Database Connection Issue with Auth Server (AUTH DB INIT ERROR) - HatrickRep

06/16/2026 01:07 Kuromega#1

Hello everyone,

I am currently setting up a local **Rappelz Private Server (Epic 9.5.2)** using the **HatrickRepack** files. However, I am facing a persistent issue when launching the **Auth Server (PrincessAuroraServer.exe)** and would greatly appreciate any assistance from experienced developers.

## Environment Details

* **Operating System:** Windows 10 / Windows 11
* **Database Engine:** Microsoft SQL Server
* **SQL Instance:** `XMEGA\XXMEGA`
* **SQL Login:**

* Username: `rappelz`
* Password: `123456`
* Permissions: Full `sysadmin` privileges

## The Problem

Whenever I start **PrincessAuroraServer.exe**, it fails to initialize the database connection and returns one of the following errors:

```text
AUTH DB INIT ERROR : Login failed for user 'rappelz'
```

or

```text
Specified SQL Server not found
```

(depending on the server address format configured in the `.opt` file).

---

## Troubleshooting Already Performed

### SQL Server Configuration

✔ Enabled **Mixed Mode Authentication** (SQL Server and Windows Authentication).

✔ Enabled **TCP/IP** protocol through SQL Server Configuration Manager.

✔ Assigned a static port (**1433**) under the **IPAll** section.

✔ Confirmed that **SQL Server Browser Service** is running.

---

### Credential Verification

✔ Successfully connected to SQL Server using:

* SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio)
* Login: `rappelz`
* Password: `123456`

The account works perfectly outside of the game server.

---

### ODBC Configuration

✔ Created both **System DSN** and **User DSN** entries.

✔ Configured both:

* 32-bit ODBC Administrator
* 64-bit ODBC Administrator

✔ Created DSNs for:

* Auth Database
* Billing Database

✔ All connection tests returned:

```text
TESTS COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!
```

---

### Auth.opt Testing

I have tested multiple server connection formats, including:

```text
127.0.0.1\XXMEGA
127.0.0.1\\XXMEGA
127.0.0.1,1433
.\XXMEGA
localhost\XXMEGA
```

None resolved the issue.

---

### Password Format Testing

Since some older game server executables occasionally expect encrypted credentials, I also tested:

* Plain-text password
* MD5-hashed password

The behavior remained unchanged.

---

## Current Observation

Despite:

* Verified SQL connectivity
* Correct login credentials
* Working ODBC connections
* SQL Browser running
* TCP/IP enabled
* Proper user permissions

**PrincessAuroraServer.exe still refuses to authenticate with SQL Server.**

This leads me to suspect one of the following:

1. The executable may be reading configuration from a hidden or secondary location.
2. The server may require a specific SQL Native Client version.
3. The executable may only support default SQL instances.
4. There may be an undocumented password encryption method expected by the Auth Server.
5. The repack may contain hardcoded connection parameters.

---

## Questions

Has anyone experienced this issue with:

* HatrickRepack
* Epic 9.5.x Auth Server
* PrincessAuroraServer.exe

If so:

* What ultimately fixed it?
* Does the Auth Server require a specific SQL Native Client or ODBC version?
* Does it properly support named SQL instances?
* Are there additional configuration files that override Auth.opt?

Any insight, documentation, or troubleshooting suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

06/16/2026 01:19 Masumichan#2

DES cipher your password for SQL in your options files. and I recommend learning instead of spamming AI.

06/16/2026 22:55 Kuromega#3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masumichan

DES cipher your password for SQL in your options files. and I recommend learning instead of spamming AI.

Thank you for your reply

I have searched a lot and applied all the tutorials.... but it didn't work. Do you have a minute to explain it directly? I am still learning.

06/17/2026 11:50 ThunderNikk#4

There is a tool that comes with the database files to DES hash the database user password that goes in the .opt files.

One of the tutorials for setting up a rappelz server i think should explain it quite well.

It is really not as complicated as all of what you listed up above I think that was the driver behind the AI comment because while AI can be useful AI can also be very confidently wrong.

Database does not exist or connection denied either services are not running or password was not correctly set up and hashed for access in the .opt files.

06/17/2026 13:11 Kuromega#5

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThunderNikk

There is a tool that comes with the database files to DES hash the database user password that goes in the .opt files.

One of the tutorials for setting up a rappelz server i think should explain it quite well.

It is really not as complicated as all of what you listed up above I think that was the driver behind the AI comment because while AI can be useful AI can also be very confidently wrong.

Database does not exist or connection denied either services are not running or password was not correctly set up and hashed for access in the .opt files.

Thank you for your interest
However I did not find any file for password encryption and I have downloaded several files, but the intended file is not among them. Is there an alternative?

06/17/2026 13:42 nephren#6

The best approach is usually to combine AI-assisted research with existing community resources. In the Rappelz scene, many of the old guides, release threads, and troubleshooting posts were written by people who actually built and ran these servers years before AI tools existed. Those threads often contain details, undocumented requirements, and repack-specific fixes that AI simply cannot know unless the information is publicly available and included in its training data.

From what I can see:

PrincessAuroraServer.exe does not accept the SQL password in plain text or MD5 inside the .opt file. The value for:

Code:

S:db.auth._password:

must be generated with the Rappelz DES/password encrypt tool.

So even if this works in SSMS:

Code:

user: rappelz
password: 123456

the .opt file must not contain 123456 or an MD5 hash. It must contain the DES-ciphered value generated from 123456.

Also important:

If the server log says:

Code:

Login failed for user 'rappelz'

then the loaded .opt file is using rappelz.

If the posted .opt says:

Code:

S:db.auth.account:sa

but the log says rappelz, then PrincessAurora is probably reading another .opt file or another server folder.

So the correct checks are:

Confirm which .opt PrincessAuroraServer.exe is actually loading.
Set the correct SQL account in S:db.auth.account.
Generate the DES-ciphered password for that exact SQL password.
Put the generated value into S:db.auth._password.
Do not use plaintext or MD5 for the DB password.

ODBC/SSMS tests only prove SQL itself works. They do not prove that the Rappelz server binary accepts the .opt password value.

Also search the tools that came with your server/client/database files.
Most packaged sources include a specific encryption tool for this, often named something like passwordEnc, PasswordEncrypt, DES, Encryptor, OptTool, or similar.
Use that tool to generate the encrypted value for the SQL password, then place the result in S:db.auth._password.

Things to check out:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

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[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

06/17/2026 18:06 ThunderNikk#7

The following linked post I posted the password tool for 9.5 in the guide thread...

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

06/17/2026 18:14 .Luca.#8

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThunderNikk

The following linked post I posted the password tool for 9.5 in the guide thread...

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

1 question i saw that many links expired for 9.5.2
especially revo 9.5.2 from here : [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

somehow you got them if yes can u send me a link to download or PM i would really appreciate :handsdown:

06/18/2026 11:42 Masumichan#9

This entire site is turning into cancer, AI generated question with AI generated response...

06/18/2026 12:18 yosiemelo#10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masumichan

This entire site is turning into cancer, AI generated question with AI generated response...

i still wondering why still there is no better rappelz forum more modern than that crap

06/18/2026 15:11 nephren#11

Quote:

Originally Posted by yosiemelo

i still wondering why still there is no better rappelz forum more modern than that crap

I don't think AI is the main issue. The bigger difference is that communities used to share research openly.

A lot of old projects, tools and documentation survived because someone took the time to explain how things worked. Nowadays many things move into private groups, paid releases or closed-source projects.

The result is that knowledge becomes harder to preserve, even though more people have access to the technology itself.

Back 2010: Peak EPVP
Now:
"DM me for pricing."

Not everything was better, but the culture was definitely different.

06/18/2026 15:21 yosiemelo#12

Quote:

Originally Posted by nephren

I don't think AI is the main issue. The bigger difference is that communities used to share research openly.

A lot of old projects, tools and documentation survived because someone took the time to explain how things worked. Nowadays many things move into private groups, paid releases or closed-source projects.

The result is that knowledge becomes harder to preserve, even though more people have access to the technology itself.

Back 2010: Peak EPVP
Now:
"DM me for pricing."

Not everything was better, but the culture was definitely different.

Haha, nah, I don't think so.

Just look at the forum. The same questions have already been answered countless times before.

The real problem is that many people simply do not read. They do not use the search bar, they do not check existing threads, and they do not even try to understand the issue themselves.

Even if we — including me and a few other developers — actively help on this forum, we cannot help everyone, especially people who are too lazy to even think about why something does not work.

They do not search the forum.
They do not read old answers.
They do not ask AI for possible causes.
They just expect someone to come in and solve their problem for them, even when that exact same problem has already been solved a thousand times.

I have personally helped many people here in private. Almost none of them ever bothered to create a tutorial or share the solution publicly after I explained everything to them.

That is exactly why this community keeps repeating the same problems over and over again.

At some point, it is not a lack of knowledge anymore.

It is a lack of effort.

06/20/2026 23:59 Masumichan#13

Quote:

Originally Posted by nephren

I don't think AI is the main issue. The bigger difference is that communities used to share research openly.

A lot of old projects, tools and documentation survived because someone took the time to explain how things worked. Nowadays many things move into private groups, paid releases or closed-source projects.

The result is that knowledge becomes harder to preserve, even though more people have access to the technology itself.

Back 2010: Peak EPVP
Now:
"DM me for pricing."

Not everything was better, but the culture was definitely different.

I've spent so much time teaching people and sharing knowledge, the thing I learned is this you teach someone what they need to know and they drop you or stop interacting with you for a while... Why should anyone invest time into people whom nowadays work like this? I'd love to have someone to work on projects together with, I actually very much like to teach and guide. This is the real reason why nowadays things stay private for me. And as to how AI relates to this response, generally I noticed people whom over rely on AI don't have the ability to learn, think NOR focus.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuromega

Thank you for your reply

I have searched a lot and applied all the tutorials.... but it didn't work. Do you have a minute to explain it directly? I am still learning.

If you still haven't solved it feel free to add me on discord, I can provide a bit of guidance towards getting everything up and running.

06/23/2026 18:07 RappelzInferno#14

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06/24/2026 00:31 yosiemelo#15

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