Serial to USB - Working but need it on COM1

[Paul_B1]

Probably more of a Windows issue, but hoping someone can help.

We are looking to move all our POS systems to View.  However the POS software directly prints to COM1 and COM2.  I have gotten the printers attached using a USB/Serial convertor and mapping them in to WindowsXP just fine with View 5.0.  However when it maps they show up on COM3/COM4.  I disabled the COM1/COM2 in the BIOS of the template and that seems to have gotten the "default" COM1/COM2 out of Windows, but when these auto connect they still show up on 3/4.  I can't find anything in WinXP "using" COM1/2 and if go to the advanced properties of the COM port in device manager I can change it to be 1 or 2 and it prints ok.

So.. my question is, how can I get these USB->Serial convertors autoconnecting on COM1 and COM2 at login to a floating pool?

[Paul_B1]

Also, setting it as COM1 and COM2 in the template won't work, because every convertor has a differen hardwareID so Windows brings them in as the next "Never used" COM.

[PaulWoodhouse]

We had a similar problem with POS software where we have a serial thermal printer and a serial chip and pin (credit card) terminal. We used Serial to USB converters to connect these to VDI session.

The linked clones kept giving these "random" COM port IDs but the software application is expecting the device to be on a specific port and as such it didn't work or required manual intervention on the user to set the COM port - not good.

We solved this by getting a Serial to USB converter that supports "COM Retention". These allways present the same COM port ID to Windows.

These are the ones we bought and we've had zero problems since:

http://uk.startech.com/Cards-Adapters/Serial-Cards-Adapters/2-Port-USB-to-Serial-RS232-Adapter-Cable...

We presented the device to the pools master vm to ensure the drivers got installed and also cleared out the "hidden" COM ports in the master that get marked as "in-use" even though theres nothing attached. See the following:

http://www.fettesps.com/how-to-remove-com-ports-which-are-in-use/

Hope this helps.

[Paul_B1]

Ok, so you did have to connect every usb convertor device to the parent VM and switch it to COM1?  The cables we have are similar, once they're set they remember (if set in the parent VM),

I am just trying to avoid having to have someone connect what would be about 5,000 cables to a manual pool using the parent VM, then spinning up a Floating pool with an XP image with 4998 missing USB devices.

[PaulWoodhouse]

Nah, on the parent VM we just made sure there were no hidden COM ports in-use and that it had the drivers for the converter so the clones didn't have to go off and get them every time.

[Paul_B1]

Ah, so those convertors may be different than what we're using, or trying to use.

You set them as COM1 on any PC and they get brought into View as COM1 as long as COM1 doesn't exist already?  Did you have to disable the COM ports in the BIOS of the parent to stop COM1 and COM2 from showing up on a reboot of the parent? 

Sorry for so many questions, I'm over here in China trying to help them get 2,500 POS systems moved into View and this is the last road block to clear.

[PaulWoodhouse]

Our application was fortunatly flexiable enough to allow us to use COM3/4 so we didn't need to remove the default COM ports. Also we're uning Win7 x64.

I can only assume the COM ports your trying to use are "In-use", does it say that next to the name of the port when you try and change the port the device is using? If so the details behind that link in my previous post should help you clear that.

[terrydebr]

If you need to remap the serial port, go to Control Panel;System;Device Manager; Ports;

duble click on the usb-serial port

Port Settings

Advanced

There you can often change the serial port.  When I connect my usb to serial port cable, it will set up an available serial port from COM3 and above.  I then change it to COM1 or COM2 as needed via device manager.

[terrydebr]

Let me add that I have to then unplug and plug the usb - serial converter back in to the same USB port.  Device manager keeps it at the COM1 or COM2 that I previously selected.  I am running Windows7 proffessional.

[wendelalexis]

We are having a similar problem. We need to use two USB-to-Serial adapters on the "linked clones" and we need that they automatically configure on COM1 and COM2 because our software expects them to be there.

The adapters you are using (with COM retention) look interesting to us.

How do you configure the COM port on the adapter? by setting it manually in device manager?

After it is configured, will it always use the same port number? regardless of the linked clone where it is connected?

What happens if that port number is already in use?

Is the configuration kept after a desktop recompose?

BTW, on our parent virtual machine COM1 and COM2 are hidden but show as "(in use)" when we try to change the COM port manually.

I tried to clear them following the instructions http://www.fettesps.com/how-to-remove-com-ports-which-are-in-use/ but they never show when I select "show hidden devices".

Thanks a lot.

[wendelalexis]

Also.... does it make a difference if the USB-to-Serial is redirected from a Client PC or a ThinClient?

We see that depending on the client device, the COM port configured on the desktop VM differs.

[albert_field]

You can change the com port setting on OS:

To change port settings

1. Open Device Manager.
   
   
2. Double-click Ports (COM & LPT).
   
   
3. Right-click the port for which you want to change settings, and then click Properties.
   
   
4. On the Port Settings tab, make the appropriate changes.

hope it help.

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Albert Field  Com Port Monitor