VisualPSX and the internet.

[kryten]

Hi,

All below is on 1 PC.

VisualPSX normally connects PSX and FSX (when there is no ethernet cable connecting the PC and router).

If the ethernet cable is connected to the PC before booting (to download the weather)  when I run PSX and FSX, VisualPSX cannot connect them even if I then disconnect the ethernet cable from the PC. After I disconnect the cable, exit PSX and FSX, restart them and then run VisualPSX it still does not connect them. It is only when I reboot Windows (without the cable) that I can get VisualPSX to connect. Any help would be appreciated

Phil.

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

I bet your router provides an IP address to your PC. What IP addresses did you configure on the programs? If it is not 127.0.0.1, then they depend on what your router gives you to find each other.

127.0.0.1 is a special IP address that always points right at your box no matter what. It is also known as "localhost".

Here's an extremely old page that may be of help to get things fixed up . . .
http://www.hoppie.nl/broker/tcpip.html


Hoppie

[kryten]

Hi,
As I run on multiple PCs and the manual says I should use a static IP address I upgraded my broadband package to get one. This static address is 87.81.208.178. If I enter "CMD" into the Windows search box and then "ipconfig" I get an address of 169.254.19.177 which was the dynamic IP address I had before the broadband upgrade. The SimConnect.xml file has a line <Protocol>IPv4</Protocol> which suggests to me that I should use the dynamic address 169.254.19.177. Which should I use in the SimConnect.xml  and SimConnect.cfg files together with the "connection" boxes in the VisualPSX program bearing in mind that the static IP address is 87.81.208.178.

Phil

[Jeroen Hoppenbrouwers]

Actually you do not need a static address from your broadband supplier at all -- nobody is going to connect to you from over the internet, breaking straight through your router and accessing your internal computers (I hope).

Your externally visible IP address is irrelevant for what you try to achieve.

Your router will provide you with an internal network that is (hopefully) not accessible from outside. On this internal network, your router will hand out IP addresses by DHCP and make sure that each connected device has its own address. The router will bridge between the internal network and the internet, in a complex way that is transparent for you, but disallows your home machines to be exposed directly to the wild internet.

You need to convert your internal server machine(s) to static IP address(es), not your router external IP.

However you can also rely on the usual mechanism that your router tends to give the same IP address to the same machine for quite some time.

In all cases, do not mix up internal and external IP addresses. You want the 169.254 addresses only. The other 87.81 one is not useful for internal use.

By the way, the 169.254 suggests your router has a DHCP problem:
http://packetlife.net/blog/2008/sep/24/169-254-0-0-addresses-explained/



Hoppie

[kryten]

Hi Hoppie,
  Thanks for the information. VisualPSX on the server now connects to FSX on that PC and the internet. The only problem I have now is that VisualPSX is not connecting to FSX on the other PCs. I assume that VisualPSX does not need to be installed on the other PCs. I'll have another go trying to find the solution tomorrow.

Phil.

[kryten]

Hi Hoppie,
  I'm still not able to connect with FSX on the clients. Just to make certain, regarding setting up the client PCs when I edit the SimConnect.xml and SimConnect.cfg files I enter the IP address of the client PC itself, not the IP address of the server. Also I run VisualPSX only on the server PC and not on the client PCs.
  If the above is correct I'd appreciate any suggestions that might help.

Phil.

[asboyd]

VisualPSX needs to be run on any PC running the scenery generator. It hooks into the local simconnect so needs to be on the same machine.

Cheers,
Alex B

[kryten]

Hi Alex,
  I had seen a post by someone who said that VisualPSX only needed to be run on the server PC but that is incorrect. I've tried running VisualPSX on a client PC running FSX. The status says everything is connected but at the bottom FSX Status is WAIT (in orange), PSX Main Status is FLIGHT (in green) and PSX Boost Status is ONLINE (in white). I tried waiting a while but nothing changed. In the connection box I entered the IP address of the server PC. Any suggestions?

[asboyd]

What version of windows do you run on your FSX machine?
Also did you follow the instructions for adding the Simconnect.xml.
Also did you rename the LockheedMartin.Prepar3D.SimConnect.dll to just SimConnect.dll and place it in the correct directory (I assume you are running Windows 7 or later).

Cheers,
Alex B

[kryten]

Hi Alex,
In answer to your questions :

What version of windows do you run on your FSX machine?
I'm using Windows 7

Also did you follow the instructions for adding the Simconnect.xml.
I placed it in the C:\Users\747\ AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX file

Also did you rename the LockheedMartin.Prepar3D.SimConnect.dll to just SimConnect.dll and place it in the correct directory (I assume you are running Windows 7 or later).
No, I have not done that. I only put the FSX SimConnect.dll file in the VisualPSX folder. It might be where I'm going wrong. Which directory should I put it in?

Phil

[asboyd]

I used to run VisualPSX on each machine running FSX to get it all synced up. Nowadays I use one machine with P3D onboard and one instance of VisualPSX.
If you have had VisualPSX running with FSX then it should still run although some machine (ie net cards) may need a switch/hub connected in order to provide loopback (older cards).
If you have not had VisaulPSX running then check that Simconnect has been installed under FSX.

AlexB

[kryten]

Hi Alex,
  Thanks for the suggestions. I ran SDK from my FSX DVD and selected "repair" which I think should fix any SimConnect problems. VisualPSX is running OK on the server PC but not the clients PCs.

Will you please confirm that:

1) When editing the SimConnect.xml and SimConnect.cfg files on the clients the IP address of the client is used.

2) When running VisualPSX and entering the "connections" the IP address of the server is entered  regardless of whether the PC is a server or client.

Do you have any more suggestions?

Phil

[asboyd]

The IP address in Simconnect.cfg and .xml should be the IP address of the local machine (ie the one running the instance of FSX you want to interface to. The Network server address is the address of the PC running the PSX main server (and boost if needed).
Note: I have not tried but you could try to configure the Simconnect file to use 127.0.0.1 if you are running one instance on each machine running FSX.

Cheers,
Alex B

[kryten]

hi Alex,

I've just spotted something. Until now I always started VisualPSX on the server PC first. Today I started it on a client PC first and it worked but when I then started it on the server and other client PCs it failed and I got the status says everything is connected but at the bottom FSX Status is WAIT (in orange), PSX Main Status is FLIGHT (in green) and PSX Boost Status is ONLINE (in white). It seems that it works on the first and only the first PC that I start VisualPSX on. It shows that there is a connection between PCs. I just need to find out why it does not start on the others as well.

Phil.

[kryten]

The problem has now evolved from the original one. There may be someone who can help who was unable to do so originally and therefore does not read the posts. It may be best to start a new thread with the current situation.

Phil

[asboyd]

I am beginning to suspect windows firewall may be your problem.
Has your system been configured with a Home network setup?
If so then you could try turning off the firewall on both PC's and testing again.

Cheers,
Alex B

[kryten]

Hi Alex,
  Yes, I have a Home Network but Windows Firewall is disabled on all 6 PCs. All 6 PCs are able to run VisualPSX OK on their own. It is just that when VisualPSX is started on any 1 PC it will not run on the others until turned off on the first PC. It then automatically runs correctly on 1 of the others. Something is preventing it running on more than 1 PC at once.

Phil