SimConnect - Hurray!! with Questions

[Bman.]

Good evening-

First off - thank you thank you!  for such and awesome application.  Love it.  The app and the documentation are outstanding!  I have manager to get SimConnect up and running after several hours (trying to get FSMap running..)  I jumped over to PlanG and with a little light reading - bingo. That took all of about 15 minutes...  awesome!

Now my questions:

1) Are applications port specific?  I have 4506 set for PlanG, FSMap manual notes to use 500.  Say I make FSMap 4507 will it still work or are programs tied to specific ranges?

2) When I am on the home side of a router with 3 computer and a printer in the network, do I have to open ports?  I wouldn't suspect as uhhhh, it connected.  This is just a general question, how does PlanG know to go to my FSX machine versus heading over to my other desktop?

3) See me .xml below - do I need to go "true" on the auto so both apps will run? (PlanG and FSMap).  Since they both have IP addresses I figure on the global "auto", I should disable.

4) Local in the .xml - is it needed if I am running on a networked computer?

  In the end, I couldn't get FSMap to work, PlanG worked right off the bat.  I am not sure what I am missing on the second application.  The FSMap simconnect.cfg is below the .xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="Windows-1252"?>
<SimBase.Document Type="SimConnect" version="1,0">
   <Descr>SimConnect</Descr>
   <Filename>SimConnect.xml</Filename>
   <Disabled>False</Disabled>
   <SimConnect.Comm>
      <Disabled>True</Disabled>
      <Protocol>Auto</Protocol>
      <Scope>global</Scope>
      <Address>192.168.1.50</Address>
      <MaxClients>64</MaxClients>
      <Port>4506</Port>
      <MaxRecvSize>4096</MaxRecvSize>
      <DisableNagle>False</DisableNagle>
   </SimConnect.Comm>

   <SimConnect.Comm>
             <Disabled>False</Disabled>
            <Protocol>IPv4</Protocol>
           <Scope>global</Scope>
             <Address>192.168.1.50</Address>
             <Port>4506</Port>
            <MaxClients>64</MaxClients>
      <MaxRecvSize>4096</MaxRecvSize>
      <DisableNagle>False</DisableNagle>
          </SimConnect.Comm>

   <SimConnect.Comm>
             <Disabled>False</Disabled>
            <Protocol>IPv4</Protocol>
           <Scope>global</Scope>
             <Address>192.168.1.50</Address>
             <Port>500</Port>
            <MaxClients>64</MaxClients>
      <MaxRecvSize>4096</MaxRecvSize>
      <DisableNagle>False</DisableNagle>
          </SimConnect.Comm>

   <SimConnect.Comm>
             <Disabled>False</Disabled>
            <Protocol>IPv4</Protocol>
           <Scope>local</Scope>
      <MaxClients>64</MaxClients>
             <Address>127.0.0.1</Address>
             <Port>500</Port>
       </SimConnect.Comm>

</SimBase.Document>



[SimConnect]
Protocol=IPv4
Address=192.168.1.050
Port=500
MaxReceiveSize=4096
DisableNagle=0


Again, thanks a bunch.  I am going to check that port... 050 versus .50.

Benjamin V.

[Bman.]

....errr.....yup, the IP address was incorrect for FSMap.  Both are working.

The rest of the items I still question however.

Thanks again!

Benjamin (aka Bman.)

[tim arnot]

1) Are applications port specific?  I have 4506 set for PlanG, FSMap manual notes to use 500.  Say I make FSMap 4507 will it still work or are programs tied to specific ranges?

No. You can have up to <MaxClients> clients per port (normally 64). Port numbers below 1024 are generally unadvised, since many are assigned to other Internet protocols (the web uses ports 80 and 88 for example). The actual port numbers you use are arbitary - just so long as nothing else is using them.

2) When I am on the home side of a router with 3 computer and a printer in the network, do I have to open ports?  I wouldn't suspect as uhhhh, it connected.  This is just a general question, how does PlanG know to go to my FSX machine versus heading over to my other desktop?

No, because you are staying on the LAN side of the router. You only need to open ports if you are going through the router to the outside world. Plan-G knows where to go because you specify the IP (4 or 6) address.

3) See me .xml below - do I need to go "true" on the auto so both apps will run? (PlanG and FSMap).  Since they both have IP addresses I figure on the global "auto", I should disable.

'Auto' was deprecated by MS with SP2. It actually means the same as 'Pipe'. You don't need it.

4) Local in the .xml - is it needed if I am running on a networked computer?

Local is only really needed if you want to specify a port different to the default (0). FSX creates the default local ports automatically, whether they are specified in the xml or not. So you can safely remove those entries.

[Bman.]

Thanks Tim -

Regarding the application ports - just to verify each app does in fact have to have a separate port correct?  PlanG should be dedicated to 4506 port... FSMap should be dedicated to 4507 etc

Thanks again-

[tim arnot]

I don't believe ports are exclusive to each application, but there's no harm in using a different one.

[Bman.]

Ok - great got it.  I was kind of thrown off and had the question since the port range specifically noted in the PlanG manual was 4500 - 4510..  Got it.  If they aren't spoken (in terms of any port Win7 is using) I should be in good shape. 

Off to do some flying!  :)

[tim arnot]

Not a million miles from my own setup there...

[smg id=18 type=preview]

I'm in the process of building a 'proper' monitor stand that will house the goflight units as well as a Simkits six-pack... (got to be better than using empty food containers!!!)  :)

[Bman.]

Ha - Look at that!  Very similar... I like the food containers  :)

The one piece I don't see in there that is must have... TrackIR   >:D

[tim arnot]

It's there... that photo was taken before it was installed  :)

[Bman.]

Schwweew - that's good.  I thought I was going to have to put on mt persuasive selling "It's the Best!" hat again. 

Benjamin.

[tim arnot]

I'm setting up a blog, that will show among other things, the progress of the 'pit, as well as Plan-G developments and suchlike...