IDEC WindSRV - Manual (Page 59)

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enhancements before they are used in a production environment.
Channel Properties - Ethernet Encapsulation
Ethernet Encapsulation mode has been designed to provide communication with serial devices connected to terminal
servers on the Ethernet network. A terminal server is essentially a virtual serial port. The terminal server converts TCP/
IP messages on the Ethernet network to serial data. Once the message has been converted to a serial form, users can
connect standard devices that support serial communications to the terminal server. For more information, refer to
How Do I.. .
Ethernet Encapsulation can be used over wireless network connections (such as 802.11b and CDPD packet networks)
and has also been developed to support a wide range of serial devices. Using a terminal server device allows users to
place RS-232 and RS-485 devices throughout the plant operations while still allowing a single localized PC to access the
remotely mounted devices. Ethernet Encapsulation also allows an individual Network IP address to be assigned to
device as needed. By using multiple terminal servers, users can access hundreds of serial devices from a single PC.
Configuring Ethernet Encapsulation Mode
To use Ethernet Encapsulation, click the Use Ethernet Encapsulation checkbox in Communications Parameters
while in the Channel Wizard. Alternatively, click Channel Properties | Communications as shown below.
Important: When Ethernet Encapsulation mode is selected, the serial port settings (such as baud rate, data bits and
parity) will become greyed out. This occurs because these settings cannot be used in Ethernet Encapsulation mode. The
terminal server being used must, however, have its serial port properly configured to match the requirements of the
serial device that will be attached to the terminal server.
The server's multiple channel support allows users to have up to 16 channels on each driver protocol. When using
multiple channels, a channel can be defined to use the local PC serial port and another channel can be defined to use
Ethernet Encapsulation mode.
Channel-level Ethernet Encapsulation Settings
Once Ethernet Encapsulation mode has been enabled, users need to configure its settings. If Use Ethernet
Encapsulation was checked in the Communications Parameters dialog of the wizard, the settings will be displayed in a
Channel Wizard dialog. To access the settings after the channel has been added, right-click on the channel and then
select Properties | Ethernet Encapsulation.