Time to head for the FSUIPC Forum, download the documentation (Page 15 of thedocument "FSUIPC4 for Advanced Users.pdf" directly applies) and see for yourself.FSUIPC4 is incredibly powerful so it is not trivial to work with until you getthe hang of it (but once you do, it is trivial), so you might want to getstarted with a simple setup using the SimSamurai Tutorial. Eventually when yougrow confident you will even be able to use your Saitek hardware buttonsand switches (e.g. if you own GoFlight modules) to control buttons andswitches on complex aircraft like the B-17 or the B-377 from A2A Accu-Simby writing very simple macros in the LUA Language. See the "FSUIPC4 LuaLibrary.pdf" and FSUIPC4 Lua Plug-Ins.pdf" documents. Heck, with Lua youcan now even open an Internet connection (a "TCP/IP Socket") fromínside FSX to connect with a server anywhere, Lua is that powerful.Finally, with FSUIPC4 all your control assignments (axes, buttons, switches,keystrokes) can change automatically depending on the aircraft you load, anincredible boon. So me, I run FSX with no hardware assignments at all (zero,zilch, nada) from inside FSX and do all my assignments in FSUIPC4. Neverlooked back!IMHO with a complex setup like yours you will eventually, one way or another,end-up running FSUIPC4 with WideFS Client, so the earlier you dive-in the lesstime and effort you will be wasting in the long run.Cheers.- jahman.

You make it sound so, inevitable! I was looking for a much easier/simpler solution. Looks like it time to go back to school!Do you think it will give me a few FPS (7-8) of relief jahman?ThanksRick S.

I think you should be able to move at least the Saitek instrument panels to your second computer, using SimConnect, so you shouldn't have to buy anything extra to move those. In the manual I downloaded from Saitek's website (here) there are instructions of what you need to do on page 3 (in the PDF, page 5 in the printed version). I think you need the FSX SDK from FSX Deluxe (or Gold) in order to get the SimConnect.msi file mentioned.If any programs use SimConnect you should be able to install them on your other computer as well after setting this up. I guess most programs written for FSX use SimConnect, but FS9 programs would use FSUIPC, in which case you would need WideFS (and a registered FSUIPC) to run the programs from your other computer.

I can confirm that at least the stuff that runs off of SaiPanels.exe (Radio, Switch and Multi panels at least) will work on a networked machine using only SimConnect. I just set it up today actually. I have not gotten around to moving the BIP over there and trying that yet. You just need to install SimConnect onto the networked machine, then install the saitek drivers there (and remove the reference to saipanels.exe from your exe.xml file on your main host machine.) You then have to create a simconnect.cfg file to drop into your my documents folder. I did have an issue at first, where I kept getting a side-by-side error, but found that it was because the saipanels.exe.manifest file is looking for an older version of simconnect (I'm all updated to the latest version). Going into the simconnect folder and looking in the sample manifest file in there gave me the right versions to specify in the saipanels.exe.manifest, and it's all working beautifully. As far as actual FSX performance is concerned, I can't really comment on that yet, as I'm still working on building my sim-pit desk surface, so I haven't done any flying with the panels moved over to the networked machine. I only got them working and tested them out, and they all worked as expected in my preliminary tests.Hope this info is helpful to you in some small way. :)-George

I can confirm that at least the stuff that runs off of SaiPanels.exe (Radio, Switch and Multi panels at least) will work on a networked machine using only SimConnect. I just set it up today actually. I have not gotten around to moving the BIP over there and trying that yet. You just need to install SimConnect onto the networked machine, then install the saitek drivers there (and remove the reference to saipanels.exe from your exe.xml file on your main host machine.) You then have to create a simconnect.cfg file to drop into your my documents folder. I did have an issue at first, where I kept getting a side-by-side error, but found that it was because the saipanels.exe.manifest file is looking for an older version of simconnect (I'm all updated to the latest version). Going into the simconnect folder and looking in the sample manifest file in there gave me the right versions to specify in the saipanels.exe.manifest, and it's all working beautifully. As far as actual FSX performance is concerned, I can't really comment on that yet, as I'm still working on building my sim-pit desk surface, so I haven't done any flying with the panels moved over to the networked machine. I only got them working and tested them out, and they all worked as expected in my preliminary tests.Hope this info is helpful to you in some small way. :)-George

Thanks George, I think that is what I am looking for right now. While jahman's way may be the long term solution, I am looking for something quick and easy.Where do I find saitek manifest?I am running 6 FIP's, BIP, FSP, FRP, FMP, Yoke, Pedals and an extra Throttle Quadrant. I plan to add 3 more FIP's and 1 more FRP if I can solve my FPS hit problem. I did test earlier today with the 6 FIP's disconnected and it made about a 6-8 FPS difference. That is huge to me.ThanksRick S.

Hi Rick,The Saipanels.exe.manifest file can be found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Saitek\Pro Flight Panels. With the latest driver from Saitek, the manifest file reads as follows:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?><assembly xmlns='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1' manifestVersion='1.0'>  <assemblyIdentity version="1.0.0.0"  processorArchitecture="x86"  name="Saitek Pro Flight Panels"  type="win32" />  <description>Saitek Pro Flight Panels</description>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.FlightSimulator.SimConnect ' version='10.0.60905.0' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='67c7c14424d61b5b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.VC80.CRT' version='8.0.50727.42' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency></assembly>

For some reason, it works perfectly fine locally, but when trying to run Saipanels.exe across the network, the side-by-side error comes up because the version information specified is incorrect. I went into my SimConnect folder and looked at the sample.exe.manifest file, and noticed the differences in versions. Anyhow, I backed up the original Saipanels.exe.manifest, then copied and pasted the sample file and renamed it Saipanels.exe.manifest. So now my Saipanels.exe.manifest file reads as follows:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?><assembly xmlns='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1' manifestVersion='1.0'>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.FlightSimulator.SimConnect' version='10.0.61259.0' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='67c7c14424d61b5b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.VC80.CRT' version='8.0.50608.0' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency></assembly>

Then you just need to drop a simconnect.cfg file into your My Documents folder, configured to connect to your primary machine, making sure that it matches the main machine's ip address, and the port that is specified in the SimConnect.xml file on the primary machine, and you should be good to go.Note that I don't have any of the FIP's, I only have the Multi Panel, Switch Panel, Radio Panel (just got that today!!) :), and the BIP. So far, I have NOT been able to get the BIP to work across the network, but all the other panels work flawlessly after multiple tests now (admittedly, they've been short hops of no more than 10 minutes, as my throttles aren't hooked up, and while I'm still building, I had to fly while kneeling lol).Hope this helps! :)-George

Hope this helps! :)-George

Thanks George. I took my Instrument Panel off yesterday to race on iracing with my son but it will go back on later today. It's a good thing I have it all tied together, that would have been a job. My first order of business will be to try this out.Thanks againRick S.

No problem, Rick. Happy to help out any way I can. From my reading over on the Saitek forums, the FIP's should all be usable across the network as well. The BIP definitely does not, but I believe I may know why. If they used the code I supplied to them to make sure that the BIP properly closes out when FSX exits, then it would only work on a locally connected PC, as the fsx.exe will never appear in the networked pc's processes list, and as such, would shut down immediately (which is what it does). I plan on posting over on their forums later today, in the thread where I originally supplied the code, and suggest they look at changing the close-out procedure to look for the SimConnect connection (like the way gmap works.) I believe that's really the only thing preventing the BIP from working across the network at this time.I'm not sure if you're registered on the Saitek forums, and if you're not, apparently new registrations are closed, but in the actual FIP forum was an excellent set of instructions that helped me with the radio, switch, and multi-panels, though there wasn't any info about the manifest file, so it's probable that the FIP driver ships with a manifest file that lists the proper version of simconnect.Anyhow, here's the link, as well as a quote of the post (as you may not be able to view it directly if you aren't registered at the Saitek forums already.)Working SimConnect.XML & CFG Files for networking (on Saitek FIP forum)Here's the instructions from the first post in that thread, by Haleymon:

This is how the manual should have explained this.First and foremost... Make sure Simconnect is an ALLOWED exception in any and all Firewalls used on server and client computers. SERVER (The computer that runs FSX)SimConnect.XML (Cut and paste the following into your SimConnect.XML replacing what was there) BACK UP YOUR ORIGINAL SimConnect.XML FIRST!!!!!!!!It Can be found here (C:\Users\FSX\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX)<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> - <SimBase.Document Type="SimConnect" version="1,0"><Descr>SimConnect Server Configuration</Descr> <Filename>SimConnect.xml</Filename> <Disabled>False</Disabled> - <!-- Example Global (remote) IPv4 Server Configuration --> - <SimConnect.Comm><Disabled>False</Disabled> <Protocol>IPv4</Protocol> <Scope>global</Scope> <MaxClients>64</MaxClients> <Address>192.168.1.72</Address> <Port>2001</Port> </SimConnect.Comm>- <!-- Example Local IPv4 Server Configuration --> - <SimConnect.Comm><Disabled>True</Disabled> <Protocol>IPv4</Protocol> <Scope>local</Scope> <MaxClients>64</MaxClients> <Address>127.0.0.1</Address> <Port>2001</Port> </SimConnect.Comm></SimBase.Document>Please Note: Replace the 192.168.1.72 address with your server IP addressCLIENT The computer you will connect your FIPs to.In Notepad Cut and paste the following into a new document and name it Simconnect.CFG and save it into MY DOCUMENTS folder.[simConnect]Protocol=IPv4Address=192.168.0.72Port=2001MaxReceiveSize=4096DisableNagle=0Please Note: Replace the 192.168.1.72 address with your server IP addressThis has been tested on 5 different FSX set ups and it worked 1st time on ALL of them.I have 4 FIPs, 3 radio panels, 1 Multi panel and 1 switch panel running remotely on 2 P4 2.66 Ghz HP clients with NO issues at all.Note to Saitek... It would take about 5 minutes to write a batch file or two, to automate this EnjoyMy Best,DaveLast edited by haleymon : 28th February 2010 at 22:21.

Good luck, and let me know how it turns out, and if there's any other information I can provide.-George

No problem, Rick. Happy to help out any way I can. From my reading over on the Saitek forums, the FIP's should all be usable across the network as well. The BIP definitely does not, but I believe I may know why. If they used the code I supplied to them to make sure that the BIP properly closes out when FSX exits, then it would only work on a locally connected PC, as the fsx.exe will never appear in the networked pc's processes list, and as such, would shut down immediately (which is what it does). I plan on posting over on their forums later today, in the thread where I originally supplied the code, and suggest they look at changing the close-out procedure to look for the SimConnect connection (like the way gmap works.) I believe that's really the only thing preventing the BIP from working across the network at this time.I'm not sure if you're registered on the Saitek forums, and if you're not, apparently new registrations are closed, but in the actual FIP forum was an excellent set of instructions that helped me with the radio, switch, and multi-panels, though there wasn't any info about the manifest file, so it's probable that the FIP driver ships with a manifest file that lists the proper version of simconnect.Anyhow, here's the link, as well as a quote of the post (as you may not be able to view it directly if you aren't registered at the Saitek forums already.)Working SimConnect.XML & CFG Files for networking (on Saitek FIP forum)Here's the instructions from the first post in that thread, by Haleymon:Good luck, and let me know how it turns out, and if there's any other information I can provide.-George

Thanks George

Hi Rick,The Saipanels.exe.manifest file can be found in C:\Program Files (x86)\Saitek\Pro Flight Panels. With the latest driver from Saitek, the manifest file reads as follows:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?><assembly xmlns='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1' manifestVersion='1.0'>  <assemblyIdentity version="1.0.0.0"  processorArchitecture="x86"  name="Saitek Pro Flight Panels"  type="win32" />  <description>Saitek Pro Flight Panels</description>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.FlightSimulator.SimConnect ' version='10.0.60905.0' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='67c7c14424d61b5b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.VC80.CRT' version='8.0.50727.42' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency></assembly>

For some reason, it works perfectly fine locally, but when trying to run Saipanels.exe across the network, the side-by-side error comes up because the version information specified is incorrect. I went into my SimConnect folder and looked at the sample.exe.manifest file, and noticed the differences in versions. Anyhow, I backed up the original Saipanels.exe.manifest, then copied and pasted the sample file and renamed it Saipanels.exe.manifest. So now my Saipanels.exe.manifest file reads as follows:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?><assembly xmlns='urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1' manifestVersion='1.0'>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.FlightSimulator.SimConnect' version='10.0.61259.0' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='67c7c14424d61b5b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency>  <dependency>    <dependentAssembly>      <assemblyIdentity type='win32' name='Microsoft.VC80.CRT' version='8.0.50608.0' processorArchitecture='x86' publicKeyToken='1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b' />    </dependentAssembly>  </dependency></assembly>

Then you just need to drop a simconnect.cfg file into your My Documents folder, configured to connect to your primary machine, making sure that it matches the main machine's ip address, and the port that is specified in the SimConnect.xml file on the primary machine, and you should be good to go.Note that I don't have any of the FIP's, I only have the Multi Panel, Switch Panel, Radio Panel (just got that today!!) :), and the BIP. So far, I have NOT been able to get the BIP to work across the network, but all the other panels work flawlessly after multiple tests now (admittedly, they've been short hops of no more than 10 minutes, as my throttles aren't hooked up, and while I'm still building, I had to fly while kneeling lol).Hope this helps! :)-George

I can't seem to find a Simconnect folder?Everything else is ready.ThanksRick S.

Hi Rick,The sample simconnect manifest file is located inC:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Core Utilities Kit\SimConnect SDK\lib(That's on a Win7 64 system, provided you installed the SDK to the default location.)Hope this helps. :)-George

Hi Rick,The sample simconnect manifest file is located inC:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Core Utilities Kit\SimConnect SDK\lib(That's on a Win7 64 system, provided you installed the SDK to the default location.)Hope this helps. :)-George

Ahh, problem; I have no SDK file? I do have FSX Deluxe and I believe it was on one of the disc's. How do I go about getting it installed?Another potential problem, my client has XP 32 installed.Rick S.

Ahh, problem; I have no SDK file? I do have FSX Deluxe and I believe it was on one of the disc's. How do I go about getting it installed?Another potential problem, my client has XP 32 installed.Rick S.

You do need to install the SDK from your Deluxe disk onto the client and server machines (you do not need to install FSX to the client, just the SDK), update them to match the service pack you're running for FSX (ie: if using FSX SP1, then only install the SDK updates to SP1a, if using SP2 or Acceleration, then you need to update the SDK to SP2 as well), then run the simconnect installer (simconnect.msi, I believe it also resides in the 'lib' folder.) Remember that both machines need to be running the same SDK version to ensure they're both using the same version of SimConnect.Since you're running XP32, the only difference in the path would be "Program Files (x86)" would just be "Program Files".SDK SP1A Download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=24910e66-96b0-4543-9b4a-647b7e28f212SDK SP2 Download: http://www.microsoft.com/Products/Games/FSInsider/downloads/Pages/FSXSDK-SP2Update.aspxRemember that you have to install the SDK from your Deluxe disk first, then each update in order (if you're running FSX SP2 or Acceleration) onto each machine. Once the SDK's are installed and updated, run the simconnect installer (simconnect.msi) from the 'lib' folder I mentioned earlier, onto both machines.Hope this helps, and let me know how it all works out for you. :)-George

George, you have mail!

George, you have mail!

Rick, check your email. Just sent you another. :)

I can confirm that at least the stuff that runs off of SaiPanels.exe (Radio, Switch and Multi panels at least) will work on a networked machine using only SimConnect. I just set it up today actually. I have not gotten around to moving the BIP over there and trying that yet. You just need to install SimConnect onto the networked machine, then install the saitek drivers there (and remove the reference to saipanels.exe from your exe.xml file on your main host machine.) You then have to create a simconnect.cfg file to drop into your my documents folder. I did have an issue at first, where I kept getting a side-by-side error, but found that it was because the saipanels.exe.manifest file is looking for an older version of simconnect (I'm all updated to the latest version). Going into the simconnect folder and looking in the sample manifest file in there gave me the right versions to specify in the saipanels.exe.manifest, and it's all working beautifully. As far as actual FSX performance is concerned, I can't really comment on that yet, as I'm still working on building my sim-pit desk surface, so I haven't done any flying with the panels moved over to the networked machine. I only got them working and tested them out, and they all worked as expected in my preliminary tests.Hope this info is helpful to you in some small way. :)-George

Hiya GeorgeI have 3 saitek panels running on the fsx computer and I use SPAD drivers, which are wonderful. Can you please confirm, your saitek panels are still connected to your networked machine and they run fine? I'm going to try installing SPAD on my networked laptop and see if they work there too. Many thanks for your post here.

Hiya GeorgeI have 3 saitek panels running on the fsx computer and I use SPAD drivers, which are wonderful. Can you please confirm, your saitek panels are still connected to your networked machine and they run fine? I'm going to try installing SPAD on my networked laptop and see if they work there too. Many thanks for your post here.

Hi Phil,I can confirm that I have 3 of my 4 Saitek panels running off a networked machine, but that is using the Saitek drivers (which use SimConnect). I don't know if Massimo's SPAD drivers will work across the network or not, as I believe his drivers interface with FSUIPC instead of SimConnect, and since I don't use FSUIPC or the SPAD drivers, I can't comment on if those two will work over the network the same way that the Saitek drivers do. I'm guessing the drivers themselves don't care, so I'd guess that the SPAD drivers *could* work (in theory) over the network, provided FSUIPC is capable of sending the data from one PC to another over the network without any additional software. Best bet is to check with the FSUIPC gurus, of which I am most certainly not, and don't want to send you on a wild goose chase if the SPAD/FSUIPC combination won't work in networked mode.For the record, the Radio, Switch, and Multi Panels, all which use the same, single executable file (saipanels.exe), works fine as long as SimConnect is installed on the networked machine and that there's a simconnect.cfg file with the connection information to your main FSX box in the 'My Documents' folder of the client pc. I am completely unable to get the BIP to work across the network, even with a 'false' fsx.exe running on the networked machine to try and convince it to keep running. So the BIP is connected to my main FSX box, and the rest of my Saitek panels are running over the network.Hope this information is helpful to you. :)-George