System / Serial Ports
Introduction
Clicking on the System / Serial Ports menu displays the Serial Ports page. A new NovaStar system will display an empty Serial Ports List.
Computer I/O ports used by NovaStar must be named, typed and configured. I/O port configuration includes the baud rate, parity, flow control, modem initialization and other parameters. The Serial Port List shows all of the serial port connections that are configured for the system.
Serial Ports
The following image illustrates the System / Serial Ports List page after a serial port has been selected in the list at the top of the page.
Serial Ports List (see full-size image)
Navigation, Adding, Deleting, Modifying, and Copying Serial Ports
The Serial Ports List page conforms to a layout similar to many data types which includes a list of data items. See List Functionality and Application Functionality for more information detailing page navigation; adding, copying and deleting serial ports; and modifying existing serial ports.
Identification
| Data Label | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Enter the operating system I/O port name or select from the port list. The name must be unique in the serial port list. The operating system I/O port names start with /dev/tty and end with an alpha descriptor and number that are assigned by the system. Max 100 characters. For example: /dev/ttyS0: First built-in serial port, also known as COM1. /dev/ttyS1: Second built-in serial port, also known as COM2. /dev/ttyUSB0: First USB to serial port. /dev/ttyUSB1: Second USB to serial port. /dev/ttyACM0: First USB to telephone modem. /dev/ttyACM1: Second USB to telephone modem. |
| Port list | Select an I/O port name from the pick list. It will be copied into the Name field. |
| Alias | Enter an alias to be used to reference the operating system I/O port name. Alias names are used by NovaStar to find specific I/O ports in the system, and can make it easier to maintain the system after hardware changes. If ever the I/O port must be moved, the program start argument does not need to be changed; just assign the alias to the new I/O port. The name must be unique in the serial port list. Max 100 characters. |
| Description | Enter descriptive information about the serial port. Max 1000 characters. |
| Line | Select a reference line number for the serial port. This number can appear in serial port pick lists. |
Connection parameters
| Data Label | Description |
|---|---|
| Baud rate | Select the communication baud rate for the serial port from the pick list: 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 9200, 38400, 57600, 115200. |
| Parity | Select the parity from the pick list: None, Odd, Even, Mark or Space. Use parity None by default. |
| Data bits | Select the data bits from the pick list: 5, 6, 7 or 8. Use 8 data bits by default for parity None, Use 7 data bits by default other parity. |
| Stop bits | Select the stop bits from the pick list: 1 or 2. Use 1 stop bit by default. |
| Allow Login | Select true to allow login on this serial port, false for no login. |
| Echo | Select true to echo input characters on this serial port in full duplex mode, false for no echo. |
Flow Control
| Data Label | Description |
|---|---|
| Hardware | Select true to enable RTS/CTS flow control, false to disable. |
| Software | Select true to enable Ctrl-S/Ctrl-Q flow control, false to disable. |
Modem Control
| Data Label | Description |
|---|---|
| Modem | Select true if the serial port is to be handled as a dial-in or dial-out modem. |
| Dial init string | Enter the AT command line to initialize the modem. Refer to the modem manual for a description of AT commands. |
| Dial output line | Enter the digits to dial to get an outside line. Enter commas for a two second delay per comma. Leave blank if not needed. |