AutoShutdownQuestion

[CallingBarranca]

Hello Peter,

Dave here. First time caller. First, Thank You so much for your wonderful applications. They have allowed me to take my flight simulation project to levels of realism that I could never have imagined.

I am running a networked B747-400 setup using FSX and PM (All WinXP SP3).

The setup is as follows:

PC1= FSX Server: FSX, WideServer, USB flight controls attached.

PC2= CDU: PM CDU Software, Flightdeck Solutions CDU attached

PC3= PFD-ND: PM Boeing GC Software

PC4= EICAS 1: PM GC Software, PM MCP Software, CPFlight 747 MCP attached.

PC5= EICAS 2 (Lower): PM GC Software, PMSounds

PC6= PMSystems

I want to use the CDU "Shutdown all PCs" feature to shut all my software apps & computers down, so after reading the WidesFS Technical Documentation I did the following:

WideServer.ini User Section:

AutoShutdown=Yes

Each WideClient.ini User Section:

Run1=Application Name

Run2=Application Name

Close1=ApplicationName (if applicable)

Close2=ApplicationName (if applicable)

AutoShutdown=Yes

So, I fire everything up, get FSX up and running, all clients online with software running. When I use the CDU "Shutdown all PCs" option...PC2 closes its PM software and shuts down. PC1 closes FSX and shuts down. PC6 closes PMSystems and shuts down. But the remaining PCs stay on with their PM software merrily chugging along.

I am thinking that the problem is the Net Director file closing before the close/shutdown messages are sent across the network (it is on PC2) but I'm not sure. I would really appreciate your help with this.

Thanks,

Dave

[Pete Dowson]

PC1= FSX Server: FSX, WideServer, USB flight controls attached.

By "WideServer" in this list I assume you just mean it's enabled in FSUIPC4? You don't need WideServer.DLL at all.

Close1=ApplicationName (if applicable)

Close2=ApplicationName (if applicable)

Those should just be =Yes. The application name isn't relevant by then.

So, I fire everything up, get FSX up and running, all clients online with software running. When I use the CDU "Shutdown all PCs" option...PC2 closes its PM software and shuts down. PC1 closes FSX and shuts down. PC6 closes PMSystems and shuts down. But the remaining PCs stay on with their PM software merrily chugging along.

Is WideClient still running on those? It might simply be that because you have the Close parameters wrong, the activity of the PM applications is stopping WideClient closing, or it is closing and leaving the applications running which stop Windows closing.

I am thinking that the problem is the Net Director file closing before the close/shutdown messages are sent across the network (it is on PC2) but I'm not sure. I would really appreciate your help with this.

It is possible, I guess, though WideServer does delay the server shutdown a while to ensure the signals do arrive at all clients. Check the client wideClient logs to see if it was received.

Have you tried the Broadcast mode facilities available wiith the latest versions of FSUIPC4 and WideClient? It only sends one copy of everything rather than separate copies to each PC, so may resolve the problem by being faster.

I don't use the PM shutdown facility, but the WideServer shutdown hotkey. That certainly gives things time. But to be sure, I don't have FSX shutting down , only the clients, and then shut down FSX separately. But I do all this because I'm usually wanting to analyse or change stuff on the Server.

Regards

Pete