Interactive Client & Interactive Server Modules

What is it?

The FLAMES® Interactive Server & Interactive Client modules are a collection of services that allow external systems to interact with a FLAMES scenario execution application, such as FORGE or FIRE, as it executes. When FORGE or FIRE executes with the Interactive Server enabled, it acts as a "server", and the systems with which FORGE or FIRE interact function as "clients". Examples of client systems include master scenario execution controllers, 2-D and 3-D scenario visualization systems, and complex vehicle simulators, as well as real-world surveillance and command, control, and communication systems. With these two FLAMES modules, many different types of client systems can be used in a wide variety of applications, including entertainment, training, and system testing.

How does it work?

The Interactive Server module is a set of services that execute within FORGE and FIRE. These services manage all network communications with client systems, supply information to client systems, and process the commands issued by client systems.

The Interactive Client module is a software library containing several high-level functions that can be called by client systems. These functions automatically handle the complex processing required to support interactive execution and client-side network communication. All client systems use these functions to interact with FORGE or FIRE.

If the client system is software, the functions can be bound into the client and called directly from the client software. If the client system is hardware or software that cannot be modified, an intermediate client application can be developed that communicates with FORGE or FIRE using the Interactive Client module and communicates with the hardware or software system in any manner that is supported by the system.

With the Interactive Server module enabled in FORGE or FIRE, systems that use the functions of the Interactive Client module can interact with FORGE or FIRE to perform a wide variety of operations. These operations include:

• Establish and terminate a network connection with the server

• Request and receive true spatial state data on all Units in the scenario at a specified interval

• Pause and resume the execution of the server

• Alter the server execution rate

• Alter scenario stop time

• Enable additional data recording

• Cause the server to load new data from the FLAMES scenario database

• Create, delete, kill, and revive Units in the scenario

• Redefine the composition of Units in the scenario and alter the tasks that Units are to perform

• Attach to and take control over the Units in the scenario.

• Query any equipment model attached to a Unit for the value of any of its internal attributes

• Set the value of any internal attribute for any equipment model attached to a Unit

• Request and receive attribute data from an equipment model at a specified interval

• Issue a command to any equipment model

• Invoke any method of any cognition model attached to a Unit

• Specify that the client system be notified when any cognition model method is invoked for a Unit within the server, so that the appropriate action can be taken by the human operator

• Specify that some or all of the messages received by a Unit from other Units in the scenario be sent to the client system. Take any message generated by the client system and send it to any of the Units in the scenario. These operations support interacting with real-world surveillance and command, control, and communication systems