MP011-Server is a simple server program written in C++ to handle the interface with scientific instruments connected over RS232 serial communication. It is meant to be used in conjunction with the MP011-Experiment-Control MATLAB app for instrument control and data acquisition (link). This app connects and sends pre-formatted commands to MP011-Server instances over TCP-IP Ethernet; the server instances in turn open a serial COM port and pass the commands (and receives data from) to their respective RS232 device.
At present, a new instance of MP011-Server is necessary for each RS232 serial device and only one client can connect to each server at a time.
This program has been compiled and tested successfully on various versions of Microsoft Windows OS (from Windows XP to 10).
Simply run server.exe deviceName portNum, where deviceName is just nickname for the associated RS232 serial device and portNum is the TCP-IP port that the server is listening for a client (e.g. the MP011-Experiment-Control app).
At the request of the client, MP011-Server opens a serial COM port with the specified settings (serial COM port number, Baud rate, and flow control).
When the server is launched, a list of available commands is shown for user reference.
To launch the server programs needed for the MP011-Experiment-Control app, execute the batch file run-MP011-servers.bat. This script calls server.exe and creates instances of it with the appropriate listening port number for each device used in MP011-Experiment-Control.
A more satisfying way to use MP011-Server is to run it as a background service in Windows.
Take note of the serial communication protocol of the device from its operator's manual. The correct settings are needed to ensure successful command and control of the device.
This server program was developed from scratch by Dr. Meng Gao and me (liu.nelson at lphys.chem.utoronto.ca) with the help of Dr. Gustavo Moriena (gustavo at lphys.chem.utoronto.ca). In run-MP011-servers.bat, the server CLI windows are moved and resized for the sake of the clarity using cmdow.exe from the Cmdow project.