Line Operations Manual: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:52, 2 October 2011

Page is under construction. Information is subject to change.

This page describes functionality that is in development. The information given may not be completely accurate.

Notes/to be added:

port forwarding requires TCP and UDP
one port (default 55386) is for others to connect with their simulation to your Stellwerk simulation
passive port (default 55387) is for Line Operations Viewer communication
keep in mind that for Multiplayer sessions, a different port then the default is needs to be used as well i.e. 55388, to avoid conflicts
Line Operations Viewer / Supervisor is free to download and used to see which Line Operation server are running
Statusses
red = no port forwarding detected, no sim data received
yellow = either port forwarding detected OR sim data received, but not both
green = port forwarding OK, AND sim data received

Introduction

Some of the Stellwerk simulations can be connected together so that you can dispatch traffic sent to you by other people via the Internet.

Connecting to other simulations is usually easy; enabling this feature requires sometimes requires some configuration of your firewall and router.

Things to Know and Do Before Starting

Ports

When one computer sends data to another computer via a network, the data is usually sent from, and to, specified ports. Network ports are not like physical ports you find at the back of your computer for connecting monitors and keyboards – network ports are "software addresses" that allow computer programs to be specific about where in the target machine the data is to be sent.

If you are surfing the web with a browser while simultaneously chatting using an instant messaging application, web data is sent to a different port than the data coming in from the person you’re chatting with.

The Stellwerk simulation series expects data to arrive via a specific port – you can specify which port to use, but by default, port 55386 is used.

The Stellwerk simulations use port 55386 by default for incoming traffic.

Port Forwarding

The router in a typical LAN acts as a gateway between computers in that LAN, and other machines outside of the LAN. Normally, requests for data from outside a LAN are rejected by the router for security purposes.

In order to instruct the router that traffic destined for Post T / Stellwerk simulation should be allowed, port forwarding must be turned on. In simple terms, the router must be told to allow traffic destined for a specific port (in this case, 55386) to be forwarded to your specific IP address.

Consult your router’s manual, or visit PortForward.Com to see if your router is listed. For convenience, sample port forwarding is shown below:

The computer to which data is forwarded is specified by an IP address. It is recommended that your computer’s LAN IP address be static – consult your operating system’s manual to learn how to configure your machine to use a static IP. Refer to the Section Other Helpful Resources for some online resources that will help you set up a static IP and port forwarding.

Firewalls

Computers should have firewalls installed and configured to provide additional network security. If you are using a firewall on your computer, ensure that the port you are using (typically, 55386) is open. If it is not, you’ll discover that no one will be able to connect to you.

Some firewalls can detect when an application needs a port opened, and will kindly ask your permission to open the port. Consult the manual for your firewall to add an entry.

Starting Line Operations

After starting the simulator application, locate the "Line Operations" button with the green and black icon. Press this button to begin configuring Line Operations.

You will be given a choice: do you want to start a new line operation, view existing line operations or join an existing one?

Starting New Line Operations will start your own Line Operations to which others can join
View existing Line Operations will start the Supervisor application. From there you can also join an existing Line Operations
Join an existing Line Operation will let you join an existing Line Operations, however requiring some manually actions from your end.

Starting New Line Operations

You will have to possibities when you choose to Start new Line Operations:

Begin Line Operations: this is the easy mode to setup new Line Operations
Begin (Expert) : here you have more control on how the Line Operations is setup, i.e. for LAN only. Other users need to know your server details to be able to connect.

Begin Line Operations (Easy mode)

To start New Line Operations in easy mode, make sure you have selected the tab 'Begin Line Operations'

Fill in your Full Name, your Line Name and a Password (optional: if you want to protect your session with a password) Then press the Setup Line Operations button

The message "OK ... Press 'Start' should now appear, and Green border around the Start button should appear.

If all your ports are properly configured, the simulation will start.

Begin Line Operation (Expert)

The expert mode for beginning New Line Operations allows you to have more control over your Line Operations session, i.e. playing on a LAN or over the Internet (WAN). Also note that when you use the Expert mode, other players can only connect to your sessionwhen they know your server details

From the Begin Expert tab, select Query IP Address.

Choose your IP address. If on a LAN, select your 192.168.X.X address. Use 127.0.0.1 if you want to connect two simulations on the same computer. You probably want to use a WAN address, which will allow other people to connect to you via the Internet. To do so, choose Detect to determine your WAN address.

When you have selected your IP address, choose Use.

The Start! button should now have a green border, indicating that your connection information is valid.

The rest of the simulation starting procedure remains the same.

Manually Joining a Line Operation

From the Join Expert tab, enter the server code given to you by the person you are connecting to.

Choose Query IP Address.

Choose your IP address. If on a LAN, select your 192.168.X.X address. Use 127.0.0.1 if you want to connect two simulations on the same computer. You probably want to use a WAN address, which will allow other people to connect to you via the Internet. To do so, choose Detect to determine your WAN address.

When you have selected your IP address, choose Use.

The Start! button should now have a green border, indicating that your connection information is valid.

For layouts with more than one Line Operation connection, that is, more than one neighbour, you must indicate which connection you wish to make.

If connecting was successful, your simulation will start.

Line Operation Status

To view the current status of Line Operations, use the Line Operations > Status... menu item. Here, you can retrieve your current server code (if you forgot to copy it when originally starting Line Operations) or the Line Operation password, if one is defined.

Ending Line Operations

To stop all Line Operations, use the Line Operations > End menu item. Any connected neighbours will be disconnected. Rail traffic will appear not via the Internet, but from the timetable (as it does normally).

@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 You will have to possibities when you choose to ''Start new Line Operations'':
 * ''Begin Line Operations'': this is the easy mode to setup new Line Operations
-* ''Begin (Expert)'' : here you have more control on how the Line Operations is setup, i.e. for LAN only. Other users need to know your server details to be able to connect
+* ''Begin (Expert)'' : here you have more control on how the Line Operations is setup, i.e. for LAN only. Other users need to know your server details to be able to connect.
 ===Begin Line Operations (Easy mode)===