Updating Raven
How the self-update works, when it needs a restart, and what each build added.
Raven updates itself. On most servers there is nothing to do: the resource notices it is behind, pulls the new files and restarts itself. This page covers the exception, which is a change to the shared script, and the two console commands for driving an update yourself.
How updating works
Every time the resource starts it verifies its licence, and the reply says whether the cloud considers that build outdated. If it does, Raven fetches the current file set, writes only the files whose contents differ, reads each one back to confirm the write landed, and then restarts itself.
Restarting itself is what the add_ace line in your server.cfg is for. Without it the files are still updated, but Raven cannot run the command to reload itself and prints the ensure line for you to run instead. If a write fails part way through, the whole update is rolled back and the resource stays on its previous version rather than running half new and half old.
Driving it yourself
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
rac update | Checks for an update and writes any changed files, without restarting the anticheat. The new files are on disk but the old ones are still loaded. |
rac update --force | Checks, writes, and then restarts the anticheat so the new files are actually running. Also restarts when nothing changed, which is the way to reload the current files. |
rac status | Prints the running version and marks it Outdated when the cloud has a newer build. |
When a restart is needed
One file cannot be swapped under a running server. src/shared/shared.lua is loaded inside every other resource, so reloading only the anticheat leaves the old copy running everywhere else. When that file changes, Raven says so and waits for you.
| What changed | What Raven does | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing | Reports that everything is up to date. | Nothing. |
Any file except shared.lua | Writes them and restarts itself. | Nothing, as long as the add_ace line is in your server.cfg. |
src/shared/shared.lua | Writes the files and stops, telling you a full restart is needed. | Restart the whole server, not just the resource. |
Anything, after a plain rac update | Writes the files and leaves the old ones loaded. | Run rac update --force, or restart the resource. |
Console messages
| Message | What it means |
|---|---|
| Your anticheat version is outdated. Fetching the latest files... | The licence check reported a newer build and the self-update has started. |
| Auto-update complete. Updated to vX, N file(s) changed. | The files are written and verified. A restart message follows saying whether Raven handled it. |
| Auto-update found everything already up to date. | Nothing differed, so nothing was written. |
| Auto-update could not reach the update server. It will retry on the next restart. | The update feed did not answer. The current build keeps running untouched. |
| Auto-update could not start: src/server/server.js did not answer. | The Lua and the Node halves of the resource are from different packages. Re-download the whole folder from the dashboard. |
| Auto-update rolled back. The resource is still on its previous version. | A file failed to write or read back, so every file was restored. Check file permissions on the resource folder and try again. |
| Restart the anticheat to apply the update: ensure <name> | The files are new but Raven has no permission to restart itself. Add the add_ace line, and run that ensure now. |
Re-downloading by hand
You rarely need this. It is the fix when the two halves of the resource are out of step, or when the self-update cannot write to your resources folder at all.
Download the current build
Open Download on the dashboard and pick the same server. The package is always the current version and always carries that server's licence.
Replace the whole folder
Stop the server, then replace the contents of your existing resource folder with the new files. Keep the folder name the same so your server.cfg lines and the injected lines in every other manifest still point at it.
Start the server
Raven verifies, pulls your config from the cloud and carries on with your existing settings.
What each build added
The dashboard hides controls your build cannot honour, so an older server simply does not see the newer options. These are the thresholds it checks.
| Build | What it brought |
|---|---|
| 1.5.7 | The console, Resources and World tools on the dashboard. |
| 1.5.9.4 | The grouped config, cloud side Discord logging, and the media CDN for evidence. |
| 1.5.9.5 | The outbound WebSocket, replacing the inbound HTTP handler and the proxy address it needed. |
| 1.7.2 | Numbered spam rules on entity, explosion and particle protections, and AntiProjectileAi. |
| 1.7.3 | The Connection Filters section. |
| 1.7.4.5 | The Moderators tab, with admin and whitelist flags synced live. |
| 1.7.5 | AntiVoiceSpoofing moved to Maximum and Whitelist, and AntiTeleport, AntiNoclip, AntiFreecam and AntiSuperJump began honouring the whitelist. |
| 1.8.0 | AntiScreenOcr began honouring the whitelist. |
| 1.8.1 | The combined vehicle detection split into four, the spam rule types nearplayer, stacked and launched replaced ai, and TimeFrame became TimeWindow. |
| 1.8.3.8 | AntiTeleport started reading its Methods map, so turning one method off has an effect. |
| 1.8.6 | The whitelist widened to twenty-nine detections. |
| 1.8.7 | AntiBlacklistAnimations and AntiBlacklistPedModel joined the whitelist, taking it to thirty-one. |
| 1.8.8 | In-game admin commands, and the hidden ped spam rule. |
| 1.8.9 | The in-game admin menu, ban and kick notifications, menu alert placement, and the kills rule on AntiSpamDamage. |
| 1.9.1 | EntitiesModelProtection replacing BlacklistEntitiesProtection, with a Mode that can run it as an allowlist. Updates to AntiResourcesInjection, AiClientEventsProtection and AiServerEventsProtection. |
| 1.9.2 | EntitiesModelProtection joining the whitelist, and its list growing to 679 models. AntiNoclip down to one check. AntiSpeedHack Types.Climb. A wider AntiHookNatives. Stricter requirements for the AntiScreenOcr Words entries. Heartbeat failures that kick rather than ban. |
| 1.9.3 | Resources Installation replacing Auto-Installation, with a master switch, an Automatic switch and a whitelist Raven is removed from as soon as you save it. rac install skipping whitelisted resources. The Resources page showing which resources carry Raven, and installing or removing it. Updates to AntiFreecam, AntiHookNatives and AntiResourcesInjection. |