MD-11 - Load Manager on a Separate Networked PC

[eeyore 1]

I thought I had read something about this

[mfrantz 45]

Stuart, This is possible. The Load Manager will check the registry of the computer it is running to locate the FSX installation folder, so that it can identify the aircraft.cfg files and read/write to them. So, obviously it will not find the required information there.

[eeyore 1]

Many thanks for the reply.If I have understood correctly, I will be able to use load manager on the remote computer to "send to fsx" the load information but I will not be able to "save to file".If this is correct, then I can live with that.So how do I go about it then?I have the three versions of simconnect installed on both PCs.regardsStuart

[RDG41 1]

Stuart,I'm just curious, why would you want to run the load manager on a seperate pc? It takes up no resource's. You open it, load shut it down and fly.

[mfrantz 45]

Stuart,Still it will not work, because it needs to access the aircraft.cfg files to read weight & balance data (empty weight and empty weight cg, location of payload stations, location of fuel tanks etc.)

[eeyore 1]

Hello Ron.I try to make sure that when I "enter" my aircraft I do as little "window swapping" as possible.FSX is set up to open in "full screen" and that is how I like to keep it.I have found over the years that by doing this I am less likely to have a window "off focus" at a critical moment, etc, etc.I live with it where I have to but where that is not necessary, why compromise............Granted this is not a big issue and I do not believe it in any way detracts from what is a fantastic simulation add-on for FSX, bar absolutely none at the moment.RegardsStuart

[eeyore 1]

Hello Michael.Call me boring but I tend to

[mburkhard 23]

Here's another full screen flyer who would love to have the load manager on the network PC. So you're not alone wishing for that. Would make for a great instructor station set-up along with the weather programme.Markus

[phil747fan 14]

>Here's another full screen flyer who would love to have the>load manager on the network PC. So you're not alone wishing>for that. Would make for a great instructor station set-up>along with the weather programme.>>MarkusMarkus,I can understand you....from my memories : the KSSU simulators in Paris CDG, the room in DC10 was the biggest ever seen, so with M11 and without FE station this is even bigger ...from the outside 747 was bigger but from the cockpit view it wasnt ...see you.Phil

[mfrantz 45]

Stuart, The Load Manager locates the MD-11 aircraft.cfg files, by reading the FSX installation directory from the system registry. So, making a "mirror directory" is not enough. To have the correct registry entry a real or dummy FSX installation must be made on the second PC.

[jordanal 70]

Some add-ons I used to have on the WideFS PC in FS9 used to write the FS9 path to the local registry on the widefs-client machine, but instead of the path beginning with a drive-letter, it would begin with the UNC name of the FS machine, pointing across the network to the FS-share.Try this, on the FSX pc, note in the registry the exact key and path-string for FSX. Then, make sure FSX is properly shared-out to the local network and you can access that share from the widefs pc, with write permissions (write a "test" file across the network with notepad or something). Then, on the widefs-client pc, make a new registry entry exactly like the one on the FS PC, but change the path to work across the network, pointing to the FS-share.So for example, if the FS PC has a hostname of "GamePC" and the FSX-share is something like "fsx", then change the path in the registry on the wide-FS PC from something like:(GamePC w/FSX)HKLUSoftwareMicrosoft GamesFSXPath = C:MS FlightSimulator Xto (WideFS-Client PC)HKLUSoftwareMicrosoft GamesFSXPath = GamePCfsxThat should get you going. These paths are examples because I am at work at the moment and can not lookup or test the exact notation. Heck, you might even be able to use one of the FSX-path repair tools on the WideFS PC and point it across the newtork to your FSX-share and it might create the new registry entry for you. What I don't know if will work, because of the surely unique PMDG memory coding, if a copy of WideFS on the network will allow you to use the load-manager in a "live" environment with FSX running on one machine, and the load manager seeing the actual weights (live) on the wide-cleint PC. Maybe the simconnect-client (as used for ASX) will port this memory over and that can be used instead. Obviously, you must have the FSX deluxe version to setup a simconnect-client network. Something to test; otherwise, the load manager will only write to the aircraft.cfg files from the network PC and not be able to monitor the MD-11 during a FSX session. I will try this tonight when I get home, unless someone beats me to it, and report back here.Goood luck...Regards,

[eeyore 1]

Hello AlSorry I have been away for a few days, did you get any success with this?RegardsStuart

[jordanal 70]

Hey Stuart,No, in fact it didn't work. When I ran the load-manager, I got a side-by-side error message that pop'd up on the screen. There must be something more to the load-manager than just the executable and copying it over to the remote PC. Unless PMDG can elaborate on what it might mean, it's probably a no-go for my setup.But, the Flight1 registry repair tool did in fact put the correct path, pointing across my network share to the FSX PC, which worked great for my WinXP-x64 PC's as I wouldn't have thought to put the FSX UNC path under the Wow6432Node part of my registry.Regards,

[eeyore 1]

Hello AlThanks for taking the time to report back.I have to be honest and say that some of what you have written has gone "zing" over my head but what with radar contact, traffic board and ASX running on a separate PC I am leaning fast.I personally refuse to let this small

[ahuimanu 50]

Stuart,IF PMDG is using standard FSX variables for fuel tanks and locations, a SimConnect application could be written to do what you want. A client process on your FSX machine could relay values to an from your network machine. The would entirely supplant the MD-11 loader somewhat, and be three times or more the work, but it is possible. However, if the MD-11 loader is doing some other "voodoo" or using a lot of custom variables (which my guess is "yes it is"), then you are probably out of luck.