Parallel over usb over network possible?

[neiroatopelcc]

Hello. I know I usually get no responses for my questions (anything simple I can solve on my own), but I'll ask anyway.

We've got a device that needs to be attached to the parallel port of a license server to work. As things stand our server is virtual in an esx enviroment - and this enviroment whilst support parallel passthru doesn't have a parallel port on any host.
We can't seem to find any parallel port over ethernet (serial over ethernet exists in plenty avail) other than printer ports - and they don't provide a virtual printer port but simply tcp printing thus are worthless.

So we were thinking ... you CAN get usb over ethernet devices, and you CAN get parallel over usb devices. What are the odds that these will work?

Apparently the cheap usb over ethernet stuff doesn't support server systems (win 2008 64bit) and our licens software for obvious reasons is restricted to running only on server systems.

Regards,

 

[caveman-jim]

I'm doing the same thing and having the same problem. What I'm running into is that the parallel over usb ports appear to be specifically designed not to support license devices. So, I'm trying to get USB versions of license dongles instead. It's a PITA that Sentinel etc. was so pervasive using Parallel port passthough dongles.

 

[vdiworks]

Hi caveman-jim, sounds like you are looking for this product:

http://www.vdiworks.com/products/parallel-over-network/

It's client-server software that redirects a physical parallel port across the network (TCP/IP) and terminates at the other end in a virtual parallel driver. So you can have an app talk to a virtual parallel driver which is actually accessing and being redirected to a physical device at the other end of the network. Hope this solves your issue.