Creating a Virtual COM Port

 

The Serial/IP Redirector requires that at least one virtual COM port be created.

 

The Select Ports window will show a list of COM ports (in the range of COM1 through COM4096) that are not already in use.  Any of these unused COM ports can be selected to become Serial/IP COM ports.

 

To create virtual COM ports, in the Select Ports window, select at least one COM port to be a Serial/IP virtual COM port.  Corresponding COM port ranges will appear in the lower panel.

 

Alternatively, the COM port ranges may be directly edited.  Use individual COM port numbers (such as 4, 5, 7) and/or ranges (such as 11-18, 30-53) separated by commas.  When editing the COM port ranges, the checkboxes in the upper panel will change accordingly.  Click OK when finished.

 

In order to make the built-in COM ports (e.g., COM1, COM2) on a computer available to be virtual COM ports, then disable these ports in the BIOS, and then remove them from the Windows Device Manager.

 

Legacy applications may not be able to use COM ports higher than COM4.

 

 

Configuring a Virtual COM Port

 

In this step, the virtual COM port will be configured and tested.  The Serial/IP Auto Configure feature will verify the network connection to the server.

 

In the Serial/IP Control Panel, select a virtual COM port in the list, and then click Auto Configure.  In IP Address of Server, type in the IP address or hostname of the serial device server that will be used by this virtual COM port.  In Port Number, type in the TCP port number for which the server provides access to the serial device.

 

If the serial device server requires a user login, then type in the values for the Username and Password to be provided by the redirector when the server prompts for the login.

 

Select the Test for presence of a modem checkbox only if the serial device is a modem.

 

Click Start.  Messages will appear in the Status and Log Panels that will show the redirector's interaction with the server.  It typically takes 5 to 15 seconds to complete.

 

Click Use Settings after it has completed successfully.  The recommended settings will be applied to the virtual COM port.

 

If the Use Settings button is not highlighted, then messages in the Status Panel will indicate the issue.  See the topic Auto Configure for instructions.

 

The server failover feature allows more than one IP address or hostname to be entered.  See the topic The Control Panel for details on how to use this feature.

 

 

Specifying the Credentials Source

 

The redirector can be configured to obtain the username and password credentials from one of four sources.  If the server will not require a user login, then skip this step.

 

In the Serial/IP Control Panel, select the Use Credentials From checkbox, and then choose one of the four credential methods.  They are described in detail in The Control Panel section.

 

If the server is not configured to require user authentication, then the Use Credentials From checkbox must be cleared.

 

 

Finishing the Port Settings

 

If the connection fails, then the redirector can attempt to restore its network connection to the server.  To enable this feature for a virtual COM port, select the Restore Failed Connections checkbox.

 

Configuration of this virtual COM port is now complete.

 

 

Configuring Additional Ports

 

In the Serial/IP Control Panel, select a virtual COM port.  If the intention is to use the same server and device, then use the same settings as a previously configured port.  Otherwise, configure the COM port by starting at the beginning of this chapter.

 

To copy the settings of the selected virtual COM port to other virtual COM ports, click Copy Settings To, and then specify the ports that will receive the settings.

 

 

Configuring Advanced Options

 

The Serial/IP Redirector Advanced Options have default values that will work for virtually all applications. Experimentation with these settings is strongly discouraged.

 

The Advanced Options are described in detail in the Advanced Options section.