Host to Remote Connection Problem

[Juergen Mader]

Hi,

I had VPilot running for several weeks now in the "Host - Remote" configuration. I just upgraded to version 2.0.11 and receive now the following error on the host machine: "Host Connection failed". In the debug mode the "REMOTE" displays the following:

[05:17:00.920] vPilot version 2.0.11

[05:17:01.103] Starting voice engine

[05:17:01.104] Setting audio parameters

[05:17:01.287] Version check complete. You are running the latest version.

[05:17:01.318] Connecting to vPilot host at 192.168.0.3:8809...

[05:17:02.320] Host connection failed: (10061) No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 192.168.0.3:8809

[05:17:02.331] Host connection failed.

[05:17:04.330] Connecting to vPilot host at 192.168.0.3:8809...

[05:17:05.330] Host connection failed: (10061) No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 192.168.0.3:8809

[05:17:05.342] Host connection failed.

[05:17:07.324] Connecting to vPilot host at 192.168.0.3:8809...

[05:17:08.322] Host connection failed: (10061) No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it 192.168.0.3:8809

aso.

The HOST displays the following:

[05:16:25.058] vPilot version 2.0.11

[05:16:25.215] Server list download succeeded. 15 servers found.

[05:16:25.420] Version check complete. You are running the latest version.

[05:16:25.421] Checking for updated model matching data...

[05:16:25.653] Model matching data check complete. You have the most up-to-date data.

[05:16:25.662] Checking for changes to installed models...

[05:16:25.819] No changes found.

[05:16:25.861] Model matching rules generated.

[05:16:25.878] Listening for remote connections on IP(s): 169.254.114.118, 192.168.0.14

[05:16:25.887] Attempting simulator connection...

[05:16:25.959] Connected to simulator.

[05:16:26.001] Radio state changed

What should I be looking for / what changed in this upgrade. The upgrade was performed on the host and the remote.

Thanks for help

Edited December 20, 2016 at 01:35 PM by Guest

[Don Desfosse]

Well, I've never used vPilot over a network, so this may or may not help, but what I see is an error from your host machine that says the target actively refused the connection. And I see wording in the vPilot docomeentation (excerpt below) that tells you the port that you're using between the two machines must be opened in the firewall in the host computer. Did you do that?

 

If yes, did you verify that the same port is in use on both computers?

 

Failing that, I note that the IPs in the logs are different. Really a stretch, because I really don't know the logic/behavior of the problem over a network, but since the docomeentation says you can configure the IP of the host machine, perhaps you need to configure a different IP?

 

Finally, have you ensured that you're only running the vPilot shortcut for voice comms on ONE of the machines, not both?

 

If any of these resolve the issue, please post back what the resolution is, so I and others can learn from it!

 

(Or Ross will be along shortly probably knowing exactly what the issue is)

 

 

Running vPilot Over a Network

 

If you would like to run the main vPilot user interface on a machine other than the one that runs your simulator, you can do so by running vPilot in a split networked configuration. In this configuration, you will actually run two copies of vPilot. The first copy runs in "host" mode on the same machine as the simulator. The second copy runs in "remote" mode on the other computer. The remote copy communicates with the host copy over the network.

 

To launch vPilot in host or remote mode, you can use the special shortcuts that were created in your start menu programs list when you installed vPilot. Again, on the sim computer, launch vPilot in "host" mode. On the other computer, the one where you want to see the vPilot user interface, launch vPilot in "remote" mode. The first time you launch vPilot in remote mode, it will prompt you to go into the Settings window and enter the IP address of the host machine. You can also configure which port vPilot will use to connect to the host. The port setting must be configured for the same value in both the host and remote copies. This port must also be opened in the firewall on the host computer.

 

Note that both copies must be running the exact same version of vPilot in order for them to connect to each other.

 

You'll notice that there are two shortcuts for starting vPilot in host mode and two for starting it in remote mode. One shortcut includes voice communications, and one doesn't. This allows you to choose which machine will handle connections to the VATSIM voice servers for communicating with ATC. You must choose either the host or the remote to handle voice communications. You cannot have voice comms running on both the host and the remote at the same time.

[Ross Carlson]

As Don noted, you have an IP mismatch. I'm guessing the IP address of your host machine changed at some point. You can see that the host is telling you that it is listening for remote connections on two IPs. One of them is 192.168.0.14, yet your remote is trying to connect to the host using 192.168.0.3. Change that 3 to 14 in the remote's "Host Address" field on the "Host" tab in the settings window, and you should be good to go, [Mod - Happy Thoughts]uming the host's firewall is still set to allow incoming TCP connections on port 8809.

[Chris Dobison 810929]

As someone who eventually got vPilot to work over a network I will let you know the two main problems I had - and Don has already hit the nail on the head:

 

1. Firewall not correctly configured.

 

2. Wrong IP address set in vPilot.

 

As Don suggests, set your firewall up on both machines to accept inbound and outbound connections to port 8809. If all of that is setup, then check the IP address. Find the IP address of the host machine (the one running FS / P3D) from the command line (in windows go to the run menu then type cmd). Once at the command prompt type ipconfig then enter and note the address next to IPv4 address. These addresses then go into vPilot in the Settings > Host on the slave machine.

 

Hopefully this helps,

 

 

Chris

(Edit: Ross beat me to it!)

[Ross Carlson]

As Don suggests, set your firewall up on both machines to accept inbound and outbound connections to port 8809.

 

You actually only need to configure the firewall on the host machine to accept incoming TCP connections on port 8809. There are no outgoing connections on either machine on 8809, and the remote does not need to accept any incoming connections at all. As is standard, the outgoing connections use a randomly-chosen port, and most firewalls do not block outgoing connections. If you're running a firewall that does block outgoing connections, you either a) know what you're doing and can configure the firewall accordingly, or b) you have a system administrator that can take care of it.

 

If all of that is setup, then check the IP address. Find the IP address of the host machine (the one running FS / P3D) from the command line (in windows go to the run menu then type cmd). Once at the command prompt type ipconfig then enter and note the address next to IPv4 address.

 

The host already tells you what IP addresses it has. You can see from the messages in the host window, it is using 192.168.0.14.

[Juergen Mader]

Hi,

I figured out what the problem is:

It was a mismatch due to a dynamic IPv4 address. The host machine used to be 192.168.0.3 and has changed to 192.168.0.14.

So I called the IP provider (Brighthouse in Florida) and they want me to open a "Business Account" so they can issue a static IP. The current router from them does not let me change to a DHCP Reservation, so I changed the IP address on the vpilot remote and it worked fine. I have other programs (SPAD.neXt & FSXtracker) which use simconnect and behaved the same way.

Any idea how to get a static IP to work. If not I just change the address of the affected programs and it should work again for some time.

Thanks for your help

[Bradley Grafelman]

Does the router settings page show you the DHCP pool/range? If the pool doesn't encomp[Mod - Happy Thoughts] the entire subnet, you could [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign a static IP on the host machine that is within the subnet but outside the DHCP pool of dynamic reservations. That way, the router won't ever hand out the same IP.

[Ross Carlson]

So I called the IP provider (Brighthouse in Florida) and they want me to open a "Business Account" so they can issue a static IP. The current router from them does not let me change to a DHCP Reservation

 

I think there has been a miscommunication between you and your ISP. They think you want a static PUBLIC IP. When in fact, you just want a static PRIVATE IP. 192.168.0.x is a private network that is only relevant on your LAN, on your side of the router. You absolutely do not need to get a business account in order to have the router [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign your host machine a private static IP. (If an ISP was charging extra for a static PRIVATE IP, that would or should be criminal behavior.)

 

That being said, you may still need your ISP's [Mod - Happy Thoughts]istance to get a private static IP [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned to your host machine. It depends on whether or not you have access to log into the router's admin web page. Do you? The login is probably found at http://192.168.0.1/ but it could be some other address instead of the .1

 

Anyway, if you can get into the router's admin page, then as Brad said, you should be able to find a chunk of the address space that is NOT used for [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igning dynamic addresses to machines on the LAN. You can pick any free address in that chunk and use it for your host machine.

 

You could also just wait and see if it changes from .14. If the machine is online often enough, it should keep the same address. That's how most routers work, anyway.

[Bradley Grafelman]

You absolutely do not need to get a business account in order to have the router [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign your host machine a private static IP. (If an ISP was charging extra for a static PRIVATE IP, that would or should be criminal behavior.)

You know, I wanted to confirm that... but then I thought, it really wouldn't surprise me if there were ISPs out there that intentionally delivered highly-stripped-down firmware to its consumer-level customers' routers.

[Ross Carlson]

You absolutely do not need to get a business account in order to have the router [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign your host machine a private static IP. (If an ISP was charging extra for a static PRIVATE IP, that would or should be criminal behavior.)

You know, I wanted to confirm that... but then I thought, it really wouldn't surprise me if there were ISPs out there that intentionally delivered highly-stripped-down firmware to its consumer-level customers' routers.

 

Yeah, I guess it wouldn't surprise me either ... certainly wouldn't be the first time a business engaged in what should be criminal behavior.

[Juergen Mader]

"Anyway, if you can get into the router's admin page, then as Brad said, you should be able to find a chunk of the address space that is NOT used for [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igning dynamic addresses to machines on the LAN. You can pick any free address in that chunk and use it for your host machine."

Hi,

I am not too sure what I would have to do to accomplish what you are suggesting. So I made a screenshot of the router page I believe you are talking about, but do not know how to continue (I know enough to be dangerous!), But I would [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ume the address range of 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.254 would be available?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141330124@N05/shares/Q728k5

It could be that there was a miscommunication between me and the ISP regarding the static IP address. And I certainly will NOT get a business account and throw more money their way (it's a rip-off already). So if you could help me resolve this issue I would certainly appreciate it. I have changed the affected files and everything is working again.

Thanks a-bunch for your help

[Ross Carlson]

Your router is currently configured to hand out dynamic IPs in the range of 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.254. That's the full range of available IPs in the 192.168.0.x block. (192.168.0.1 belongs to the router itself, and 192.168.0.255 is the broadcast address ... it cannot be [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned to a computer.)

 

This means you have no static addresses available at the moment, but it looks like you have the ability to change those values. I would set the starting IP to something like 192.168.0.10. That means the router will [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign dynamic IPs in the range 192.168.0.10 through 192.168.0.254. That leaves 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.9 for you to [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign as static IPs to any machine. You would then go into your host computer's network settings and [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign it a static IP of 192.168.0.2 or .3 or whatever you want. Then obviously you would need to re-configure the vPilot remote so that it shows the correct address for your host.

 

That all make sense?

[Juergen Mader]

Hi Ross,

I followed your instructions and changed the router setting and Windows 10 network settings (see screenshot) and all necessary simconnect files.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141330124@N05/shares/CaPC44

Everything seemed to work, however, I received en error "No Internet Access" - "DHNS Not Enabled?". When I clicked on "fix the problem", the static IP address reverted back to "Obtain IP address automatically". I am NOT sure wether I am using the correct procedure/protocol in Win10 to set a static IP.

Any little more detailed info would be great.

[Ross Carlson]

Hi Ross,

I followed your instructions and changed the router setting and Windows 10 network settings (see screenshot) and all necessary simconnect files.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141330124@N05/shares/CaPC44

Everything seemed to work, however, I received en error "No Internet Access" - "DHNS Not Enabled?". When I clicked on "fix the problem", the static IP address reverted back to "Obtain IP address automatically". I am NOT sure wether I am using the correct procedure/protocol in Win10 to set a static IP.

Any little more detailed info would be great.

 

It sounds like you need to manually enter your DNS servers when you configure the static IP. To find out your DNS servers, leave it set for DHCP ("optain ip address automatically") and then open a command prompt, and enter "ipconfig /all". It should show you the DNS servers that were [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned to the machine by the router. Write those down. Then, go back to entering the IP info manually, and enter those DNS servers along with the static IP that you're going to [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign to the host machine. Then you should have internet access.

[Juergen Mader]

Hi Ross,

This is what I get with "ipconfig/all"

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141330124@N05/shares/RyNKHr

Btw it would be nice not to change IP addresses, however, if you feel that this is enough help from your side, do not hesitate to stop.

Again, I appreciate you help

[Ross Carlson]

This is what I get with "ipconfig/all"

https://www.flickr.com/photos/141330124@N05/shares/RyNKHr

 

Your DNS servers are shown halfway down the page:

 

75.114.81.1

75.114.81.2

 

Btw it would be nice not to change IP addresses, however, if you feel that this is enough help from your side, do not hesitate to stop.

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean here ... if you want to leave things as they are, you can certainly do so. Just know that the host's IP may change again in the future. If it does, you'll just need to update the Host Address setting in the vPilot remote.

[Juergen Mader]

Hi Ross,

what I meant is, if you feel you have extended enough help and I am becoming a "pain in the neck" (since this is certainly NOT related to vpilot), just let me know. It would be nice if we could resolve it, but I will not be able to do it on my own.

Does that make sense?

[Ross Carlson]

Ahh, yes, I see. I have no problem helping to the degree that I am able. Were you able to set up the static IP with the DNS servers? That should get it so that your host IP never changes.

[Juergen Mader]

Ross,

Could you take a look at the screenshot. I can not find anything with DNS servers.

[Ross Carlson]

I posted the DNS server IPs in my second-to-last reply above.

[Juergen Mader]

Ross,

One other question:

I understand you canuse vpilot w/o FSINN to run a shared cockpit? Could you direct me to some articles/instructions to set up a shared cockpit.

Thanks

[Juergen Mader]

Ross,

Total success.

By entering the DNS data you posted and then setting all the files up to the correct IPv4 of the host everything works great. I also have internet access w/o error.

So, again many thanks for your patience and help

[Ross Carlson]

Ross,

One other question:

I understand you canuse vpilot w/o FSINN to run a shared cockpit? Could you direct me to some articles/instructions to set up a shared cockpit.

Thanks

 

You can read about how to configure vPilot for shared cockpit here:

 

http://vpilot.metacraft.com/Docomeentation2.aspx#shared-cockpit

 

The actual process of connecting two aircraft together is a whole different subject, and it is different for different aircraft. You would need to consult the docomeentation for the specific aircraft you're using.

[Juergen Mader]

OK. Thanks again and I will dig into that issue some other time.

Thanks