How We Handle Backups for Our GTNH Servers

For years, we’ve wrestled with a common problem in the gaming community: managing massive world backups. On our GTNH 2021 server, a full world backup could balloon to over 200 GB. Backing up a file this large was becoming unmanageable and frankly, not worth the effort.


The Evolution of Our Backup System

We decided we needed a better solution, so we transitioned to a system using Restic. I created a cron job to perform incremental backups. The first backup would still be large, but subsequent backups were much smaller, often under 1 GB. This was a significant improvement, though it still had its drawbacks. Restoring something as small as a single player file was still a complex task that required a custom script or moving a huge amount of data. It got the job done, but it was far from ideal.

A real game-changer came with the Server Utilities mod in GTNH 2.7.0, which introduced a chunk-claim-based backup system. This smart system backs up only the claimed chunks within a region, and it only backs up those specific chunks, not the entire region file. This drastically reduced the backup size. What used to be a 200 GB backup on each server is now about 0.5 GB. That’s a savings of 199.5 GB!


Our Multi-Layered Backup Strategy

With our new, smaller backup files, I created a PowerShell script that connects to our three GTNH servers. This script automatically downloads the latest backup file from each server to a local NVMe drive I use for temporary storage. The script is set to keep the five most recent backups, which means we always have five days’ worth of local backups.

This is a great first step, but what if something happens to my house? Proper offsite backup is crucial. I use a Google Drive account that has plenty of storage left. The same script that handles the local backup now automatically uploads those backup files to my Google Drive, storing five backups from each server. This means we now have backups in three different locations:

  1. On the server itself
  2. On my local PC
  3. On Google Drive

In addition to this daily routine, we also perform a massive “deep storage” backup every time we update the servers, not just for major releases. For example, when we upgrade from version 2.7.4 to 2.8.0, we’ll make a full 200 GB backup and store it on an external hard drive that is then shut down and kept offline. This is our last-resort backup in case of a catastrophic failure.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of how we handle our backups. We take the safety of our world files very seriously, and we’re always looking for ways to improve our systems.

GTNH 2021, 2025, and 2026: Our Plans for the 2.8 Update

We have some exciting, and perhaps not-so-surprising, news about our three servers. That’s right, we now have three!

Introducing the New GTNH 2026 Server


First, let’s talk about our new GTNH 2026 server. We’re planning to release this server around the time version 2.8 of the game drops. We’re keeping things simple with the name, but the server itself will be powered by our new Intel Core 9 285k and will run on a pure Forge platform.

This server isn’t aimed at the hardcore players who are trying to rush to the Stargate Tier. We already have the GTNH 2025 server for that. The GTNH 2026 server is designed to be a more relaxed experience, perfect for new players, those who have never gone much further than the HV tier, or even players like me who have never launched a rocket before.

As we get closer to the launch date, we will post more news. In the meantime, we kindly ask that if you play or have played on GTNH 2025, please consider continuing your journey there. The new server’s main purpose is to bring new players into our community.

Updates for GTNH 2025


Now for the GTNH 2025 server. It will be updated to GTNH 2.8 approximately 2-4 weeks after the official release. We wait to ensure stability and performance, and if all looks good, we’ll proceed with the update. This process usually takes at least two weeks, and sometimes longer, to iron out any major bugs.

We also recently switched from Java 21 to Java 24 due to a hardware failure and will continue to use Java 24 for the 2.8 update. We plan to keep the GTNH 2025 server open to everyone, even with the new GTNH 2026 server starting up. We encourage you to get your friends to play on 2025 as we aim to attract new players to the GTNH 2026 server from outside our current community.

Changes to GTNH 2021


The GTNH 2021 server will also be updated to 2.8, following the same steps as the 2025 server. The biggest change, however, is that we are finally moving from the buggy Crucible/Thermos platforms to a pure Forge setup. This is great news as it should resolve several issues and we believe you will notice an overall performance improvement. We will also be jumping from Java 8 all the way to Java 24.

Because of this change, you will lose Grief Prevention Plus (GP+). However, we have been running Server Utilities for almost a year now, which offers more land claims than you could ever need. We have also already claimed all the abandoned areas on the server. This prevents a “free-for-all” scenario where players’ old land is vulnerable to theft after the upgrade. If a player returns, they will need to contact us to have their old claims removed so they can re-claim the land.

The GTNH 2021 server will remain whitelisted. We have a few very high-level players who use a significant amount of resources, and we have promised them that we will keep the server locked down so they can enjoy it until they are finished.

Our Overall Goal


Ultimately, our goal is to make all our servers very similar in nature. This will make updating, resolving issues, and making changes much easier. We want to provide a fair playing experience across all our servers, without any kind of favoritism. As always, we do not plan on wiping our servers. We will keep them running until you’re tired of them, and even if there are only a couple of players left, like on the GTNH 2021 server, we will keep them running.

Have questions about these changes? Please ask them in one of our three GTNH channels on Discord.

Brand New Reforged Eden Empyrion Dedicated Server Online!

Server Name: Reforged Eden 2024 Dedicated 24/7 – StoneLegion.com (Search StoneLegion)
Server Scenario: Reforged Eden 1.10+
Direct IP: 99.233.66.91
Server Specs: 3900X, 128Gig of Ram 2x 2TB NVME Gen 4 Drives.

Features: Volume/Mass, Max Blockcount & CPU Are Enabled! No Wipes, No Autominer Depletion, No POI Regen Besides Starter Worlds & Systems every Monday Morning at 8AM EST. No Wipe’s of any kind, just don’t attempt to take over a POI or build at one in the starter systems as they are set to regen and you could lose your items left there.

Server Goals: The Server welcomes New players and Veteran Players. We just ask Veteran players to leave some the server wide missions to the newer players to give some people a chance to experience it for the first time. This server is expected to be a longer term server and not just a weekend fling.

Discord Info: https://discord.gg/kBTabCX

The Server is Hosted in Canada, but our friends around the world tend to have a decent connection.

GregTech 2.4.0 Update & Massive World Expansion & New Server Hardware is Now Out!

Well that title was fully loaded. So let’s get right to it!

Mk5 Fusion Reactors

GregTech 2.4.0
As expected we have now updated our server to 2.4.0 and it’s once again a monster amount of new and amazing changes worth checking out.
Reddit’s Summery Patch Notes
Full Patch Notes

Massive World Expansion!
We have expanded our Overworld from 16,000 x 16,000 Blocks Border to now a whopping 32,000 x 32,000 blocks in size. That is 4 times the increase of land mass. That is over 1 Billion Chunks per world now!
We also Wiped the Nether, End, and Twilight.

Overworld, Nether, & Twilight has been also pre-generated to the 32,000 x 32,000 new border to help prevent as much lag as possible.

New Server Hardware!

Our old server was getting old and just not doing it’s job. So we went crazy and went with an entire new setup.
New Server Specs:

  • CPU: Intel® Core™ i9-13900K Processor 36M Cache, up to 5.80 GHz
  • RAM: 128GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR5 6400MHz
  • Main Disk: 2x 4TB NVME’s Gen 4’s with speeds up to 7,300MB/s
  • APC Smart-UPS C, Line Interactive, 1440VA Battery Backup
  • External Backups every 2 hours.

If you like to play with us, then please check out our Server Information Page!

Avorion Dedicated PvE Vanilla Server Online!

Hi everyone! I’m happy to introduce you to our new Avorion Server we just Launched today. It’s a simple Vanilla Server with No Mods (Besides a few client side mods whitelisted)

Our Server is more aimed at new players or players who like taking their time and spending a lot of time building, exploring, etc. We are not looking for speed runners or hardcore players. We are just casual players having a great time.

Server Status: Online

How To Connect:
Search for the Server: StoneLegion
Direct IP: mc.stonelegion.com

Our Discord: https://discord.gg/kBTabCX

Donate: https://paypal.me/stonelegion

Current Accepted Client Side Mods:
Simply Gate Compasses
Detailed Turret Tooltips
Shieldly (Clear shields)
Resource Display [Requires AzimuthLib]
Galaxy Map QoL [Requires AzimuthLib]
AzimuthLib

If you run into any issues feel free to ask us on Discord and will resolve it as quickly as we can. Also if you want Client Side mods added to the whitelist, feel free to ask we don’t mind adding some as long their not game changing.

ARK Survival 2021 / 2022 Dedicated Server!

Server Is Now offline, Thanks for playing!

Hey everyone we have a Brand New Ark Server Online for December 2021 going into 2022. This is a PvE Server with Lower Rates not super High Rates. The biggest Changes are 5 Times Taming, 5 Times Egg Hatch Speed and 20 Times Baby Mature Speed. The Full Rates Below!

Server Information:
Server IP: 138.34.52.56 – Server now Offline.
Server Name: Ragnarok PvE December 2021 Launch – StoneLegion
Discord: https://discord.gg/kBTabCX
No Mods Installed
Crossplay Enabled (Steam/Epic)

Detailed Changes:

Administration:
- Server Name: Ragnarok PvE December 2021 Launch - StoneLegion
- Map Name or Map Mod Path: Ragnarok
- Message of the Day: 
- - Welcome to StoneLegion.Com Ark PvE Server!
- - Please Check Out Our Discord for more info on the Server:
- - discord.gg/kBTabCX
- - (Checked the Pinned Messages in #ark channel for detailed changes & rates.)
- Enable Crossplay ✓
- Enable Public IP for Epic ✓
- 

Rules:
- Random Supply Create Points ✓
- Supply Crate Loot Quality Multiplier: 2
- Fishing Loot Quality Multiplier: 2
- Use Corpse Locator ✓
- Prevent Spawn Animations ✓
- Allow Unlimited Respecs ✓
- Max Dino Level: 150
- Non Permanent Diseases ✓

Chat and Notifications:
- Enable 'Player Left Notifications ✓
- Enable 'Player Joined' Notifications ✓

HUD and Visuals:
- Allow Map Player Location ✓
- Allow Third-Person View ✓
- Show Floating Damage Text ✓

Player Settings:
- Enable Flyer-Carry ✓
- Weight Base Stat Multiplier: 2
- Weight Per-Level Stat Multiplier: 2

Dino Settings:
- Weight Per-Level Stat Multiplier (Tamed): 3
- Weight Per-Level Stat Multiplier (Tamed) - Add: 2
- Mating Interval: 0.2
- Egg Hatch Speed: 5
- Baby Mature Speed: 20
- Cuddle Interval: 0.09645

Environment:
- Taming Speed: 5
- Harvest Amount: 2
- Day Time Speed: 0.25
- Night Time Speed: 2
- Crop Growth Speed: 3

Structures:
- Disable Structure Placement Collision ✓
- Allow Structures at Supply Drops PvE ✓
- Force All Structure Locking ✓
- Allow Integrated Structures Plus ✓

Player and Dino Level Progression:
- Players Double Engrams & Bonus of 50 additive Each 10 Levels. So 50,100,150, etc.