How to Set Up Automated Restarts

How to Set Up Automated Restarts

Keeping your server running fresh is key to a smooth, lag-free experience for your players. A regular restart automatically clears the server's memory (RAM) and prevents lag from building up over time. We recommend scheduling a restart at least once every 24 hours.

In this guide, you will learn how to set up an automated restart schedule directly from your MintServers game panel.

Step 1: Create a Schedule

First, log into your MintServers game panel and select the server you want to manage. On the left-side menu, find and click on the "Schedules" tab.

Once on the Schedules page:

1. Click the blue "Create schedule" button.

2. Give your schedule a clear name, like "Daily Restart".

3. Set the time for the restart. This uses "Cron" syntax. You can use these common examples:
   • Every 6 hours: 0 */6 * * *
   • Every 12 hours: 0 */12 * * *
   • Every day at 4 AM: 0 4 * * *
4. Click "Create schedule" to save it.

Step 2: Add the Restart Task

Now that you have a schedule, you must tell it what to do. Click on the new schedule you just created to open it.

1. Click the blue "New Task" button in the top right.

2. In the "Action" dropdown menu, select "Send Power Action".

3. In the "Payload" dropdown that appears, select "Restart the server".

4. Leave the "Time Offset" at 0 seconds.
5. Click the blue "Create task" button.

That's it! Your server is now set to restart automatically at the time you chose.

Optional: Add a Restart Warning

It's good practice to warn your players before a restart. You can easily add a warning message to the same schedule.

1. Inside your schedule, click "New Task" again.
2. Set the "Action" to "Send Command".
3. In the "Payload" box, type your warning message (e.g., say Server restarting in 5 minutes!).
4. Leave this warning task's "Time Offset" at 0 seconds and click "Create task".
5. Now, find your original "Restart the server" task and click the "..." icon to edit it.
6. Change its "Time Offset" to 300 seconds (which is 5 minutes). Click "Save".

This will send the warning, wait 5 minutes, and. then restart the server, giving your players time to log off safely.

A Note on Time Zones

All schedules use the GMT+0 (UTC) time zone by default. You will need to adjust your schedule time based on your local time zone. For example, if you want a restart at 4 AM in EST (GMT-5), you would set the schedule time to 0 9 * * * (because 4 AM + 5 hours = 9:00).