Using RTX64 Control Panel

RTX64 Control Panel provides several settings that let you configure default behavior for the real-time Subsystem, RTSS applications, and networking features. It also allows you to view information on installed and licensed components and launch the Analyzer utility.

NOTE: Some RTX64 Control Panel settings require Windows Administrator privileges.

NOTE: Some RTX64 Control Panel content might be inaccessible depending on the state of the RTX64 Subsystem and/or RT-TCP/IP Stack. For example, when the RT-TCP/IP Stack is not licensed, you will not be able to access Stack-related content.

Sections in this topic:

Opening RTX64 Control Panel
Using the Home Page
Starting and Stopping Components
Stopping the Subsystem While Processes are Running
Common UI Elements

Opening the Control Panel

To open the Control Panel:

In the Start menu, navigate to RTX64 4.5 Runtime and click RTX64 Control Panel.

Using the Home Page

RTX64 Control Panel has the look and feel of a Web page. You can click on icons and/or text links to navigate the User Interface. Content on the Home page is organized in two distinct columns. On the left are options for configuring different system behaviors, while the panel on the right displays product information and licensing and status information for the components you have purchased and installed.

First Steps

Option	Name	Description
	Activate purchased components	Opens the RTX64 Activation and Configuration utility, where you can activate purchased components. Licensed components are listed on the right side of the Control Panel Home page under Licensed RTX64 Components. NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to activate components.
	Set the RTSS boot configuration	Opens the RTX64 Activation and Configuration utility, where you can assign system processors to Windows and RTX64. The current processor configuration is displayed under this option on the Control Panel Home page. NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to configure system resources.
	Manage user permissions	Opens the Windows User Accounts Control Panel where you can manage the RTX64-provided Windows user groups to assign granular control of RTX64 permissions. NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to configure system resources.

Option

Name

Description

Activate purchased components

Opens the RTX64 Activation and Configuration utility, where you can activate purchased components. Licensed components are listed on the right side of the Control Panel Home page under Licensed RTX64 Components.

NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to activate components.

Set the RTSS boot configuration

Opens the RTX64 Activation and Configuration utility, where you can assign system processors to Windows and RTX64. The current processor configuration is displayed under this option on the Control Panel Home page.

NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to configure system resources.

Manage user permissions

Opens the Windows User Accounts Control Panel where you can manage the RTX64-provided Windows user groups to assign granular control of RTX64 permissions.

NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to configure system resources.

Subsystem

Option	Name	Description
	Configure the RTSS Subsystem	Opens the Configure Subsystem page, which contains options for modifying how the RTX64 Subsystem behaves and for improving the system's deterministic capabilities.
	Manage RTX64 devices	Opens the Windows Device Manager. Use the Device Manager to convert devices from Windows to RTX64 control and modify device property settings. NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to configure system resources.

Option

Name

Description

Configure the RTSS Subsystem

Opens the Configure Subsystem page, which contains options for modifying how the RTX64 Subsystem behaves and for improving the system's deterministic capabilities.

Manage RTX64 devices

Opens the Windows Device Manager. Use the Device Manager to convert devices from Windows to RTX64 control and modify device property settings.

NOTE: You must have Windows Administrator permissions to configure system resources.

Network and Interfaces

Option	Name	Description
	Configure and control the network	Opens the Configure and control the network page, which contains options associated with the Real-time network: the Network Abstraction Layer (NAL) and TCP/IP Stack. NOTE: The TCP/IP Stack is a separate purchasable component. The TCP/IP options will not be available if the TCP/IP component is not activated. For information on activating RTX64 components, see RTX64 Activation and/or the RTX64 Activation and Configuration Guide.
	Manage interfaces	Opens the Manage interfaces page, through which you can create, modify, and change the status of your network interfaces.

Option

Name

Description

Configure and control the network

Opens the Configure and control the network page, which contains options associated with the Real-time network: the Network Abstraction Layer (NAL) and TCP/IP Stack.

NOTE: The TCP/IP Stack is a separate purchasable component. The TCP/IP options will not be available if the TCP/IP component is not activated. For information on activating RTX64 components, see RTX64 Activation and/or the RTX64 Activation and Configuration Guide.

Manage interfaces

Opens the Manage interfaces page, through which you can create, modify, and change the status of your network interfaces.

System Information

Under System Information, you can see the version and build number of your RTX64 Runtime component. You can also launch the RTX64 Analyzer and Task Manager tools.

Option	Name	Description
	Run RTX64 Task Manager	Launches RTX64 Task Manager, which allows you to view, start, or end any active RTSS process or Windows process linked to RTX64 on your system.
	Run RTX64 Analyzer	Launches RTX64 Analyzer, a diagnostic tool used for retrieving information that can help in evaluating system status and identifying potential system inefficiencies or other problem areas.

Information

The right side of the Control Panel Home page contains information about your installed and licensed RTX64 Runtime product and components.

Under Installed Runtime components, you can see the Runtime components you have installed, as well as their activation status. If you have a license for a listed installed component, it appears in black. If it is not licensed, it appears in gray. A dongle icon indicates that the component is licensed to an IntervalZero provided dongle. If you hover over the dongle image you can view the dongle's serial number. If you have installed and licensed an evaluation version of a RTX64 component, the expiration date is displayed.

The information panel also displays the status of installed components, such as whether a component is running, whether Subsystem Monitoring is enabled, the current Subsystem memory allocation setting, and the start behavior of network components.

Component Status

Status	Meaning
Stopped	The component is stopped.
Started	The component is started.
Running	The component is running.
Transitioning	The component is either starting or stopping.
Not Configured	The component is not configured.
Error	The component is in an error state.
Unknown	The component is in an unknown state.

Remote Debug Settings

The RTX64 Remote Debugger is an optional Runtime feature. These settings will only appear in the Control Panel when the RTX64 Remote Debugger feature is installed.

Setting	Possible States / Configurations
Remote Debug	Listening – Remote debugging is enabled, and the Subsystem is listening for new remote debugging attach connections. Not Active – The Subsystem is not listening for new remote debugging attach connections. This indicates that new remote debugging attach connections are not allowed. You can change this through the Configure remote debugging page.
Allow new remote attach connections	Enabled – New remote debugging attach connections to this computer are allowed. Disabled (default) – New remote debugging attach connections to this computer are not allowed. Click Change to open the Configure remote debugging page.

Setting

Possible States / Configurations

Remote Debug

Listening – Remote debugging is enabled, and the Subsystem is listening for new remote debugging attach connections.
Not Active – The Subsystem is not listening for new remote debugging attach connections. This indicates that new remote debugging attach connections are not allowed. You can change this through the Configure remote debugging page.

Allow new remote attach connections

Enabled – New remote debugging attach connections to this computer are allowed.
Disabled (default) – New remote debugging attach connections to this computer are not allowed.

Click Change to open the Configure remote debugging page.

Subsystem Settings

Setting	Possible States / Configurations
Memory	Local (default) – Deterministic. Configures all RTSS applications to request memory from local memory allocation spaces (MSpaces). Windows – Non-deterministic. Configures all RTSS applications to request memory from Windows by default. RTX64 creates the local memory pool the first time someone runs an RTSS application that calls RtAllocateLocalMemory or RtAllocateMemoryEx. Click Change to open the Change memory allocation behavior page.

Setting

Possible States / Configurations

Memory

Local (default) – Deterministic. Configures all RTSS applications to request memory from local memory allocation spaces (MSpaces).
Windows – Non-deterministic. Configures all RTSS applications to request memory from Windows by default. RTX64 creates the local memory pool the first time someone runs an RTSS application that calls RtAllocateLocalMemory or RtAllocateMemoryEx.

Click Change to open the Change memory allocation behavior page.

Monitoring Settings

The Control Panel displays whether the Monitoring feature is Disabled or Enabled. When set to Enabled, the Control Panel also displays its current state: Stopped, Started, or Paused. In addition, it displays whether monitoring is configured to be enabled and started with the Subsystem.

Setting	Possible States / Configurations
Enable with the Subsystem	Disabled (default) – The Subsystem has not been configured to monitor any events. This state is optimized for Subsystem performance and should be used when you deploy your real-time application. Enabled – The Subsystem has enabled code paths that will allow for the collection of events. This state is optimized for event collection, not for Subsystem performance. As a result, this state performs with higher latencies than the Disabled state. Click Change to open the Change monitoring settings page. NOTE: Transitioning from a Disabled state into an Enabled state introduces non-deterministic behavior. NOTE: On Subsystem restart, any session events customized in RTX64 Monitor revert to the persistent settings configured in the Control Panel.
Start with the Subsystem	Disabled – A monitoring session does not start automatically when the Subsystem starts. You must manually start the monitoring session using RTX64 Monitor or either of the real-time APIs RtMonitorControl or RtMonitorChangeState. Enabled – A new monitoring session starts automatically when the Subsystem starts. This option requires Enable with the Subsystem to be enabled. Click Change to open the Change monitoring settings page.

Setting

Possible States / Configurations

Enable with the Subsystem

Disabled (default) – The Subsystem has not been configured to monitor any events. This state is optimized for Subsystem performance and should be used when you deploy your real-time application.
Enabled – The Subsystem has enabled code paths that will allow for the collection of events. This state is optimized for event collection, not for Subsystem performance. As a result, this state performs with higher latencies than the Disabled state.

Click Change to open the Change monitoring settings page.

NOTE: Transitioning from a Disabled state into an Enabled state introduces non-deterministic behavior.

NOTE: On Subsystem restart, any session events customized in RTX64 Monitor revert to the persistent settings configured in the Control Panel.

Start with the Subsystem

Disabled – A monitoring session does not start automatically when the Subsystem starts. You must manually start the monitoring session using RTX64 Monitor or either of the real-time APIs RtMonitorControl or RtMonitorChangeState.
Enabled – A new monitoring session starts automatically when the Subsystem starts. This option requires Enable with the Subsystem to be enabled.

Click Change to open the Change monitoring settings page.

Network Start Behavior

Component	Behavior	Possible States
Network Abstraction Layer (NAL)	Start with the Subsystem	Enabled (default) – The NAL starts when the Subsystem starts. Disabled – The NAL is independent from the Subsystem and must be started manually. Click Change to open the Configure and control the network page.
TCP/IP Stack	Start with the NAL	Enabled (default) – The TCP/IP Stack, if licensed, starts when the NAL starts. If the NAL is not configured to start with the Subsystem (see above), the Stack also will not start with the Subsystem. Disabled – The TCP/IP Stack is not started when the NAL is started and must be started manually. Click Change to open the Configure and control the network page.

Component

Behavior

Possible States

Network Abstraction Layer (NAL)

Start with the Subsystem

Enabled (default) – The NAL starts when the Subsystem starts.
Disabled – The NAL is independent from the Subsystem and must be started manually.

Click Change to open the Configure and control the network page.

TCP/IP Stack

Start with the NAL

Enabled (default) – The TCP/IP Stack, if licensed, starts when the NAL starts. If the NAL is not configured to start with the Subsystem (see above), the Stack also will not start with the Subsystem.
Disabled – The TCP/IP Stack is not started when the NAL is started and must be started manually.

Click Change to open the Configure and control the network page.

Starting and Stopping Components

You can start and stop the RTSS Subsystem and associated components directly from the information panel on the right side of the Control Panel Home page.

Option	Icon
Start
Stop

To start the Subsystem and Associated Components:

To start the Subsystem, click the Start icon. Note that this also starts the Network Abstraction Layer (NAL), if it is configured to start with the Subsystem, and the TCP/IP Stack, if the Stack is licensed and configured to start with the NAL.

NOTE: The Start button is grayed out under the following conditions:

• The Subsystem has not been configured.

• The Subsystem is starting or stopping.

• The user is not a member of the RTX64Administrators group.

• The user is not booted into an RTX64 boot configuration.

Through Task Manager, you can designate RTSS processes to start automatically with the Subsystem. See Scheduled Tasks for more information.

To stop the Subsystem:

Click the Stop icon.

If you attempt to stop the Subsystem while RTSS processes or Windows processes linked to RTX64 are still running, a dialog appears with a list of the running processes. See Stopping the Subsystem While Processes are Running.

Interface Validation at Network Startup

When a network component (NAL and/or TCP-IP Stack) is started, the Control Panel checks for its associated network interfaces. If the following scenarios are encountered, the Control Panel displays an appropriate warning:

If the interface is a Network Interface Card (NIC) that used an RTX64 driver but is no longer under RTX64 control, RTX64 displays a warning that the NIC is not currently associated with RTX64. The NIC must be converted to RTX64 control before the device can be used with the NAL and/or TCP-IP Stack.
If the interface is the RTX64 Virtual Network, and the miniport driver cannot be found, RTX64 displays a warning advising that the miniport driver be reinstalled.

NOTE: Validation does not detect instances where a NIC associated with a network interface in the Control Panel is removed or replaced.

Common UI Elements

You will notice that some elements appear frequently across the Control Panel UI. The table below provides a list of these elements, as well as descriptions for what they do.

Icon	Option	Description
	Restart the RTSS Subsystem	Restarts the RTSS Subsystem. This is required before some changes to the Subsystem settings take effect.
	Restart the Network Abstraction Layer (NAL)	Restarts the NAL. This is required before some changes to NAL settings take effect. NOTE: The NAL cannot be restarted when applications are attached to it. Terminate the application(s) first, and then restart. The NAL will stop the TCP/IP Stack (when purchased and running) during a restart, if there are no applications attached to the TCP/IP Stack.
	Restart the TCP/IP Stack	Restarts the TCP/IP Stack. This is required before some change to TCP/IP Stack features take effect. NOTE: The TCP/IP Stack cannot be restarted when Stack-specific Network applications are running. Terminate the application(s) first, and then restart.
	Restart Windows	Restarts the computer. This is required when Power Management settings are changed.
	Reset to factory defaults	Resets all settings on the current Control Panel page to their factory default values.
	Warning	Appears when a restart of the Subsystem, RT-TCP/IP Stack, or Windows is required, when a property value is incorrect, or when something requires your attention.
	Help	Opens the RTX64 Help system.

Search

RTX64 Control Panel provides a search bar that allows you to search for settings across Control Panel pages. To use search, enter a keyword in the search bar. Matching results appear as you type.

TIP: You can also search for RTX64 Control Panel settings through the standard Windows search.