Release Notes PN 93000362
Digi RealPort Driver & Setup Wizard
Version 3.1.243.0, 11/15/2004
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Software Package PNs
40002164, 40002360
CONTENTS
Section Description
-------------------------------
1 Introduction
2 Supported Operating Systems
3 Supported Products
4 Known Limitations
5 Installing RealPort Driver
6 Updating RealPort Software
7 Removing RealPort Device
8 Upgrading Driver from FAS to RealPort
9 Advanced Features
10 Copyright Notices
11 Additional Notes
12 History
1. INTRODUCTION
This document contains general information as well as
last minute changes for the Digi RealPort driver and
Setup Wizard.
Refer to the following numbers when searching the Digi
Web site (www.digi.com) or FTP site (ftp.digi.com) for
the latest software package. The Digi RealPort driver
and Setup Wizard is available in one of two formats.
o As a single binary:
40002360_<highest revision letter>
o As an INF distribution:
40002164_<highest revision letter>
If you are unsure which package to download, download the
single binary.
2. SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
3. SUPPORTED PRODUCTS
Digi Connect Family
Digi EtherLite Family
Digi Flex Family
Digi One Family
Digi PortServer Family
Digi PortServer TS Family
Digi PortServer TS MEI Family
Digi PortServer TS W MEI Family
Digi PortServer TS M MEI Family
Digi PortServer TS H MEI Family
Digi PortServer TS P MEI Family
4. KNOWN LIMITATIONS
If you plan to use the RealPort driver with serial printers, you
have to reboot Windows or restart the print spooler after
installing a device or renaming ports to see the new ports listed
in the Print Spooler's list of available ports for printing. This
is a known limitation of the Print Spooler, which does not detect
changes in the list of available ports automatically. To restart
the spooler service, open a Command Window (as Administrator) and
type "net stop spooler" <ENTER> followed by "net start spooler"
<ENTER>.
If you experience problems printing to a serial printer from a
port, go to the device's Device Properties dialog in Device
Manager and enable "Complete Write Requests Immediately" for that
port.
5. INSTALLING REALPORT DRIVER
You need administrative privileges to install device drivers.
Please be sure you are logged into Windows as Administrator
or as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.
To install a Digi RealPort device and Digi RealPort Software for
Windows, run the RealPort Setup Wizard, Setup.exe.
The RealPort Setup Wizard searches the network for RealPort
devices and displays those devices it finds on the device
discovery page. Use the I.P. address and product information to
locate the device you wish to install.
You do not need to manually enter a device's I.P. address
unless the device you wish to install is off-line or does not
support device discovery (for example, Digi EtherLite, Digi
PortServer and Digi PortServer II products do not support device
discovery). To install these devices, choose <Device not listed>
from the device discovery page and follow the Wizard prompts.
TROUBLESHOOTING DEVICE DISCOVERY
--------------------------------
If your network or host computer has firewalls or proxies
installed, your device may not be detected during device
discovery.
If you do not see your device listed in the device discovery
list, first verify that your device is powered on and connected
to the network.
Next, verify your computer does not have a firewall or proxy
installed. If your computer does have a firewall or proxy
installed, either install the device manually by selecting
<Device not listed> or, if feasible, disable the firewall and/or
proxy before installing RealPort.
6. UPDATING REALPORT SOFTWARE
You need administrative privileges to update device drivers.
Please be sure you are logged into Windows as Administrator
or as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.
Run Setup.exe and select the option, "Update Digi RealPort
Software". The Wizard will update the Digi RealPort device
drivers and software.
7. REMOVING REALPORT DEVICE
You need administrative privileges to remove devices. Please be
sure you are logged into Windows as Administrator or as a user
that is a member of the Administrators group.
Run Setup.exe and select the option, "Remove an existing device".
Select the device or devices you want to remove and follow the
Wizard prompts.
8. UPGRADING DRIVER FROM FAS TO REALPORT
If you have previously installed the EtherLite driver for an
EtherLite device (EtherLite 2/8/16/32/80/160/162), follow these
steps to upgrade to the current RealPort driver:
a. Uninstall the old EtherLite driver and reboot the system.
b. Update the EtherLite firmware using the DGIPSERV utility,
which can be downloaded along with the latest firmware
from the Digi Support Web site, http://support.digi.com.
c. Install the new RealPort driver by running Setup.exe.
d. Note that EtherLite devices are not detected by the RealPort
Setup Wizard during device discovery. To install an Etherlite
device, you will have to choose <Device not listed> and
manually enter its I.P. address. See the preceding section,
Installing RealPort Driver, for more details.
9. ADVANCED FEATURES
The RealPort driver supports an additional set of advanced
features, each of which can be enabled or disabled from the
Device Manager. Some features affect the operation of the
device itself (and all ports), while other features affect
the operation of individual ports.
* DEVICE-SPECIFIC FEATURES *
----------------------------
To locate the device-specific features, follow these steps:
o From Device Manager, access the device's Property Page
o Activate the Advanced tab and click "Properties..."
o Make sure that the device is selected on the left-
hand side of the window
o You are now viewing the device features
o To view the device's network features, click on the
Network tab
Each of the features discussed here is disabled (or blank) by
default.
DEVICE NAME [PROPERTIES TAB]
----------------------------
Normally, the name of the device is the name of the product
followed by its I.P. address in parentheses.
E.g., "Digi Connect ME (192.168.0.123)"
To replace the I.P. address with text of your choice, enter a
short name here; it will be displayed in the Device Manager in
place of the I.P. address.
E.g., "Digi Connect ME (My first device)"
DEVICE DESCRIPTION [PROPERTIES TAB]
-----------------------------------
The device description can be used any way you would like to
store additional information about the device. It is only
displayed on the property page.
RENAME PORTS... [PROPERTIES TAB]
--------------------------------
Click the Rename Ports... button to change the COM numbers of all
of a device's ports. A dialog will pop up with a drop-down list
of available COM ports. From the list, choose a COM port number
with which to begin renumbering.
NETWORK SETTINGS [NETWORK TAB]
------------------------------
If the I.P. address of a device has changed, or if a device has
been swapped with another device, update the network settings on
this page to alert the driver of the changes.
You can manually enter a device's I.P. address and TCP port on
this page.
Alternatively, you can instead search for your device using the
Device Discovery Wizard. Click on the Browse... button to use the
wizard.
ENCRYPT NETWORK TRAFFIC [NETWORK TAB]
-------------------------------------
Use this feature to encrypt network data sent between the
RealPort driver and the remote device. By default, data is
transmitted as plaintext across the network.
This checkbox only appears if the remote RealPort device supports
Encrypted RealPort.
If you do not see this checkbox, you may need to update the
firmware on your device. Visit http://support.digi.com and look
for Firmware Updates. Read the release notes of the newer
firmware and look for an indication that the firmware supports
Encrypted RealPort. Follow the directions to update the firmware.
The Digi RealPort Encryption Service is automatically installed
by the Digi RealPort Setup Wizard when you install a device. It
encrypts data using TLS v1.0 and employs a 128-bit AES cipher.
TCP PORT FOR ENCRYPTED TRAFFIC [NETWORK TAB]
--------------------------------------------
Use this field to change the TCP port that the RealPort driver
uses to establish an Encrypted RealPort session with the remote
device. The default port is 1027.
This checkbox is not displayed if your device does not support
Encrypted RealPort. See the preceding section, Encrypt Network
Traffic, for more information.
* PORT-SPECIFIC FEATURES *
--------------------------
To locate the port-specific features, follow these steps:
o From Device Manager, access the device's Property Page
o Activate the Advanced tab and click "Properties..."
o Choose the port you wish to configure from the list in the
left-hand side of the window
o You are now viewing the port features
o To view the ports's Serial settings, click on the Serial
tab
o To view the ports's Advanced settings, click on the
Advanced tab
o For each port you want to configure, remember to choose the
port from the list in the left-hand side of the window
Each of the features discussed here is disabled (or blank) by
default.
COM PORT NUMBER [PROPERTIES TAB]
--------------------------------
To change a port's COM name, select a different one from the
drop-down list of available COM ports.
PORT NAME [PROPERTIES TAB]
--------------------------
Normally, the name of the port is displayed as the name of the
product followed by the logical port number and the port's COM
name.
E.g., "Digi Connect ME Port 1 (COM5)"
To replace the COM name with text of your choosing, enter a brief
name here; it will be displayed in the Device Manager in place of
the COM name.
E.g., "Digi Connect ME Port 1 (My first port)"
PORT DESCRIPTION [PROPERTIES TAB]
---------------------------------
The port description can be used any way you would like to store
additional information about the port. It is only displayed on
the property page.
SERIAL SETTINGS [SERIAL TAB]
----------------------------
These settings are displayed on the Serial tab of the port's
property page.
The Serial settings are used by the Windows Print Spooler to
determine the default line settings of the port when printing.
The line settings include baud rate, number of data bits, type of
parity, number of stop bits, and type of flow control.
To change the default print spooler settings, adjust the
Baud Rate, Data Bits, Parity, Stop Bits, and Flow Control
settings using the drop-down lists.
SEND KEEP-ALIVE PACKETS [ADVANCED TAB]
--------------------------------------
Sending keep-alive packets is a mechanism that allows the
Digi RealPort driver to periodically monitor its network
connection with the remote RealPort device. This allows the
driver to detect network disconnects that would otherwise go
undetected.
A keep-alive packet is simply an empty TCP packet sent to the
device.
If keep-alive is enabled, the driver periodically sends a keep-
alive packet to the device. If the driver does not receive an
acknowledgement from the device, it assumes the network
connection is broken.
If the network connection is broken, the driver logs this
information to the Event Viewer. Next, it tries to establish a
new connection. The driver will continue to try to establish a
new connection until it succeeds, until the driver is disabled,
or until keep-alive is turned off.
Once a new network session is established, the driver logs
another event to the Event Viewer to inform you that a new
network session has been established with the device.
If keep-alive is not enabled, the driver will still detect and
log network events, but only when a port is open and there is
serial activity.
ALWAYS GRANT PORT OPEN REQUESTS [ADVANCED TAB]
----------------------------------------------
(Formerly, "Allow ports to be opened when network is
unavailable".)
Turn on this feature if you want the RealPort driver to always
grant open requests, even if the driver cannot communicate with
the remote device at the time of the open, or even if the remote
device rejects the open request.
By default, the driver will only grant an open request if it can
communicate with the remote device, and only if the remote device
okays the open request. For instance, if you disconnect the
remote device from the network and then try to open one of its
ports, the RealPort driver will reject the open request, and your
application will not be able to open the port until the device is
back on-line.
If this option is enabled, note that the RealPort driver may
grant an open request even if the physical port on the remote
device is in use by another application. The RealPort driver will
continue to try to claim that port, but there is no guarantee
that it will ever succeed. To the local application, it has
opened the port, and it can read and write data, but the data
will not really be written until the RealPort driver can claim
the physical port, and the local application will not see any
read data until that time, either.
COMPLETE WRITE REQUESTS IMMEDIATELY [ADVANCED TAB]
--------------------------------------------------
Checking this field means that the driver confirms the completion
of a write request as soon as the data is written to the buffer.
The default is to wait until the data is sent out the port.
This option may cause an application to behave unexpectedly. For
instance, some applications need to know when data has been
physically written, and by telling the application that data has
been written when it has not may confuse the application or cause
it to fail.
Conversely, some applications have strict timing requirements and
may fail if this option *is not* enabled.
This feature is disabled by default.
USE SERIAL API TO ALERT APPLICATION IF DEVICE GOES OFF-LINE [CUSTOM DIALOG]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Formerly, "Return error codes when network is unavailable".)
***************************************************************
*** WARNING!! *************************************************
This feature is for use only by custom applications. Enabling
this feature will likely cause an application to behave
erratically, unless it has been written exclusively to use this
feature. Please read these instructions carefully to learn how
use this feature with your custom application.
***************************************************************
To access this feature, click the "Custom..." button, located
on the Advanced Tab of the port's property page.
The RealPort driver supports two methods to handle Wide Area
Network (WAN) errors, such as those generated when the
RealPort driver loses its TCP/IP session with the remote
RealPort device.
By default, this feature is disabled and the RealPort driver
seamlessly and transparently handles any and all network
errors. The most common network error is that the driver
loses its TCP/IP session with the remote RealPort device,
either because the RealPort device is unreachable due to
general network failures or because the RealPort device is
rebooted or powered off.
In the event that the RealPort driver loses its TCP/IP
session with the remote RealPort device, the driver will
attempt to reestablish a new connection with the device once
every second. The driver will also simulate a loss of
hardware flow control lines by lowering each of the following
signals -- DCD, DSR, and CTS. It will also simulate receipt
of an Xoff character, if software flow control is being used.
In this mode, client applications will not and cannot detect
network errors. Client applications are free to continue
reading from and writing to RealPort ports, and to continue
using the ports as they otherwise normally would. In this way,
network errors are handled transparently from the client
application.
However, it is sometimes useful for a client to know that a
remote RealPort device is unreachable because the TCP/IP
session is dropped. In this case, you can enable this feature,
and the RealPort driver will then communicate network errors to
the client application when the network is unreachable.
If this feature is enabled, when the network connection is
dropped and a client initiates a read or a write (ReadFile or
WriteFile request), the driver will immediately complete the
operation and return the error, ERROR_NETWORK_UNREACHABLE.
The driver will likewise complete all serial communication
calls with the same response (i.e., ClearCommError, PurgeComm,
SetCommState, etc.). A client application can be specifically
written to recognize this error code and to respond accordingly,
such as by logging the error to a file. The driver will continue
to return this error code until it is able to reestablish a
network connection with the remote RealPort device, at which
point the driver will resume normal processing of read, write,
and serial requests.
10. COPYRIGHT NOTICES
The OpenSSL Project
This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project
for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/),
Copyright (c) 1998-2003 The OpenSSL Project. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
without modification, are permitted provided that the following
conditions are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials
provided with the distribution.
3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this
software must display the following acknowledgment: "This
product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for
use in the OpenSSL Toolkit. (http://www.openssl.org/)"
4. The names "OpenSSL Toolkit" and "OpenSSL Project" must not be
used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
without prior written permission. For written permission,
please contact openssl-core@openssl.org.
5. Products derived from this software may not be called
"OpenSSL" nor may "OpenSSL" appear in their names without
prior written permission of the OpenSSL Project.
6. Redistributions of any form whatsoever must retain the
following acknowledgment: "This product includes software
developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL
Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)"
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE OpenSSL PROJECT "AS IS" AND ANY
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE OpenSSL
PROJECT OR ITS CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS
INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF
THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric
Young (eay@cryptsoft.com). This product includes software written
by Tim Hudson (tjh@cryptsoft.com).
Eric Young
This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric
Young, Copyright (C) 1995-1998 Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com).
All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or
without modification, are permitted provided that the following
conditions are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials
provided with the distribution.
3. All advertising materials mentioning features or use of this
software must display the following acknowledgement: "This
product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young
(eay@cryptsoft.com)". The word 'cryptographic' can be left out
if the routines from the library being used are not
cryptographic related :-).
4. If you include any Windows specific code (or a derivative
thereof) from the apps directory (application code) you must
include an acknowledgement: "This product includes software
written by Tim Hudson (tjh@cryptsoft.com)"
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY ERIC YOUNG "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR
CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF
USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED
AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN
ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
11. ADDITIONAL NOTES
Installation documentation can be found on the Digi Web site,
http://www.digi.com, or on the FTP server, ftp://ftp.digi.com.
12. HISTORY
Version 3.1.243.0, 11/15/2004 (Rev. Q)
--------------------------------------------
o Added support for Digi PortServer TS MEI Families, including
Wireless, Modem, Hardened, and Power series.
o Resolved issue with updating three or more adapters in
Windows Server 2003 unnecessarily prompting for reboot.
o Resolved issue with Setup Wizard failing if it encountered
corrupt or unparsable INFs in the Windows INF directory.
o Fixed condition during driver update that could cause a
bugcheck.
o Fixed a condition where closing the ports during a network
outage and subsequently disabling the adapter freezes the
system.
o Resolved problem with opened ports being unresponsive after
returning from hibernation or sleep.
o Fixed problem with COM ports being mislabeled in Device
Manager after device installation.
o Added Registry option to specify that a port should always
be configured for RTS toggle.
o Modified behavior of "Always grant port open requests" to
try to establish connection before succeeding open request.
o Fixed a condition where write timeout processing under certain
conditions may cause a bugcheck.
o Added encryption support for DOIAP.
o Corrected Setup Wizard to always enable encryption for a
device when the user specifies as such during installation.
o Modified SetQueueSize to accept any queue size.
o Fixed problem with encryption service unloading unexpectedly
after disabling encryption for a device.
o Fixed issue reopening port when "Always Grant Port Open
Requests" is enabled under certain conditions.
o Corrected support for IOCTL_SERIAL_LSRMST_INSERT.
Version 3.0.226.0, 03/18/2004 (Rev. P)
--------------------------------------------
o Added Digi RealPort Setup Wizard for installing, updating,
and removing RealPort device driver and devices
o Updated Device Manager user interface.
o Added registry option to force baud rate.
o Added registry option to disable DOSMODE.
o Improved Event Log messages in case of network disconnect.
o Resolved issues with Complete write requests immediately.
o Improved handling of network outage.
o Added support for IOCTL_SERIAL_XOFF_COUNTER.
o Added registry option to force xedata (ignore serial errors).
o Fixed support for IOCTL_SERIAL_IMMEDIATE_CHAR.
o Fixed a condition where a network disconnect under certain
conditions may cause a bugcheck.
Version 2.8.94.0, 06/10/2003 (Rev. N)
--------------------------------------------
o Added support for Digi Connect ME.
o Fixed a problem processing write requests after the input
buffer is cleared with PurgeComm during network disconnect.
o Corrected break event signaling.
o Fixed detection of modem line transitions for EtherLite 2.
Version 2.7.90.0, 04/22/2003 (Rev. M)
--------------------------------------------
o Added support for Microsoft Windows Server 2003
o Improved management of outgoing network resources.
o Fixed a condition where a network disconnect under certain
conditions may cause a bugcheck.
o Fixed RTS Toggle functionality. A RTS pre- and post-delay
can be configured through the command line interface or the
web interface of your Digi One or Digi PortServer.
o Modified the Complete Writes Immediately feature to allow
queued data to drain when the port is closed.
o Fixed framing error detection to not insert bogus data
into the read data stream.
o Modified driver to default uninitialized ports to 1200,7,e,1,
like the standard serial driver, and to maintain baud rate,
line settings and flow control across opens.
o Added code to force RTS low when device is closed; sometimes,
if a port was using RTS/CTS flow control and was closed, RTS
would remain high.
o Added support for Digi One TS H, Digi PortServer TS 2 H,
and Digi PortServer TS 4 H.
o Added support for Digi One TS W, Digi PortServer TS 2 W,
and Digi PortServer TS 4 W.
Version 2.6.82.0, 01/31/2003 (Rev. L)
--------------------------------------------
o Added support for Digi One EM, Digi One IA and Digi One SP.
o Fixed race condition when switching parity states.
o Modified Complete Write Requests Immediately feature to work
irregardless of flow control.
o Added user interface option "Send keep alive packets" to control
keep alive packets sent to the remote device. The default setting
is disabled.
o Fixed condition where default Xon and Xoff characters were
not initialized correctly.
o Fixed detection of parity and framing errors.
o Fixed Xon/Xoff limit bounds checking.
o Exposed GUI option to allow serial ports to be opened
even if the driver cannot communicate with the remote device.
o Improved driver load time when network is disconnected.
o Changed event reporting to begin accumulating events once
SetCommMask is called, instead of waiting for WaitCommMask.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.