Network Your Serial Devices with TOP Server

How Can I Add Serial Devices to My Ethernet Network?

Ethernet Encapsulation of serial communication lets you connect your serial devices over Ethernet using Serial-to-Ethernet converters (also commonly referred to as Terminal Servers, Serial Device Server or Ethernet Encapsulation Modules).

TOP Server’s built-in support lets you use Lantronix, Digi, Moxa, Comtrol or many other converter brands without having to use their virtual COM port redirection software or device protocol converters.

This makes it easier and more affordable to connect devices from longer distances than it would be using serial connections alone.

But what about the Virtual COM software that comes with my Serial-to-Ethernet converter?

So, in case you aren't familiar with them, serial-to-ethernet converters typically supply accompanying software/drivers that allow the terminal server to appear like a serial port to the Windows operating system. This Virtual COM software can make using a terminal server very easy and wouldn't have required any changes to the driver software, except for one VERY IMPORTANT thing, timing.

In many cases, depending on the communications protocol, there can be very tight timing requirements that must be met in order to successfully communicate with the device. Virtual COM software often has not been optimized to work with the requirements of the plant floor environment with respect to such timings.

This typically results in communication errors, breaks in communication, and long delays while the supplied software reconnects to the converter.

Now you can enter an IP address for your serial device

Configuring the channel for Ethernet Encapsulation mode is only half of the story. As with any Ethernet based connection, you
must also specify an IP address, a
port number, and the Ethernet
communications format to be used (i.e. TCP or UDP). This is done when you add a new device to your channel. When a new device is added to the channel the Ethernet Encapsulation settings will allow you to select an Ethernet IP address, an Ethernet Port number, and the Ethernet protocol to be used.