Backward compatibility for MAK Data Logger recordings with different versions of HLA or DIS

Problem

Limited support for older MAK Data Logger recordings:

While MAK applications work with recent all recent versions of the MAK Data Logger, please know:

• Versions of the MAK Data Logger older than 5.5.1 (released in May 2018) have known problems with the encoding of DIS 7 Attributes, which can cause crashes in MAK products.
  
  
• MAK updates FOMs for product releases. The FOM in a newer release might not be compatible with the FOM used to create a MAK Data Logger recording.

Affected MAK Applications

MAK Data Logger and VR-Vantage, VR-Forces, or VR-Engage

Severity

Moderate

Platform

All platforms

Solution

• Most new versions of MAK ONE products contain FOM updates. To successfully play logger tapes that were recorded with earlier FOM versions, the matching (earlier) FOM version must be properly configured in each federate. This means, for example, that HLA logger recordings in MAK Data Logger 5.9 require VR-Vantage to use the FOM modules that were used to record these files, not the default FOM configuration in VR-Vantage. The MAK Data Logger is forward compatible, however, so older MAK Data Logger versions can be configured to record and work with VR-Forces 5.x and VR-Vantage 3.x FOM. You simply need to copy the FOM files to the older MAK Data Logger installation and configure them correctly. Refer to the MAK Data Logger Users Guide for details.
  
  
• The VR-Forces default HLA configurations use updates to various default FOM modules since VR-Forces 4.10. To record logger files, ensure that the MAK Data Logger instance you are using is configured to use the updated FOM Modules. In MAK Data Logger 5.9 and earlier, those FOM Files must be copied from the VR-Forces install into the MAK Data Logger install and configured correctly. Refer to the MAK Data Logger Users Guide for details.
  
  To play logger files recorded with an earlier version of VR-Forces, you must ensure that your version is configured to correctly use the FOM files distributed with the MAK Data Logger and used to record the logger file. Refer to the VR-Forces Users Guide for details.