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The CTS Serial Port Utilities (TM) User Guide Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. (c) Copyright 1993-1994 Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this User Guide may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language (natural or computer), in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. See the accompanying files VENDOR.DOC, LICENSE.DOC, and SYSOP.DOC for specific information pertaining to distribution of this shareware version of the User Guide. Information in this User Guide is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. may make improvements and/or changes in the User Guide and/or in Serial Port Utilities at any time. Trademarks and Copyrights IBM(R) and PS/2(R) are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Hayes(R) is a registered trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. The CTS Serial Port Utilities(TM), SwapIRQ(TM), and AT Command Test(TM) are trademarks of Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. MSD is an application distributed by Microsoft Corporation T/Port(TM) and Telcor(TM) are trademarks of Telcor Systems Corporation. Other names listed in this User Guide are the proprietary trademarks of their respective companies. Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 3847 Foxwood Road, Suite 1000 Duluth, Georgia USA 30136 404-263-8623 (voice) 404-263-0124 (fax) CompuServe ID:76662,2315 ii Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. TABLE OF CONTENTS Registration Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Personal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Personal PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Professional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Professional PLUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Association Of Shareware Professionals Member . . . . . . . . x Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi 1.0 Introducing The CTS Serial Port Utilities . . . . . . . . 1 PORTINFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 BUFFER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 COM_BPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 COM_FMT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 DOS_COM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 DOS_SWAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 DTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 IRQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 RESETCOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 RTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.0 Short Instructions (Quick-Start) . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.0 The Command Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Serial Port Number Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 On / Off Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Parameter Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Option Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4.0 Defining Non-Standard Serial Ports . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5.0 Testing Your System With PortInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Test All Serial Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Test One Serial Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Quick Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Network Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The PortInfo Summary Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Port Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Port Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Interrupt (IRQ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 IRQ (Out2) Enabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 DOS uses port as . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Type of Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Buffer - Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Port Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Speed (BPS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Bits / Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 iii Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Parity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Stop Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Hardware Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Clear to Send . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Data Set Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Ring Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Data Carrier Detect . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Data Terminal Ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Request to Send . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 6.0 The Other Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 BUFFER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 COM_FMT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 COM_BPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 DOS_COM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 DOS_SWAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 DTR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 IRQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 RESETCOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 RTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 7.0 PortInfo FAILURE and WARNING Messages . . . . . . . . . . 31 Interrupt Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Message PI-2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Message PI-2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Message PI-2100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Message PI-2110 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 You have multiple ports at the same address . 33 You have another device using the same interrupt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Your system will not let you share this interrupt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Message PI-2200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Message PI-2300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Port Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Message PI-3000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Message PI-3100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Mouse Conflicts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Message PI-4000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 DOS Port Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Message PI-5000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Message PI-5010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Message PI-5020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Message PI-5030 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Message PI-5040 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Other CTS Software Detected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Message PI-6000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 8.0 Customer Support Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 9.0 About Computer Telecommunication Systems . . . . . . . . 43 AT Command Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 iv Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. SwapIRQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 MouseOFF and MouseON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Serial Cards (Comm Ports) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Cables / Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Custom Programming Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 v Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Registration Options ==================== Four different registration options are available: ** Personal ** -------------- This is the most economical registration for a single user. If you need to use (or used) the SPU to diagnose a problem with your personal computer, then this is the license for you. By registering, you obtain personalized support to assist you with trouble-shooting your computer. Details are provided in the User Guide section titled "Customer Support Policy". As part of this license, you also receive: * 30 minutes of personal assistance with your serial port problems. * The most current version of the CTS Serial Port Utilities. * A FREE CompuServe IntroPak which gets you online with CompuServe without the regular signup fee plus a $15 usage credit. * FREE minor version updates. * Announcements about major updates. You will receive a FREE upgrade to any major update within 6 months of your registration. The license provided with this option allows the registered user to use the SPU on any computer personally owned by the registered user. ** Personal PLUS ** ------------------- This registration option provides all of the benefits above plus: * A printed copy of the attractive 85 page, 8.5 x 11" User Guide, including 30 pages of introductory and reference information not included in the electronic manual. This additional information includes serial port basics, types of serial ports, when and why you need a 16550A UART, how and when you can share interrupts between serial ports, details of the RS-232 interface, cable wiring, and how IRQ 2 and IRQ 9 are used. * A FREE upgrade to any major update within *12* months of your registration. vi Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. * up to *60* minutes of personal assistance with your serial port problems. * The MouseOn and MouseOff utilities. The "mouse utilities" allow a mouse and a modem to share the same interrupt when running under DOS. The license provided with this option allows the registered user to use the SPU on any computer personally owned by the registered user. ** Professional ** ------------------ This license is for consultants and corporate support specialists who routinely deal with a multiple computers. Treat the SPU like your screwdriver - that is, as long as it is in your possession and not "left" (installed) at any other machine, you are in compliance with the license. Only one individual is authorized to call for support. This license option provides all of the benefits described above, plus: * A *new* bonus utility "FindCOM" which locates any serial port installed in the computer system. This utility does a passive search of the I/O address area to find any 8250 compatible serial port at *any* address. A very handy utility for those "unknown" machines. * Up to *90* minutes of technical support (one authorized caller per license) * Allows use of the SPU on multiple computers AS LONG AS the SPU is ONLY used on ONE COMPUTER AT A TIME. Site licenses are available for situations where multiple installed copies are required. ** Professional PLUS ** ----------------------- Includes everything in the Professional License, PLUS: * A "toolkit copy" of the CTS SwapIRQ(tm) utility. SwapIRQ is our $29.95 (retail) DOS utility that lets DOS applications use any IRQ supported by a serial port or modem. A very handy utility for those situations where an IRQ conflict could be resolved *if* a software application could just use a different IRQ. Now it can! SwapIRQ is a TSR which uses 784 bytes of memory and redirects hardware-generated IRQs to the IRQ the software uses. SwapIRQ runs in DOS, or in a DOS box under Windows and OS/2. Note: each installed copy of SwapIRQ requires an additional license. Multicopy discounts and site licenses are available if required. Contact CTS for details. vii SPU Version 1.3 LICENSE REGISTRATION FORM Name: _________________________________________________________ Daytime telephone: __________________ Evening: _______________ Fax Number: _________________ CompuServe ID: _______________ Company Name: _________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ALL ORDERS - Choose format: 5.25" ____ 3.5" ____ QTY Description Unit Price Subtotal === =========== ========== ======== ___ Personal $20.00 $________ ___ Personal PLUS $35.00 $________ ___ Professional $59.00 $________ ___ Professional PLUS $79.00 $________ Sales Tax: Georgia residents add 5% $________ Shipping: $ 4.00 TOTAL (US dollars, please) $________ PAYMENT METHOD: Cash __ Check __ Money Order __ Visa __ MasterCard __ Discover __ ================================================================= CREDIT CARD INFORMATION ================================================================= Name as it appears on the card: _________________________________ Card No. ________ ________ ________ ________ Expires ___/___ Cardholder signature: ___________________________________________ ================================================================= SEND TO ================================================================= Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 3847 Foxwood Road, Suite 1000 Duluth, Georgia 30136-6100 USA 404-263-8623 (Voice) 404-263-0124 (FAX) CompuServe: 76662,2315 Internet:76662.2315@compuserve.com NOTE: Prices are subject to change without notice Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY USERS OF THIS SOFTWARE MUST ACCEPT THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THIS SOFTWARE IS SUPPLIED AS IS. COMPUTER TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE AND THE ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS. NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPUTER TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS COMPUTER TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS PRODUCT, EVEN IF COMPUTER TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. ix Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Association Of Shareware Professionals Member ============================================= _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. x Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Acknowledgments I wish to express my very special thanks to the following individuals who made this application possible. The CTS Serial Port Utilities would not exist today without their suggestions, assistance, and, most importantly, the time they invested in testing the thirty or so iterations of the SPU during the six month BETA test program. David Bittner, who received, tested, and reported back on more iterations of the SPU than I had a right to expect of anyone! Dan Landiss, who identified an internal modem which the SPU didn't like...and hung in there running tests until I got it right! Earle Robinson, who really has the knack for product testing. He broke some of the early versions of the SPU more often and faster than anyone! And, finally, Tom Wason, who wrote a six page letter filled with suggestions and comments. I had to agree with everything he said! Tom...if you mentioned it, it's here! In addition, there were individuals too numerous to list who tested at least one version of the SPU and reported back suggestions or verified that known problems were fixed. To each of you, my thanks! xi Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 1.0 Introducing The CTS Serial Port Utilities Serial ports (also known as comm ports) are painless when they work, and a pain in the neck when they don't. They have plenty of options and limitations. They need a unique address, an inactive IRQ, and software which is properly configured to use it. No wonder nearly everyone gets confused by serial ports. The CTS Serial Port Utilities (SPU) is a collection of DOS software utilities that provide you with control over the serial ports in your computer. Most serial port problems can be resolved by using these utilities. Each of the utilities support all standard and any user-defined serial ports. User-defined ports are defined in the command line or in your system environment variables. Why "Oh, NO! NOT ANOTHER?" serial port utility? Well, several good reasons come to mind. The first is that there were a lot of things still not done by other utilities. Can you name one which detects multiple serial ports installed at the same address (other than the SPU?) Or one that tells you when your monitor will cause problems if you use COM4? Want to know what the current receiver trigger level is in your 16550A serial port? Better use the SPU program PortInfo to find out! Nothing else out there today will tell you! The SPU even detects the T/Port serial card, and identifies some internal modems that have "emulated UARTs". More reasons? We spent a lot of time reviewing the utilities that were out before SPU, and didn't find one that was both good and full-featured. There were a few that were very good for limited applications, but didn't properly test IRQ assignments, or were limited in the serial ports they supported, or....well, you get the idea. It just seemed like it was time for a common set of utilities that tied everything together. So the CTS Serial Port Utilities came into being. The utilities all share a common command line interface, and they all use a common set of environment variables you can set to define non- standard serial ports. The SPU contains the following programs: 1.1 PORTINFO PortInfo is a comprehensive utility which tests your system to determine everything possible about your serial ports, including interrupt and address conflicts. PortInfo provides you with FAILURE and WARNING messages about actual and possible conflicts. 1 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. PortInfo provides details on the following: * Multiple serial ports at the same address (eg, 2 Com1 ports) * Interrupt conflicts between a bus mouse and a serial port * Shared interrupts (2 serial ports, or a serial port and a serial mouse sharing an IRQ) * Conflicts COM4 and 8514/A compatible monitors * Unusual default serial port setups (BIOS and DOS port assignments) * Serial ports that cannot generate interrupts * Helps to determine when interrupts can be shared Other information provided: * Actual IRQ used by each port and the current IRQ status * DOS port assignments (com1-com4, mouse) * Port (UART) Identification (8250, 8250A/16450, 16550, 16550A, the T/Port, and some "emulated UARTs" * FIFO status: If it exists, on / off, else 'None' * If the FIFO is ON, the current FIFO receiver trigger level is displayed. * All programmable port parameters: speed, format, parity, current RTS and DTR settings * Current status of modem lines: Ring Indicator, Carrier Detect, Clear to Send, Data Set Ready, with indication of when the lines are tied together (looped back). Other features: * Ports are COMPLETELY restored to their original settings * Supports standard serial ports 1-4 on PC/AT, 1-8 on PS/2 * Supports up to 8 user definable (port address and IRQ) serial ports * Displays detailed messages about conflicts with reference numbers to assist looking up the detailed assistance in the section titled "PortInfo FAILURE and WARNING Messages". 1.2 BUFFER Buffer allows you to control the FIFO buffers in a 16550A or compatible UART. You can turn the buffers on and off, and set the receiver trigger level. See the section titled "Testing Your Software with PortInfo...Buffer-Trigger" for more information on UART FIFO receiver trigger levels. 2 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 1.3 COM_BPS COM_BPS allows you to set a port data rate (in bits per second, or BPS) to any standard value supported by the serial port. This utility is normally used as a replacement for the DOS set mode command. 1.4 COM_FMT COM_FMT allows you to set a port character format to any standard value supported by the serial port. This utility is normally used with COM_BPS as a replacement for the DOS mode command. 1.5 DOS_COM You can use DOS_COM to insert a serial port in the list of ports used by DOS. 1.6 DOS_SWAP You can use DOS_SWAP to exchange two serial ports in the list of ports used by DOS. 1.7 DTR DTR gives you command line control of the Data Terminal Ready (DTR) line of any serial port. 1.8 IRQ IRQ allows you to enable and disable the interrupts from any serial port. 1.9 RESETCOM ResetCom resets a port to a "power-up" configuration: Port interrupts are disabled, data rate is set to 2400 bps, character format to eight data bits, no parity, one stop bit. If the port is a 16550A family device, then the buffers (FIFOs) are disabled. This utility will often restore a port that doesn't work after running an ill-behaved application. 3 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 1.10 RTS RTS gives you command line control of the Request to Send (RTS) line of any serial port. 4 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 2.0 Short Instructions (Quick-Start) Each of the utilities provides a short help screen when you enter the program name followed immediately by the return key. Users with a network card installed should refer to the section titled "Network Considerations" under "Testing Your System With PortInfo". This help screen includes a brief description of what each utility does and the valid command line switches used to control it. For example, if you wanted to see the help screen for PortInfo, you would enter: PortInfo <Enter> After reading the help screen, you might decide to do the basic system test with the command: PortInfo /0 <Enter> NOTE: This only works for standard serial port addresses. Refer to the following documentation for information on how to test serial ports located at any address. We've occasionally observed situations with internal modems that require the computer to have a hard reset before running PortInfo to obtain correct results. If you observe a problem where PortInfo does not detect an internal modem or the IRQ used by the modem, then either turn your computer off and back on to perform a hard reset, or, if your computer has a RESET button, press it. Then try running PortInfo again. NOTE: a soft reset (control-alt-delete) is not sufficient to reset these modems to a state where PortInfo can recognize them. You must do a "hard reset" as described above. 5 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 6 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 3.0 The Command Line The Serial Port Utilities are controlled by "command line switches" that you enter on the command line. Command line switches are program options that you place on the command line. Each option is preceded by a slash character "/". These "switches" control the SPU software the way a hardware switch controls the options on a board. The standard command line format is: Program_Name /switch1 /switch2 ... <Enter> For each of the utilities, you can enter either the program name by itself or with a "/? command line switch" to display a brief description of the utility and the switches used to control it. For example, both of the following commands will display the help screen for PortInfo: PortInfo /? <Enter> or PortInfo <Enter> where <Enter> means you should press the Enter or Return key. There are some general rules for the command line switches: 1. You may enter the command line switches in any order UNLESS a fixed sequence is defined for a particular utility. 2. You can enter the command line switches as uppercase or lowercase letters. 3. You may optionally leave one space between different values in a single command line switch. 7 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. To demonstrate, the following commands all do the same thing (it sets the data rate to 9600 bps for COM1): COM_BPS /1 /S9600 <Enter> com_BPS /s 9600 /1 <Enter> com_bps /1 /S 9600 <Enter> com_bps /1/s9600 <Enter> CoM_BpS/1/s9600 <Enter> Choose a format to use that is comfortable for you. You will receive a format error message if you enter a string the utility doesn't understand. There are four formats of switches in addition to the help switch: 3.1 Serial Port Number Switches Each of the utilities can work on a defined serial port specified as a number, or on all serial ports that are standard of defined for the CTS Serial Port Utilities (see the next chapter for instructions on how to define a non- standard port.) The command line switch for port assignments is simply a "/" (the switch command) followed by the port number. For example, to run PortInfo on serial port one, you would enter: PortInfo /1 <Enter> Specifying serial port zero (a non-existent port) will cause the utility, to operate on all of the serial ports. For example, to run PortInfo on all standard and user-defined serial ports, you would enter the command: PortInfo /0 <Enter> 8 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 3.2 On / Off Switches Some utilities control a serial port function that is turned on or off. For example, to turn "On" the DTR line for serial port 2, you enter: DTR /on /2 <Enter> -OR- DTR /ON /2 <Enter> -OR- DTR /2 /On <Enter> Remember, they all do the same thing! To turn a function off, you use the "/Off" switch rather than "/On". 3.3 Parameter Switches There are a number of these switches which you use to enter a value. One example was shown above when we set the port data rate to 9600 bps with the "/Sspeed" parameter switch. Parameter switches are also used to define a non-standard serial port, to set port formats, receive trigger levels for a 16550A fifo, and to define a particular interrupt (IRQ) to use. Check the help screen for each utility to see which parameter switches are used. 3.4 Option Switches These are three option switches used in PortInfo to control how it operates. The switch "/Q" instructs PortInfo to do a Quick test, and "/L" causes a Log file named "PORTINFO.LOG" to be created containing an copy of all messages displayed to the screen. The "/X" switch allows you to eXclude IRQs ("/XIi") and port addresses ("/XAaaa" or "/XAaaa-bbb") from the PortInfo test. See the Section "Testing Your System With PortInfo" for details. 9 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 10 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 4.0 Defining Non-Standard Serial Ports The CTS Serial Port Utilities will work with any serial port on any interrupt (IRQ). However, if you have serial ports other than the standard COM1-COM4, then you have to tell the SPU where the ports are (that is, what address the port is installed on.) You have two different ways to do this: 1. you can run each of the utilities using the serial port address switch "/Aaaa", where "aaa" is the first address location (the "base address") used by the serial port 2. you can define a system environment variable for each non- standard serial port that will make the ports available to the SPU via port numbers. The CTS SPU recognizes an environment variable with the following format: CTSCOMn= /Aaaa where: "n" is the serial port number you are assigning to the Com port "aaa" is the first address location (the "base address") for the serial port NOTE: Make sure there is NO space between the com port number and the "=" You define an environment variable with the DOS "SET" command, which you can enter at the DOS command line or place into a batch file (such as your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.) You DOS manual provides documentation on the SET command. Examples: 1. Define a port at base address 1E0 (hexadecimal) as COM5: CTSCOM5= /A1E0 11 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 2. Define a port at base address 2E0 as COM6: CTSCOM6= /a 2E0 Using these two examples, you may now access the two non-standard serial ports as COM5 and COM6 in all utilities of the SPU. These serial ports will also be used by any utility that is used with the "/0" (all ports) command line. NOTE: The CTSCOMn environment variables are not used by any other applications except SwapIRQ, another CTS product which allows DOS software to use any IRQ. 12 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.0 Testing Your System With PortInfo The first thing to do after installing the Serial Port Utilities is to run PortInfo to do a full system test. If you have a mouse, make sure that your mouse driver is loaded. PortInfo will discover many common problems with your serial ports, including: * multiple ports installed at the same address * interrupt conflicts with other devices * conflicts between your mouse and serial ports * identifies which serial ports are sharing an interrupt * identifies serial ports which are not able to generate an interrupt * possible problems with the DOS definitions for the serial ports * Identifies some displays which conflict with the standard COM4 serial port PortInfo will only run from DOS, not from a DOS session within Windows or OS/2, or under DesqView. These operating environments prevent the PortInfo utility from directly testing the serial ports. If you are running Windows, you will need to exit to DOS before running PortInfo. If you are running OS/2, you will need to re-boot your system to run DOS before starting PortInfo. If you have a network card installed, you may temporarily lose your network connection after running PortInfo. You need to log out and then back in to the network to re-establish the connection. See the discussion on "Network Considerations" later in this section for details on how to avoid this problem. The summary screen provides information about the type of UART used in the serial port and the current settings for the port. You want to pay particular attention to the FAILURE and WARNING messages that appear the first time you run PortInfo. All messages and the summary screen can be captured to a "log file" for later use or reference. PortInfo reports a FAILURE message when there is a problem detected with your system that will prevent correct operation. Failures are typically reported for conflicts between a serial port and another serial port or device. A WARNING message is reported by PortInfo when there is no immediate problem that you have to fix, but there is a situation that could lead to a problem if you are not careful. For example, if you have two different serial ports using the same interrupt, a WARNING will be reported. If you are careful, you can usually share the IRQ between the ports - BUT the potential for a problem exists. 13 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. Both warning and failure messages have a message number. Save the message number(s) for reference to the section titled "PortInfo FAILURE and WARNING Messages". You will find each message explained in more detail with a description of the most common solutions for the problem. We've occasionally observed situations with internal modems that require the computer to have a hard reset before running PortInfo to obtain correct results. If you observe a problem where PortInfo does not detect an internal modem or the IRQ used by the modem, then either turn your computer off and back on to perform a hard reset, or, if your computer has a RESET button, press it. Then try running PortInfo again. NOTE: a soft reset (control-alt-delete) is not sufficient to reset these modems to a state where PortInfo can recognize them. You must do a "hard reset" as described above. 5.1 Test All Serial Ports To start PortInfo to do a complete test of all ports, enter the following command: C:> PortInfo /0 <Enter> This tells PortInfo to do a full test of all standard serial ports (remember, /0 is the command for all ports), and all non-standard serial ports you have defined using the CTSCOMn environment variables for the CTS Serial port Utilities. NOTE: If you have a non-standard serial port installed, it will not be tested unless you have defined a CTSCOMn environment variable. 14 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.2 Test One Serial Port You can also have PortInfo test only a single serial port. You can tell PortInfo to test a single serial port in two different ways. One way is to specify the serial port number you want to test. For example, the following command will test COM2: C:> PortInfo /2 <Enter> You can also test a serial port by specifying the serial port address. This is the only way you can test a non- standard serial port without a CTSCOMn environment variable. For example, if you want to test the port at address 01E0 (hex), you would enter: C:> PortInfo /A 1E0 <Enter> 5.3 Quick Test You may tell PortInfo to do a "quick test" if you are in a hurry to just check out a port setting. The quick test skips most of the conflict tests, so it will generally not detect port conflicts. You can specify the quick test for both a single port test and the complete system test. To specify the quick test, add a "/Q" (for Quick) to the command line as shown below: Example 1: Do a quick test on all ports: C:> PortInfo /0 /Q <Enter> Example 2: Do a quick test on COM3: C:> PortInfo /3 /Q <Enter> 15 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.4 Log File PortInfo can create a copy of all messages and the summary screen on your disk that you can use to refer to when installing new equipment in your computer. When you use the "/L" command line switch, PortInfo creates a file named "PORTINFO.LOG" in your default directory. This file contains all information that is displayed on the screen while PortInfo runs. Example: Do a full system test, and save the results in the "PORTINFO.LOG" file: C:> PortInfo /0 /L <Enter> 16 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.5 Network Considerations While searching for serial port and interrupt (IRQ) conflicts, PortInfo performs a very intensive test of your computer system interrupts. One result of this testing is that it is possible to lose your network connection after running PortInfo. You can restore your network connection by just logging out and back in, or you can avoid the problem entirely if you know what IRQ your network card is using. PortInfo includes the ability to exclude any IRQ or port address from the test. By ensuring that your network card IRQ is excluded, you will avoid interference with the network. If your network card is installed at an address that conflicts with a normal serial port address, you should also exclude the address from the test. To exclude one or more IRQs from being tested, you can use the "/XIi" command line switch. The "/XIi" switch causes PortInfo to eXclude Irq "i" from being tested. Example: Exclude IRQ 5 (used by the network card) from a full system test: C:> PortInfo /0 /Xi5 <Enter> NOTE: you can exclude multiple IRQs by using multiple "/XIi" commands Example: Exclude a network card at address 2E8 using IRQ 5 from a full system test: C:> PortInfo /0 /Xi5 /XA2E8 <Enter> This example demonstrates the use of the eXclude Address switch "/XAaaa". This switch will prevent PortInfo from testing a port residing in the address block including address "aaa". NOTE: an "address block" is defined for this discussion as eight consecutive addresses starting with an address ending in "0" or "8". The example above excludes testing of the eight addresses located at 2E8-2EF. 17 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.6 The PortInfo Summary Screen PortInfo completes operation by displaying a summary of all information it gathered while testing. The following is a sample display for a system with four or less serial ports (eight columns are displayed for more serial ports.) Each item on the display is discussed in the following sections. PortInfo Summary Screen Serial 1 Serial 2 Serial 3 Serial 4 Port Address (Hex) 3F8 2F8 3E8 N/A Interrupt (IRQ) 4 3 10 IRQ (Out2) Enabled No Yes No DOS uses port as Com1 Mouse Com3 N/A Type of Port T/Port 16450 16550A Display Buffer - Trigger None None On-8 Speed 19200 1200 2400 Bits / Character 8 7 8 Parity None None None Stop Bits 1 1 1 Clear to Send On Off Off Data Set Ready On Off Off Ring Indicator Off Off Off Data Carrier Detect On Off Off Data Terminal Ready Off On Off Request to Send Off On Off 5.6.1 Port Configuration 5.6.1.1 Port Address This line shows the "base port address" in hexadecimal for each serial port detected. The "base port address" is the first address used by the serial port. Serial ports normally use eight address locations, so the term "base port address" is used to refer to the first address used. In the example displayed above, the COM1 base port address is 03F8 (hex). The serial port actually uses eight consecutive addresses starting at 03F8 and ending at 03FF (hex). 18 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.6.1.2 Interrupt (IRQ) The Interrupt (IRQ) line of the display shows the actual hardware interrupt used by the serial port. This value is determined by testing the serial port. If a NOTE is displayed in this field, then there is a possible conflict with this port that will cause a problem if you try to use the port. 5.6.1.3 IRQ (Out2) Enabled This line shows the current status of the OUT2 line for the serial port. The OUT2 line is a UART control line used by some communication software to enable the IRQ. A serial port cannot generate interrupts when this line is disabled, OR when another serial port that uses the same IRQ line is enabled. If you have two serial ports sharing an IRQ with an "Enabled" status, or if you have a problem using one port when the other shows an "Enabled" status, then you need to disable the OUT2 line on the inactive port. You can do this with two different utilities provided in the SPU. "ResetCom" will restore a serial port to it's original power-up status, and "IRQ" provides you with direct control of the IRQ (Out2) line. These utilities are described below. 5.6.1.4 DOS uses port as This line will show how DOS expects to use this port. If a mouse is detected, the word "Mouse" will be displayed as shown for above for Serial 2. Otherwise, the field will contain the DOS default port assignments as detected by your system bios at boot-up time. If the letters "N/A" are displayed, then the port is Not Available for use by commands like the DOS Mode command. You can adjust these port assignments with the DOS_COM and DOS_SWAP utilities provided with PortInfo. 19 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.6.1.5 Type of Port The Type of Port line describes the type of UART detected by PortInfo. If no UART was detected for the port, the letters "N/A" will be displayed. Also notice that the word "Display" appears on the COM4 port. There are some display cards, including the Diamond Stealth, the ATI Ultra Graphics, and others which emulate IBM 8514/A displays that use the address space normally reserved for COM4. PortInfo detects the presence of many of these displays and identifies the port as such. NOTE: that there are two types of UARTs which software cannot tell apart: the 8250A and the 16450. PortInfo chooses to display this UART type as a "16450" since the 16450 is the most common UART used today. Other diagnostic software may identify the UART as an 8250A (or even an 8250, which is incorrect). 5.6.1.6 Buffer - Trigger One of the unique features of PortInfo is it's ability to sense not only the status of the FIFO buffer on a 16550A, but also to detect what receiver trigger level is being used. This line will display "None" for those UARTs that do not have buffers, Off for 16550A compatible UARTs whose buffers are not enabled, and On-#, where # will be 1, 4, 8, or 14 to show that the FIFO buffer receiver trigger is set to. The receiver trigger level for a 16550A UART determines when it will issue an interrupt request. If the trigger is set to 14, the UART will issue the interrupt after 14 of the 16 spots in the buffer are filled. This reduces the number of interrupts generated by the UART, but only leaves three character times for the PC to service the interrupt before data is lost. Reducing the trigger level to 8 increases the number of interrupts (1 interrupt for every 8 characters received), but greatly reduces the possibility of data loss since the PC has 9 character periods before an overrun will occur. If you experience data loss at high speed in a communication program, try exiting to DOS while connected and run PortInfo on the port. If the Buffer - Trigger shows "Off", then your software may not support the 16550A UART. You can try enabling the buffer 20 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. with the trigger set to one (1) with the "Buffer" utility and then exit to your communication software. This change may cause your communication software to lock up, however. If so, your only recourse is to contact the software manufacturer for an update, or change to another communications application. If PortInfo displays "On-14", try using the "Buffer" utility to reset the trigger level to eight (8). This should reduce or eliminate the overrun problem. Making this change should not adversely affect your communications software, but may eliminate your overrun problems. 5.6.2 Port Settings The following port settings are normally controlled by your communication software. 5.6.2.1 Speed (BPS) This line shows the current port data rate in bits per second (BPS). You normally control this value in your communication program, but you can change this value with the DOS Mode command, or with the COM_BPS utility provided with PortInfo. The advantage of the COM_BPS utility is that it allows setting data rates up to 115,200 bps, and supports ports not recognized by DOS. NOTE: to convert to characters per second, you normally divide the BPS value by 10. That is, a serial port sending characters at 19,200 bps is sending 1,920 characters (or bytes) per second. 5.6.2.2 Bits / Character The bits per character line displays the number of data bits used for each character. Allowable values are 5, 6, 7, and 8. You can control the bits per character with the COM_FMT utility provided with PortInfo. This setting is normally controlled by your communications software, but is provided here for control of non-standard ports not supported by the DOS Mode command. 21 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.6.2.3 Parity The Parity line shows the current parity bit setting for the port. The possible values are None, Even, Odd, Mark, and Space. You can control the port format with the COM_FMT utility provided with PortInfo. 5.6.2.4 Stop Bits This line shows the number of stop bits sent with each character. Valid values for the number of stop bits are 1, 1.5, and 2. You can control the number of stop bits with the COM_FMT utility provided with PortInfo. 5.6.3 Hardware Signals The serial port hardware signals are used by different modems and devices in different ways. The RTS line is often used for hardware flow control, or it may be used to provide power to a portable modem. It's also possible for a cable, connector, or a serial port board to provide a means of looping back, or connecting lines to each other. If you see a hardware line listed as "On - DTR" or "Off - RTS", then this means that the line indicated is in the state shown, and it *may* be connected to the line indicated. These results can be affected by the devices connected to the serial port. You can disconnect the device and cables to determine where the loopback condition occurs. Common uses for each line are discussed below. 5.6.3.1 Clear to Send The Clear To Send (CTS) line is commonly used by modems and other devices for "hardware flow control". Flow control is used to prevent data from being sent faster than it can be processed. The CTS line is input only - it is controlled by the device attached to your serial port. Your modem can use the CTS line to start and stop the flow of data sent by your computer when your software supports hardware flow control. The CTS line is normally "Off" when the serial port has nothing connected to it, or if it is connected to a device like a serial mouse or a 22 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. scanner. When your serial port is connected to a Hayes compatible modem, and the modem is turned on, CTS should be "On" at all times except when the modem is connected to a remote system, and the modem has signalled the software to stop sending information. If you detect that CTS is not "On" for your modem when there is no connection, then you may have one of the following conditions: 1) Your cable between the serial port and the modem does not contain the CTS line. This means you will NOT be able to use hardware flow control with your modem; 2) Your modem is not a true Hayes- compatible modem; 3) Your modem is not operating correctly; or 4) Your serial port is not working correctly. 5.6.3.2 Data Set Ready The Data Set Ready (DSR) is a line which historically is used by modems (data sets) to signal when they are connected to a remote modem and ready to send data. This line is input only - it is controlled by the device attached to your serial port. Most modems today allow you to configure how this line is used. The default for Hayes and compatible modems is to turn this line "On" when the modem is powered on. On some modems, you can also configure this line to be "Off" at all times except when connected with a remote modem. 5.6.3.3 Ring Indicator The ring indicator line is normally used by modems to signal that a ring was detected on the phone line. This line is input only - it is controlled by the device attached to your serial port. PortInfo will normally detect this line as "Off" with a modem unless you manage to get a ringing signal at the exact moment PortInfo checks the status of the line. 23 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.6.3.4 Data Carrier Detect The Data Carrier Detect (DCD) line is normally used by a modem to signal that the modem is connected to a remote modem and ready to exchange information. This line is input only - it is controlled by the device attached to your serial port. Many modems can be configured so that DCD is "On" all of the time with a command (the &C command is used by Hayes and true compatible modems) or with a switch on the modem. 5.6.3.5 Data Terminal Ready The Data Terminal Ready (DTR) line is a line output by the serial port to the connected device. Historically, the DTR line was used by old "dumb terminals" to signal the modem that they were ready to receive data. The DTR line typically has two different uses today with modems. Most common is to use the DTR line to end a connection. Your modem can look for a signal from your communication software to force a hangup. In some cases, this will also hang up the modem. The second use for this line is to provide power to the "line powered" portable modems introduced over the last couple of years. Some portable modems have no power supply or batteries, and actually use the telephone line, the DTR line, and the RTS line (see below) to supply their power. If you have one of these modems, then make sure that DTR is high if you try to use the modem. Most communication software does this automatically, but some utilities that send modem commands from the DOS prompt may not. You can use the "DTR" utility that comes with PortInfo to control the DTR line. 24 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 5.6.3.6 Request to Send The Request to Send (RTS) line is another line output by the serial port to the connected device. This line typically is used for hardware (RTS/CTS) flow control. When this line is "On", the serial port is requesting that the modem send data. A second use for this line is to provide additional power to the "line powered" modems as discussed in the paragraph above. You can use the "RTS" utility provided with PortInfo to control the RTS line. 25 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 26 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 6.0 The Other Utilities There are a number of additional utilities provided with PortInfo. These utilities are very specific in nature, and are provided to give you a standard user interface and source of support. You can also use these utilities to test the PortInfo utility. 6.1 BUFFER BUFFER controls the internal buffer in a 16550A or compatible serial port. You can use this utility to turn the FIFO buffer "On" with any of the four ( 1, 4, 8, and 14) valid receiver trigger levels, or to turn the buffer off. In general, application software which can support a 16550A UART will control the buffer correctly. The primary use of this utility is to: 1) turn off a 16550A buffer which was not turned off by an application; and 2) to provide a way to adjust the buffer setting for a software application which has the trigger level set too high. If you have old software which does not support a 16550A, and you are experiencing an occasional overrun error (this often appears as a retry during a file transfer with an "error-free" connection), then you can try turning the buffer on with different trigger levels. This is an experimental process, and it may not work. In fact, it's possible your communication software will "lock up" if you do this. From the DOS prompt, type "BUFFER" or "BUFFER /?" to display the command line options and examples. NOTE: If no trigger level is specified on the command line, BUFFER will set the receiver trigger level to 14. 27 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 6.2 COM_FMT COM_FMT sets the character format on a serial port to the specified value. You can use this to replace the MODE command provided with DOS on ports that DOS does not detect. The following chart shows the three character "format" value used on the command line and the associated description: Format Description 8N1 Eight data, No parity, 1 stop bit 8N2 Eight data, No parity, 2 stop bits 7E1 Seven data, Even parity, 1 stop bit 7E2 Seven data, Even parity, 2 stop bits 7O1 Seven data, Odd parity, 1 stop bit 7O2 Seven data, Odd parity, 2 stop bits 7M1 Seven data, Mark parity, 1 stop bit 7M2 Seven data, Mark parity, 2 stop bits 7S1 Seven data, Space parity, 1 stop bit 7S2 Seven data, Space parity, 2 stop bits From the DOS prompt, type "COM_FMT" or "COM_FMT /?" to display the command line options and examples. NOTE: most communication applications control this parameter directly and will change whatever you set with this utility. 6.3 COM_BPS COM_BPS sets a serial port data rate (in bits per second, or BPS) to any of the common standard values supported by the serial port. You can use this to replace the MODE command provided with DOS on ports that DOS does not detect. The following data rates are supported by COM_BPS: 110, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 7200, 9600, 14400, 19200, 38400, 57600, and 115200 bits per second (bps). From the DOS prompt, type "COM_BPS" or "COM_BPS /?" to display the command line options and examples. NOTE: most communication applications control this parameter directly and will change whatever you set with this utility. 28 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 6.4 DOS_COM The BIOS of your computer system creates a list of detected serial ports when it boots. Unfortunately, many computers will only detect the standard serial ports COM1 and COM2. Some computers will look for the conventional COM3 and COM4 ports as well. You can use the PortInfo summary screen line "DOS uses port as" to determine whether the BIOS has detected the serial port. DOS will only use ports that are detected in the BIOS list of serial ports. For example, DOS must know a COM3 port exists if you want to redirect LPT1 to COM3, where you have a serial printer. If PortInfo shows "DOS uses port as N/A", then you need to help it out and add COM3 to the list of DOS ports. You use DOS_COM to do this. From the DOS prompt, type "DOS_COM" or "DOS_COM /?" to display the command line options and examples. 6.5 DOS_SWAP DOS_SWAP exchanges two port addresses in the list of serial ports used by DOS. From the DOS prompt, type "DOS_SWAP" or "DOS_SWAP /?" to display the command line options and examples. You can use the PortInfo summary screen line "DOS uses port as" to determine whether how your BIOS has assigned the serial ports it detected. 6.6 DTR DTR controls the Data Terminal Ready line for the port specified. You can raise (turn "On") or lower (turn "Off") the DTR line with this utility. See the discussion on the DTR line in the section dealing with the PortInfo summary screen for applications of this utility. From the DOS prompt, type "DTR" or "DTR /?" to display the command line options and examples. 6.7 IRQ IRQ controls the interrupt request line (Out2) from the serial port specified. Generally, a serial port should have IRQs disabled (IRQ Status "Off" on the PortInfo screen) at all times except when the serial port is actually being used. The major exception to this rule is when a serial mouse is attached to the serial port. The mouse driver will enable the interrupt and keep it enabled at all times. 29 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. If you want to try sharing an interrupt between a mouse and a modem, you can in some cases manage this with IRQ. For example, if you have a mouse on COM1 and a modem on COM3, both using IRQ 4, you can run IRQ to disable interrupts on COM1. Then run your communication program. When you are finished with your communication program, you can (but normally you don't have to) run IRQ to re-enable the COM1 interrupt. NOTE: this will NOT work reliably with a communication application that is "mouse aware". If you need to share an interrupt with a mouse-aware application, then you need to use a utility similar to the CTS "MouseOff" and "MouseOn" utilities. From the DOS prompt, type "IRQ" or "IRQ /?" to display the command line options and examples. 6.8 RESETCOM RESETCOM resets a serial port to the DOS default condition. Interrupts are disabled, the port is set to 2400 bits / second with a character format of 8 data bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit, and the Request to Send (RTS) and Data Terminal Ready (DTR) lines are set low. If the port is a 16550A or compatible, the buffers (FIFOs) are also disabled. There are a few communication applications which do not properly restore a serial port after completion. ResetCOM can be used to completely reset the serial port to a well- defined state. From the DOS prompt, type "RESETCOM" or "RESETCOM /?" to display the command line options and examples. 6.9 RTS RTS controls the Request to Send line for the port specified. You can raise (turn "On") or lower (turn "Off") the RTS line with this utility. See the discussion on the RTS line in the section dealing with the PortInfo summary screen for applications of this utility. From the DOS prompt, type "RTS" or "RTS /?" to display the command line options and examples. 30 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.0 PortInfo FAILURE and WARNING Messages The different types of failures and conflicts detected by PortInfo are separated into different categories. Each FAILURE and WARNING message can be referenced by number to the list below. Steps you can take to correct each of the problems are described. The general rule is to pay the most attention to the first FAILURE message that displays. Once a FAILURE has been detected, it should be corrected before looking at other problems that may be reported. 7.1 Interrupt Conflicts An interrupt conflict message indicates that one or more of your serial ports is not always generating interrupts. This can cause a number of "interesting" problems that sometimes appear and disappear for no apparent reason. Finding the cause of the problem requires both a tool like PortInfo to identify that the problem exists, and patience on your part in taking a systematic approach to fixing the problem. Please follow the directions carefully. 7.1.1 Message PI-2010 Symptoms: You may have regular or sporadic lockups using either of the ports at this address. Solution: As the message indicates, PortInfo is detecting two separate interrupts when testing a single serial port address. The typical cause of this is two different serial ports at the same address (eg, two separate UARTs defined as COM1). To fix this problem, it is necessary disable, remove, or reassign one of the serial ports to another address location. 31 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.1.2 Message PI-2020 Symptoms: You will likely get a system lockup, a high rate of CRC errors (file transfer retries) if using a modem, a very jerky motion on a serial mouse, or a combination of these symptoms if you do not resolve this problem. Solution: If your software allows use of another port or IRQ, then you can change the port settings to avoid this IRQ. A second approach is to temporarily remove or disable the serial port, and then to run a general system diagnostic utility like Microsoft's MSD to determine which other device is using the IRQ. Then you can decide which one of the two will actually use the IRQ. 7.1.3 Message PI-2100 Symptoms: You have a serial port that works sometimes, but not all of the time. You may have any or all of the symptoms listed for any message in the PI-2000 to PI- 2999 range. Solution: The usual causes for this error message are multiple serial ports at the same address, or another device using the interrupt. Use the solutions described for PI-2001 and PI-2002. 7.1.4 Message PI-2110 Symptoms: Most applications will lock up when trying to use this port. There are three common causes for this message. Troubleshooting this problem requires a careful and methodical approach. The basic idea is to reduce your system to a state where the conflict is no longer observed, and then add boards back in one at a time to determine which board is involved with the conflict. Often (but not always) the board you have most recently added to your system is the culprit. Diagnosing and repairing this problem often involves opening your computer system and removing / installing boards. Be sure to follow the instructions provided with your computer system when adding and removing boards. 32 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. PortInfo is most useful at diagnosing problems if you run it after installing each board. By making sure that the system is ok after each board is added, you can then quickly identify which board is causing the problem. 7.1.4.1 You have multiple ports at the same address This is a common problem with many computers. There is often a forgotten or unknown serial port installed in the computer, and adding another port at the same address location can cause all sorts of interesting problems. The best way to approach this problem is to remove all of the add-in boards that have serial ports from your system. This includes internal modems as well. Then run PortInfo to verify that your system is no longer displaying this error message. If the error still exists, then it is likely due to one of the other problems discussed here. If the problem did go away, then add each of the boards back into your computer one at a time to determine which board causes the problem. After you have identified which board causes the problem, you should change the serial port address (or Com# setting) to a selection which not used on your system. 33 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.1.4.2 You have another device using the same interrupt Many different devices compete for interrupts with your serial ports, including other serial ports (including internal modems), bus mice, network cards, sound cards, and so on to name several. While well-behaved serial ports and software will allow serial ports to share an IRQ, you generally cannot share an IRQ between a serial port and another device. Bus mice often use IRQs 2,3,4,5, or 12, and sound cards commonly use IRQs 5 and 7. Try removing these cards from your system and then run PortInfo again to see if the problem still appears. If the problem still exists, then leave the boards out and continue diagnosing the problem following the steps in (1). When you have the system to the point where the error is no longer reported, then begin adding your boards back to the system one at a time, running PortInfo after you've added each board to determine which board is involved in the conflict. 7.1.4.3 Your system will not let you share this interrupt There are some computer system motherboards which simply will not let any other device generate interrupts for IRQs used on the motherboard. For example, if you have a serial port on one of these motherboards set to use Com1 / IRQ 4, no other device will be able to use IRQ 4. Your only solution, if you need to share these interrupts to make everything fit, is to disable the serial ports on the motherboard, and purchase an add-in serial port card. CTS offers several options, so be sure to give us a call. 34 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.1.5 Message PI-2200 This is an informational message regarding the Telcor Systems T/Port card. A newer ROM exists for your T/Port. If you are experiencing problems with the T/Port, then you should contact Telcor Systems Inc. for more information. NOTE: PortInfo is not able to test the IRQ used by the T/Port when this message is displayed. 7.1.6 Message PI-2300 Symptoms: If you use well-behaved software, and if your hardware allows sharing interrupts, then everything will be fine. If not, then you can have problems ranging from serial ports which work intermittently to complete system lockups. Solution: Make sure the hardware will allow the interrupt to be shared among multiple devices, and that your software will make the IRQ inactive on the board it uses after it has completed use. You may not use two devices at the same time on the same interrupt. 7.2 Port Conflicts Port conflicts normally indicate that there are two serial ports located at the same address. This is commonly done when installing new serial cards or modems into an older machine without knowing for certain what equipment is already installed. 7.2.1 Message PI-3000 Symptoms: System lockup or failure of a communication application to successfully use a modem. Solution: You definitely have a conflict between a serial port and another device, possibly another serial port, at the same address location. Remove or disable the port which fails the test, and run PortInfo again. If another port is reported at the same address, then you have a conflict between two serial ports. If no other serial port is detected at that address, then you have a conflict with another device. Common conflicts involve local area network cards. 35 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.2.2 Message PI-3100 Symptoms: Your system may lock up, or the display may show meaningless characters ("garbage"). Solution: You cannot use a serial port at the normal COM4 address location if this message appears. The display adaptor on your video card is installed at the address normally used for Com4. 7.3 Mouse Conflicts PortInfo looks for conflicts between your mouse and your serial ports. Most conflicts are detected by the interrupt conflict tests. However, PortInfo also checks for possible future conflicts. 7.3.1 Message PI-4000 This is a WARNING message that your bus mouse is using one of the IRQs normally used by the Com1 or Com2 serial ports. If you are not using this port for any connections, then you will not have any problems. If you do use Com1 and Com2 for your communications and they are using the standard IRQs (Com1 / IRQ 4, Com2 / IRQ 3), then you need to change the IRQ used by the serial port or the bus mouse to resolve the conflict. 7.4 DOS Port Assignments The DOS port assignments are determined by a data table that is created by your computer system BIOS when the system is powered up or reset. The BIOS detects the ports installed in your computer and places them in a data area for use by DOS and application software. Unfortunately, different BIOS implementations work differently, so there are often inconsistencies in how the serial ports are used. Many systems will only look for two comm ports, and no system looks for more than four. The BIOS also doesn't follow conventions in assigning a port at a particular address to the proper Com port number. To further confuse the issue, many applications do not use this data area because of the inconsistencies and address the ports directly by address. This leads to the situation where two different applications use the same device through "different" ports. 36 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. The best general rule is to always install ports in sequential order...that is, do not skip a port number. Make the first port Com1, the second Com2, and so on. PortInfo attempts to make sense of what is in your data area so you can adjust, or at least understand what is going on. 7.4.1 Message PI-5000 Symptom: You've assigned the port speed with the DOS "MODE" command, but it is changed by a DOS MODE command to another port. Solution: You've apparently run a utility to swap or install additional serial ports into the BIOS data area. It is usually best to restore the ports to their normal locations after you use the application which required the exchange. See the discussion on the DOS_SWAP or DOS_COM utilities provided with the SPU will do this. 7.4.2 Message PI-5010 Symptom: PortInfo does not detect a serial port that your system detected. This can be caused by the improper use of the DOS_COM (or similar) utility, or you may have a non-standard serial port the PortInfo cannot detect (at the time this manual was written, PortInfo successfully detects all known ports). Solution: Make sure that you do not have a utility that is "installing" a non-existent port into the BIOS data area. 37 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.4.3 Message PI-5020 Symptom: You have a device that is accessed through a serial port in one application, but has to be accessed through a different serial port (or cannot be accessed) in another application. Solution: The problem is that the serial port indicated is not in the correct location in the BIOS data table. Causes for this include improper use of port reassignment or installation utilities like DOS_SWAP and DOS_COM, or you do not have your serial ports installed in sequential order. You can fix the problem by making sure that your ports are installed in sequential orders, starting with Com1, and then avoiding the use of the port installation/reassignment software. 7.4.4 Message PI-5030 Symptom: You've just installed a new serial port, and one or more applications cannot detect it. Solution: If your application uses the BIOS data area, then you will need to install the serial port using the DOS_COM or similar utility. Many BIOS implementations do not detect Com3 and Com4 serial ports, so this is a common problem. 7.4.5 Message PI-5040 Symptom: You have a serial port installed that is not detected one or more of your applications. Solution: See the solution for PI-5030. 7.5 Other CTS Software Detected The CTS Utility SwapIRQ can affect the reporting of IRQs used by some diagnostic software. PortInfo is "aware" of SwapIRQ and notifies you that it is still active. 38 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 7.5.1 Message PI-6000 Symptoms: Just an informational message to let you know that SwapIRQ was detected and temporarily disabled by PortInfo. The PortInfo reports will not be affected by the presence of SwapIRQ. Solution: You should disable SwapIRQ when your application has finished with it by using the "/D" command line switch. 39 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 40 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 8.0 Customer Support Policy Customer support is provided via telephone, fax, and electronic mail. We provide from 30 to 90 minutes of support (depending on the license you obtained) for any registered user within the following guidelines: 1. We are in the office and happy to assist with your problems during normal business hours (US east coast). We always answer the phone whenever we are in (other hours). If you are unable to catch us "live", please leave a detailed message, we will reply via fax, electronic mail (E-mail), or regular mail. 2. Messages sent to us on CompuServe E-mail will usually receive a reply within 24 hours. 3. We will be happy to assist with SPU installation problems before you register. However, we cannot provide technical assistance until we've actually received your registration. We can register you over the phone via credit card if you need immediate assistance. Be prepared to answer the following questions before you call for assistance: * The version number of your CTS Serial Port Utilities. You can view this information in the program title by starting any of the utilities. * The brand name and model number of your computer. * What equipment you have in your computer. A general purpose diagnostic program such as Microsoft's MSD can be helpful in determining what other equipment is installed. * The version of DOS you are using (type "VER" at the DOS prompt). * A complete description of the problem. * Can you duplicate the series of steps that results in the problem? * Did an error message appear? What did it say? You may contact CTS via voice phone at 404-263-8623 during normal business hours (Eastern Time Zone), or 24 hours / day via FAX at 404-263-0124 and on CompuServe at 76662,2315. 41 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 42 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 9.0 About Computer Telecommunication Systems Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. was formed in 1990 to provide new communication software products, custom programming services, and consulting on personal computer asynchronous communications. We currently offer (as of February, 1994) the following products and services: 9.1 AT Command Test AT Command Test (ATCT) is a software application that performs a comprehensive test of the AT command set of any modem claiming to be "Hayes Compatible". ATCT tests most of the standard modem commands, all result codes, and many other characteristics. ATCT provides three different reports of command set compatibility with nine different Hayes modem product lines. ATCT is used today both as a qualification tool for purchasing modems by major corporations, and as a diagnostic tool for testing modems returned to corporate support services prior to obtaining warranty service. Contact CTS for more information. 9.2 SwapIRQ A small utility that allows software to use IRQs that are not supported directly by the software. For example, a communication application that supports COM3 on IRQ 4 can now use COM3 on any IRQ. Or, a game that requires a sound card on IRQ 7 can now use a sound card that generates interrupts on IRQ 5. Contact CTS for more information. 9.3 MouseOFF and MouseON MouseOff disables a serial mouse, allowing a modem or other device using the same interrupt (IRQ) to operate without interference. MouseOn re-enables the mouse after you have finished using the other device. MouseOff and MouseOn are especially useful in sharing an interrupt between a mouse and a modem when the communications software detects and tries to use the mouse. 9.4 Serial Cards (Comm Ports) We carry a variety of serial cards that contain 16550A or compatible UARTs. 43 Copyright 1993-1994, Computer Telecommunication Systems, Inc. 9.5 Cables / Adapters We have a variety of serial cables, null modems, and 9 pin / 25 pin adapters. 9.6 Custom Programming Services Call us to discuss your special communications software requirements. 9.7 New Products This manual may be several years old by the time you read this! Call us to see what's new! 44