LXMASTER CLI Tutorials

The lxmaster command-line tool is the single front-end for setting up your machine, discovering EtherCAT devices, launching workloads, and diagnosing timing. These tutorials walk through each command one concept at a time, with simple step-by-step examples and what to expect along the way.

Most commands touch the network stack and real-time scheduler, so they usually need root:

sudo lxmaster <command> [subcommand] [options]

Where to start

If you are setting up a machine for the first time, follow the tutorials in this order: prepare the host, scan the bus, generate an ENI, then run a workload.

Available commands

Command	What it does	Tutorial
host	Prepare the Linux machine for real-time EtherCAT (a one-time setup)	Preparing your host
scan	Discover the devices connected on the bus	Scanning the bus
eni	Create and verify the ENI file that describes your network	Generating an ENI file
run	Launch an example or your own app on the real-time core	Running a workload
diag	Measure timing/jitter and soak-test CPU isolation	Diagnosing timing
license	Activate and check your node-locked license	Activating your license

Handy extras

A few small commands you will use often:

lxmaster version        # print the installed LXMASTER version
lxmaster help           # list all commands
lxmaster help host      # help for a specific command

To enable tab-completion for every command, subcommand, and flag, install the completion script once and open a new shell:

lxmaster completion bash | sudo tee /etc/bash_completion.d/lxmaster > /dev/null