AI (Alternate Interface) - You start or begin things and stop or end things. In doing so, you change what you are interfacing with.

In simple terms:

1) AI initiates a VIC instance and its PK file by either loading a named PK file or a default PK file or creating a minimal PK file and then making any modifications to it as specified in AI command line arguments. This includes the creation of any temporary directories and loading or creation of other VIC related files used by the creation of this VIC instance.

2) Once AI is finished doing all it is given to do then processing is passed to the SF command processor of this new VIC instance.

3) At any time AI is given more to do, it suspends SF processing until it is finished. This includes creating more VIC instances, sending a VIC instance(s) a top priority command line to process and shutting down one or more VIC instances, etc. AI can be considered the master control command and can be called from within any VIC instance or externally, as it was first set in action/execution. AI checks to see it it is already existing by checking for VIC instance(s) existing information.