Linux dedicated server

The dedicated server ships as native Linux binaries inside every build archive, under server-linux/:

• M2OServer — the server executable
• libnode.so.141 — the bundled Node.js runtime that executes server resources
• crashpad_handler — the crash reporter (optional to run, keep it next to the server)

Requirements

• x86-64 Linux with glibc 2.38 or newer — Ubuntu 24.04+, Debian 13 (trixie)+. On older distributions (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12) the binary does not start: the loader reports missing GLIBC_2.38 / GLIBCXX_3.4.32 symbols. There is no workaround short of upgrading the distribution or running a newer one in a container.
• The usual runtime libraries. On a minimal Ubuntu/Debian install:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y libatomic1 libstdc++6 libgcc-s1 libcurl4 openssl ca-certificates unzip

Install

Unpack server-linux/ from the build archive into a directory of its own and make the binaries executable — a zip transfer does not always preserve the executable bit:

mkdir -p ~/m2o-server && cd ~/m2o-server
unzip -j /path/to/M2O-<version>.zip '*server-linux/*' -d .
chmod +x M2OServer crashpad_handler

Put your resources next to the binaries, one directory per resource:

~/m2o-server/
├── M2OServer
├── libnode.so.141
├── crashpad_handler
└── resources/
    └── my-gamemode/
        ├── package.json
        ├── server/main.js
        └── client/main.js

Each resource declares its entry points in package.json; only the client/ part of a resource is streamed to players:

{
  "name": "my-gamemode",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "mafiahub": {
    "server": "server/main.js",
    "client": "client/main.js",
    "priority": 20
  }
}

Run

cd ~/m2o-server
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=.
export TRACY_NO_INVARIANT_CHECK=1
./M2OServer

• LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. lets the loader find libnode.so.141 next to the executable.
• TRACY_NO_INVARIANT_CHECK=1 matters on VPS and older CPUs: without an invariant TSC the embedded profiler aborts the server on startup with exit code 1 and no useful message. Setting the variable is harmless everywhere, so just always set it.

Open the firewall

The game talks over UDP on the server port (default 27015). Open it, e.g. with ufw:

sudo ufw allow 27015/udp

If players see the server but time out while connecting (the log shows an incoming connection request, then Connection lost after ~20 s), the usual culprits are a closed/unforwarded UDP port or a path with a reduced MTU (VPN or tunnel) between the player and the server.

Keep it running

A minimal systemd unit:

/etc/systemd/system/m2oserver.service

[Unit]
Description=M2O dedicated server
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/home/m2o/m2o-server
Environment=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=.
Environment=TRACY_NO_INVARIANT_CHECK=1
ExecStart=/home/m2o/m2o-server/M2OServer
Restart=on-failure
User=m2o

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now m2oserver
journalctl -u m2oserver -f

The same layout works fine inside Docker — use an Ubuntu 24.04 (or newer) base image so the glibc requirement is met, install the packages from step 1, and set the same two environment variables.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause
version 'GLIBC_2.38' not found / GLIBCXX_3.4.32 on start	Distribution too old — use Ubuntu 24.04+ / Debian 13+ (bare or as container base)
Exits with code 1 immediately on a VPS	No invariant TSC — set TRACY_NO_INVARIANT_CHECK=1
error while loading shared libraries: libnode.so.141	LD_LIBRARY_PATH does not include the server directory
Players time out after Incoming connection request	UDP port closed/unforwarded, or reduced-MTU path (VPN/tunnel) on the player side
A resource silently does nothing	Syntax error in its JS — check the server log at startup; validate with node --check before shipping