Serial Monitor

Serial Port Monitor Features

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  Serial ports & devices real time monitoring

  The Serial Monitor detects all installed serial ports and PnP or virtual serial devices and displays them, grouping by device class. The list is automatically updated every time you plug or unplug a serial device.

  Each device's communications can be monitored in real time, and highly efficient and carefully optimized data processing algorithms help avoid communication delays. This makes our product, in fact, the only nonintrusive software serial protocol analyzer on the market today.

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  COM ports data filtering & output customization

  Product offers a generic serial data/requests filtering feature, which allows you to configure filtering for different visualizers, create filtering schemes and quickly apply them to different visualizer windows.

  Additionally, you may change the appearance of visual elements for monitored packets in the data visualizers including MODBUS View, Request View (Serial, Bridge), Data View, PPP View. No other solution will allow you to adjust your output as flexibly and conveniently as our product.

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  Serial data logging & log file playback to the screen

  Our product is the only one among all serial ports sniffers, which offers you the opportunity not only to monitor the data in real time, but also to record the received data in the log file with the possibility to replay and analyze it later.

  Using our product, you will not only be able to reproduce arbitrary fragments of previously recorded data on the screen, but also redirect them to a selected serial port (See "Data Repeater" feature). This feature is also implemented only in our product.

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  Browsing monitored data, searching for data patterns

  Basic Serial Monitor functionality includes the ability to view and navigate monitored serial data. All data visualizers allow a given data pattern to be easily found using the search function. The search may be performed among the whole visualizer contents or among the selected area only.

  Some visualizers also provide advanced searching capabilities, including searching for text in different encodings or binary data and a search with regular expressions.

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  Monitoring of bridged serial connections

  Serial Bridge is a unique feature of our product. It is used to monitor the serial connection between two distinct serial devices. In this mode, a computer with two serial ports and an installed product is placed between two serial devices communicating with each other.

  You start monitoring Serial Bridge and watch all the packets exchanged by these devices, with the ability to parse and analyze them in detail. You can specify different settings for both ports including baud rate, parity, byte size, stop bits and flow control.

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  Serial ports graphical data analysis & statistics

  Only our product offers you a truly sophisticated graphical and statistical analysis of data obtained during the monitoring of serial ports. You can analyze not only real-time data, but also historical data stored in pre-recorded log files.

  You can inspect the following data parameters: Packets Total/sec, Bytes Total/sec, Bytes Read/sec, Bytes Written/sec, IO Packets/sec. The product allows you to customize the list of data being analyzed, and specify the type and form of the analysis.

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  Packet View: displaying monitored packets in a table

  The Packet View visualizer provides the combination of brief packet information for each monitored packet and in-depth analysis for an individually selected packet. It is structurally divided into two panes.

  The upper pane displays brief information for each monitored packet in a table. The lower pane lists all other supported and installed visualizers which are used to display the individual packet information. Once you select the packet in the upper pane, all its internal fields are decoded and displayed in the visualizers in the lower pane. For example, you may select a MODBUS protocol packet to see it decoded in Request View and MODBUS View visualizers.

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  Request View: displaying packets in a Hex/ASCII view

  The Request View visualizer displays each monitored packet. It decodes the packet's internal fields, and works in two modes - Basic and Complete. In Basic mode only the main packet fields are decoded and displayed, while some others being available as popup hints. In Complete mode the entire packet is decoded and all accompanying data is provided in Hex/ASCII view.

  The contents of the visualizer can be copied into the Clipboard or exported into the file in various formats. With outstanding performance at the first place, the Request View visualizer is your best tool to analyze monitored data.

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  Structure View: parsing & displaying captured serial packet data

  Structure View data visualizer is a two-part window. First part displays each monitored packet parsed according to specified set of protocols. Second part displays raw packet contents. Cursor navigation may be synchronized between two parts. Each packet is matched against one or more of loaded protocol definition files and all protocol fields are shown in the top part of the visualizer. For each field, its name, value, starting address and size are displayed. If field consists of other fields, you may expand it.

  Visualizer supports configuring protocol-based filtering (aka Display Filter) and allows changing of the root protocol.

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  Raw Data View: displaying raw packet data for serial protocols

  The visualizer has two windows, one of which displays data sent to the Serial device, and another one displays data received from the Serial device.

  All subsequent packets are concatenated into a single data stream, which is displayed as sequence of hexadecimal, decimal, octal, binary data and text. Alternatively, the stream may be displayed as a sequence of floating-point numbers with single or double precision.

  The data visualizer is extremely flexible and allows you to customize both its layout and appearance.

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  Data View: displaying read/written packet data in separate windows

  The serial Data View visualizer has two panes. It displays incoming data in one pane and outgoing data in another one.

  The contents of each pane can be copied into the Clipboard or exported into the file in various formats.

  Its unique data filtering capabilities make this visualizer a very handy serial protocol analysis tool.

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  Console View: displaying monitored data in a serial console

  Console View visualizer is especially useful while monitoring a text-based serial protocol. It displays incoming and outgoing text data. Instead of exposing data as individual packets, as most other visualizers do, it groups data according to the underlying text protocol. You will easily see the request sent to the serial device as well as device's response.

  It supports line numbering, copying and exporting functions.

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  Line View: displaying the status of serial (modem) control lines

  When monitoring a modem connection, the serial Line View visualizer may reproduce the well-known modem "lamps", which they used to have on older modems.

  It displays the status of Serial (Modem) control lines: Data Terminal Ready DTR, Carrier Detect DCD, Data Set Ready DSR, Request To Send RTS, Clear To Send CTS, Ring Indicator RI, Transmitted Data TxD, Received Data RxD.

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  Serial PPP View: parsing PPP protocol packets

  The Serial PPP View visualizer can be used to decode Point-to-Point Protocol packets, as well as a number of packets that can be encapsulated in PPP packets.

  PPP View supports the following protocols: Novell IPX, OSI Network Layer Control Protocol, DECnet Phase IV Control Protocol, Appletalk Control Protocol, Link Control Protocol, Password Authentication Protocol, Link Quality Report, Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol, Multilink Protocol, Compression Control Protocol, Extensible Authentication Protocol, NETBIOS Protocol.

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  MODBUS View: parsing MODBUS packets

  MODBUS is an application layer messaging protocol, positioned at level 7 of the OSI model, that provides client/server communication between devices connected on different types of buses or networks.

  Serial MODBUS View visualizer parses MODBUS protocol requests and responses according to MODBUS APPLICATION PROTOCOL SPECIFICATION V1.1a. The MODBUS Send Module can be used to construct and send MODBUS requests. In this case the MODBUS View visualizer, can be used to see the requests sent by the MODBUS Send Module and packets the MODBUS-compliant device respond with.

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  Parsing BACnet MSTP packets

  The built-in protocol definition for parsing BACnet, a data communications protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. It is an approved and standard protocol by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

  Use with Structure View data visualizer, Text Exporter or Custom View data visualizer to get full insight on underlying protocol messages exchanged by devices on your network.

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  Displaying monitored packets in a Hex/ASCII view (Request View: Bridge)

  The serial bridge Request View visualizer displays each monitored packet. It decodes the packet's internal fields, and works in two modes - Basic and Complete. In Basic mode only the main packet fields are decoded and displayed, while some others being available as popup hints. In Complete mode the entire packet is decoded and all accompanying data is provided in Hex/ASCII view.

  The contents of the visualizer can be copied into the Clipboard or exported into the file in various formats.

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  Displaying read/written data in separate windows (Data View: Bridge)

  The serial bridge Data View visualizer has two panes. It displays data that comes from one end of the virtual link in the top pane and data that comes from another end in the bottom pane.

  The contents of each pane can be copied into the Clipboard or exported into the file in various formats.

  Its unique data filtering capabilities make this visualizer a very handy serial bridge protocol analysis tool.

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  Sniffing data on remote serial ports

  With this unique feature of our product, you can snoop data even on remote serial ports. In this mode, you install the Device Monitoring Server on your remote computer, connect to it using Serial Monitor running on your workstation, and access all traffic going between that remote COM port and connected device.

  You can even have multiple simultaneous remote monitoring and recording sessions to a single device from computers in different places around the world.

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  Serial terminal

  The built-in Serial Terminal module is used to create serial port terminal sessions. Once created, the session can be used to send text or binary data to a connected serial device and to receive device's responses.

  Combined with Serial Monitor's connection monitoring capabilities, it becomes a powerful debugging and protocol testing tool. Combined with built-in advanced scripting, it delivers even more power and becomes the versatile serial port communications debugging tool.

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  MODBUS send: sending MODBUS protocol commands

  This MODBUS Master/Slave device simulator tool provides an easy way to control a MODBUS-compatible device. It can come of great help when you need to debug your device and verify its responses. You can set all standard or user-defined MODBUS function codes visually and then just click on the Send button.

  It is convenient to use a MODBUS View visualizer (RS422/RS485/RS232 MODBUS sniffer and MODBUS ASCII/RTU protocol analyzer) in conjunction with a MODBUS Send window for two-way debugging (to view both requests and responses).

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  Scripting support

  The built-in scripting support offers the possibility to control several in-application objects with user-written scripts written in TypeScript (JavaScript superset).

  Being used with custom protocols parsing feature (Custom visualizers) and Serial Terminal / MODBUS Send it provides you with serial protocol automatic event control handler functionality. You may automatically send commands to your device upon receiving specific data.

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  Capture filter

  A filter is a single condition which follows the syntax of Protocol Definition expressions. It can refer to any field in captured packet and use any supported logical or arithmetic operator.

  You can set the capture filter when you start new or configure running monitoring session. You can either select one of the predefined filters or create your own.

  Capture Filter can be used to discard entire packets according to specified criteria, while Display Filter can be used to hide packets from the specific Data Visualizer.

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  Custom protocols

  Serial Monitor comes with a lot of pre-installed protocols. This feature also allows the customer to add the definition of the custom protocol to Serial Monitor. After this, the application will start parsing and decoding all matching packets according to custom protocol definition.

  Being used with automation tools (Scripting, Serial Terminal, MODBUS Send) it provides you with serial protocol automatic event control handler functionality. You may automatically send commands to your device upon receiving specific data.

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  Custom visualizers

  Custom Visualizer allows the user to create his own visualizer in TypeScript. Custom visualizer receives each packet parsed according to selected protocol and adds one or more text strings to the output. It also defines several visual schemes which may later be customized by the user.

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  Root protocol

  Root protocol, a feature of Structure View data visualizer, as well as several other components, allows the user to focus on a specific protocol frame inside another encapsulating protocol. For example, the user may focus on MODBUS or PPP protocol frame encapsulated in serial protocol frame.

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  Raw data exporter

  This exporter parses captured serial port data according to the loaded set of protocols, applies optional protocol-based filtering and Root Protocol and writes the resulting binary data into the output file. It produces the result identical to the lower part of the Structure View data visualizer, but does not display any UI, writing raw data directly to the file.

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  Text exporter

  This exporter parses captured serial port data according to the loaded set of protocols, applies optional protocol-based filtering and Root Protocol and writes the resulting text data into the output file. It formats its textual output exactly like the upper part of the Structure View data visualizer, but does not display any UI, writing formatted data directly to the file.

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  Multi-source monitoring

  This feature supports joining monitored data from multiple serial devices into a single monitoring session. Device Monitoring Studio makes sure packets are correctly sorted and presented through a number of supported data visualizers. Data logging also supports multi-source sessions.

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  Data repeater (playback to the port)

  Data Repeater sends all monitored data to a selected serial port (or two ports) and supports both active serial monitoring sessions and playback sessions.