Connecting to On-Site Lab Hardware#

This page guides users through setting up device drivers and connecting to lab hardware.

PC Requirements#

Most of our drivers are complete, stand-alone installers. For Fluent and EVO, .NET Framework 4.8 is required but should already be on the PC. To check all supported software and versions, consult the specific driver page which you can find here Supported Equipment.

Installing the Drivers On-Site#

  1. You must obtain the .msi installer file for the corresponding lab hardware. These are available through Artificial.

  2. Either using online storage, like a google drive, or a USB stick loaded with the .msi file, move the installer onto the lab hardware PC.

  3. Run the .msi installer. This should be straightforward and should place a shortcut on the desktop.

  4. Start the driver using the shortcut on the desktop or by running Artificial.[DriverName]ApiServer.exe directly from the directory C:/Program Files (x86)/Artificial/[DriverName]Server_Installer/bin. If this does not work, consult the troubleshooting section.

  5. Using the two steps in the section below, confirm the driver is working.

  6. Congratulations, you have successfully completed this guide and installed your driver.

Confirming the Driver is Working#

If any of these indicators is not working or errors are shown, consult the troubleshooting section below.

  • First, upon running the driver, a command console window should appear. It should look something like below. It may take a minute, but startup logging information should appear and not contain red error text.

_images/DriverConsoleExample.png

  • Second, in a browser, validate the setup by visiting the below URL. If you were successful in your setup, you will see the page populate. Note, by default, the port is 49835 if using http, and for https is 44339.

_images/DriverApiPageExample.png

Troubleshooting the Installed Driver#

  1. Driver gives an error on install.

    • You may need to be logged in as Administrator or run the installer using the right-click menu option to “Run as Administrator”.

    • You may need to consult with your IT department to confirm you have the correct permissions.

  2. Installed driver will not start or console window does not appear.

    • Confirm the console window is not just minimized by checking the Taskbar.

    • Try running the desktop shortcut as Administrator (using the right-click menu) or run Artificial.[DriverName]ApiServer.exe directly as Administrator using the right-click menu. The file can be found in the standard installation directory C:/Program Files (x86)/Artificial/[DriverName]Server_Installer/bin.

    • If the console just flashes briefly, open the Event Viewer application on the PC. In the app, look for the relevant error logs under EventViewer -> Windows Logs -> Application and also, EventViewer -> Windows Logs -> System. Adjust the settings of the PC as per the error.

  3. Console window displays errors.

    • If the driver is Fluent or EVOware, confirm .Net Framework 4.8 is installed.

    • Based on the errors you see in the window, try to adjust the configuration settings as described in the configuration settings page: Configuring the Lab Hardware Driver.

    • Consult the page for that hardware which can be found here Supported Equipment for any configuration specific to that hardware.

  4. The localhost URLs show errors.

    • Add rules for the specific port number in the Windows firewall advanced settings.

    • Change the port number used by the driver as described in the configuration settings page: Configuring the Lab Hardware Driver.

For any other problems or if these solutions do not fix your problem, send the error description and the steps tried to Artificial.