Command: vr_create_virtport_all.sh

The vr_create_virtport_all.sh command is used to create virtual ports that allow the Ethernet protocol to be used to communication with modules connected to the communications module.

Virtual Ports

MSS communications are supported using Ethernet and RS-485 protocols. Modules may use one protocol or the other, or both. The configuration commands described on the previous page, including vr_enum, vr_setid, vr_refresh and vr_debug_putty.py use only the RS-485 protocol. For modules that only support Ethernet, a virtual port must be set up to bridge the RS-485 to Ethernet for the Communications Module port to which the device is attached. The vr_create_virtport_all.sh can be used to create the required virtual ports.

Use

./vr_create_virtport_all.sh &

There are no arguments for this command.

This command must be executed from the flighthack directory and requires the preceding "./"

The trailing "&" allows this command to run in the background, otherwise you would need to open a new terminal window to use commands that access the virtual ports. When finished using the virtual ports, they should be removed using the following command: killall socat.

Example Using Virtual Ports to Communicate with a Camera

This example assumes that a Camera Module with serial number CAMADP000123 is plugged into port 2 of the Communications Module.

1. Connect and power up the system, but do not start the control software.
2. Launch the terminal program and use the following commands to access the camera.
3. Navigate to the working folder, type: cd flighthack
4. Enumerate the modules on the system, type: vr_enum You will notice that the camera does not show up in the list of enumerated modules.
5. To create the virtual ports, type ./vr_create_virtport_all.sh &
6. Now, when you enumerate the modules using vr_enum, the camera and any other non-RS-485 devices should show up in the list. You can also see the virtual ports using the standard directory listing command, ls
7. To send a commands to the camera, you need to include the -c portNumber option, where the portNumber to use is the one to which the device is attached on the Communications Module (in this case port 3, so vrport3).
   • To set the Node_ID and Group ID:
     vr_setid -c vrport3 CAMADP000123 4 196
   • To enter Debug mode:
     ./vr_debug_putty.py -c vrport3 4