---
name: "pioneers-meta-server"
section: "6"
platform: "linux"
package: "pioneers-meta-server"
version: "14.1-3"
release: "Debian 8 (Jessie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pioneers-meta-server"
---

# pioneers-meta-server(6)

metaserver for Pioneers

## NAME

pioneers-meta-server - metaserver for Pioneers

## SYNOPSIS

**pioneers-meta-server** \[*options*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**Pioneers** is an implementation of the popular, award-winning "Settlers of Catan" board game.  It uses a client/server model for networked play. This program provides a piece of network infrastructure that helps match pioneers clients to pioneers servers. Casual players of pioneers probably do not need to run this program.

## OPTIONS

- **-?, --help**

  Print a short help text and exit.

- **-d, --daemon**

  Run in daemon mode.

- **-P, --pidfile** *pidfile*

  Write the pid to *pidfile* (implies -d)

- **-r, --redirect** *location*

  Redirect to another metaserver running at *location*.

- **-s, --servername** *hostname*

  Use *hostname* as hostname when creating servers.

- **-p, --port-range** *from***-***to*

  Use ports in the range *from*-*to* (inclusive) to start servers. It is advised not to include port 5557 in the range.  (See BUGS below.) When this range is not specified, the metaserver will not be able to create new games.

- **--debug**

  Enable debug messages.

- **--syslog-debug**

  Duplicate the messages of the syslog to the console.

- **--version**

  Show version information.

## ENVIRONMENT

The default settings of the metaserver can be influenced with the following three environment variables:

- **PIONEERS\_META\_SERVER**

  The hostname the metaserver will use when creating new games. This should be a hostname that can be resolved by all clients that will connect.

- **PIONEERS\_SERVER\_CONSOLE**

  The path to **pioneers-server-console**. If it is not set, the default installation path will be used.

- **PIONEERS\_DIR**

  The path to the game definition files. If it is not set, the default installation path will be used.

## FILES

**/usr/share/games/pioneers/\*.game**

Game definitions

## SIGNALS

**USR1**

Shutdown the metaserver gracefully (can be used to check for memory leaks)

## BUGS

Do not include port 5557 in the *--port-range* argument because the metaserver uses this port.

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Jeff Breidenbach \<jab@debian.org\>, and updated by Roland Clobus \<rclobus@rclobus.nl\> and Bas Wijnen \<shevek@fmf.nl\>. Pioneers was written by Dave Cole \<dave@dccs.com.au\>, Andy Heroff \<aheroff@mediaone.net\>, and Roman Hodek \<roman@hodek.net\>, with contributions from many other developers on the Internet; see the AUTHORS file in the pioneers distribution or the help-\>about dialog in one of the graphical programs for a complete list of contributing authors.

## SEE ALSO

**[pioneers(6)](/pioneers/6.md)**, **[pioneers-server-gtk(6)](/pioneers-server-gtk/6.md)**, **[pioneers-server-console(6)](/pioneers-server-console/6.md)**