41
4.10.3 Tunneling Troubleshooting
Using the original serial cable, please confirm valid communication between the serial
device and its application software on the PC with no iServers in between (direct serial
connection).
A successful connection is evident when the Remote Access drop down menu in the
Configuration page shows enable. This proves that the Serial Tunnel between the two
iServers is up and running. Otherwise, reset the power, first on the remote iServer and
then on the local iServer and recheck for Remote Access drop down menu as enable.
A quick way to check the LAN and serial tunneling connection is to separately access
each iServer WEB page via the Ethernet. If successful, this should prove a valid LAN
connection.
For serial tunneling, open a HyperTerminal session on the PC pointing to the same COM
port to which the Local iServer is connected and type/send some characters. This should
cause the Rx LED on the Local iServer to blink as it receives the data from the serial port
and onto the LAN. Accordingly, the Tx LED on the Remote iServer should blink as it
transmits the data from the LAN into the serial device. If no LEDs blink, then that could
possibly point to the iServer connection in trouble - particularly, the serial cabling and/or
the serial settings (Baud rate, stop bit, parity, etc.) throughout the communication path
between the PC, the iServer, and the serial device.
4.11 iPORT, COM Port Redirector
To obtain the iPORT software (iPORT.exe file) please use the phone number, as listed on
the cover of this manual, to contact the Sales Department nearest you.
To install the iPORT application, simply double-click on the iPORT.exe file and follow the
installation steps. The iPORT is compatible with Windows NT, 2000, and XP operating
systems.
4.11.1 iPORT Overview
The iPORT is a COM port redirecting software for Windows NT, 2000, and XP. Its
function is to redirect connections that are destined for a local serial (COM) port on a PC,
to an iServer network-enabling device on the LAN. In a direct serial connection,
application software can communicate directly over an RS232 or RS485 with a serial
device
(Figure 4.27)
.
By installing iPORT software on the same PC, the iPORT will redirect the serial
connection from the COM port to the network port on that PC. The connection can simply
reach the serial device through an iServer sitting anywhere on an Ethernet network
(Figure 4.28)
. This connection redirection is totally transparent to the serial device and
its application software. Once the connection is up from the PC to the serial device, the
data is transmitted across the Ethernet network to the serial device and back from the
serial device to the PC, all through the iServer and the iPORT.