Skip to content
Jeffrey Gilliam edited this page Jan 27, 2019 · 23 revisions

Welcome to the SIMRacingApps wiki!

SIMRacingApps is a collection of Apps and Widgets that display various information about the SIM you are playing. The main web site can be found at SIMRacingApps.com.

This Wiki is designed to help with common issues when using SIMRacingApps. Each page listed on the right in the pages section, should illustrate an issue and a solution. Be sure to click on "Show x more pages" to see them all.

After downloading the Server from the website, all you have to do is simply run it. I creates a local web server on your computer that can be accessed by any browser on any device, tablet or phone, that is connected to the same WiFi network.

System requirements

I recommend at least a quad core processor running at 2.8Ghz or better, with at least 8GB of memory to run the server and iRacing. And some tracks require more than than. You will need 12GB or better if you are going to run several Electron Apps/Widgets. SIMRacingApps does not use any of the GPU. Connections from other devices will not affect memory requirements and only a little more CPU.

In iRacing's Graphics Settings, there's a slider at the bottom on how much memory it will use. Based on how much system memory you have, make sure you leave enough memory for SIMRacingApps and other processes. If you have SIMRacingApps up and running already, use the Window's Task Manager to see how much memory the server and electron is currently using and adjust as needed.

The server will use around 300-500MB on same computer that the SIM is running. It will also use between 10-20% of the CPU. The server does not use the GPU.

Electron will create a client process for each App/Widget you have running. How much memory they take, depends on how big they are and how many objects are in it. A small one will take around 15MB, where one that is full screen will use around 200MB. The sum of all the Electron processes determines how much memory you need to reserve for them in iRacing. Electron does not use the GPU. Needless to say, if you are barely getting iRacing to run on your computer, these processes will struggle to run. I run about 20 widgets and they use around 1GB of memory and about 10% of the CPU.

Installing Java.

The server utilizes the Java run-time (Not the Java Browser Plugin). It can be installed from http://java.com. These days, this should install the 64 bit version of Java. If not, there can be performance issues. Go to, https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/Java-64-Bit-Installation, to learn how to tell if you have the 64 bit version and how to install it.

Performance Issues

Maybe you don't have enough memory, or your memory settings in iRacing need tweaking, or your CPU is not powerful enough. See the System Requirements above to see how to calculate all of that. I've found it's best to be running the 64 bit version of Java and in iRacing back off on the 2 memory sliders about 10% so iRacing will not take up all of your system resources.

How to customize. Where are the settings?

To customize SIMRacingApps take a look at https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/Settings.

How to overlay Apps on the SIM's screen

To be able to see the Apps on top of the SIM's screen, you must configure the SIM to run in Windowed mode

Common Issues

Cannot find SIMRacingAppsServer....exe file after downloading

How to download the server.

These steps assume you are using Microsoft's Edge browser. Others will be similar.

  1. Go to http://downloads.simracingapps.com
  2. Click on the file SIMRacingAppsServer...exe to download it.
  3. When prompted for "run, save, cancel", select "save". This should put it in your downloads folder. If you want to save it somewhere else, click the up arrow beside the "save" button and change where to save it.
  4. Once the file has been downloaded you will see options to "run, open folder, view downloads". Click on "Run".
  5. This will run the server and the Electron Client (the menu). Right click on the server icon in the task bar and select "Pin to taskbar".
  6. Now you can run the server anytime you wish from the taskbar without having to download it again.
  7. To update to a newer version, just unpin it, and repeat this process.

Anti-Virus or Windows Defender protected your PC

After downloading a new version of the server and you are running it for the first time, your anti-virus software or Windows Defender may complain about it being unsafe. As long as you downloaded it from GitHub or from http://SIMRacingApps.com, I assure you it is safe. Do not trust it from other sources. I do not know what the procedure is for all anti-virus software, but here are the steps allow it to run when Windows Defender complains. Other software will have similar steps.

  1. Windows displays the message "Windows protected your PC".
  2. If you don't see the "Run Anyway" button, click the link called "More Info".
  3. Click the "Run Anyway" button

CMD Black box appears, then disappears and Server does not start

I this case the error message needs to be captured so the problem can be diagnosed. Follow these steps to keep the window open.

  1. From the Window's Start Menu, find "Command Prompt" and run it. This should open a CMD window.
  2. cd downloads
  3. execute the downloaded server. The version is specific.
    1. Example: C:\Users\jfgil\Downloads> SIMRacingAppsServer_1.8_Build_2019.01.26-signed.exe

Windows Firewall is asking me to allow

When you run the SIMRacingAppsServer....exe for the first time or you have updated Java, Windows Firewall (or competitor) will ask you to "Allow access" or "Cancel" the server from running on your network. You must select "Allow". See, https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/How-to-fix-Firewall-issues, for more information if you are having trouble connecting to the server.

Browser Cannot Connect

Troubleshooting steps can be found at https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/Browser-Cannot-Connect.

Port is in use

The most common error for the Server not working is Port 80 is in use. Go to https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/Port-80-in-use-by-another-process to resolve that issue.

I have no sound

See this page on how to customize how SRA uses your sound devices. https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/Sound-Devices

My Issue is not Documented in this Wiki

Many common issues are documented on this Wiki. Just look on the right for a list. You will have to expand the list by clicking "Show x more pages".

The log file may help you determine your issue. If the SIMRacingApps menu is working, you will find it near the end of the list of widgets in the documentation sections. You can look at it from any browser. Look for lines that say "ERROR" or even "WARNING".

If you are still having problems, let the community help you out by joining our Facebook group at, http://www.facebook.com/groups/SIMRacingApps and post your issue there.

Sending the logs and/or screen shots to us

See this page, https://github.com/SIMRacingApps/SIMRacingApps/wiki/How-to-send-logs-and-screen-shots-to-us

Enjoy

Clone this wiki locally