Questions regarding Linux usage

[twiddlecoding]

Thank you for a great library! I've got two questions.

1. The readme says under "Setup 3 - Connect from any Node.js system" that using this method, "only one simultaneous connection from the client is possible." Does that mean that I cannot use multiple "const client = new Client"? And if so, why is this? It seems to me that the python library pyads can connect to multiple devices simultaneously, is ads-client using another implementation?

2. The second connection option "Setup 2 - Connect from Linux/Windows" states that I can use the ads-client library from a linux pc as long as the .NET router is installed. Are you aware of any third-party binaries that implement the .NET router library and that can be installed on a linux machine? Or do I need to compile my own?

[crishoj]

Hi @twiddlecoding, I'm not the maintainer, but can chime in here with my experience using ads-client:

Does that mean that I cannot use multiple "const client = new Client"?

No, using multiple Client instances is possible, as long as they connect to different PLCs.

If you need to connect several Client instances on host A to the same PLC (or different PLC projects running on the same IPC), then you need to connect through an ADS router.

Are you aware of any third-party binaries that implement the .NET router library and that can be installed on a linux machine?

We're using the "sample router" from Beckhoff, compiled from source:
https://github.com/Beckhoff/TF6000_ADS_DOTNET_V5_Samples/tree/main/Sources/RouterSamples/AdsRouterConsoleApp.

If needed, I suggest you give it a try — it works well, and the maintainer at Beckhoff is very responsive, in case of issues.

[jisotalo]

Thanks @crishoj

Beckhoff also has docker example for the router - I have used it successfully.

https://github.com/Beckhoff/TF6000_ADS_DOTNET_V5_Samples/tree/main/Sources/DockerSamples/AdsRouterConsole

https://github.com/Beckhoff/TF6000_ADS_DOTNET_V5_Samples/blob/main/Sources/RouterSamples/AdsRouterConsoleApp/docs/run-as-docker-container.md

[twiddlecoding]

A big thank you to both of you! These answers helped me make some important decisions.