Remote Processes

Remoting lets an NX user execute an automation program in a separate process from the NX session — either on the same machine or over the network to a remote machine.

Principles

• Uses standard frameworks: NX remoting is built on .NET remoting services and RMI for Java. It is not available for C++ or Python.
• Local/remote call transparency: once a client obtains a reference to a remote session, all remote NX Open API calls look identical to in-process calls — a locally-running application can run remotely unchanged after obtaining a session reference.

Models of Remote Access

The key design question is whether the NX user interface is running:

• No UI running: NX runs as a server process with no UI. It listens for client connections; once a client connects, commands arrive as messages and execute in sequence, returning to the client after each command.
• UI is running: NX runs interactively with a full UI. A small automation snippet listens for client connections. Once connected, it receives both client commands and NX UI events, sequencing and executing them in arrival order. Typical use: integrating NX with a standalone interactive program on the same machine (e.g. a custom geometry tool).
  • UI events and client automation events can interleave, which can cause undefined behavior (e.g. the client deletes a solid while the UI has an in-progress hole feature dialog referencing it) — integrations should be designed to avoid such races.
  • Recommendation: do not run more than one remoting server inside NX simultaneously.

Language-Specific Details

Example remote processes for Java and .NET ship in UGII_BASE_DIR\ugopen\SampleNXOpenApplications.

Note: Callbacks in remoting mode are not supported in .NET.

NX Open for C# .NET remoting

Example programs are in UGII_BASE_DIR\ugopen\SampleNXOpenApplications (C# variant).

NX Open for Java remoting (RMI)

Includes information on using SSL with RMI, plus a sample application.

Related Topics

• Journals with the Journal Manager
• Interactive NX (File → Execute → NX Open...)
• Approaches for running custom programs in NX
• Automatically at NX Start up
• User Exits
• Executing Applications from GRIP
• UFMENU