Question Looking for virtual serial port software that work with Virtualbox

[Grobe]

On my work, there are some equipment that in order to configure and managing via RS232 interface, that require a physical computer running Windows XP.

I have access to a newer laptop running W10, and I've tried to run that same software in Virtualbox + Windows XP, but I find it impossible to make it communicate via serial interface, even if the com ports are make shared from within Virtualbox virtual machine settings.

That is why I'm looking for some advice on what virtual serial port software that might work - it need to be possible to control the com port on the host machine from the virtual machine.

 

[TerryLaze]

Does your laptop have a serial port?
If you use a cable then that's your problem, you have to do research to see which cable works well with older software

 

[gardenman]

It seems they are having issue with it. It works with some versions, not with others. More details here:
https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=92981
It seemed to work in the VirtualBox 5.x versions. What version are you using?

This may be obvious to you but I'll mention it anyway. I'm not sure if this is needed or not, but I read on another page where they had to add it in Control Panel / Add Hardware first in the VM.

 

[Alabalcho]

I was in your boat couple of months ago. Ended running my XP under hyperV, configuring the serial port to talk to a pipe, and connecting a pipe-to-serial utility running on the host. Can't remember the utility name, but if you're interested II can look back.

 

[Grobe]

Does your laptop have a serial port?

Yes.

If you use a cable then that's your problem, you have to do research to see which cable works well with older software

No, the cable is ok because I know that a later version of the software can communicate to the devices.

It seems they are having issue with it. It works with some versions, not with others. More details here:
https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=92981
It seemed to work in the VirtualBox 5.x versions. What version are you using?

Thank you for providing link. This doesn't seem like the same issue because the software did not have a crash in my case, but rather the communication doesn't work (I cannot / don't know how to provide any usable information other than this because I can only see that the software tries to connect and then it just doesn't succeed).
The version? I'm at home right now, but the version was the most recent one for about a month ago. It must have being either VirtualBox 6.1.22, 6.1.24 or 6.1.26.

Now I realize that the changelog for version 6.1.24 point to a bugfix regression, bug #18668 - so I need to investigate what version I actually have installed when I get back to work.

I was in your boat couple of months ago. Ended running my XP under hyperV, configuring the serial port to talk to a pipe, and connecting a pipe-to-serial utility running on the host. Can't remember the utility name, but if you're interested II can look back.

Thanks alot for offering help on this. Let me see when I get back to work (it might take a couple of weeks before I can set aside time for this) and If it turns out I have a version of Virtualbox where this issue are supposed to be fixed, then I get back and probably ask for more information on this.

 

[Grobe]

Today I had a test where I upgraded Virtualbox to most recent version as of today. However, the bugfix mentioned did not solve the issue. One time, where the baud rate was set to 19200 the software was seemingly had a successfully connection to the device, but that turned out being a rare fluke - I never got the software to repeat that again.

So the situation is still : The communication always work when the software runs on the host machine, it never (rare fluke not counting) works when using the Virtualbox.


I have to give up trying to connect the guest OS because of:

1
In both host OS and guest OS, I can navigate through device manager and adjust properties to the COM port - however I cannot find any sources saying wich one (host or guest OS) that overrides the other, or if it doesn't matter at all. Since that is unclear, I spend a lot more time because for each time I was going to adjust some parameters to the COM-port, I did in following steps:

• Closing down guest OS.
• Adjust com port settings from host OS.
• Starting guest OS
• Adjusting com port settings from within guest OS.
• Starting the software and run another test (all of them failed).

2
I tried a lot of settings regarding the com port. I know that the baud rate of 19200 and 115000 are accepted by the device and always work, so I don't test with other baud rates.
I haven't made a table or list of every possible configurations I've tried, so I cannot rule out the possibility that there exist the one magical configuration that actually works. But If I where to try out many different configurations, I think that would take a couple of weeks.

3
The software is (very offensive words should go in here) because each time I test with new settings, the dialog box and graphics are incredible deceptive. It makes the impression that - About to connect, it's just few second left and then should be all good, really promising --> and then, just seconds before (now if I used host OS it would soon commit to log in to the device and show all settings in front of me) it goes out with a "could not connect" or similar message.

And all steps and habits described above takes a lot of time, so if I want to do a change in the settings I should make only settings that I believe can make any difference, such as adjusting the fifo buffers in com port settings.


@Alabalcho - I'd be very glad if you're able to provide that utility name - because I'd giving up using only Virtualbox.