RustDesk Server Service Name Conflict: A Fix Guide

by Alex Johnson 51 views

Introduction

When setting up your own RustDesk server, you might encounter an issue where the nssm service names are forced to be hbbr and hbbs. This can lead to conflicts with the setup instructions provided in the official documentation, which may instruct you to name the services differently. This article will guide you through understanding the problem, troubleshooting, and resolving the conflict to ensure your RustDesk server runs smoothly. We will explore the root cause of the issue, provide a step-by-step solution, and offer best practices for managing your RustDesk server services.

Understanding the Issue

The core of the problem lies in the discrepancy between the names the RustDeskServer.exe application expects for its services and the names users might assign based on the documentation. Specifically, the RustDeskServer.exe wrapper UI is hard-coded to look for services named hbbs and hbbr. However, the official RustDesk documentation may instruct users to create services with nssm named something more descriptive, such as "RustDesk hbbr service" and "RustDesk hbbs service." This mismatch causes the wrapper application to fail to properly monitor and manage the services, leading to a frustrating experience for users.

Symptoms of the Conflict

If you're experiencing this issue, you'll likely notice that the RustDeskServer.exe wrapper application repeatedly changes its title between "RustDesk Server" and "RustDesk Server Stopped." This constant toggling indicates that the wrapper is unable to correctly identify and monitor the services. This happens because the wrapper is looking for services named hbbr and hbbs exactly, and it doesn't recognize the services if they have different names. The wrapper's inability to find the services with the expected names results in it repeatedly attempting to start and stop the services, leading to the title flickering.

Why This Happens

The reason for this hard-coding within the RustDeskServer.exe application likely stems from an internal naming convention used by the developers. While this might simplify the application's internal logic, it creates a significant usability issue for end-users who expect service names to be descriptive and easily identifiable. When users follow the documentation and create services with descriptive names, they inadvertently create a conflict with the application's expectations. This conflict highlights the importance of aligning documentation with the actual behavior of the software.

Step-by-Step Solution

To resolve this issue, you need to ensure that the service names match what the RustDeskServer.exe wrapper application expects. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you fix the conflict:

  1. Identify the Conflicting Services: First, open the Windows Services manager by pressing Win + R, typing services.msc, and pressing Enter. Look for the services you created for RustDesk, which might be named something like "RustDesk hbbr service" and "RustDesk hbbs service."
  2. Stop the Services: Before making any changes, stop the conflicting services. Right-click on each service and select "Stop."
  3. Rename the Services: The key step is to rename the services to hbbr and hbbs. Unfortunately, you can't directly rename a service through the Services manager. You'll need to use the nssm command-line tool. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
  4. Use NSSM to Rename: Use the following commands to rename the services:
    nssm edit