Users Manual LbServer 0.7

Contents

  1. What is this about?
  2. Set up the interface you are using:
  3. Command line parameter for LbServer
  4. LbServer is running, what now?
  5. Design description
  6. Links

1. What is this about?

This page pretents to be a users manual for a piece of software called "LbServer". LbServer talks through a RS232 COM port of your PC with a LocoNet interface. Two interfaces are supported: LocoBuffer and Intellibox. Additionally it accepts TCP/IP connections from LoconetOverTcp client programs.
All LocoNet traffic is forwared by the interface to the PC. LbServer receives the traffic from the COM port and forwards it to all connected client programs.
A client program can request LbServer to send a LocoNet packet. LbServer forwards this request to the interface and notifies the client program about the success when reading the echo of the packet from the interface. LbServer comes in versions for M$ Windows and Linux.

For information about the LoconetOverTcp project, see the project home page:
http://LoconetOverTcp.SourceForge.net

2a. Jumper settings for LocoBuffer

This only applies to you if you are using LocoBuffer as your interface between Computer and LocoNet. Otherwise skip to (2b)!
For LbServer to function properly, you have to configure your LocoBuffer as follows. Set jumpers 1, 2, 3 to position 2-3 and set jumpers 4, 5 to position 1-2:

sketch

2b. Configuration of Intellibox

This only applies to you if you are using the internal RS232 interface of an Intellibox for your computer to talk to LocoNet. Otherwise skip to (3)! For LbServer to function properly, you have to configure your Intellibox as follows.

3. Command line parameters for LbServer

If your LocoBuffer or Intellibox is connected to COM1, you want to use the default baud rate of 57600 Baud (which will only work for the LocoBuffer) and you like to use the default TCP port number of 1234, then you will just want to double click the LbServer.exe program file and be happy. If you are not satisfied with the defaults or if you are some kind of freak, you will want to open a DOS window and type in at the holy prompt:

LbServer /h
You see the result in the following screen shot:

screen shot

This already explains the possible command line parameters. The "[" and "]" tell you about optional parameters. This means you have four possiblities:
  1. No command line parameters
  2. COM port number only
  3. COM port and TCP port number
  4. COM port, TCP port number and serial COM baud rate
As an example, if you want to use you call LbServer with three parameters as follows:
LbServer 2 1234 19200
This hopefully results in the following situation:

screen shot

Now the server software is up and running.

4. LbServer is running, what now?

Now you can start a client program. At program start the client program will ask you to what server you want to connect. As you will most likely run the server and the clients on the same PC, type in "localhost" as the server host name. If you use the default port number, type in "1234" as TCP port number:

screen shot

If you are curious about the TCP protocol, you can use the telnet client that is part of all windows installations. Use a command line like this:

telnet localhost 1234
After telnet connected, turn at your favorite handheld throttle to see something like this:

screen shot

5. Design description

There is an UML class diagram that shows the internal structure of the software.

6. Links

For further information, see on the project home page:

Author: Stefan Bormann
If you have further questions, don't hesitate to write me an email!