Distributed Sniffer COM port problem - any ideas?

[phaelon56]

We have a DS Pro appliance - P4 running v4.2 r3 - when we try to connect to a matrix switch that communicates at 2400 baud the communication fails. The same COM1 port of that DS Pro platform will conenctect successfully to a Cisco switch through a console cable and if we switch the cable over to the matrix switch the Hyperterminal session fails.


Keep in mind that we've been using switches like this (with 2400 baud rate) in conjunction with Sniffers for years, all the way back to the days of DOS DSS. We have not been able to replicate this symptom when we test with PII or PIII platforms. I tried a P4 platform at a customer site that had been reimaged with a NT4.0 sp6a clean image (from about 18 months ago - none of the new MS security patches applied and no OS hardening done). We installed v4.2 r3 and set up the switch - all worked perfectly as usual.

The box that was sent to us for testing and problem assessment was set up originally with v4.3 but we have also found same symptoms when running v4.2 r3.

Some insist that it must be a chipset issue that's casuignt he COM port to fail when it tries to slow down to 2400 baud to talk to the switch. I'm inclined to look at OS hardening as the source of the problem but don't know where to start looking. WE have one custmer who reported this probelm on a lab test box that was a PIII (he thinks) but that box has since ben reimaged and sent elsewhere for other tests - he can't replicate his results. Thus... at present it appears to be limited a few isolated P4 boxes (yet it doesn't occur on all of them as I have already successfully proven).

Hoping some of you understand the serial communication relationship to the hardware and OS and can shed light on this. Thanks!

Owen O'Neill
Datacom Systems Inc.
Northeastern SE

http://www.datacomsystems.com

 

[AlfSutherland]

Hi Owen,

I believe it was version 4.2 of Sniffer Distributed that included the ability to hyper terminal onto the unit to change the IP address information. Due to this feature there is a COM port clash when using a matrix switch. To use any matrix switch, you need to disable the "DsSnifferlfSrv" service. To do this go to the Control panel, open the "services", and disable the service.

This should resolve all your problems ;-)

Alf

 

[phaelon56]

Alf - might you be referring to the synchronization service? It was called DS Pro Palm Srv in v4.1 and subsequently was (v4.2) was called DS Sniffer Serial Svc. In theory, this service allows one to set the IP address of the Sniffer using a PDA. You're correct that it does commandeer the COM port and prevents it from being used for other pruposes (such as a matrix switch). That service must be permanently disable and the box rebooted if one wishes to free up the COM port and use a matrix switch. In the scenario I'm describing, the service has already been disabled and the Sniffer is capable of conencting to other devices via Hyperterminal yet it won't talk to the switch. The most perplexing issue is that it seems to be happening on certain hardware platforms and not others - does not seem to be related to a specific software rev per se.

Owen O'Neill
Datacom Systems Inc.
Northeastern SE

http://www.datacomsystems.com

 

[AlexTovar]

Hi:

Just wondering, what if you use the USB ports to communicate to the switches ? is it possible ?

Alex

 

[phaelon56]

This problem has occurred in DS Pro platforms running NT 4.0 - the hardware has a USB port but NT does not support USB. Therefore USB is not an option.

We have seen that as a control option on some of the newer platforms running XP like the s6040 that has only one COM port (we need a scond COM port in some installations and anticipate that we can use a USB to 9 pin serial adapter to do this).

Owen O'Neill
Datacom Systems Inc.
Northeastern SE

http://www.datacomsystems.com

 

[AlexTovar]

Hi again !

have you tried the s4000 appliances with winXP ? is there any workaround with those ?

Just wondering again...

 

[phaelon56]

Interesting development. We have now identified at least four units in the field at three different customer sites, all of which exhibited the problem. It turns out to be a Sniffer hardware COM port issue. Apparently the Cisco could recognize the Sniffer COM port when a Hyperterminal session was set up but when further testing was done we discovered that it was not responding to the commands. In at least one of these cases, the Sniffer hardware had been retruned by the cusotmer to Sniffer for other problems, could not talk to the switch after they received it back and was sent to us for testing - our additional testing (done after my previous posts) uncovered the real problem. I also had a cusotmer with 17 Sniffer platforms that exhibited this problem. He reimaged al of them twice with a clean image. He now has 15 of the 17 working flawlessly but 2 that are still problematic.

Owen O'Neill
Datacom Systems Inc.
Northeastern SE

http://www.datacomsystems.com

 

[RedMcCombs]

Currently have DSS ver 4.30.025 running on old Hardware platform connected to core network using NHC statkit SS 2x8 matrix switches. Will be purchasing sniffer upgrade to s4000 HW/SW platform. Is anyone using these old NHC matrix switches with the new DSS sniffer HW/SW? With version of DSS we are running (4.30.025) the matrix can be controlled through the DSS Sniffer App.

Thanks

 

[phaelon56]

If I recall correctly, the option in Probeviewer to configure the DS Pro appliance for NHC has been dropped as of either v4.35 or v4.5

I don't recall whether NHC ever made a separate Windows compatible utility for conytrling the STAKitbut if they did it's not likely still be available - they've been out of the matrix switch business for awhile.

Owen O'Neill
Datacom Systems Inc.
Northeastern SE

http://www.datacomsystems.com