Incorporating serial devices into virtual systems

Virtualizing computer systems is sensible in many cases for reasons of both cost and security. However, if the virtualized system is communicating with serial devices (e.g. medical/weighing/measuring technology or wind power/photovoltaic systems etc.), there is the problem that the usual virtualization platforms provide insufficient support.

But the network connection of virtual guest systems is for the most part quite a mature approach, is stable and therefore also a good candidate for transporting serial communication. Using a Com-Server on the serial device side and a virtual COM port in the virtual machine, the serial data are simply and transparently tunneled through a network connection - unnoticed by the application, the serial device or the virtualization platform.