gcloudrig

A collection of bash scripts that use Google's Cloud SDK to create and maintain a cloud gaming instance, on the cheap.

Prerequisites

bash
python 2.7.x
gcloud sdk
ZeroTier (recommended)
Parsec (recommended)

Specs

8 vCPU (n1-standard-8)
NVIDIA Tesla P4 (nvidia-tesla-p4-vws)
50GB SSD (pd-ssd)
500GB Storage (pd-standard)
Windows Server 2016 (windows-2016)

Cloud responsibly. These scripts are provided as-is, with zero support. At the very least, create a new GCP project.

Setup

Create a new GCP project
Launch Cloud Shell
- Linux/WSL users: Launch a bash shell locally and run gcloud init

Clone this repository:

$ git clone "https://github.com/putty182/gcloudrig"

Run setup.sh and follow the prompts

$ cd "gcloudrig"
$ ./setup.sh

Created [gcloudrig].
Activated [gcloudrig].

You can use http://gcping.com to find the closest region

Select a region to use:
1) asia-southeast1          5) us-central1
2) australia-southeast1     6) us-east4
3) europe-west4             7) us-west2
4) northamerica-northeast1
#? 2

Would you like to automatically install some things? [y/n] y

1) InstallBattlenet=false  4) ZeroTierNetwork=
2) InstallSteam=false      5) Done
3) VideoMode=1920x1080
#? 1

1) InstallBattlenet=true  3) VideoMode=1920x1080    5) Done
2) InstallSteam=false     4) ZeroTierNetwork=
#? 2

1) InstallBattlenet=true  3) VideoMode=1920x1080    5) Done
2) InstallSteam=true      4) ZeroTierNetwork=
#? 4

We strongly recommend you create a new ZeroTier network for Gcloudrig
https://my.zerotier.com/network

Gcloudrig ZeroTier network id [or quit]: abcdef1234567890

1) InstallBattlenet=true             3) VideoMode=1920x1080               5) Done
2) InstallSteam=true                 4) ZeroTierNetwork=abcdef1234567890
#? 5

Enabling Gcloudrig software installer...
Creating instance template 'gcloudrig-setup-template'...
Creating managed instance group 'gcloudrig-group'...

Done!  Run './scale-up.sh' to start your instance.

Run ./scale-up.sh to start your instance.
- Your instance will launch and automatically start installing software, which will take around 10-20 mins to finish. Open the Log Viewer to track it's progress.

Connect and finish setup (not automatic, yet)

Open your ZeroTier network; scroll down to the Members section and mark the Auth? checkbox next to your gcloudrig. You can verify the correct host by matching the Physical IP against your running compute instances.
Use Remote Desktop to connect to your rig with the ZeroTier IP. Your username and password can be found in the logs.
Finish the Parsec installation, login and enable hosting.
- Configure Parsec to only listen on the ZeroTier IP, or use the VPC Firewall to open up the ports required for Parsec (see Parsec Port Forwarding for guidance).
Double-click the Disconnect RDP shortcut on the desktop, which will drop your RDP session back to the local screen. This bypasses the windows lock screen, which Parsec doesn't have permission to see.
Use Parsec to connect back to your instance.
When you reconnect, the Parsec logo should be running in your system tray. Right-click it, and set it Run when my computer starts.
If everything seems stable, double-click Post ZeroTier Setup Security on the desktop to lock down TightVNC and Parsec.

Optional setup

Get a free public hostname for your private ZeroTier IP at Duck DNS.
- If you want a hostname for your dynamic public IP as well, you'll need to install a DDNS client or a startup script.
Restrict public access to RDP ports by modifying the default-allow-rdp rule in VPC Firewall.

Manual software installation

If you answered No to automatic installation during ./setup.sh, run ./scale-up.sh and a clean Windows Server instance will be created.

Run ./reset-windows-password.sh to get the IP, Username and Password, then connect to your instance with Remote Desktop. See Creating Passwords for Windows Instances and Connecting to Windows Instances for more info.

We recomend the following software, but feel free to find your own:

Install GRID® drivers for virtual workstations
Install Virtual Audio Cable to use as a virtual sound card
Install ZeroTier, join a network and set it to run on boot by right-clicking it's icon in the System Tray
Reboot to finish GPU driver installation.
Login with TightVNC, set display to "Show only on Monitor 2" and give it an appropriate screen resolution. This will disable the primary 640x480 virtual screen, which can't be resized and gives Parsec headaches when games try to launch on it.
Attempt to change the volume; Windows should prompt that the Windows Sound service isn't running. Start it. Alternatviely, run services.msc and change it's startup options there.
Install Parsec or your choice of streaming software
Setup Autologon to bypass the lock screen on boot.
- If automatic login fails, or you access your instance with RDP then the lock screen will prevent most streaming software from working. You can use TightVNC to access the lock screen.
- Alternatively, use RDP and an unlock script to drop the RDP session directly to the local console, securely bypassing the lock screen.
Install game clients (e.g. Steam, Battlenet) and enjoy!

Starting your rig

Run ./scale-up.sh to start your instance.

Stopping your rig

Run ./scale-down.sh to shutdown your instance.

Once stopped, it will take a few minutes to create a copy of both boot and games disks. Read Disk maintenance below for more info.

Troubleshooting

If you're having difficulty connecting with a game streaming client, use RDP or TightVNC to access your machine.

RDP is more reliable, but can't be used to control the "physical" virtual monitor causing a lock screen to appear (which upsets most streaming clients)
TightVNC can control the "physical" virtual montior and interact with the lock screen, but is less reliable and less secure.

If you forget your password, use ./reset-windows-password.sh to get a new one. If you want to keep Autologon working, you'll need to update it with your new password.

If you need to setup a custom resolution (e.g. 1800x1200), you might have issues with the native NVidia drivers. Custom Resolution Utility (CRU) works well, and while the automatic options in Parsec should also work you can force it to behave too.

If you need a nuclear option, delete everything and start over with these commands:

$ ./destroy.sh
$ ./setup.sh

Disk Maintenance

TODO

Travelling?

gcloudrig keeps your rig as a boot image and disk snapshot in the same GCE region. To move your rig to a different part of the world, just run ./change-region.sh to change your default region, then run ./scale-up.sh. Restoring snapshots in a different region may incurr network costs

TimSoethout / gcloudrig