RCON

What is RCON

RCON (Remote Console) is a protocol designed by Valve to allow administrators to control and manage game servers remotely. It provides a way to execute commands on a server from a different location, such as a phone or a separate computer.

Why RCON

• Convenience: Manage your server from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Flexibility: Execute commands without needing to be physically present at the server's location.
• Efficiency: Automate tasks and streamline server management.

SSH vs RCON

SSH

• Offers strong encryption to protect data transmitted between the client and server.
• Primarily designed for secure remote login and execution of commands on a remote machine.
• Commonly used for managing Linux/Unix systems, configuring networks, and running scripts.
• Provides a shell-like environment, allowing you to execute various commands and interact with the remote system.

RCON

• Specifically designed for remote administration of game servers, allowing you to control and manage the server's settings and operations.
• Typically less secure than SSH, as it often relies on plain text passwords.
• Primarily used by game server administrators to manage game servers.
• Has a limited set of game-specific commands.

Packets

RCON is a very simple protocol with a few packets. Here's how an RCON packet looks:

Field	Description
ID	Used to indicate whether authentication failed or succeeded
Type	Identifies the packet type
Body	A message (String), e.g., a command or a password

Server Bound Packets _{(Client→Server)}

Type	Packet
2	Auth
3	ExecCommand

Client Bound Packets _{(Server→Client)}

Type	Packet
2	AuthResponse
0	Output

How RCON Works

1. Authentication:

   • The RCON client sends an authentication packet with the desired password.
   • The server verifies the password and responds with an authentication response packet.
   • If successful, the response packet includes the same ID as the one sent by the client. If unsuccessful, the ID is -1.

2. Command Execution:

   • The authenticated client can now send command execution packets, with each packet containing the command to be executed.
   • The server processes the command and sends back an output packet containing the result or any error messages.