Dbserver

A dbserver instance is a "shard", which is known to players as "a server" (Freedom, Defiant, etc). It performs several roles:

• storing and retrieving objects in the database on behalf of some of the other servers
• proxying messages between some other servers
• coordinating player transfers
• assorted random features that didn't have anywhere else to live

Despite the name, relatively little of dbserver's code is related to managing the database, and it is not the only server which has a database.

Services

dbserver listens on several ports, each one providing a different service. Most services correspond to another server which will connect to dbserver.

Details of the network protocols are on Dbserver-protocols

Command line arguments

-logserver	Start the dbserver as a logserver instead. (This also happens if the executable name is "logserver".)
-noencrypt	Disable encryption between the client and dbserver.
-productionmode	Enable production mode/disable development mode. Document production mode.
-startall	Start all static non-DontAutoStart maps automatically on startup.
-start <n>	Start up to n static maps on startup.
-verbose	Enable verbose logging.
-testcleanshutdown [n]	Run a database shutdown test on the n first containers and then exit. n is 100 by default.
-perfbench	Run a performance benchmark and then exit.
-perfload [n]	Run a load test of n runs on the database and then exit. n is 0 by default.
-perfdup [n]	Run a duplication test of n runs on the database and then exit. n is 0 by default.
-perfupdate [n]	Run an update test of n runs on the database and then exit. n is 0 by default.
-flattosql	Load the on-disk flat format (.defs or .bins) of Ents, Supergroups, Teamups and Leagues to the database, then exit. Only works in development mode.
-sqltoflat	Dump the database containers of Ents, Supergroups, Teamups and Leagues to the on-disk format, then exit. Only works in development mode.
-importdump <dumpfile> [mappingfile brokenfile progressfile splitnames]	Load a dump file. Defaults: mappingfile: conids.map brokenfile: links.bk progressfile: progress.txt splitnames: 0
-fiximport [mappingfile brokenfile progressfile]	Revisit DB (after import?) and fix broken links. Defaults: mappingfile: conids.map brokenfile: links.bk progressfile: progress.txt
-exportdump <dumpfile>	Export a dump file.
-packetdebug	Enable packet debug info (data type and length). Enabled by default if the build is FULLDEBUG, disabled otherwise.
-memlogecho	Echo logs for the generic memlog instance to the console.
-cod	Pass the -cod option to mapservers launched via the launchers connected to this dbserver.