2. Introducing to datAxe

The datAxe package contains two main programs: VCOM-TCP Primary Client and COM Port Redirector.

Both the programs make serial (RS232) data from serial ports on your PC available on TCP/IP-based networks and make TCP/IP data available on serial ports of your PC. The software can be used to pass serial data across a corporate intranet or over the Internet.

The programs support two transport data stream protocols: Raw Connection and Telnet (with the COM Port Control features specified by IETF RFC 2217).

You could attach a serial device to a COM port on your PC, run COM Port Redirector and then connect to a serial device from any other PC on your network. This would allow you to use Telnet or any other TCP/IP communications software to read or write to the serial device directly from any PC located on the same network.

VCOM-TCP Primary Client functions as a TCP/IP client (for both the protocol types).

COM Port Redirector can be configured to function as a TCP/IP server and as a TCP/IP client (for both the protocol types). VCOM-TCP Primary Client is fully compatible with COM Port Redirector configured for the Client mode.

Also both the programs can create virtual serial ports on your PC and redirect them to TCP/IP ports and vice versa. These allow PC applications to communicate with any server that accepts a TCP/IP socket connection, including another PC running VCOM-TCP Primary Client or COM Port Redirector.

Applications running on your PC (with the datAxe's programs running) can connect to a remote serial port by connecting to a remote TCP/IP port. This allows the applications (if configured) to use either local serial ports or remote serial ports (e.g., on serial servers).

The datAxe's programs support full two-way I/O for full control of serial instruments (i.e. any instrument that you can plug into the serial port (RS232, RS422 or RS485) of your PC). Typical devices include most serial devices like gages, scales and balances, sensors, micrometers, calipers, bar code scanners, densitometers, laboratory instruments, electronic balance or electronic measuring instrument, RF equipment, communication systems, etc.

The COM Port Control protocol specified by IETF RFC 2217 can be used for any serial device attached to an access server. Such devices could be: serial printers, plotters, monitoring devices such as pipe line monitors or medical monitors, general office equipment such as photo-copiers and cash registers, etc.