Use a cloud machine

Create a virtual machine on motorcortex.io that runs MCX-RTOS in the cloud, so you need no controller, no install and no network cable.

  3 minute read  

motorcortex.io can run a virtual machine with MCX-RTOS for you in the cloud. You create it from your browser, and it is ready in place of a controller: there is nothing to download or install, and nothing to connect. It has no drives or I/O connected, which suits the rest of Getting started: the application runs in simulation.

Before you start

  • You have a motorcortex.io account with a subscription.
  • Your organisation has access to virtual machines, with a free VM slot and credits left. If the Machines page shows Virtual machines are not enabled yet, click Request access. How slots and credits work is explained under Machines in the portal guide.

Create a machine

  1. Log in to motorcortex.io and click Machines in the menu on the left.
  2. Click New machine.
  3. In Machine name, type a name of up to 20 letters, numbers and dashes, such as my-robot. The name becomes part of the machine’s web address.
  4. In Image version, keep the preselected version of MCX-RTOS, unless you need another one.
  5. Click Create.

The new machine appears as a card on the Machines page, with the badge Stopped.

Start the machine and find its address

  1. On the machine’s card, click Start. The badge changes to Running.
  2. The card shows the machine’s address next to a globe icon, a name that ends in .virtual.motorcortex.io. Click Copy URL to copy it.

Wherever the next steps ask for the controller’s address, you use this address instead of controller_ip_addressThe IP address of your controller. In most cases 192.168.2.100.: in the Deploy dialog, in Motorcortex Desk and in the Grid editor.

Stop it when you are done

A running machine uses credits every minute, whether you use it or not. Click Stop on its card when you are done, and Start when you need it again. To have it stop by itself, set an Auto stop in the card’s ⋯ menu. All card actions, and what happens when the credits run out, are in Machines in the portal guide.

What changes in the next steps

  • Connect your PC: your PC reaches the machine over the internet, so skip Configure your network. Open the machine’s address in your browser with https:// in front. If the browser shows a padlock, go straight to Step 3. If it warns about the certificate, install the browser certificate first.
  • Deploy an application: in Controller IP address or domain, paste the machine’s address.
  • Play: connect Desk and the Grid editor to the machine’s address.

Next: Step 2: connect your PC. For a cloud machine this is only the browser certificate check described above.