Connection to Remote Serial Devices from Windows

I've played around with a number of "serial-to-ethernet" boxes to
help me support different pieces of serial equipment, but the
problem is that they always end up on a network behind a firewall.
Needless to say, getting the LAN adminsitrator to give me access
is always a hassle.

I found the Traversix Connectivity System (www.traversix.com)
a while back, and it looks like a pretty good solution.

The neat thing is that it's more than just a serial-to-ethernet
converter. It also includes a client for your PC that makes
a virtual serial port, but more importantly, includes a managed
service at a central gateway. This allows the serial server and
the client to connect to each other if either or both of them are
behind a firewall, without requiring any special firewall
configuration.

All data is secure and encrypted, which I like, and the system
seems to have pretty low latency, as well as sending all control
signals. My serial applications can't tell the difference between
the client's virtual serial port and a real one.

They're selling a starter kit with one Connectivity Server,
the software, and a 3-month license to use their Gateway
on their web site. If you've got a tough remote connectivity
problem, it's definitely worth checking out.

I've used it to:
Manage a PBX
Update firmware
Monitor an industrial controller
Capture data from a lab experiment

I'm sure you can think of lots of other uses as well.