PWAdmin 6 — FAQ
Answers to common questions about PWAdmin 6: installation, licensing, server compatibility, the free version and updates.
General
What does PWAdmin consist of?
Two parts. The server part is a single pwadmin file for Linux x86_64, installed on the game server machine. The client is a Windows program the administrators use to work with the server. The package also includes the configs editor for the server part.
What systems does it need?
The client runs on Windows; both 64-bit and 32-bit versions are included. The server part runs on any Linux x86_64: the file is fully static, so there are no libraries to install.
Which Perfect World server versions are supported?
The package includes protocol schemas for versions 7 to 162 and elements.data configs starting from client 1.1.6. If you don't know your server version, run ./pwadmin packet_auto <account id> <character id> after installation: it checks all versions and names the matching one, and if none fits completely, it assembles a set of structures for your server.
My server is modified. Will PWAdmin work with it?
Yes. Packet structures are described in text schemas on the server side and can be edited without a new build of the program. If you have the server sources, ./pwadmin rpcalls <rpcalls.xml> builds the schema straight from them. Fields you added to the protocol are shown and saved by the character editor.
Does the client need elements.data and tasks.data?
No. The server part reads these files right from the game server and sends ready data to the client. When the files on the server change, every client gets the new data automatically.
What languages does the program support?
English, Russian and Portuguese. The language is switched in the window title, and open windows are translated at once.
Installation
How do I install the server part?
Copy the server_side folder to the server, run chmod +x pwadmin and ./pwadmin start. Check the paths in pwadmin.conf first; the configs editor from the package is the easiest way. Step-by-step instructions are in InstallEN.txt, InstallRU.txt and InstallPT.txt in the archive.
Where do I get the login and password for the first sign-in?
On the first start the server part creates the user admin with a random password and shows it in the console once. If you lose it, run ./pwadmin reset_admin to get a new one.
The start fails with "address already in use". What should I do?
The port is taken by another process. Set a different port in pwadmin.conf and open it in the firewall for the addresses the administrators connect from.
How do I start the server part after a machine reboot?
For example, with a crontab line: @reboot cd /pwadmin && ./pwadmin start.
I'm moving from version 5.2. What should I know?
- The 6.0 client and server part work only together: a 5.2 client won't connect to a 6.0 server part, and vice versa.
- Your
pwadmin.conf,processes_config.iniandinstance.txtfit: replace the program files and keep the configs. The 6.0 configs editor keeps all your settings. - Sign-in is now by users with passwords; the password key in pwadmin.conf is no longer used.
- Lines like
ProcessKill=pkill -9 ...are better removed: processes now stop gracefully, with SIGTERM first and SIGKILL only after a timeout.
License
How do I activate the program?
The license is bound to your account on alexdnepro.net. Start the client and enter the serial number from the client panel on the site. That's also where you renew licenses and download programs.
Does the server part need internet access?
No. The server part never goes online. The client confirms the license: once a day it gets a signed certificate from the license server, and the server part checks that certificate by itself, without the network.
What if the administrator's computer loses internet access?
The client keeps working on the saved certificate for another 72 hours after it expires. As soon as the connection is back, the certificate renews itself.
Free and full versions
How is the free version different from the full one?
The free version has monitoring, starting and stopping the server and instances, backups, process logs, viewing characters, accounts, clans and chat, bans, GM rights, gold to an account and more. Changing characters, mass mailings, changing territories, checks and searches across the whole database, users with separate rights and nodes are in the full version only. The complete list is on the PWAdmin 6 Free page.
How do I move from the free version to the full one?
Both editions use the same server part. Just install the full client: your server and settings stay as they are.
Using the program
Can several administrators have access?
Yes, in the full version: Server → Server users. Each user has their own password and rights and, optionally, a list of allowed IPs. Ready-made rights templates are included: observer, moderator, support, game administrator. Changes to game data are logged by the server part with the user's name.
Is it safe to open the server part's port?
The password never travels over the network: sign-in is designed so that intercepting the traffic doesn't reveal it. After five failed sign-in attempts from one IP within 10 minutes, that IP is blocked for a minute. We still recommend opening the port in the firewall only for the administrators' addresses.
The game server processes run on several machines. Is that supported?
Yes, in the full version. A node machine only needs the small pwadmin_agent file (about 0.7 MB, no external libraries). It connects to the main server by itself over an encrypted channel, so no incoming port is needed on the node. Node processes are managed from the same window. Step-by-step setup is in readme_agent_en.txt in the archive.
Can I close the client while a backup or a server restart is running?
Yes. Starting and stopping the server, restarting instances and backups run on the server part as background jobs. The client shows their progress, log and history, but you can close it at any time and the work goes on.
How do I protect the server passwords saved on my computer?
Turn on the master password: Settings → Master password. The client config is encrypted as a whole, so server addresses, logins and passwords can't be read without it.
On a high-resolution monitor the windows used to be tiny or blurry.
The version 6 client supports High DPI: windows scale to the screen setting and stay sharp, including when moved between monitors with different scaling.
Updates
How do I update the program?
The client checks for new versions at startup (and on a schedule, if enabled), shows the list of changes and installs an update with one button. The settings are on the Updates tab of the settings window.
How do I update the server part?
From the client, with one button in the update window (server administrator rights are needed). The files travel over the client's connection; the server part itself never goes online. If the new build fails to start, the server part returns to the previous one. Configs are not changed by the update, and game processes are not stopped.
Do the client and the server part have to be updated together?
Not necessarily. The client and the server part are released separately and work together as long as they are compatible. If a new client needs a newer server part, the client connects in update-only mode and offers to update the server part first.
Could someone swap an update by hacking the update server?
No. All files are signed with the developer's key; the client and the server part check the signature and won't install a substituted file.
Troubleshooting
Where are the logs?
The server part writes pwadmin_work.log (system messages and errors) and pwadmin.log (user actions, can be opened from the client). ./pwadmin paths shows where the server part found gs.conf, elements.data, tasks.data, the logs and the database.
The client showed an error. What should I send to the developer?
The client's error log: it records the call stack, which pinpoints where the error happened. Attach it and describe what you were doing before the error. You can reach us through Telegram support; the link is in the contacts section.