Multi-Machine Setup

This guide covers advanced deployments where TWS runs on multiple machines, often with a centrally-managed NATS server — typical for family offices, hedge funds, and sophisticated traders running dedicated trading infrastructure across several workstations.

Most Users Don’t Need This Page

The typical OptionsRealTime deployment runs Rover on a single machine, with browsers and Excel RTD connecting from any machine on the LAN. This is covered by the standard Quick Start and First Run flow. Rover manages NATS automatically, and the installer configures Windows Firewall during install — LAN access works out of the box.

This page is for the advanced case where TWS itself runs on multiple machines.

In a multi-machine deployment, TWS, NATS, and Rover typically run on one machine. Browser-based clients and Excel RTD can run on any machine on the network.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐
│   Machine A             │  │   Machine B             │  │   Machine C             │
│   (Server)              │  │   (Workstation)         │  │   (Workstation)         │
│                         │  │                         │  │                         │
│   TWS Desktop           │  │   Browser               │  │   Browser               │
│   NATS Server           │  │   Excel RTD (optional)  │  │   Excel RTD (optional)  │
│   Rover                 │  │                         │  │                         │
│   Browser (optional)    │  │                         │  │                         │
│   Excel RTD (optional)  │  │                         │  │                         │
└───────────┬─────────────┘  └───────────┬─────────────┘  └───────────┬─────────────┘
            │                            │                            │
            └────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┘
                                  LAN Connection

Browser clients require no installation on remote machines, but Machine A must have the firewall configured first (Step 2). Open a browser on any machine on the network and navigate to http:// followed by Machine A’s IP address and port. For example: http://192.168.1.75:5000

Excel RTD requires installation and configuration on each machine where it runs.

Step 1: Verify NATS Configuration

By default, Rover starts NATS automatically and the installer configures NATS to listen on 0.0.0.0, which allows connections from other machines on your network. If you have a fresh installation, this is already set correctly and you can skip to Step 2.

If you are unsure, check your nats.config file (open via Desktop > OptionsRealTime > Advanced > Edit NATS Config):

host: 0.0.0.0
port: 4222

If it shows host: 127.0.0.1, change it to 0.0.0.0 and save the file. Restart Rover after saving — Rover picks up the new config when it spawns NATS on the next launch.

Security

Binding to 0.0.0.0 exposes NATS on your local network. Only use this on a trusted private network. Do not configure your router to forward port 4222.

Step 2: Verify Windows Firewall

The installer configures Windows Firewall during install, opening ports 5000 (Web UI) and 4222 (NATS) for inbound connections on your private network only — it does not expose anything to the internet. If you accepted the UAC prompt during install, you can skip this step.

If you cancelled the firewall UAC prompt or need to re-apply the rules:

1. Open Desktop > OptionsRealTime > Advanced
2. Double-click Setup Firewall (LAN)
3. Click Yes when Windows asks for permission
4. You will see confirmation that the rules were added

Non-Windows NATS Hosts

The Setup Firewall (LAN) script only configures the Windows machine it runs on. If NATS runs on a Linux server (or any non-Windows host) — common in dedicated or clustered deployments — opening inbound TCP ports 4222 (clients) and 9222 (websockets) on that host is the responsibility of whoever administers it.

Step 3: Remote Browser Clients

No installation required. Once the firewall is configured on Machine A, open any browser on any machine on the network and navigate to the IP address shown on the Rover Web UI button. For example: http://192.168.1.75:5000 or http://MyMachine.local:5000

The IP address button on Rover shows the current LAN address of Machine A. Use that URL on any other machine on your network.

Step 4: Remote Excel RTD

Excel RTD requires installation on each remote machine and must be pointed at your NATS server.

1. Install OptionsRealTime on the remote machine
2. Open the OptionsRealTime > Advanced folder
3. Double-click Edit Excel RTD Config
4. Change NatsUrl from localhost to the IP address of the machine running NATS (whether that’s Machine A or dedicated NATS infrastructure):

[Addin]
LogLevel="trace"
LogPopupLevel="error"
DateFormats=["%Y-%m-%d", "%Y%b%d"]

[OptionsRealTime]
NatsUrl="nats://192.168.1.100:4222"
RtdThrottleMs=250
MaskSize=4

5. Save the file and restart Excel

NATS Topology

Excel RTD on remote machines connects to whichever machine runs NATS. In smaller deployments NATS may run on the same machine as TWS and Rover; in larger ones it runs on dedicated infrastructure or as a cluster. Set NatsUrl to wherever NATS is actually reachable on your network. Do not run a separate NATS instance on each remote workstation — clients connect to the existing one.

Step 5: Test the Connection

1. Ensure Rover is running on Machine A (this also starts NATS)
2. Ensure Rover is publishing on Machine A
3. Open a browser on Machine B and navigate to http://192.168.1.75:5000
4. Verify data is streaming

Network Requirements

Port	Protocol	Purpose
4222	TCP	NATS messaging
5000	TCP	Web UI (browser clients)
7496	TCP	TWS API (Machine A only)

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Browser can’t connect from another machine	Run Setup Firewall (LAN) from the Advanced folder (Step 2)
Excel can’t connect	Verify host: 0.0.0.0 in nats.config, run Setup Firewall (LAN) from the Advanced folder
”Connection refused”	Rover is not running on Machine A
No data appearing	Rover is not publishing, or NatsUrl is wrong in Excel RTD config
Setup Firewall script fails	Make sure you clicked Yes on the Windows permission prompt

Diagnosing NATS Startup Issues

If Rover reports it cannot start the messaging service, check <InstallDir>\logs\nats.log on Machine A for the underlying error. Common causes include another program using port 4222 or antivirus blocking nats-server.exe.

---

Distributed Architecture

OptionsRealTime is built on a distributed architecture. Each component can run on dedicated hardware:

┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐       ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐
│ TWS         │  │ TWS         │  │ IBKR Gateway│       │ TWS         │  │ TWS         │
│ Machine 1   │  │ Machine 2   │  │ Machine 3   │  ...  │ Machine 4   │  │ Machine 5   │
└──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘       └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘
       │                │                │                     │                │
       └────────────────┼────────────────┘                     └────────────────┘
                        │
                        ▼
              ┌───────────────────┐                               ┌───────────────────┐
              │  Rover Server 1   │                               │  Rover Server 2   │
              └─────────┬─────────┘                               └─────────┬─────────┘
                        │                                                   │
                        └───────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                                                │
                                                ▼
┌─────────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────────┐          ┌─────────────────────┐
│  Machine 1          │     │  Machine 2          │          │  Machine N          │
│  ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐  │     │  ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐  │          │  ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐  │
│  │NATS 1│ │NATS 2│ ...◄──►│  │NATS 3│ │NATS 4│ ...  ...  ◄──►│NATS N│ │ ...  │  │
│  └──────┘ └──────┘  │     │  └──────┘ └──────┘  │          │  └──────┘ └──────┘  │
└─────────────────────┘     └─────────────────────┘          └─────────────────────┘
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ...
                                    NATS Cluster
                                             │
             ┌───────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┐
             │                               │                               │
             ▼                               ▼                               ▼
     ┌─────────────┐                 ┌─────────────┐                 ┌─────────────┐
     │ Workstation │                 │ Workstation │                 │ Workstation │
     │ (browser)   │                 │ (browser)   │                 │ (browser)   │
     │ (Excel RTD) │                 │ (Excel RTD) │                 │ (Excel RTD) │
     └─────────────┘                 └─────────────┘                 └─────────────┘

NATS supports clustering with automatic failover and horizontal scaling. Multiple Rover servers can manage independent sets of accounts. In sophisticated deployments where NATS runs separately from Rover (centrally-managed NATS cluster), set NATSLocal: false in RoverConfig.json so Rover only connects to NATS rather than spawning its own.

Browser clients and Excel RTD connect from any machine on the network.

Contact support@optionsrealtime.com for assistance with complex deployments.

What’s Next?

NATS Configuration Reference
Complete guide to NATS configuration options

Configuration Files Reference
Complete guide to all configuration options