What is a serial device server?

A serial device server is a managed RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 to Ethernet converter that allows devices with serial communication to be connected to the LAN network and the Internet. Serial device servers allow remote access to any device using a serial port for communication through an internal LAN network or, with appropriate configuration, also through the Internet.

For the server to operate correctly on the RS-232 and RS-485 port side, the serial port communication parameters such as baud rate, data bits, stop bits, parity and the configuration of the TCP server settings assigned to a given port must be configured, while on the computer side we need to configure an application operating as a TCP client or the VCOM software provided by the manufacturer, which creates a virtual COM port on the computer, causing our computer to see communication with the device connected to the server in such a way as if they were physically connected to each other with an RS-232 or RS-485 cable.

Types and characteristics of serial device servers

Serial device servers are divided into several categories depending on the number and type of communication interfaces they support. Classic serial device servers have up to 16 RS-232 or RS-485 ports and one Ethernet port. The second group of servers is a server using serial ports and two Ethernet ports. Another category consists of port servers which, in addition to the Ethernet port, also have a fibre optic port for TCP communication. The last category of servers consists of converters that use a wireless cellular network or Wi-Fi for communication. 

Serial device servers available in our offer are characterised by a wide operating temperature range from -40° to 85°C, an industrial power supply range of 9~48VDC, which also allows them to be used at facilities with 48VDC telecommunications power supply, and resistance to vibrations, shocks and electromagnetic discharges. Combined with a very long mean time between failures (MTBF: 20 years) and a five-year warranty, our products can easily be assigned to the rugged industrial category, i.e. the highest class of port servers, dedicated to the most reliable industrial systems such as airports, hospitals, factories or public utility sites where the reliability of safety systems plays a key role.

Serial device server and example places of its application

Depending on the operating conditions, interface and devices with which the serial device server is potentially intended to work, we can choose several different device models.

In the classic example, where on the serial port side we have only one device with RS-232 or RS-485 to connect, such as an industrial scale or a security control panel (for security companies), the best solution will be to use the basic port server NP301 with one universal RS-232/422/485 serial port and one Ethernet port allowing the scale to be connected to the LAN network or the alarm control panel to be connected to the Internet, later enabling communication between the main control panel and the customer's alarm control panel.

The second example is the use of a port server that uses a fibre optic interface for TCP communication. A frequent application for such converters is communication when controlling variable message signs and traffic lights. Due to the specific communication structure in road infrastructure projects, the use of the IES615-2F-2D(RS-232) server, which additionally has two fibre optic ports allowing, among other things, operation in a ring topology, may prove to be the best solution.

Another example may be connecting several measuring meters to any LAN/WAN network. In the case where the meter uses an RS-232 interface, we will have to choose a server with more than one RS-232 port, e.g. NP304-4D(RS-232). If, on the other hand, we have meters with an RS-485 port, depending on the location of the meters, it is necessary to consider a point-to-point structure connection or the serial connection of meters.

Our last example will be a serial device server connected in a place where it is not possible to run a fibre optic or LAN cable, where we can decide on a port server using a cellular network. An example of such a server will be the IRT5300-AW-5T2D, which has 5 LAN ports, 2 serial ports, 2 LTE network modules and built-in WiFi.

We hope that our article helped in understanding what serial device servers  are and will make it easier to choose the right port server for the project. If you still have any doubts, we invite you to consult our sales department.


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