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ACI

Tips & Tricks

Connecting to eSocket from native macOS. (running eSocket on a local Windows OS Virtual Machine)

  1. Preface
  2. ACI's eSocket service can only exist/run on a Windows environment. It may be desirable to continue your development from your macOS environment instead of recreating your environment on the Windows VM.
  3. This tip will explain how to configure your Mac and Windows VM to communicate with each other in order to avoid developing from your VM environment, which typically will have a large performance difference compared to your macOS environment.
  4. I achieved this by using the virtual machine software "Parallels" with Windows 11 installed.
  5. This guide assumes the following:
    1. You have completed the installation of eSocket on the Windows virtual machine and have restarted it so all current config has been downloaded.
    2. You can successfully connect to eSocket/communicate via XML messages over port 4000 on the Windows environment.
  6. How to configure Parallels
  7. Parallels has a built-in user-friendly tool that helps configure port-forwarding, accessed by clicking the Parallels icon in your mac's top toolbar
  8. Navigate to Parallels > Preferences > Network


  9. Click the '+' towards the bottom of this sub-menu
  10. Add the following rule: {Protocol: TCP, Source port: 4000, Forward to: Windows 11, Destination port: 4000}



  11. Click "OK"
  12. Now open up "Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security".

    WindowsDefender1.png

  13. We will need to add a rules to both "Inbound Rules" and "Outbound Rules" in the left sub-menu's.
  14. Click either menu ("Inbound Rules" or "Outbound Rules"), and click "New Rule" on the panel on the right-side. The following window should pop up:

    WindowsDefenderNewRule.png

  15. Select "Port" then click "Next".
  16. On the following screen, "TCP" will be selected by default, leave it as TCP.
  17. Enter "4000" in the field "Specific local ports", see picture below

    WDPortRule1.png

  18. Click "Next", which will take you to the following page.

    WDPortRule2.png

  19. Keep "Allow the connection" selected and click "Next", taking you to the following page:

    WDPortRule3.png

  20. You can select whichever options you like. Take into account your own security concerns over potentially allowing "Public" network locations.
  21. Click "Next", which will take you to the following page.

    WDPortRule4.png

  22. Give your Inbound/Outbound port rule a descriptive Name and Description.
  23. Click "Finish".
  24. Repeat steps viii through xvii (steps 8 through 17) for the other menu ("Inbound Rules" or "Outbound Rules").
  25. That's it! You should be able to send/receive messages from your local VM to your Mac environment.