Subject: Aging RS-232 Gets Reincarnated as Ethernet

Mike Fahrion here from B&B.

Ya' know, our last newsletter about RS-232, 
the Dixie Chicks and Rodney King stirred
up quite a ruckus.  We got love letters and
hate letters from all over the world.

Take a minute and read some of our fan mail:

"Great column - sort of the antitheses of spam.  
Hey - If microsoft claims that 15% of blue screen 
failures are due to 3rd party drivers, they're pretty 
much admitting that the other 85% is generated by 
their own software, right?  hee hee
Keep up the great work" --Emmet

"Long live the serial port!  I predict long 
after the OS Kluge from MS is a distant memory, 
RS232 will still be here."  --David

David and Emmet: We at B&B promise to stand 
brave against the foes of RS-232.  You can count 
on us.

But one guy got a little bent out of shape:

"I find your political commentary onesided and 
misleading.  Unfortunately the Dixie Chicks caved 
in to pressure from the ugliest elements of our 
society and apologized for their reasonable statement."  
--Michael

Now hey, Michael, don't shoot the messenger. You 
alone can judge the Dixie Chicks.  But even after the 
defeat of Saddam Hussein, evil foes still threaten 
the very existence of RS-232 and we must stand firm!

One of the ways we're doing that is marrying RS-232
and its brethren -- RS-422 and 485 -- to Ethernet.
That's right, you can take RS-232 all over the
world with a Serial Server.  Now, serial will never die!

Our Ethernet Product Manager Mario Bernardini put
together a very simple tutorial on Serial Servers.
It's called "How to Enhance Older Automation Equipment 
and Legacy Installations with Ethernet":

http://www.bb-elec.com/serialserver/SerialServer_info.asp?src=e050803

There are three basic modes that Serial Servers use
to transmit data:

*Virtual COM Mode uses a driver to create a "Virtual 
COM Port" so that the software thinks it's talking 
to a serial port, but it's really talking to a LAN.  
The serial port can actually be thousands of miles away.

*Paired Mode is also called "Serial Tunneling."  
In this mode, there is no PC - just two serial devices, 
with a LAN operating invisibly in between the two.  

*Direct IP Mode links a TCP or UDP socket within the PC 
software application to the serial port.

Our new "Vlinx" ESP901 uses all three of those modes
to extend your serial port's reach across your own
LAN or across the globe:

http://www.bb-elec.com/product.asp?sku=ESP901&src=e050803

INTERESTING & UNUSUAL SERIAL SERVER APPLICATIONS

The next time you see flashing lights in your rearview 
mirror you'll be happy to know that the cop's video system is 
being controlled through Ethernet! These serial-controlled 
systems were left in the lurch when new rugged-PC's didn't 
come with enough serial ports. The solution was to mount 
the Ethernet Serial Server in the trunk and connect it to 
the Ethernet port of the PC.

*Vlinx Serial Server hits the snowy slopes of Colorado

Using a Ethernet Serial Server on each end with existing 
Ethernet cabling, the lodge can now communicate with each 
ski lift's RS-485 port. This is a great alternative to 
pulling (or burying) more cable - we call it Serial 
Tunneling.

*Vlinx Filibuster - and Control a Congressman

While I must assure you that we're not responsible 
for the latest Senate filibuster, it looks like 
Vlinx might just be the way to control a congressman. 
Much like a game show (sometimes too much like a 
gameshow), when a congressman wants to speak, 
they push a button. The first one to push the 
button wins. That data is gathered and relayed over 
the Ethernet to the Request-to-Speak system.

*Airport Computer Terminals

A large, non-bankrupt commerical airline is revamping 
its computer terminals, but the new computers lack 
the serial port needed to talk with the serial ticket 
printers. Adding an Ethernet Serial Server added the ports 
needed to avoid the costly replacement of thousands of 
printers.

http://www.bb-elec.com/product.asp?sku=ESP901&src=e050803

Questions? Comments?  We love to hear from you.
Email support@bb-elec.com

Sincerely,

Mike Fahrion
++Standing Firm in the War Against RS-232++

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