Contents
Using the SolarNet Comm Driver

The Comm Driver lets you use a terminal program to connect to network nodes using the Telnet protocol.

Introduction

What Is the Comm Driver?

How To..

Enable the Comm Driver

Disable the Comm Driver

Connect to a COM Port or Redirect Communications to the Network

Disconnect from the Network

Specify a Host Name

Specify a Terminal Type

Specify a Network Port Number

Note: This Help text distinguishes between the SolarNet Comm Driver and the Windows COM Driver with different spellings of "com."


What Is the Comm Driver?

The Comm Driver provides redirection capabilities for the physical COM ports on a PC. It accomplishes redirection by acting as an extension of the regular Windows COM Driver. When you run a Windows-based terminal emulator, you must select a COM port through which to connect to a remote host.

Once you select a COM port, the SolarNet Comm Driver allows you to connect to a remote host via:

A SolarNet network connection

A physical COM port.

The SolarNet Comm Driver provides the ability to establish a connection to a remote host via the SolarNet network, and it allows the regular Windows COM Driver to take care of communicating with hosts and devices that are connected to the physical COM and LPT ports.

The SolarNet Comm Driver is loaded by Windows when Windows first loads. Once the Comm Driver is loaded, it remains loaded until Windows is shut down. During Windows shutdown, the Comm Driver is unloaded. It is at this time that the Comm Driver performs any cleanup that may have been missed during regular processing.

The SolarNet Comm Driver supports up to 8 simultaneous sessions. These sessions are associated with COM1 through COM8. Some terminal programs may limit the number of COM ports.

The SolarNet Setup program renames the Windows COM driver. If you stop using the SolarNet software, you will likely want to restore the Windows COM driver's original name---comm.drv.


Enable the Comm Driver

1.	Open the Configuration dialog box.

Double-click the Configuration icon. The Configuration dialog box opens.

2.	Pull down the Advanced Settings and select COM Redirector.

The COM Redirector dialog opens.

3.	Select one of the available ports in the Select Port list box.

4.	Select the option button labeled Network Port.

5. (Optional) Select the Confirm With User Each Time check box option.

This selection confirms a network connection every time a COM port connection attempt is made. This feature allows attaching a hardware device, such as a printer, to a physical COM port and enables bypassing a network redirection in favor of direct access to the physical port.

6.	Specify any Telnet parameters, as needed.

You must enter a host name.

7.	Choose Enable Redirector.

This selection enables the Comm Driver, which will automatically connect to the specified host whenever you connect to the specified COM port with a terminal program, unless you performed Step 3 above. This COM port stays enabled until you disable it.


Disable the Comm Driver

1.	Open the Configuration dialog box.

Double-click the Configuration icon. The Configuration dialog box opens.

2.	Pull down the Advanced Settings and select COM Redirector.

The COM Redirector dialog opens.

3.	Select one of the available ports in the Select Port list box.

When you select an enabled COM port, the Enable Redirector button label changes to Disable Redirector.

4.	Choose the Disable Redirection button.

5.	Choose OK.


Connect to a COM Port or Redirect Communications to the Network

1.	Fill in all of the applicable fields in the COM Redirector dialog box.

These fields include host name, terminal type, and port number.

2.	Choose Connect.

If you selected Network in the Connection Media box, the Comm Driver establishes a TELNET session with the specified host.

If you selected COMx (where x is 1-8) in the Connection Media box, the Comm Driver passes control of the COM port over to the regular Windows COM Driver.


Disconnect from the Network

To disconnect a Comm Driver session:

1.	Terminate the current terminal session.

For example, in a UNIX C shell session, type Exit.

2.	Disconnect your terminal program from the redirected COM port.

The Windows program releases the COM port for use.

Tip: You can also terminate a Comm Driver session by halting your terminal program.


Specify a Host Name

1.	Select Network in the Connection Media box.

2.	Enter the name or IP address of the host machine to which you wish to connect.

The host name may be up to 256 characters long.

Note: An entry in the Host text box is mandatory


Specify a Terminal Type

1.	Select Network in the Connection Media box.

2.	Specify a terminal type that the Comm Driver will report to the remote host during the TELNET negotiation portion of the session establishment sequence.

The terminal type name may be up to 48 characters long. The default value for the terminal type is vt100. If you clear this field, the Comm Driver reports a terminal type of UNKNOWN during the TELNET negotiation.


Specify a Network Port Number

When you want your PC to establish a TCP session with a remote server, you must specify the TCP port you want to address. Specifying a port identifies the application to which the client wants to connect.

For example, on a Sun Workstation, the TELNET Server (called telnetd) listens on port 23. Listen means that the TELNET Server is running and waiting for a client to call port 23. When the TELNET Server detects a connection request on port 23, it responds to the request, and a TELNET session is established.

1.	Select Network in the Connection Media dialog box.

2.	Specify the TCP port that the Comm Driver will use to open a Telnet connection.

The Network Port number may be any number between 1 and 65536. The default value for the SolarNet Comm Driver is port 23.  There are situations, however, when you may need to connect to a port other than 23.