:: Hani Jamjoom (هاني جمجوم) :: Tools

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RealEdit is a visual editor for The REAL Network Simulator 5.0. It is written in Java to provide a cross-platform portability. RealEdit provides a user friendly GUI to simplify both building a network for simulations and viewing the results. RealEdit supports remote simulations where the actual simulations are performed on a dedicated server.

Even though RealEdit is written in Java, it cannot run as an applet because of the security restrictions that are imposed by Web browsers. The alternative is to download a Java Runtime Environment specific to your platform and use it to run RealEdit.

Downloading & Running RealEdit

There are a two simple steps required for downloading and running RealEdit. First, you must download and install a Java Runtime Environment for your platform from Sun Microsystems. Sun provides a clear and simple way of obtaining the JRE. The installation process should also be a breeze. Note that, at the moment, Sun only supports Solaris and Windows 95/NT platforms. Also, it looks like the current JRE on Linux doesn't seem to work with the Java code used in the GUI. Second, you must download the RealEdit files:

RealEdit.zip: that contains all the class files. You need not unzip this file. The JRE is able to extract all the information while it is in the zipped format.

default.real: the default file that is required for opening new documents.

You can place both files in any directory.

Now you are ready to run RealEdit. The startup class is RealEdit.RealEdit. Remember to include RealEdit.zip in your class path.

For example if you install RealEdit.zip and default.real in a directory called

C:\applications\RealEdit

you can start RealEdit by typing:

jre -cp c:\applications\RealEdit.zip RealEdit.RealEdit

When creating simulation scenarios, you will need to know which node functions are available in the simulation server. The current list can be found here.

Note that you should start RealEdit in the same directory that default.real resides.

F.A.Q. (updated 9/2/97)

RealEdit has a very forward interface. However, there are a few things that are worth noting which hopefully will clear any confusion. They are explained in an FAQ form which will, of course, expand as more people ask questions. Please pay attention to the difference between RealEdit, which is the GUI, and REAL , which is the actual network simulator server.

What node functions are supported by the server?

The current list can be found here.

What is the language file?

The language file is a general description file that contains all the nodes and edges information. Both RealEdit and REAL use the same description format. Thus, when you save a file you are storing all the network information in a format that the REAL simulator can use. You can view the language file from the "Options" menu to check for errors. However, RealEdit does NOT allow you to alter the language file directly. For more information on the language file description please refer to REAL 5.0 documentation.

What is the default file?

The default file is just another language file that contains all the default values for a new document. It contains no nodes or edges. You can customize this language file manually, but be careful since all future new documents will use this file.

Why can't RealEdit find the default file?

Probably the only problem that you will encounter in opening new files is not finding the default file. This means that you either do not have a default file or are not starting RealEdit from the same directory as the default file resides.

What do the gray and white backgrounds mean in the control panel?

You will only see a gray background in the nodes or edges control windows. A gray background means that this parameter is a default value. If you change the default value, the background will change to white indicating that it is unique to that node. You will also see the new value underneath the actual node on your drawing window. Please refer to REAL 5.0 documentation for more information about the actual parameters.

How can I change the default values for all nodes or edges?

To change the default values for all the nodes or all the edges, simply choose "nodes" or "edges" from the choice box at the top of the Control panel. A warning message will appear reminding you that this change will affect all of the nodes or edges.

What kind of outputs does the REAL server generate?

There are three types of data that the REAL server generates. The first is the Charts data. Charts are automatically opened for viewing. Second is the dump file. This can be viewed by selecting "Show dump file" from the "Options" menu. The dump file is automatically cleared at the beginning of each simulation. The last type is the server output messages. This can be viewed by selecting "Show Console" from the "Options" menu.

What happens when I press "Simulate?"

First RealEdit generates a language file from the network that you drew. It then tries to connect to the HTTPd to request a new server with this language file. The HTTPd returns a unique port number for RealEdit to connect to and launches a new server. RealEdit can now connect to the REAL server to get the results of the simulation.

What happens when I have an error in my network layout?

When you have an error in your network layout, the REAL server will generate an error message. This message can be viewed in the "Console" window from the "Options" menu. You can then view the language file to find out what exactly is the server complaining about.