We are often asked if TCP-Com can "Virtualize" a serial port. Users have existing software that communicates through a serial port and they want to get data from a TCP/IP network port address into that software. In other words, they want TCP/IP data to appear as if it were being transmitted and received through a "Virtual" serial port so that their existing serial communications software talk to a TCP/IP port. Only the latest version of TCP-Com for Windows 2000 and XP has this capability. Older versions of TCP/Com for Windows 95, 98, ME and NT do not do this.

You can use older versions of TCP-Com running under Windows 95, 98, ME or NT to accomplish this type of functionality however the trick to doing it is to use two serial ports with a Null modem cable connecting the two serial port to each other. You would run TCP-Com on one serial port thereby linking that serial port to a TCP/IP port and then you would run your existing serial communications software on the other serial port. When data is transmitted from the serial communications program, it would go out its serial port and then immediately back in the other serial port into TCP-Com which would then send the data out the TCP/IP port. Data coming in the TCP/IP port would likewise go out the serial port that TCP-Com is running on and immediately back in the other serial port to the serial communications program.

If you are running Windows 2000 or XP, download the latest version of TCP-Com from the TCP-Com product page.