Generally that message means that the port is already in use on that IP.

yeah its weird because everytime i use server.ip  xxx.xx.xx.xx and server.port xxxx i keep getting that error message 

Merged post

and the reason why i'm trying to add the server.ip and server.port on the cfg is because my rust server is not showing up on the server list in the rust browser, and I read that could solve my issue.

The Rust server list doesn't necessarily show all servers, it's a bit limited in that regard. I don't think changing your ports will fix that.

Also, if your IP address is shared, it's possible that another server is already using those ports. It's also possible that the server is running in the background or isn't shut down, which would cause the message you see. Also keep in mind that if the server is on an internal network, setting the server.ip to the public IP wouldn't work if that public IP is not directly assignable to the server.

ah I see, is there some way to check if the Port is assigned to another Server?

Or would I need to request a new IP from my host?

I'm leaning more toward the server.ip not being settable to the public IP rather than a port conflict, but I'd check with your host on both of those matters.

i noticed that i have a set IP for my server but on the console it states ip address from external API so I would imagine its giving me another IP from an external source?

No, that message is from Oxide, which means that is the IP detected from a web call.

Ok so i managed to find out why the server was not loading on the rust browser list, I had to ask for a new port, and it worked. it terms of the server.cfg file I also got it working, so basically you don't add any quotations or \ to the lines.

Quotations work fine in server.cfg, just make sure they are the right ones.