dweese
Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 1692
Location: Belleville ON Canada
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 Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:06 am Post subject: How to Simconnect |
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What you need:
1. 2 Computers connected on LAN
2. SquawkBox 4 copied to both computer hard drives, but not installed yet
3. Flight Simulator X Deluxe Edition on Disk #1 you will find the SDK install it than download and install the updates from the Microsoft site to both systems. This makes for easy testing later.
Some basic understanding of how to share folders with in windows would be an asset.
The computer that is going to run FS needs to have a static IP address on your network. Follow this link for information on how to create one.
http://www.portforward.com/networking/staticip.htm
Your router most times will assign your PC an IP address based on the IP address you use to access the router’s settings. Most start 192.168.x.x check with your router manual for the IP needed to access its internal settings, than just offset the last number to something different. You’ll need to remember this IP and enter it later to one of the files using notepad.
On the system running Flight Simulator
You need to share the following folders and you must give full read and write permissions for all the folders.
Windows Vista
C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX
C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files
X:\Microsft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X (your FSX folder)
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Microsoft\FSX
C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\My Documents\Flight Simulator X Files
X:\Microsft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X (your FSX folder)
You may also need to open your firewall up to allow the PC running SB4 to access the folders; this may require you to set a static IP address for the SB computer as well. Those running ZoneAlarm will have to do this.
Now check you can access these folders and create and edit files from the PC that is going to run SB. Do not proceed any farther in this document until you’re able to fully access those folders remotely.
On the system running Flight Simulator
Open Notepad and copy the below information from the code box in to Notepad.
| Code: | [SimConnect]
level=verbose
console=0
;RedirectStdOutToConsole=1
;OutputDebugString=1
;file=c:\simconnect%03u.log
;file_next_index=0
;file_max_index=9 |
Select Save As and on the Save As window chose All Files in the save as type drop box, or it will save as just a text file and will not work.
Save the file as
Windows Vista
C:\Users\[username]\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\SimConnect.ini
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\My Documents\Flight Simulator X Files\SimConnect.ini
On the System running FS
Open Notepad and copy the below information from the code box in to Notepad.
This code opens connections for 2 programs. You'll see port 500 I added that for those running ActiveSky X. If you do not use ActiveSky no worries you can still leave that information in the code it will not affect anything. Port 6811 is the default port for FS. If you have needed to change this port in FS and SB for some reason you'll need to update it here as well.
Find the line that says PC Running FS Static IP address goes, and change it too the IP address you set as a static IP on your FS system. It has to be done twice.
| Code: | <?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>False</Disabled>
<Protocol>IPv4</Protocol>
<Scope>global</Scope>
<Address>PC Running FS Static IP address goes here</Address>
<MaxClients>64</MaxClients>
<Port>500</Port>
<MaxRecvSize>4096</MaxRecvSize>
<DisableNagle>False</DisableNagle>
</SimConnect.Comm>
<SimConnect.Comm>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<Protocol>IPv4</Protocol>
<Scope>global</Scope>
<Address> PC Running FS Static IP address goes here </Address>
<MaxClients>64</MaxClients>
<Port>6811</Port>
<MaxRecvSize>4096</MaxRecvSize>
<DisableNagle>False</DisableNagle>
</SimConnect.Comm>
<SimConnect.Comm>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<Protocol>Auto</Protocol>
<Scope>local</Scope>
</SimConnect.Comm>
</SimBase.Document>
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Select Save As and on the Save As window chose All Files in the save as type drop box, or it will save as just a text file and will not work.
Save the file as
Windows Vista
C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX \SimConnect.xml
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application\Data\Microsoft\FSX\SimConnect.xml
On the System running SB
Open Notepad and copy the below information from the code box in to Notepad.
This code opens connections for 2 programs. You'll see port 500 I added that for those running ActiveSky X. If you do not use ActiveSky no worries you can still leave that information in the code it will not affect anything. Port 6811 is the default port for FS. If you have needed to change this port in FS and SB for some reason you'll need to update it here as well.
| Code: |
[SimConnect]
Protocol=IPv4
Address=Your IP goes here
Port=500
MaxReceiveSize=4096
DisableNagle=0
[SimConnect.1]
Protocol=IPv4
Address=Your IP goes here
Port=6811
MaxReceiveSize=4096
DisableNagle=0
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Select Save As and on the Save As window chose All Files in the save as type drop box, or it will save as just a text file and will not work.
Save the file as
Windows Vista
C:\Users\[username]\Documents\SimConnect.cfg
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\My Documents\SimConnect.cfg
Now to test the setup..
Start FSX (you only need to have FSX running to the main screen where you load your aircraft type and so on, you do not need to be in flight or on the ground for this test)
On the system that is going to run SB go to the FSX SDK folder and locate
SDK\Core Utilities Kit\SimConnect SDK\Samples\AI Traffic
In this folder run the program AI Traffic.exe
If everything is working correctly a command prompt window will open and your see something like,
Connected to Flight Simulator!
Received:2
If the command prompt window opens then closes or just doesn’t seem to do anything at all, there is an issue and I suggest starting at the top of this and making sure you have everything right.
So now that you have a good connection. Shut down FSX and the AI Traffic.exe program.
On the System running SB
Start the installation of SB4. Watch during the install of SB4 for this window.
And make sure you select this PC will run SB only.
One the install is done SB will start the installation of SimConnect allow it to install.
On the System running FS
Start the installation of SB4. Watch during the install of SB4 for this window.
And make sure you select this PC will run FS only.
SB is now installed, do a power off reboot of both systems and once they are both back ready to go start FSX, load up FSX with a small aircraft for a quick test of everything. Once FSX is all ready to go, start SB4 run your MIC test and create a quick FP and connect to the network. Use Servinfo to find a place to check the traffic is loading in to the FSX multiplayer and that you can talk to ATC. Remember your PTT button is now on your other computer running SB. Once everything looks good its all up to you where you want to go next 
One thing that has been reported is some choppiness in the movement of the MP aircraft in FS, just going in to your options menu in SB4 on the Multiplayer tab set the slider that controls the number of updaters per second for the aircraft a little higher. This should smooth out the aircraft for you.
I’d like to thank Norman Blackburn from the beta team and Marc Wheeler from Air Canadian VA for their help in getting me connected via Simconnect. Joel and Brian for all their hard work creating SB4, Vatsim for providing the network and ya even Bill Gates for keeping FS alive for one more version  
My plan is to have these files ready made and downloadable in a zip in the next few days.
_________________
Dave Weese
Squawkbox Beta Tester |
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