CydandClaude Fable 5
91640dcbf2
The Launcher's XP11 port (8730b9b) now extends to everything: one net40
flavor across Console, vPOD, Contract, and SecureConfig (Newtonsoft.Json
everywhere; the net48/System.Text.Json legs and their #if splits are gone
since nothing consumed them).
Console (net40, single TFM like the Launcher):
- The ~31 BinaryFormatter bitmap blobs in the .resx files became raw
embedded files under assets/icons/ (extracted byte-faithfully via a
serialization surrogate — the animated square_throbber.gif survives),
loaded by Properties.Resources.EmbeddedBitmap/EmbeddedIcon. Reason:
System.Resources.Extensions' DeserializingResourceReader is net461+
and cannot load on net40. Strings stay in the .resx.
- IReadOnlyList -> IList in AppRegistry (net45+ interface).
vPOD (net40, single TFM):
- Zip extraction now shares the Launcher's MiniZip.cs (linked source), so
the diff-test install round-trip exercises it against ZipArchive zips.
- RPC args as JTokens; LaunchApps.json persistence via Newtonsoft;
Thread.VolatileRead instead of Volatile.Read.
Contract/SecureConfig: net40-only; Client/** (PodManagerConnection) now
ships in the one build. The Launcher package gains
TeslaSecureConfiguration.dll as a dependency of the client half.
Tests: the net48 xunit host loads the net40 assemblies (both CLR4), so
the suite exercises exactly what ships — 106/106 green. Also verified
live: net40 console provisioned, managed, and ran a full RP mission
against net40 vPOD (beacon/passphrase/RSA, 53290 RPC, egg load,
Run/Stop Mission).
Version: 4.11.4.3 across Launcher, Console, and vPOD (vPOD joins the
suite version line; was 1.0.0). Ship the dotNetFx40 redistributable in
Launcher/assets for XP-era pods.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
TeslaLauncher (XP11 — single binary)
.NET Framework 4.0 (framework-dependent) rewrite of the original Elsewhen Studios LLC
software. One TeslaLauncher.exe runs on Windows XP SP3 through Windows 11:
net40 is the newest framework XP can install, and net40 assemblies load in-place on the
4.8 runtime built into Windows 10/11. XP pods need the .NET 4.0 redistributable
(installed automatically by install.bat when dotnet40\ is in the package);
Win10/11 pods need nothing extra.
Architecture
One userland tray application — no Windows Service, no IPC.
The original Elsewhen software was a single service (on Win2k/XP a service could still touch the desktop). The modern rewrite split it into Service + Agent purely to work around Vista+ Session 0 isolation. XP11 closes the loop: everything runs in the auto-logged-in kiosk session, where the desktop, audio, and game processes live anyway.
TeslaLauncher (WinForms tray app, user session)
- Listens on TCP 53290 for OFB-encrypted framed-JSON RPC from TeslaConsole
- Handles first-boot network configuration (SecureConfig) and shows the Request ID / Passphrase on screen + COM2 plasma
- Handles game file transfers from the Console (InstallProduct →
C:\Games,postinstall.bat,pre-uninstall.baton uninstall) - Launches/kills/watches simulation apps, controls volume, manages
LaunchApps.xml - Registers with WER for restart-after-crash (Vista+; no-op on XP)
Requires the kiosk account (Firestorm) to be in Administrators — SecureConfig's
netsh/hostname writes and product postinstall.bat driver installs need the admin
token (UAC is disabled by the installer on modern Windows, so no prompts).
SecureConfig (first-boot protocol)
- Assigns a temporary IP and broadcasts a UDP beacon so the Console can discover the pod
- Operator reads the Passphrase off the pod screen and enters it into the Console
- Console sends AES-encrypted network configuration (IP, mask, gateway, DNS, hostname)
- TCP handshake establishes an OFB-encrypted session with RSA key exchange
- Session key is saved for all subsequent Console connections
Uses the old-style netsh interface ip commands throughout — they update the live
TCP/IP stack immediately and are the only form XP understands.
Communication Flow
TeslaConsole ──TCP 53290 (OFB + framed JSON)──> TeslaLauncher.exe (user session)
Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
TeslaLauncher.cs |
The whole launcher: tray, TCP listener, RPC dispatch, install, processes, volume |
TeslaLauncher.csproj |
net40 WinForms exe project |
MiniZip.cs |
Central-directory ZIP extractor (net40 has no ZipFile; stored + deflate + ZIP64) |
SecureConfig.cs |
First-boot secure configuration protocol + OFB duplex stream |
build.bat |
Builds + assembles the package |
install.bat |
Dual-OS installer (XP SP3 and Win10/11 code paths; run as Administrator) |
Building
Requirements:
- .NET SDK (6.0+) to drive the build
- Internet access for NuGet restore (first build only)
build.bat :: build + assemble the package
Output goes to dist\TeslaLauncher\ (with App\ plus install.bat and redist
folders) and dist\TeslaLauncher-podpkg.zip. The project is published in place
(framework-dependent net40) — it references ../Contract, so it cannot be staged
into a temp folder. App\ holds the exe plus Newtonsoft.Json.dll and
TeslaConsoleLaunchLib.dll (the net40 leg of the shared contract).
Bench-testing switches
TeslaLauncher.exe /skipconfig :: skip the DHCP SecureConfig gate
TeslaLauncher.exe /port:53291 :: listen on a non-standard port
Installation
- Copy the
TeslaLauncher\folder to each cockpit PC (XP SP3 or Win10/11) - Run
TeslaLauncher\install.batas Administrator
The installer detects the OS and branches where the tooling differs:
| Step | XP SP3 | Windows 10/11 |
|---|---|---|
| .NET | installs 4.0 redist from dotnet40\ if missing |
4.8 built in — nothing |
| ACLs | cacls |
icacls |
| Firewall off | netsh firewall |
netsh advfirewall |
| SMB1 / DirectPlay | native — skipped | dism /Enable-Feature |
| DHCP reset | netsh interface ip set address ... dhcp |
PowerShell Set-NetIPInterface |
| Notifications / UAC | n/a | policy keys + EnableLUA=0 |
| UltraVNC | UltraVNC_x86_Setup.exe (if bundled) |
UltraVNC_x64_Setup.exe |
Common to both: auto-login (Firestorm), HKLM Run key for the launcher
(no service registration), C:\Games + data dir creation, shares, workgroup,
power settings, reboot.
First Boot
- Cockpit boots with DHCP (unconfigured state), auto-logs into the kiosk account
- Launcher runs SecureConfig: broadcasts beacon, displays codes on screen + plasma
- Console operator sees the pod's Request ID and enters the Passphrase
- Console sends encrypted network configuration
- Pod applies the configuration and is ready for normal operation
Normal Operation
The Console connects to each configured pod on TCP 53290 and can:
- Install/uninstall simulation games
- Launch/kill applications
- Get/set volume level
- Query pod status (FullUpdate)
- Shutdown or reboot the pod
Key Paths
<CommonAppData> is C:\ProgramData on Vista+, and
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data on XP — the launcher and
installer both resolve it per-OS; nothing hardcodes C:\ProgramData anymore.
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
<CommonAppData>\TeslaLauncher\TeslaKeyStore.key |
Session key (32 bytes) |
<CommonAppData>\TeslaLauncher\LaunchApps.xml |
Installed games registry (same XML shape as the two-process Agent wrote) |
<CommonAppData>\TeslaLauncher\podconf.log |
Launcher log (was next to the exe pre-XP11) |
<CommonAppData>\TeslaLauncher\configuring.json |
Transient: SecureConfig codes (kept for external diagnostics) |
C:\Games\ |
Game installation directory |
Wire Protocol
The Console talks to the launcher with length-prefixed JSON frames over the
OFB-encrypted TCP stream (dispatch by method name) — see
../Contract/PodRpcProtocol.cs, shared by both ends. Since the whole suite went
net40 (XP11), both ends serialize with Newtonsoft.Json and the Contract is
net40-only (its former net48/System.Text.Json leg wrote shape-identical JSON and
was dropped once the Console moved to net40). The request reader keeps date
strings raw so a Ping echo returns byte-identical.
Volume on XP falls back from CoreAudio (Vista+) to nircmd.exe / winmm
waveOutSetVolume.