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Connection Between the Host Computer and the OPAL-RT Simulator
See also this page Connecting your Real-Time Target Node to your Network in the RT-LAB user documentation.
The host computer and the OPAL-RT simulator (i.e. target) can be linked in several ways, as shown in figure 1 below.
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LAN Connection: In this configuration, the host computer communicates with the OPAL-RT simulator through a Local Area Network (LAN). This connection allows the host computer to locally or remotely manage or have access to more than one real-time simulator connected to the LAN. Conversely, multiple host computers running RT-LAB can access a simulator through this configuration (Figure 1a).
Network switch connection: The simulator target and the host computer can be connected to the same physical network switch, which in turn does not need to be connected to a LAN (Figure 1b).
Direct connection through Ethernet interface: If there is no need to access the real-time simulator from multiple terminals or if simply neither a LAN nor a network switch is available, users can directly connect the host computer and the simulator through an Ethernet adapter (Figure 1c). A standard Ethernet cable suffices if the host’s Ethernet adapter supports Auto-MDIX(Auto-Medium Dependent Interface Crossover), which is the case for most modern equipment. Users are advised to verify the system documentation. In case the adapter does not support Auto-MDIX or if the user is not sure, an Ethernet crossover cable must be used (Auto-MDIX will also support a crossover cable). Further instructions on the configuration of the host computer are covered in Appendix 3: Direct Ethernet connection between the OPAL-RT simulator and a host computer here.
LAN and Network Switch Connection
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