Loadout unavailable on dedicated TF2 LAN server

When I’m playing on my dedicated Team Fortress 2 LAN server, I am unable to access my load out, because my server cannot connect to the item server:

WARNING! The server you are playing on has lost connection to the item server. As a result, your loadout will not be available on this server.

I am sure it’s not a problem with my TF2 client or with the item server, because when I play on any random public TF2 server on the internet, I can access my loadout just fine.

I’m running it on Debian GNU/Linux with the following startup command:

./srcds_run -game tf -autoupdate -steambin /home/tf2server/hlds/steam +map koth_king

When I start up the server, I notice the following in my server’s output during startup. No idea if it’s relevant.

Initializing Steam libraries for secure Internet server
*********************************************************
*********************************************************
*   Unable to load Steam support library.*
*   Unable to load Steam support library.*
*   This server will operate in LAN mode only.*
*   This server will operate in LAN mode only.*

Furthermore, when I connect to the game, I see the following output on the server side:

Sending CMsgGameServerMatchmakingStatus (state=ServerMatchmakingState_NOT_PARTICIPATING)
NULL ISteamGameServer in ConnectClient. Steam authentication may fail.
Client "Mr. Marlon" connected (192.168.1.184:27005).
Cannot verify load for invalid steam ID [I:0:0]
WARNING: ClientActive, but we don’t know his SteamID?

What could be the problem and how do I solve it?

Solution 1:

Found the solution: In /home/tf2server/hlds/gameserver/orangebox, put a file called steam_appid.txt whose sole contents are

440

Source: http://forums.srcds.com/viewtopic/18494

This also fixes « TF2 dedicated LAN server not found in game’s server browser ».