Troubleshooting RMCTools Ethernet Connection

This topic describes problems and possible solutions for connecting RMCTools via Ethernet to the RMC75E, RMC150E, or RMC200.

 

1. My RMC does not appear in the Browse box in the Ethernet Configuration Dialog.

 

Possible Reason:

The Windows Firewall may be enabled. Also there are other firewall software packages that may be installed on your PC. If a firewall is installed and active on your computer and has not been told to allow RMCTools through, then browsing for controllers over Ethernet will not work. There are two solutions.

Solution A: Allow RMCTools through the Firewall

In many cases, you will only need to tell Windows Firewall to not block RMCTools. This can be done when Windows Firewall notifies you that it is blocking RMCTools, or can be done through the Windows Firewall control panel. Some users may need their network administrator to add this exception to their firewall.

Solution B: Turn off the Firewall

In some cases, it has been found that adding an exception to Windows Firewall or other firewall software does not allow browsing to complete successfully. This is especially true when trying to browse for RMC75E controllers with firmware older than 1.52. In this situation it may be necessary to temporarily disable the firewall. Consult your network administrator before turning off the firewall.

To turn off Windows Firewall in Windows 8.1, 10, or 11:

  1. Click Start.

  2. In the search window, type Windows Defender Firewall, and then click it. This will open the Windows Defender Firewall control panel.

  3. In the menu on the left, click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.

  4. For each of the network types, click Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended).

  5. Click OK.

To turn off Windows Firewall in Windows Vista, Server 2008, and Windows 7:

  1. Click Start.

  2. In the search window, type firewall.cpl, and then click OK. This will open the Windows Firewall control panel.

  3. In the menu on the left, click Turn Windows Firewall on or off.

  4. For each of the network types, click Turn off Windows Firewall (not recommended).

  5. Click OK.

  6. Restart RMCTools.

To turn off Windows Firewall in Windows XP:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.

  2. Type firewall.cpl, and then click OK. This will open the Windows Firewall control panel.

  3. On the General tab, click Off (not recommended).

  4. Click OK.

  5. Restart RMCTools.

 

Possible Reason:

Computers with multiple IP interfaces may experience problems browsing for controllers over Ethernet. Examples of IP interfaces include each wired or wireless Ethernet adaptor plus dial-up networking adaptors. Notice that virtualization software such as VMware and Virtual PC also often adds virtual IP interfaces, in addition to any physical interfaces on the computer.

To determine if browsing may not be working due to multiple IP interfaces:

  1. Determine if your computer has multiple IP interfaces
    From the browsing window, click Troubleshoot. This will open the Troubleshoot Ethernet Browsing dialog box, which includes a table of all available IP interfaces on your computer. If more than one interface is listed, then proceed to the next step.

  2. Determine which of the interfaces listed is connected to the network containing the RMCs
    First, determine which physical connector on your computer is connected to the network with the RMC controllers. Next, determine which interface in the list corresponds with that connector. You can rule out any virtual adapters, such as those labeled ”VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter.” If there is more than one remaining interface, then you may be able to look at the IP address to help decide which interface corresponds to your main wired Ethernet port.

  3. Verify that the interface with access to the RMCs has an asterisk (*) next to its Metric value
    If the desired interface does not have an asterisk (*) next to its Metric value, then browsing for controllers on that interface will likely not work. See the solutions below.

  4. Verify that the interface with access to the RMCs has a lower Metric value than all other interfaces
    If the desired interface has the asterisk (*), but its Metric value is not the lowest or is tied for lowest with another interface, then you may experience intermittent problems with browsing for controllers on that interface. It is recommended that you consider one of the solutions below.

Solution A: Adjust Interface Metrics
The least obtrusive method of fixing this problem is to adjust the Metric values for each interface such that the desired interface has the lowest value. Usually, this only requires settings the Metric for the desired interface to 1. However, if other interfaces are already have a Metric value of 1, then you will also have to increase those interfaces’ Metric values to 2.

Notice that the Windows operating system controls the interface Metric values, and therefore the Network Connections control panel must be used to change these values. After making the changes in the control panel, refer to the Troubleshoot Ethernet Browsing window in RMCTools to see if the changes have taken effect. If they have not (particularly if the values changed but the asterisk (*) did not move to the interface with the lowest Metric), then you must restart your computer.

The following procedures describe how to change an interface metric using the Network Connections control panel:

To change an interface metric on Windows Vista, Server 2008, and Windows 7:

  1. Click Start.

  2. In the search window, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter. This will open the Network Connections control panel.

  3. Right-click the network adapter whose metric you want to change, click Properties, and then the click the Networking tab.

  4. In the This connection uses the following items list, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.

  5. In the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Advanced.

  6. In the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box, click the IP Settings tab, clear the Automatic metric checkbox, and then type a value in the Interface metric checkbox.

  7. Click OK in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box.

  8. Click OK in the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog box.

  9. Click Close in the Connection Properties dialog box.

To change an interface metric on Windows XP and Server 2003:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.

  2. Type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK. This will open the Network Connections control panel.

  3. Right-click the network adapter whose metric you want to change, click Properties, and then the click the General tab.

  4. In the This connection uses the following items list, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.

  5. In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Advanced.

  6. In the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box, click the IP Settings tab, clear the Automatic metric checkbox, and then type a value in the Interface metric checkbox.

  7. Click OK in the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box.

  8. Click OK in the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box.

  9. Click OK in the Connection Properties dialog box.

Solution B: Disable Unused Interfaces
If you are not using some of the IP interfaces, you may want to disable them. Disabling interfaces will remove them from the list, thus allowing the desired interface to have the lowest metric and the asterisk (*). Notice that disabling an interface may affect other applications using that interface, and should only be done if you know that the interface does not need to be used for the time that it is disabled.

To disable an interface:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.

  2. Type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK. This will open the Network Connections control panel.

  3. Right-click the network adapter that you want to disable, and click Disable.

 

2. I can't connect to my RMC via the Internet or a VPN.

Solution:

If your PC has a firewall, make sure it allows connections to port 44818. If the RMC is behind a firewall, make sure the firewall forwards port 44818 to the RMC’s IP address.

 

3. The Link LED is off or is not blinking when you expect activity.

Solution:

See the Ethernet Link topic for troubleshooting procedures for the Link LED.

 

See Also

Monitor Port | Setting Up a Standalone TCP/IP Network | Using Ethernet with RMCTools | Ethernet Overview

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