What are Startup Algorithms? Startup Algorithms define which G2S commands are sent when an EGM establishes communication with RGS for the first time. These G2S commands are required to establish and maintain that EGM/Host conversation.

While it’s true that a standard RGS (without Tester Toolkit) comes with the ability to turn on and off G2S commands in the standard Startup Algorithm, that’s where it ends. The Tester Toolkit module extends that functionality by allowing the user to define the commands, attributes, change sequencing of commands, even group commands to send together as one, or run the algorithm one command at a time using the “step through” feature.

Tester Toolkit comes fully loaded with four “canned” Startup Algorithms. The out-of-the-box default Startup Algorithm enables the tool to be useful without manual set-up. The other options can be substituted without any changes for the standard default algorithm, if desired, as well. Or, they can easily be used as a template for creating modified algorithms that can be saved for future use under a name and description of the user’s choosing. Swapping between them on the fly is easy and quick. There’s even a feature to set an alternate algorithm to be used all the time, even persisting through future RGS versions.

In short, Startup Algorithms are a highly customizable feature of the RGS Tester Tookit.

Want to know more? Check out the Tester Toolkit User Guide found here.

Want to try it yourself? Contact us today about a temporary evaluation license at support@radblue.com.

The start-up algorithm is the list of commands that get sent when RGS receives a commsOnline command from an EGM to initiate G2S communications. The list of commands is automatically filtered by the devices present in the EGM’s descriptorList. In the standard RGS, you can include or exclude G2S commands in the fixed start-up algorithm list, which is useful if your EGM doesn’t support one or more of the commands in the list, but you cannot reorder any of the commands or change any settings within any of the commands.

In the Tester Toolkit, the Start-up Algorithm editor is enhanced to provide you with complete control over the order of commands and their contents, to customize the algorithm as needed to simulate any host.You can also save a copy of the modified algorithm, making it easy to switch between different versions to meet various test environments.

Why would you need that much flexibility, you ask? Let’s take a look.

Whether you are an EGM developer coding against a particular host, a tester trying to improve integration with a specific vendor or trying to troubleshoot an issue in the field, being able to recreate the start-up algorithm accurately can save countless hours in tracking down issues. In any case, the process efficiencies and product improvements spell big savings.

If you are pre-testing EGMs before moving them to the slot floor, not only can you find issues before they happen in a live environment, you’ll have the information you need to better communicate issues back to the vendor. This means faster issue resolution and easier installs.

Creating custom algorithms in RGS is easy with a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Once you’ve created a custom algorithm, just make it the active RGS start-up algorithm and start communications with the EGM. You can choose to run the algorithm to the end or to step through the algorithm, which lets you choose when to send each command or to skip commands altogether.

For more information on the Tester Toolkit, head over to the RGS product page. If you’d like to try it out, just let us know.