Serial to IP Server

[kb5ynf]

I've read several threads where folks have attempted to use a serial to Ethernet server to connect to a remote switch over IP; but I haven't seen a definitive reply as to if it can be done or not other than using Socket Magix which is over-priced.

One of the more interesting threads was started by SZOLUDKO. If you're out there, can you respond and let me know if you ever got yours to work?

I have a single port Ether-Serial Link from LavaLink that I'm trying to make work on my Merlin Legend. This device essentially emulates a local com port on the connecting computer and provides a com port at the remote site to connect to the switch or whatever you are communicating with. SMDR works fine through the device but whenever I try to connect with WinSPM, it simply doesn't do anything. I never see any traffic hit the com port on the LavaLink device when using WinSPM. However, if I use HyperTerminal to connect to the Admin port, I do see traffic. Basically, there must be something in WinSPM that is causing the problem but I don’t know what it could be. Since the device for all intents and purposes is a remote comport, it doesn't seem logical that it wouldn't work.

By the way, I currently connect via modem to the remote switch which is okay but I'd like to make this solution work if possible. I'm also very familiar with how to connect using a PC at the remote site as well. That is certainly a solution that I have considered but I would still prefer the IP to Serial solution if it can be made to work.

Basically, I would like to discuss this with anyone who has tried it before, especially if they were successful.

Thanks

 

[merlinman]

Well, I still prefer the "CHEAP PC" setup, which I have seen done.

It looked like this:

LOCATION A - LAN/WAN - LOCATION B

PC w/XP---------------PC With XP & Remote Desktop CONNECTED TO
LEGEND/MAGIX By Serial Port

Worked great too!

 

[kb5ynf]

Thanks MerlinMan:

I've used that setup before as well. However, in this case, my remote site is in Texas and I'm in Arkansas. There are no technical people onsite so if we have any problems with the PC, we'll either have to try to talk someone through it, go down there ourselves or pay a technician to come out and look at it. Granted, PCs are a lot more reliable today than they used to be and it would likely not be a real issue, but I'd still like to try to make this com port server work. If it does, it could be even better than a PC onsite. Still, we may have to go that way.

Regards!

 

[BobbR]

I have been working on this also, using a Netport Ethernet/RS232 comport device. The device is sometimes flaky as it resets some parameters back to default and have to reconnect via Ethernet to program back. Once connected it works just as well as via regular modem. Anyway, I configured Netport redirector for com 8, configured WinSPM connection for com 8, our IT guys assigned a static IP, usually works fine locally to a testbench Legend. I have been unable to connect via remote but believe that to be a VPN setup problem to the IP, and not the device. 73, -WBØAUQ

 

[memphisribs]

Check out the following link.

http://www.digi.com/products/externaldeviceservers/index.jsp

The Digi One SP device server allows any device with a serial port to easily connect to the
Ethernet.
Have a major customer using WINSPM to over 50 Merlin Legends/Magix's via WAN.

40 years in the business and counting.

 

[kb5ynf]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad to hear that someone has made it work. It certainly seems like a simple solution and I fully expected mine to work with no problems; but it doesn't yet. I wonder, what version of WinSPM are you using with your RS232 Server?

 

[BobbR]

I'm using WinSPM 9. As mentioned earlier, my problem with getting it to work was related to the device and not WinSPM. Could always hit the Ethernet side, serial port side was unresponsive. Maybe it's just my Netport device but the serial port would reset to factory default "quiet mode" as a character response, rather than "any character." Even now, after successful connection is normally terminated, it will default back, have to connect to the IP, edit serial port settings, and works fine again. Have not discovered how to perm settings as default. Small problem, it works. I assume your device has documentation for configuring, and that is ok? (This replaces routine of "TAPI setup" one does when using PC modem/com port.) WinSPM setup is nothing more than ticking on "Direct to Admin port", "2400", "com8" (in my case). From my experience suggest you might play around with the device's serial port settings.

 

[kb5ynf]

The device I have is pretty straight forward. There aren't many settings to configure and they are simplistic. By default, the device is setup to use the com port settings of the connecting computer by way of a loaded com driver. I've tried every configuration I can imagine with it but it still doesn't respond via WinSPM. It works fine when connected to SMDR or used with HyperTerminal. It even responds whenever I have it connected to the admin jack on the Legend if I use HyperTerminal but WinSPM doesn't. I'm going to keep playing with it to see if I can work it out but since there aren't many configuration options, I'm running out of ideas.

Thanks for your help.

 

[kb5ynf]

I just wanted to follow-up and say thanks to all who posted replies to my inquiry. I am up and running, albeit on a different serial server. I'd like to offer a special thanks to MEMPHISRIBS for the recommendation of the Digi One SP serial server. I ordered one and it worked perfectly right out of the box with no issues. I guess there is simply some sort of incompatibility with the LavaLink device I purchased first. I knew from the start that logically using a serial port server (redirector) in place of a direct connection should work and I'd been planning on testing my theory for some time. It's always nice to see something like this work out.

By the way MEMPHISRIBS, if you are actually located in Memphis, I'm only about an hour away from you. I'm located in Jonesboro Arkansas.

Thanks to all and 73 to WBØAUQ,

KB5YNF