HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
1 - HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
In order to run, WidevieW requires the following equipment:
A) At least 2 networked PCs capable of running FS with all the options that you want. I suggest a >= 1000mhz CPU, a very fast 3D video board, and a big local hard drive (ATA100 - 7200RPM if possible). The clients may be keyboard-less and/or mouse-less (the shut-down can be made from the server).
B) FS and all the scenery desired should be installed on the local hard drive (and/or on the local CD-ROM reader) of each PC. The scenery (and the world.vis file) should be the same on every PC. Warning: some add-on product may require that you buy one license for each computer on which it runs. WidevieW is freeware and can be installed on an unlimited number of PCs.
C) The network cards and the IPX protocol must be installed and configured on each PC. A network cable (for example an RG58 / BNC or an RJ45 through an Hub) must wire each PC. The installation of those components may be very different from system to system, so I cannot help you here. Please consult the documentation shipped with your PC / network card / operating system / network software.
D) In order to communicate, WidevieW uses the IPX protocol. WidevieW will not run if this protocol is not installed on all the PCs. In order to verify if the IPX protocol is correctly installed in the PC, open the Control Panel and double click the Network icon. A list of the currently installed components will appear. The standard Microsoft IPX/SPX compatible protocol will work fine. Check if it appears in the list of the installed components, otherwise add it (click "add" button, double click "protocol", click "Microsoft", double click the IPX/SPX protocol). Now we have to check if the IPX protocol is correctly bound to the network card in use. From the list of installed components, double click your network card, select the "Binding" tab, and make sure that the IPX/SPX protocol have a V on the left box (it means "Enabled").
E) The FSUIPC module by Peter Dowson is required and isn't included in this package. This module handles the weather and several other gauges. I've tested this version of WidevieW using FSUIPC version 2.78 and higher. You can download FSUIPC from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html.
2 - OPTIONAL
A) Regular file sharing between the PCs. It can be useful for maintenance purposes (copy scenery files, make backup copies, etc.).
B) The excellent and very interesting wideclient / wideserver (widefs.zip) by Peter Dowson can be used to interface add-on products for FS running on a remote PC, without have to run a local copy of FS on it. You can download it from here http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html.