Pre-purchase questions

Hello!

Have just downloaded the trial version of the software, and have a few questions…I realize many of these may simply be my lack of understanding/familiarity with the software, and not limitations of Voyager specifically.

  • Several places on the website and in forum threads suggest it is possible to view the web dashboard without an internet connection, by using “the webserver internal to Voyager”. I have yet to make this feature work. O have enabled the webserver to activate in start, as suggested in threads and documentation, but no luck. I can connect to the remote beta dashboard fine, and it will indeed connect to my application server without issue. However, I frequently image with no internet connection, and a local/lan dashboard would be a big selling point.

  • Is there any way to make the web dashboard to be more configurable and less fixed? Things such as the ability to rearrange panels, or disable/enable individual panels, for example.

  • Is there support ASCOM for Switch drivers? It seems like a natural extension of Viking, but I have not yet found any way to connect to an ASCOM Switch there, nor in Voyager.

  • Is there any way to change the general layout of the UI? For example, allow modules to be on the left, instead of the right?

  • Finally, just happened to notice a typo on the website : Page title says “Voyager Astrophographt Automation”. :slight_smile:

Hello gboulton,

thanks for trialing Voyager, you are welcome. Some answers to your questions:

(1)
Voyager already have an internal web server you can activate if you want run dashboard hosted on your installation. be sure to setting it up (see the image attached) just be sure your port 80 is free or change the port. to know at which IP address your PC could answer you need to check in the Application server monitor, you’ll found a list of IP address if application server is turned on, see the attached image.f you have switch on also the Web Server please contact one of this IP with the browser:

http://localhost (if you are on the same pc)

http://localhost:pppp/ (if you are on the same pc and use different port than 80)

http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (if you are on the network)

http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:pppp (if you are on the network and use different port than 80)

Which IP dependes on your networking, someone can be only local, someone can be closed by your firewall/router, someone can change if you are on local olnly or in DHCP environment.

If your pc have a hostname use it, better solution:

http://hostname (if you are on the same pc)

http://hostname:pppp/ (if you are on the same pc and use different port than 80)

remember to allow firewall in private and public interface the first time OS ask to you, usually the first time you enable the AS and the web server when Voyager start. Without this AS and web server cannot running.

(2)
On dashboard you can open and close the panel, at now nothing else can be customizable. we are working on lot of things, sure will be on future an update of dashboard on this direction.

(3)
Like i wrote you on email not directly for relaiability reasons. ASCOM switch is not really stable, depends on implementation. Voyager use Viking to manage I/O cards. This mean each cards was imported and tested before to be released. Someone of this use ASCOM switch to work with Viking. If you need to use directly ASCOM switch you can use a simple external script in Dragscript if Viking is not confortable for you.

(4) you can change the layout of UI how you want … there are infinite combinations, just drag and drop the object in the position you want

(5) changed thanks for feedback

All the best
LO

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If you need direct help please feel free to write to the support mail, we can arrange a remote session to help you.

All the best
LO

I added this info to the FAQ in wiki:
https://voyager.tourstar.net/index.php?title=FAQ
https://voyager.tourstar.net/index.php?title=FAQ#Setting_up_Application_Server_and_Internal_Web_Server

2 Likes

Thanks for the reply, Leo.

  1. Ok, I’ve tried everything I can think of. I confirmed firewall rules were added the first time I ran the web server, doublechecked their configuration, and have even tried with the firewall completely off. I get a 404 regardless of how I try to access. localhost, machine name, ip address, 127.0.01. I’ve tried from another computer on my network using hostname, and IP address. 404 always. My configuration is identical to that shown in the FAQ, and I see the app server starting up.

image

image

  1. I cannot open and close a panel on the dashboard. I can minimize an entire row, but I see no way to open/close a single panel?

  2. I did not receive any email directly from you, have checked spam and trash folders. I admin the server it would have been sent to, and see no attempts from starkeeper.it to connect.

    I respectfully disagree with your assertion that ASCOM switch is not really stable. I’m not sure how a single namespace within the ASCOM framework could be inherently less stable than all the others, which you support?

  3. Finally figured this one out. :slight_smile: Still not really what I was after, as I’d like status widgets on both left and right, and it seems I’m stuck with a single status panel. But eh…can probably find a layout that’s usable anyway. This is the least of problems. :slight_smile:

1 Seems you are searching for a page not in server web or there is another webserver running in your pc. We cannot help you more by forum, sorry.
2 Is correct panel work by row in actual version
3 i’m using hotmail so probably they are black listed … attached text of mail

Some answers to your questions in order:

  • Voyager have a companion called Viking to manage I/O from external environment, Voyager can manage emergency exit, suspend and resume events. Also you can use Safety monitor.

https://software.starkeeper.it/ (for more info on Viking)

https://voyager.tourstar.net/index.php?title=Viking

https://voyager.tourstar.net/index.php?title=Viking_Setup

https://voyager.tourstar.net/index.php?title=DragScript_Other_Elements#Viking_Client

Voyager doesn’t manage directly I/O … just from Viking. So someone of interfaces card imported in Viking use ASCOM Switch driver but i dont want to put a generic ASCOM switch driver … is not safe. If you have a dedicated I/O card not listed in Viking you can ask to add it if you have a regular license. Otherwise you can use an external script to manage your card

Sorry if you disagree but this not change the rules for what concerne Voyager.Is not my intention to change your idea, just use script if you dont want to use Viking with a supported card.

  1. status widgets are in a single view you cannot separate. You can separate command view and status view and put where you want. Sorry if you found this not usable, our primary goal is automation.

All the best
LO