Transcript
Portbase White Paper
English ver 1.2 Jan 11, 2006
Portbase WHITE PAPER
Overview Computer becomes a more powerful tool by utilizing various functions supported by various types of devices that are connected externally, as well as by fully extending its innate functions. The standard communication protocol is used when connecting computers to the external devices for the most of time. Among these standards the most widely used one is serial communication. Serial communication owes its origin to telex communication, which was used even before the advent of computers. Nowadays most computers have serial communication ports with them. Its simplicity is what makes serial communication such a widespread means of communication, in spite of its low speed and short communication distance. In the meantime, LAN is most often used for communication between computers. With LAN, all communication entities are connected to one coaxial cable by N-to-N scheme, thus making high-speed communication for all entities at the same time possible. LAN has an efficient line wiring structure, but it is not an effective solution for connecting each device due to its complex architecture and high cost. During the period of coexistence of two distinct communication methods both in their purposes and characteristics, LAN is accredited with the advent of IP network, internet. IP network is, so to say, a network of networks. It interconnects local networks, overcoming the spatial limit of LAN that delivers data only within several kilometers. Now connecting to a network means connecting to practically any computer in the world. Computers and devices no more require physical direct connections. Instead, all they need is an IP address of the destination, which is used for logical connection via network. This environment brought about the need for the device server, a serial-to-LAN connector that requires no modification in serial devices.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER
What is a Device Server? A device server connects individual devices to the network, a serial/LAN connector in short. It is composed of at least one LAN port and multiple serial ports(include modem), so that devices with serial ports can be connected to the device server using their serial ports and eventually can be connected to LAN with a single LAN cable. Devices attached to the device server operate as if they are connected to LAN directly, yet using serial communication internally. With the help of the device server, devices logically and indirectly, rather than physically and directly, are linked to the target computer through LAN connection. Consequently, more effective and dynamic tasks can be performed.
Portbase Portbase is a device server acting as a network connector that converts various serial communication standards such as RS232/422/485, as well as existing socket communication, into a unified LAN-based communication. Portbase fulfills all basic functions as a device server, meanwhile offering additional powerful functions such as Portview, COM Port Redirector, and expansion model.
(Diagram) Portbase Architecture
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Portbase WHITE PAPER
Portbase models are determined by the number of serial ports they have. Portbase-3010 is the simplest model with 1 high-speed serial port and 2 10/100Mbps LAN ports. Based on the same composition, models with 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 ports are named Portbase-3020, 3040, 3080, 3160, and 3320, respectively. Also, there are device servers specialized for industrial purpose, Portbase-3010M with modem, and named Portbase-3010F and 3020F with 1 and
2
serial
ports,
respectively.
All
Portbase
products
support
serial
communication interface known as RS232/422/485 and modem , giving users a chance to select appropriate communication type depending on the environment.
Portbase Product Family There are two types of Portbase with 16 serial ports, expansion model 3160 and fixed type model 3161. This distinction enables flexible reactions to the types of devices to be connected. Fixed type supports economic, built-in 16 serial ports, while expansion model supports mounting of 4 port card modules. Up to 4 module cards can be mounted to the card slot at the back of the Portbase, each supporting selective RS232/422/485. Multiple line interfaces can be mixed in one device if expansion model is used.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER
Async-4/232/422/485 Module Card (left) and Portbase-3160 (right)
Portbase Features z
Device Connectivity Management
As a qualified device server, Portbase receives RS232/422/485 signals from connected devices and transmits them to the network, and vice versa. Serial communication speed can be 230.4Kbps maximum, providing fast as well as stable data transmission. Various network protocols are supported, including TCP, UDP, Telnet, ICMP, DHCP, TFTP, HTTP, and PPP to ensure more flexibility. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) 1 and 2 are also supported, helping you manage devices with complete control with the worldwide management standard. z
Configuration
There are many factors that determine the Portbase environment, and Portbase offers you easy but in-depth configuration selections. The settings include serial communication, network, security, management, and other advanced settings. You can configure settings through web or telnet. When configuring by web, you can just use your web browser to access your Portbase and easy web interface will guide you through options. On the other hand, when configuring by telnet, you can connect to the Portbase by telnet and use preset commands to apply changes.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER z
PortView
PortView is a real-time communication status-monitoring program for Portbase. From the PC under the Windows environment, Portbase communication status and all input/output data through each serial port can be monitored from the remote site. When the connected devices suffer from any problematic situation, remote diagnosis and solution can be performed. Serial data can also be saved as a file, providing an effective debugging data for later use.
(Screen Capture) PortView Screen Shot
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COM Port Redirector
COM Port Redirector is an automatic serial/LAN conversion driver installed on a PC. With installed, a user can use serial ports of Portbase that are connected through network as if they were COM ports in the user PC. This saves a lot of extra work that might have been necessary: all previous serial communication programs can be used without any modification, including conversion to socket program.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER
(Screen Capture) Redirector Configuration Screen
Portbase Application Portbase can be applied to various fields. The fields include connection of POS(Point-of-Sale)-related
devices,
monitoring/controlling
of
all
kinds
of
manufacturing facilities, operation status monitoring/controlling/data acquisition of many devices, remote device control with console port via internet, controlling important social facilities and structures such as roads, railways, airports, and harbors. In this white paper, three of such applications are described.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER Case 1 : Banks
Portbase can be used for smooth data communication between the bank
server
and
the
banking
devices such as ATM and CD. In banks, a single server can control all terminals,
thus
gaining
a
big
efficiency in administration, cost, security,
and
accuracy
in
data
processing.
Case 2 : Hotel Security System
Portbase can be used to effectively
manage
the
hotel server and security devices such as fingerprint recognizer or CCTV. Stable security system operation can
be
guaranteed
centralized rather
than
by
management distributed
management.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER
Case 3 : Credit Card Transaction
iCAT (Internet Credit card Authorization Terminal) solution from SystemBase is a specified device server application in credit card transactions. iCAT includes a built-in security feature using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption for safe card payment. This brings about dramatic improvement in many aspects such as cost, processing time, and security compared to the existing solution using PSTN. iCAT solution has proven its excellence, selling more than 30,000 ports in Korea alone. (For more information about this application, please refer to iCAT White Paper from the company website, http://www.sysbas.com/) The listed practical examples are only a part of applicable fields of Portbase. Users can exploit Portbase to virtually any field according to his or her needs. Understanding the basic functions of device server is a key to searching for more Portbase applications.
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Portbase WHITE PAPER Case 4. Standalone RAS server(PB-3010M) IP address can be assigned with PPP connection on the modem port of PB-3010M.
PPP Applications 1.
Connect to the device when network failure occurs in Portbase.
2.
Use Portbase as RAS server to get internet access with modem connection.
Case 6. Network Fax Modem
Modem port of Portbase can be used as local modem of PC. With this function, Fax can be sent from the PC.
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