Even today, industry often presents specialists with a task to connect several devices with COM ports to a computer. But modern PCs have don’t have that many COM ports; also, it is not always convenient to have cables connecting the devices to the computer running through the entire facility. A solution to this issue may be the use of devices that convert COM interfaces to Ethernet. A virtual COM port will be created on the PC through the driver, as if it were built into the motherboard. These converters are called device servers or serial interface servers.
- NPort and their operation modes description
- NPort models comparison table
- NPort hardware compaison
- NPort comparison by COM modes
- Find NPort in our product catalog
NPort and their operation modes description
NPort are serial interface servers designed for connecting RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 devices to an Ethernet network.
One of the main operation modes of NPort is RealCOM, which creates a "virtual COM port" on a PC. This allows the PC to communicate with RS-232/422/485 devices as if they were connected to a real, physical COM port.
It is also possible to work without creating a virtual COM port in the TCP Server, TCP Client and UDP modes. The PC will immediately access the COM ports through the IP address and TCP port.
In Reverse Telnet mode, you can connect end devices via Telnet, for example, to configurate switches via console port.
List of NPort operating modes for COM ports:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Real COM | After driver installation, a virtual COM port appears on the computer. The driver connects to NPort |
| Reverse Real COM | NPort will connect to PC with static IP |
| RFC 2217 | Similar to Real COM, but RFC2217 standard is used |
| TCP Server | NPort is waiting for a connection from TCP Client |
| TCP Client | NPort establishes a connection to TCP Server |
| UDP mode | Does not require establishing a connection, supports multicast, but does not guarantee data delivery |
| Printer mode | Mode for connecting a printer with a COM port via LPD/LPR protocol |
| Dial-up access | Allows you to forward Ethernet through the COM port. Using this mode is typically not recommended because of configuration issues |
| Pair Connection | Allows you to forward the COM port over Ethernet |
| Ethernet Modem | Emulates AT command modem operation by transferring data over Ethernet |
| Terminal ASCII | Allows to establish up to 8 sessions per port. Used for text terminals with no file transfer or encryption capability |
| Terminal BIN | Supports file transfer but only establishes one session per port |
| SSH | Supports encryption, only one session per port is established |
| Reverse SSH | Allows you to connect devices via a secure SSH connection |
| Reverse Telnet | Used to connect devices supporting carriage return and line feed characters to console ports via Telnet |
Brief description of the features of different series of NPort multiport device servers
| NPort series | COM ports total | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 5600 | 8,16 | General purpose, rack mount |
| 5600-8-DT | 8 | 8 ports, compact design, RJ-45, DB9 Male, 2xLAN switch, 2 power inputs, display |
| 5600-8-DTL | 8 | 8 ports, compact design, DB9 Male, 1xLAN, 1 power-in |
| 6000 | 8, 16, 32 | Supports SSL/SSH encryption of transmitted data, supports IPv6 and IP routing |
| CN2500 | 8, 16 | RS-232 interfaces terminal server, IP routing, security protocols, no Web interface |
| CN2600 | 8, 16 | RS-232/422/485 interfaces terminal server, IP routing, security protocols, with WEB-interface, with two independent Ethernet ports and 2 MAC addresses, redundant power supply |
| S9000 | 8, 16 | Designed for electric power sector, built-in 4xLAN managed switch, RSTP, Turbo Chain, Turbo Ring redundancy, Modbus TCP Server (Slave) gateway, DNP3 TCP Outstation, IEEE 1588v2 PTP (hardware-based) and IEC 61850 support |
NPort hardware comparison
| Model name | 5600 | 5600-8-DT | 5600-8-DTL | 6000 | CN2500 | CN2600 | S9000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COM ports total | 8, 16 | 8 | 8 | 8, 16, 32 | 8, 16 | 8, 16 | 8, 16 |
| COM ports by type |
RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
RS-232 |
RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 |
| COM connector | RJ-45 |
RJ-45, DB9 Male* |
DB9 Male | RJ-45 | RJ-45 |
RJ-45, DB9 Male* |
DB9 male, DB9 female, fiber optic |
| СОМ port isolation | — | Yes* | Yes* | — | — | Yes* | Yes |
| Web interface | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes* | Yes |
| Display | Yes* | Yes | — | Yes* | Yes | Yes | — |
| LAN | 1, 1 IP | 2, 1 IP | 1, 1 IP | 1-3*, 1 IP | 1, 1 IP | 2, 2 IP | 4, 4 IP |
| Fiber optic | Yes* | — | — | Yes* | — | — | Yes* |
| Mounting | Rackmount | Desktop, DIN-rail | Desktop, DIN-rail | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount | Rackmount |
| Data encryption | — | — | — | Yes, SSH, SSL | — | — | — |
| Security | HTTPS, SSL, SSH | HTTPS, SSL, SSH | HTTPS, SSL, SSH | HTTPS, SSL, SSH RADIUS, TACACS+ | RADIUS, PAP, CHAP | HTTPS, SSL, SSH RADIUS, PAP, CHAP | HTTPS, SSL, SSH RADIUS, TACACS+ |
| Routing | — | — | — | Static Routing, RIP V1/V2 | Static Routing, RIP V1/V2 | Static Routing, RIP V1/V2 | — |
| 100-240 VAC-in power | Yes* | — | — | Yes* | Yes* | Yes* | Yes* |
| 12-48 VDC-in power | — | Yes | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| 20-72 VDC-in power | Yes* | — | — | Yes* | Yes* | — | — |
| 88-300 VDC-in power | Yes* | — | — | Yes* | — | Yes* | Yes* |
| Operational temperature range |
0...55°С, -40...+85C* |
0...55°С, -40...+75C* |
0...60°С, -40...+75C* |
0...55°С, -40...+85C* |
0...55°С |
0...55°С, -40...+85C* |
-40...+85C |
| Specification | 5600 | 5600-8-DT | 5600-8-DTL | 6000 | CN2500 | CN2600 | S9000 |
* not available in some models.
NPort comparison by COM modes
| Mode | 5600 | 5600-8-DT | 5600-8-DTL | 6000 | CN2500 | CN2600 | S9000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real COM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reverse Real COM | — | — | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| RFC 2217 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| TCP Server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TCP Client | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| UDP mode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Printer modes | — | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes* | — |
| Dial-up access | Yes | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes* | — |
| Pair Connection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
| Ethernet Modem | — | — | — | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| Terminal ASCII | — | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| Terminal BIN | — | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| SSH | — | — | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| Reverse SSH | — | — | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| Reverse Telnet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
NPort differences can be summarized in the following characteristics:
- NPort 5600 is mostly geared towards solving issues of connecting COM devices via Ethernet. The series is rack-mountable and has up to 16 COM ports
- If you need a compact device with 8 COM ports, then NPort 5600-8-DT or NPort 5600-8-DTL are a good choice
- NPort 6000 supports SSL/SSH data encryption over Ethernet and has up to 32 COM ports
- NPort CN2500 series can only work with RS-232 and supports terminal operation modes
- NPort CN2600 series is a logical evolution of NPort CN2500, adding morecapabilities, as well as two independent Ethernet ports (2 IP) and redundant power
- NPort S9000 is specially designed for power industry applications and has a built-in managed switch
Find NPort in our product catalog
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