Q: Serial Port to Ethernet (TCP/IP)

Hi all. Was wondering if anyone knew of a serial port to ethernet
application running linux. I've searched all over Google, Dogpile and
Usenet (found a lot of hardware based solutions). What I am looking for is
an application that would allow bi-directional data flow between the serial
ports on one PC with another PC across a TCP/IP network. I guess you could
also call it a Remote Serial Port. I know there are hardware devices that
do this and I have seen a couple Windows-based apps that do this.

The ideal would be a 1 disk linux boot disk app that could do it. I have
an old small format, 486 single board computer (with dual serial ports and
a 3COM 3C509 NIC) that I'd like to use as the host so that a second
computer could connect to it using TCPIP and access its serial ports (which
would be connected to a couple of remote I/O devices).

I found a linux boot disk set that kind of does this (it was made to access
ReplayTV modem across a network), but I don't have the knowledge-base with
Linux to modify this for the above application.

My other option would be to install a small hard drive on the SBC, load
Windows and write a C++ app to do it. Would really like to keep this nice
and simple (single floppy and no HD).

Anyone seen anything that might fit the bill? Any help or information is
greatly appreciated. Thank you.

-=>Donald

Donald Holman wrote:

> Hi all. Was wondering if anyone knew of a serial port to ethernet
> application running linux.

Isn't this what PPP or SLIP does?

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

Timothy Murphy wrote:
> Donald Holman wrote:
>
>
>>Hi all. Was wondering if anyone knew of a serial port to ethernet
>>application running linux.
>
>
> Isn't this what PPP or SLIP does?

No. They would be trying to stuff IP packets down the serial lines (no
good if the serial devices don't do SLIP/PPP).


To the OP, if there isn't something already available it should be
really simple to write a client/server app to do this with Linux:

For the server: listen on a socket; when connected, open serial port use
poll/select to detect data on TCP/serial connection and write the data
to the other

The client is the same except it would initiate the connection rather
than listen.

Setting up a floppy/CD shouldn't be too hard (assuming you can get the
ferw commands you need on to a floppy).

--
Paul Black mailto(E-Mail Removed)
Oxford Semiconductor Ltd http://www.oxsemi.com
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Oxfordshire. OX14 4SH Fax: +44 (0) 1235 821 141