custom driver to replace pcan-usb

[KarstenS]

Lately I have been using pcan explorer together with pcan-usb device to visualize input/outputs in our machines.
This is a great tool for debugging. This however requires me to be onsite and connected directly with PCAN-USB.

Would it be possible to remove the pcan-usb device, and replace by a custom driver to which you can stream CAN packets via network to PCAN explorer?
This way we would could use the same great to tool without have to be present onsite.

[PEAK-Support]

Not at the moment, but we are just implementing a Ethernet driver with our own COE (CANOverEthernet) Protocol. Soon as this version is finished, you could connect PCAN-Ethernet Gateways or PCAN-Wireless Gateways to a CAN Network, and could connect your PCAN-Explorer (or any other existing PC Software based on PEAK CAN APIs) on a PC via Ethernet to such a module. This new Hardware will be availbale in August 2013 (CAN<MODULE>--<Ethernet>--<MODULE>CAN), the Software Driver (CAN<MODULE>--<Ethernet>--<PC with PEAK Software CANAPI>) end of Q3/2013. The COE Protocoll is extremly performant and and works inside Kernel Level to handle also HigBus Loads.

[PEAK-Support]

Not at the moment, but we are just implementing a Ethernet driver with our own COE (CANOverEthernet) Protocol. Soon as this version is finished, you could connect PCAN-Ethernet Gateways or PCAN-Wireless Gateways to a CAN Network, and could connect your PCAN-Explorer (or any other existing PC Software based on PEAK CAN APIs) on a PC via Ethernet to such a module. This new Hardware will be availbale in August 2013 (CAN<MODULE>--<Ethernet>--<MODULE>CAN), the Software Driver (CAN<MODULE>--<Ethernet>--<PC with PEAK Software CANAPI>) end of Q3/2013. The COE Protocoll is extremly performant and and works inside Kernel Level to handle also HigBus Loads.

[KarstenS]

Thank you for the response. However we would no be prepared to add additional hardware, as the need for this is very sporadic and some customer might never need it.

In addition our instrumentations are running linux and equipped with either PCAN-PCI or PCAN-miniPCIe. So we have hardware present to log the traffic.

Currently we do logs of can traffic with candump inside linux, and I have also succesfully converted those logs to pcan trace files able to be viewed in pcan explorer...

I see that you're able to have virtual networks in pcan explorer. Would it be possible for me to create my own client-server for streaming the packages, and have the client attached to pcan explorer as a virtual network?
Haven't able to find documentation regarding the virtual networks.

[PEAK-Support]

No, this is not possible at the moment. For Windows Systems, this will work in the future (CAN communication from PC to PC via Ethernet), but for LINUX we have the problem that it need to work inside the CAN Kernel driver to have a good performance - and this implementation is not planned until now.

[KarstenS]

I would not need hardcore performance. I don't need the absolute time to be correct, only the relative difference between packets.

I have the timestamped can packets, so I would just feed them trough the virtual net at the appropriate time..

[PEAK-Support]

A software only solution is not planned. For us this make no sense - if 2 real PCs are connected, i could use TeamViewer, Remote Desktop etc. to have access to the remote system.

[KarstenS]

To put it in the same terms, that would make no sense. The remote computer runs only a core linux with only a customized gui. You would never be able to have pcan explorer running there..

You seem to think, that pcan devices are never used in embedded devices, which in most cases don't have those tools installed or available.

[PEAK-Support]

That´s why we sell Embedded Linux Devices with the protocol implemented for remote access.
From the support side it is not possible to share the protocoll to use with customer boards - nobody would pay for the support we had to do. Will not work in practice - sorry.