Installation guide

Applications: Windows CE embedded systems, Palm type units, or other portable data acquisition devices that may
need access to a TCP/IP-Ethernet environment, and have PPP capability, but do not have a Ethernet port, can be con-
nected to the serial port of a NETRS232.
Disabled Mode
This mode simply disables a port; it has no configuration settings.
2. Virtual port (driver) settings
The NETRS232 virtual port allows a serial port on a NETRS232 to be used in same manner as a local serial port when the
port is configured in Driver Mode (described above). In this state, the driver for the virtual port converts local serial
port accesses into TCP/IP packets to be exchanged with NETRS232 ports.
Polling Limit
Setting a polling limit for the virtual port driver allows the NETRS232 to support high-speed connections. The serial
port is constantly polled for new data. Polling stops when number of consecutive polls with no new data reaches the
polling limit parameter specified in the dialog box. Since polling introduces network traffic, this parameter should be
set as low as possible without introducing a lag to the connection. To reduce network traffic, reduce the polling limit;
to reduce lag, increase the polling limit. Interactive applications (such as typing) or applications that exchange bursts
of data should use a lower polling limit. Applications with a constant high data rate should use a higher polling limit.
Compatibility Mode
The NETRS232 virtual port normally operates in high performance mode. Compatibility mode supports applications
that require a more accurate simulation of a local serial port. The need for Compatibility mode is indicated when data
being sent to the remote serial port is lost or sent repeatedly.
3. Virtual port (driver) bindings
Background
Activating a NETRS232 port in effect creates a "virtual" driver port that is associated with a particular physical serial
port on a particular NETRS232. When a driver virtual port is opened, a connection must be established to the appropri-
ate NETRS232. In normal operation, that connection is made to the IP address assigned to the NETRS232 at the time
the activation was created. However, on many Ethernet/IP networks, the IP address of individual devices may change