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What
it does...
TCPtoSer waits for a TCP connection on a port specified by you, for example,
the Telnet port 23. Or, it connects to any port of a host. After that,
any data from that connection is forwarded to the serial port and vice
versa. If the data can't be sent to the serial port immediately, it is
buffered dynamically by this application. What you can do with it... There are probably many different things you can do with it. Below, are
described just a few of many uses for this program. You've got two computers in your local TCP/IP network. One of them (PC1) has got a modem, and you want to connect it, for example, to a mailbox via that modem from the other computer (PC2). Use TCPtoSer on the modem computer, and connect to it with Telnet. If you want to transfer files from and to the mailbox, you should use a slightly different way, because a Telnet client normally doesn't know how to transfer files using compression and error control methods of mailboxes like ZMODEM. The best way would be if the second PC (PC2) would have got two free serial ports. If it hasn't, there are several com port cards for about 30 Euro which add two serial ports to your computer. You will also need a Null-Modem cable to connect the two serial ports (loop back).Well, the rest is easy: A terminal software (Telix, ZOC, Hyperterminal) transmits the data to the first serial port, which sends it over the Null-Modem cable to the second serial port on the same computer. TCPtoSer reads the data from that port and sends it via TCP/IP to the modem computer, where another TCPtoSer sends it to the modem. The same path is used for the other direction (download). Look at this picture. If you think using a Loop-Back cable is a bit funny ... well, you could try using ZOC (see http://www.emtec.com), which allows you to use for example the ZMODEM protocol via a Telnet connection. We plan to implement a "Telnet compatibility mode", but actually TCPtoSer doesn't support the Telnet binary transmission described in RFC0856. Look at this picture. An emulation of a com port would be a nice thing, but it would be a lot of work, because a driver would have to be written for Win95 and WinNT separately. We don't know if we'll do that.
You've got three computers in your local TCP/IP network,
two Windows machines and one other machine (for example a Macintosh).
One Windows computer is in another room, and a serial printer is attached
to it. You want to print some documents (or pictures) created on your
Macintosh. Use TCPtoSer on both Windows machines. Connect the Macintosh
to the Windows PC next to it using a serial cable. Make a TCP/IP connection
between the two TCPtoSer, and use the standard printer driver for your
printer on the Mac. The Mac gives the data to the first PC via the serial
line, the first PC sends it to the second PC via TCP/IP, and the second
PC gives it directly to the printer. The settings for an old HP510 are:
57600,8n1,CTS/RTS. Look at
this picture.
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Remote UNIX printing: You've got a UNIX machine and a Windows PC. A serial printer is attached
to the Windows PC. You want to print some documents created on the UNIX-Machine.
Use a Perl script. There is an example script in TCP2Serial, the counterpart
of my TCPtoSer for Macintosh computers. Please ask Peter Lewis, <peter.lewis@info.curtin.edu.au>. What it doesn't do... Well, it doesn't emulate a serial port. So, for example, you can't take a simple modem program, and communicate with a modem remotely. That is, because the simple modem program doesn't know how to send its data via TCP/IP. It tries to connect directly via the serial port. You can use another computer or a Loop-Back cable to get the data from that serial port and send them via TCP/IP to the modem (see Remote modem connection). Some people asked us, if TCPtoSer could be used to build a TCP/IP network over a serial link. Well, of course it is possible to connect the serial sites of two TCPtoSer. But in this case you won't have a TCP/IP network, because only one single TCP port can be used. The Windows Dialup Networking application is better in this case. It should be possible to use the Dialup Networking for a direct serial link, too, not only for a modem connection.
A free serial port and Winsock 1.1 is needed. TCPtoSer runs on Win95/98/MI/NT/2000/XP platforms.
The registration costs 26.50 Euro (*Orders within Europe: Please add the value-added tax (VAT)). You may use this program without registration for a period of 30 days. After that, it will stop working and you MUST register or delete TCPtoSer from your hard disk. You may use the registration key for one running application, or if you are using the program for "remote printing" or "remote modem connection" where TCPtoSer is untilized at the local and remote site, one registration key will suffice. You may not give the registration key to other people. The registration key is valid for all 1.x.x versions of TCPtoSer. Please click here to order through ShareIt, an online order service. Payment by credit card is possible.
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