with you to find a place to post installation packages.

Unfortunately yes. We do not presently have a code-signing certificate we can use, and as a result Windows doesn't trust the application because you are installing it directly from the web. On the SmartScreen notification there is a 'More Info' link at the end of the message. Click it and then click the 'Run Anyway' button. This issue may re-occur any time you restart the manager tool if there have been updates to the tool.

If you have any other problems/questions/queries etc, then head over to the ASM discord. The discord is full of knowledgeable and helpful people.

Come join us on Discord[discord.gg]

Visit us at the Ark Server Manager[forum.arkservermanager.com] forum!

Download links, detailed release information, additional server information and discussion awaits!