Everything is starting to fall into place:
- Decent Minecraft Server
- Bedrock – Java Support
- Sleeping Server Program
But one thing is missing. That, my friend, is full automation.
With the Non Sucking Service Manager (NSSM), we can install Minecraft Sleeping Server Starter as a Windows service, so we can be sure that our server is ready to play whenever our (server) PC is on.
This is simpler than you might think, but I’ll still take you through it.
Set up
Download the NSSM executable for windows from their downloads page. It should be the latest release (2.24).
Extract it to your server folder.
In the “nssm-2.24\win64” or “nssm-2.24\win32” folder (dependent on your system, should be 64 bit) there should be an executable. Cut it and paste it into the root of your server (with the sss.exe and server jar).
You can now delete the nssm-2.24 folder.
Set up is complete.
Installing a Service
Open an admin command prompt and change the directory (cd) to your server folder root.
Type in:
nssm install "(Your Service Name)" And it should open up a GUI that looks a little like this:
Set the “Application Path” to your “sleepingserverstarter.exe” in your server root, and make sure the “Startup directory” is set to your server root folder. You can change these by clicking the ellipses after the text boxes.
Ignore the “Arguments” and move onto the “Log on” tab. Check the Log on as: “This account” checkbox. Here you will have to enter in your username and password to the Windows account log on. I have used an example log on below.
And press the “Install Service” button.
Your service should install. Please note that it will only install if the server files are located somewhere only the specified user has access to (like Documents.) If the server files are located in program files for example, you’ll have to tick “Local System account” on the Log on tab and “Allow service to interact with desktop”. However I’m unaware if this’ll run properly without a user logged in.
So open “services.msc” by typing it into Windows search/cortana and locate your service. Select it and start it, either by right-clicking and starting or pressing the start/play button. It should start up the Sleeping Server Starter executable in the background so you won’t be able to see it, but you can connect and join the server as normal from either Minecraft Java or Bedrock!
So I hope you enjoyed this guide to Minecraft Server -ing cross platform and making it fully automatic. I hope you learned something, and if you want more things like this, drop a comment/create a topic, or even something as little as subscribing to my YouTube channel. Gives me a lot of motivation 🙂
After writing this, I tested waking the server from an Xbox One S and some reason after version v1.16.201 the client it thinks over a million players are online. So just wake it from Java/Bedrock PC before joining.
Anyway, thanks for spending your time to read this blog, and if your reading from the future, leave a comment, and like a video of mine (It’s really appreciated!)
And by the way, if you ever have any issues about or with this blog or project, or just want to share your results from it, create a thread in the website Forum. Thanks!
Minecraft Server Setup Guide – Server Guide #1
Minecraft Server Bedrock Support – Server Guide #2
Minecraft Sleeping Server Program – Server Guide #3
Minecraft Sleeping Server Program – Building from repl.it – Server Guide #3.5
Minecraft Server Windows Service – Server Guide #4