I need help making simconnect create a global connection so I can access it from a remote machine. Simconnect works perfectly when the client is on the same machine as FSX runs on. Managed Data Request shows a connection to FSX and will return the AC information when run on the same machine as FSX. Additionally, FSXGET (which uses simconnect) runs just as it should and shows all the AC moving about the Google Earth display when FSXGET is on the same machine as FSX. The problem is that FSX (the simconnect dll does appear in the FSX address space) only creates three local connections and doesn

Now I am more confused!!in simconnect.xml I code <Disabled>True<\Disabled> on the line following <Filename> and on the line following<SimConnect.com> My understanding is that those two lines should disable SimConnect and prevent it from running. But the simconnect console and log both show it to be running and Managed Data Request on the local machine is able to connect to FSX and get AC data. This tells me that the simconnect.xml file in C:Documents and Settings\logonname\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX is not being read by FSX when it starts. However - when I run Process Monitor it clearly shows the file is being read from that path. AND => Process Monitor shows that NO OTHER simconnect.xml is being read.I've tried to introduce errors into the simconnect.xml file by putting in a line of xxxx and then putting in a <xxxx> line but they generate no errors and Managed Data Request can always connect to FSX no matter how I abuse simconnect.xmlI have done a search on the entire C drive (Vista) & F drive (FSX) for simconnect.xml and find only ONE - in AppData\Roaming...etcVerbose Console output shows no errors so what is going on here?I see only thre possiblities:1) the simconnect.xml I am modifying is NOT being read by FSX (I doubt this is true)2) the simconnect I am modifying has an error in in so FSX ignores it and does not generate an error message (I think this is the problem)3) there is another simconnect.xml somewhere that FSX is reading that I can't find (I doubt this is true)ANY IDEAS?

Now I am more confused!!

Your main problem is that the IP addressyou give in the XML for your global connection must be that of the FS PC, not the client PC. i.e. not<Address>192.168.0.1</Address>but <Address>192.168.0.122</Address>

in simconnect.xml I code <Disabled>True<\Disabled> on the line following <Filename> and on the line following<SimConnect.com> My understanding is that those two lines should disable SimConnect and prevent it from running.

That only disables the connection it defines. There are the three default connections too, as you listed. Before FSX SP1 (or maybe SP2, I don't remember now), there were no defaults when an XML file was provided, and this generated many user problems when folks started creating them with only the Global entry.If you want to disable all SimConnect connections you would need to define them all explicitly in the XML file and set each one's "disabled" flag to True.

This tells me that the simconnect.xml file in C:Documents and Settings\logonname\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX is not being read by FSX when it starts.

No, that's a misinterpretation of the symptoms. ;-)RegardsPete

MYSTERY SOLVED! - There was an invalid character in the xml code. Simconnect was reading the .xml file but since there was no valid xml code - Simconnect just reverted to it's default three LOCAL connections and generated NO error or warning message about the bad xml code. WordPad, WORD, and Context do not show me any invalid characters in the old .xml file. When I created an entirely NEW .xml file everything worked perfectly!The confusing thing was I RENAMED the simconnect.xml file to be simconnect.txt and then used WordPad to create and store a new simconnect.xml. All results stay the same - only LOCAL connections. I then opened the original and the newly created simconnect.xml with the MindFusion Limited XML Viwer Version 3.0. In BOTH cases the viewer tells me there is an invalid character in the file and shows NO XML code in the display window. I then copied the .xml code you provided in http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?t=57373 and used NotePad to create an entirely NEW Simconnect.xml in AppData\Roaming

MYSTERY SOLVED! - There was an invalid character in the xml code. Simconnect was reading the .xml file but since there was no valid xml code - Simconnect just reverted to it's default three LOCAL connections and generated NO error or warning message about the bad xml code.

That's not nice is it. :-(

The confusing thing was I RENAMED the simconnect.xml file to be simconnect.txt and then used WordPad to create and store a new simconnect.xml. All results stay the same - only LOCAL connections.

Wordpad's a bad choice for any sort of programming editing. Notepad's a bit better, but a dedicated editor is best -- use your development system editor or some other purpose-built one. I use "UltraEdit32" a lot. That's pretty good. There are also some XML editors around, free I think.

BUT

Pete,I didn't realize that .xml was unicode - I've not done much with it so I was blissfully ignorant. I'm well aware of the problems editing Unicode and always use ConText and will do so from now on. I've tried UltraEdit several times but for whatever reason - I find Context easier to use.I have gone thru the problematic file with a Hex comb and have used xmllint on it. Xmllint is showing me a series of invalid characters but when I display them in Hex they look valid. I get rid of all the invalid characters to the point where xmllint says the file is OK. I save it. I then re-run xmllint and ithis time finds a NEW & DIFFERENT series of invalid tokens.I guess I have a lot more to learn about the internals of .xml files.Changing the protocol to IPv6 and the scope to link-local works fine - have you determined if there is any advantage to IPv6?

I didn't realize that .xml was unicode

Really? I'm sure it doesn't have to be, and I don't think those used by FSX are. My FSUIPC4 Installer edits the DLL.XML file (reading it in and changing it), and it certainly uses only ASCII!

I have gone thru the problematic file with a Hex comb and have used xmllint on it. Xmllint is showing me a series of invalid characters but when I display them in Hex they look valid. I get rid of all the invalid characters to the point where xmllint says the file is OK. I save it. I then re-run xmllint and ithis time finds a NEW & DIFFERENT series of invalid tokens.

That's weird. I've simply edited all of the FSX-related XML files with UltraEdit and never had a problem. And that's in normal ASCII mode.

Changing the protocol to IPv6 and the scope to link-local works fine - have you determined if there is any advantage to IPv6?

As far as I know it just now has enough IP addresses for every one in the world, and his dogs and cats, to have more than he/she/it needs. It's only an addressing change as far as I am aware. I don't use it for local networking where it obviously has even more red tape (IPX was best for local networks, virtually no red tape), and so far it isn't terribly useful on the greater web as far as I'm aware. no doubt it will come into its own unless the World gets us first. ;-)RegardsPete