How to become an admin on your Counter-Strike: Source server

There are two levels of admin on a Source server. Rcon is built in and gives you full control of the server. SourceMod adds an in game admin menu with per person rights.

1. Set the rcon password

1. Stop the server and open cstrike/cfg/server.cfg in the Files tab.
2. Set rcon_password "a-long-secret".
3. Save and start the server.

Anyone with this password controls the server completely. Never share it with players.

2. Use rcon from the game

1. Join the server and open the console with ~.
2. Type rcon_password a-long-secret.
3. Now run commands with an rcon prefix, for example rcon status, rcon changelevel de_inferno, rcon kick "PlayerName".

The Console tab in the Game Panel runs the same commands without the prefix and without a password, because it is already the server.

3. Add SourceMod admins

Once MetaMod:Source and SourceMod are installed, admins are listed in a text file.

1. Stop the server.
2. Open cstrike/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini.
3. Add one line per admin using their Steam ID and a flag string, for example:

"STEAM_0:1:12345678" "99:z"

1. Save and start the server. In game, press ! or type sm_admin in chat to open the admin menu.

4. Useful commands

• status lists players with their Steam IDs, which is how you get the ID for the admin file.
• changelevel <map> switches map.
• kick and banid handle problem players.
• sm_kick, sm_ban and sm_slay are the SourceMod versions with a chat interface.

5. If admin does not work

• Check the Steam ID format matches what status prints.
• Restart the server after editing the admin file.
• Run sm plugins list in the console to confirm SourceMod is loaded at all.

Open a ticket from Support in the Client Area with the console output if the file looks right and admin is still refused.