How to share COM over Network

To connect specialized serial port devices to the Network, first, it’s required to install serial over network software on all machines in your network system.

Then, you’ll need to enable data transmission to and from Internet-capable devices.

This is how you do this:

That’s it! Now, all data from a remote serial port device will appear on the client computer as though the device were physically attached to that PC. What’s especially convenient is that you need no additional wires, cables or hardware to connect to the required remote equipment. 

How to serial port over the network

COM over network software provides a simple way to create and maintain a secure connection between a remote serial device and an information system. With a dedicated application like Serial to Ethernet Connector (SEC), data is transferred via an encrypted channel and there’s no need to enter it manually. This means there is no room for human error.

Also, wireless communications ensure quicker and more frequent data updates, which allows making decisions faster and improves workflow efficiency.  

Serial to Ethernet Connector works perfectly well over both wired and wireless networks. It lets you share COM ports over Ethernet and the Internet.

The dedicated software is designed to create virtual copies of serial ports residing on a selected device. These virtual COM ports allow connecting certain equipment to any software platform across a network. 

Alternative solutions for remote access to serial ports over LAN

As mentioned before, Serial to Ethernet software is probably the easiest method to access COM over LAN. The software is simple to install and use and it doesn’t require complex configurations and programming skills. Alternatively, you can try sharing your COM ports with a hardware RS232 to LAN converter and see which solution is best for you.

Intel Serial over LAN with Management Module Command Line Interface and DPCProxy utility

If you need to connect from a client software running on a management workstation and/or central network proxy to the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) over LAN, you can do this using Intel serial over LAN Command Line Interface and DPCProxy utility.

Note that DPCProxy utility can run as a Windows service or as a daemon for Linux. You can install it on the management console or in a centralized server. Also, you should initiate a Telnet session from the managing console to DPCProxy, no matter which OS (Windows or Linux) you are running on either system.

To start a telnet session to the remote server, do the following:

At the command prompt of your OS, type “telnet xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx 623”.

♦ xxx - the IP address of the system (e.g. a central network server) running the Network Proxy. If it’s a local system, type “localhost” instead.

♦ 623 - default UDP port used for Intel Command Line Interface connections.

Next, enter the IP address of the server (you’re connecting to) at the prompt “Server:”

After that, provide the BMC username and password for the target system. Once authentication is complete, you should see a message indicating that the login is successful and the “dpccli>” prompt.

Now, type “console” at the command prompt. This will start its redirection to the SOL Mode

To terminate SOL, use “~.”

By using these simple steps you will be able to work with COM port using the Intel Serial over LAN options.

Accessing Arduino over LAN

If you are looking for a simple way to communicate with your Arduino over the network, a useful app, swDuino 2.0, will help you achieve this goal.

Arduino

swDuino 2.0 is a handy program designed to build interactive Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs). It enables seamless communications between client software and Arduino, which allows monitoring and controlling devices connected to the latter remotely through Web APIs. Thanks to this free solution, any client program supporting HTTP protocol can get the ability to exchange variables with Arduino over LAN.

swDuino 2.0 offers a dedicated plug-and-play Arduino library making it possible to access serial over LAN for work with Arduino. Also, this Windows-based software has a built-in multi-threaded HTTP/Web Server and lets you save your Arduino sensors' data to computer databases like SQL, MySQL, Oracle, and more.

Conclusion

Compared to other serial over LAN solutions, COM to Ethernet Connector seems to be a more efficient and secure way to share serial devices over the network. The app lets you easily redirect data from any serial POS device to the central server and back. Thanks to its outstanding features, the utility makes it simple to access a required POS device regardless of how far from your computer it is located, whereas any hardware-based solution is limited by the distance and cannot provide such opportunity. Also, this efficient program will be a perfect tool for those who don’t want to deal with tons of wires on their desk.