The Simulation Server utility is a stand-alone simulation software module (server) that allows client applications to run without controller hardware. The purpose of this simulation server is to enable software development and testing independent of hardware development to reduce software development effort and cycle time. The Simulation Server is designed for all levels of experience, which provides a platform for software and test engineers to optimize general and advanced motion control applications.

The controller simulator has two components:

1. Simulator software (in the form of a Windows DLL, with a similar name to a Controller binary).


2. A configuration file (system memory snapshot suffixed by .sim) that contains specific information about the simulated systems (number and type of nodes, number of axes, sample rate, etc.). The configuration file is created from a real motion system using the VM3 utility using the command-line option -dumpSimFile or doing a Ctrl-F8 interactively.

Simulation Server works by simulating the functions of a motion controller. It is initialized with the SynqNet interface in SYNQ mode with the SynqNet network functioning normally. Once the simulator is initialized, it provides an emulation of the hardware. The run-time functions of the Simulation Server is to simulate motion and service channel transactions.

The Simulation Server is activated by a command-line interface. Once the server is running the clients, MPI applications, Motion Console, Motion Scope, and Bode Tool utilities are run in client mode. Like the normal Server program, a Simulation Server can be run either on the same host as the client or remotely.