serial COM Port to TCPIP

[rsmrostov]

I saw a lot of posts that deal with this, however: I have a test rack with 24 UUTs, each has a usb to Ethernet adapter.  I want to use each adapter to talk to the UUT with the same IP (can't changed it it's static).  I need to be able to go through a com port and communicate to a specific UUT, knowing that I am communicating through this specific com port, not any other of the 24.

I saw a few virtual drivers, that seem to do this, but has anyone done anything of this nature before?  I know I can create a NI Visa resource in NI MAX but that doesn't help me, because I can't link a com port to that resource, can I?

[Dennis_Knutson]

The USB is actually a virtual com port? Each one will be listed separately in MAX if you have the correct driver. You would not need to create anything if that is how they are listed. Can you attach the screenshot from MAX to illustrate what your actual problem is?

[Omar_II]

We use manage switches from NetGear to selectively communicate with multiple UUT in a chamber that all have the same IP address.

The test software controls the NetGear via RS232 to only enable one port at a time. We then can telnet to each one at a time.

[rsmrostov]

yeah, thought about it, what do you think is the advantage over the virtual driver?  More reliable?  Also, Omar, the overhead seems to be quite big in such a set-up, unfortunetly.

[rsmrostov]

It's a physical port - it actually goes like this

usb (from PC) to USB - Hub -> Usb Hub (each usb output) to a usb->ethernet adapter (this creates a com-port) -> inside the chamber converted back to usb and connected to a UUT - 24 outputs, 24 UUTs with each with the same IP

I will post the screen shot of the NI-max tomorrow morning.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Include the make and model of this adapter, please.

[rsmrostov]

[rsmrostov]

This is the capture of the NI MAX only Com Port 52 has a device attached now, there are 24 ports like that, with allocation of COM[30:53].

The USB to Ethernet Extension device is a Trip Lite:B202-150-ND

[Dennis_Knutson]

The datasheet says it's a bus extender with no mention of serial or Ethernet, just that it uses cat5 cable. You didn't install anything to make it appear as a com port?Sorry, I have no idea what this is or how it relates to a tcp/ip port.

[rsmrostov]

there's a proprietary driver that picks this up as the COM port, this part works like a charm.  It's converting this serial COM-port to a TCP/IP and locking a COM port to an IP that is troubling me.

24 COM ports each must talk to an individual DUT, each DUT has the same IP.

I haven't resolved the problem above yet.

Sorry if I am being unclear, a lot of people have trouble understanding the need here, I guess it's not something ppl do often.