1. I am unsure if my Serial Device Server is working, is there any type of diagnostic program I can use to test it?

2. What are the Operating Systems under which my Serial Device Server is supported?

3. Why do I get a warning screen when I install Windows XP drivers downloaded from your website? What should I do?

4. What does it mean to have an unregistered Windows XP driver? Why do I get a warning screen when I install some drivers from the Quatech COM CD?

5. How do I disable the Windows XP Driver Signing check?

6. Do I need local administrator rights to install a Quatech Device Server?

7. How do I ping my SSE/DSE-410D by server name not IP?

8. How do I RESET the SSE/DSE-410D remotely?

9. I can't get my Device Server to turn on and no LEDs light up. What is the problem?
10. My serial device will not respond even though the Device Server is functioning, what is the problem?
11. Do I need special software or a specific web browser in order to administer my SDS?
12. Do I need to use a null modem cable between the Device Server and my serial device? What about on the Ethernet jack?
13. I see you list support for Linux. Does it support my kernel?
14. What security protocols are supported by your wireless device servers?

Q1. I am unsure if my Serial Device Server is working, is there any type of diagnostic program I can use to test it?

A. There are several ways to go about testing the product. The easiest way for Windows users is to connect a Loopback on the Port and use HyperTerminal to test it.
RS-232 Loopback Instructions        RS-422/485 Loopback Instructions

Q2. What are the Operating Systems under which my Serial Device Server is supported?

A. View the latest OS support matrix for Device Servers.

Q3. Why do I get a warning screen when I install Windows XP drivers that I downloaded from your website? What should I do?

A. Windows XP keeps a registry of all "Microsoft Certified" drivers, and provides a warning during any installation of an uncertified driver. This warning has nothing to do with the quality of the driver or its ability to function properly in your system. If any changes-even minor ones-- are made to a Microsoft Certified driver, that driver must go through the Microsoft Certification process again, which can take some time. The warning screen appears when the driver update has not yet made its way through the entire Certification process. Because we want to provide the best possible service for our customers, Quatech makes all driver updates available on our website prior to receiving Microsoft certification--this gets them into your hands faster! However, we always continue to make the most current signed version of the driver available.

When you see this warning during installation of a Quatech Windows XP driver, simply tell Windows that you want to install the driver and continue the standard installation process.

Q4. What does it mean to have an unregistered Windows XP driver? Why do I get a warning screen when I install some drivers from the Quatech COM CD?

A. Microsoft has implemented a new driver signing program. This program verifies that the driver will not cause problems on the system. Although driver signing isn't a complete indication that a driver is safe or bug-free, it's certainly reasonable to assume that signed drivers are generally safer for overall system health than unsigned drivers. In addition, driver signing ensures against a Trojan horse or virus application being introduced into a driver, or having the driver replaced with other code.

However, just because a driver is unsigned DOES NOT mean that it will not function properly in your system. An "unregistered" driver is one that has not been officially tested and certified by Microsoft. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows XP warns users every time they try to install a driver that Microsoft has not certified. Quatech thoroughly tests all drivers before releasing them to our customers. The Microsoft XP warning has nothing to do with the quality of our driver or its ability to function properly in your system.

XP driver development is an ongoing process. We are in the process of submitting all Quatech Windows XP drivers for review by Microsoft, and we fully expect to receive certification for most products in the coming months. However, every time we update a driver it must be re-certified. Until this certification process is complete, the updated driver will remain unsigned. Because we want to provide the best possible service for our customers, we release our XP drivers prior to receiving Microsoft certification--this gets it into your hands faster! However, we will always continue to make the most recent signed driver available even if there are more recent unsigned updates.

When you see this warning during an installation of a Quatech's Windows XP driver, simply tell Windows that you want to install the driver anyway, and continue with the standard installation process.

Q5. How do I disable the Windows XP Driver Signing check?

A. To disable Windows XP driver signing warnings, follow the steps below:

1. Double click on the System icon in Control Panel.
2. Left click on the Hardware tab.
3. Left click on the Driver Signing button. (click here for a screen cap of the Driver Signing Options Window
4. Choose the Ignore option. Click on O.K. and then Apply and O.K.
5. Windows will not warn anymore about driver signing.

Q6. Do I need local administrator rights to install a Quatech device server?

A. Yes. When installing most kinds of hardware, you must have local admin rights or equivalent on the PC. If your computer is part of a Domain or participates in a networked environment, please contact your local LAN Administrator for assistance.

Q7. How do I ping my SSE/DSE-410D by server name not IP?

A. You will need to map a "name" to the SDS IP address. To do this, you create (or edit if one is present) a hosts file using Notepad to include an entry for your SDS IP.

For example: 192.168.0.1 SSE-100D

Using the above example, to configure or ping the unit simply enter "SSE-100D" into the address bar instead of the IP address. Remember, this will only work if your SDS uses a static IP address, and you will need to edit the entry each and every time the IP address changes.

For more information on the "hosts" file see: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

Q8. How do I RESET the SSE/DSE-410D remotely?

A.To reset the power on the device remotely, open a COMMAND PROMPT window, type in "TELNET (IP address of the device)" and then use arrow keys to toggle down to the RESET option.

Q9. I can't get my Device Server to turn on and no LEDs light up. What is the problem?

A. Your Device Server is not getting power. Make sure that the power adapter is properly connected to the power jack and that the power adapter is connected to a functioning electrical outlet.

If all your power connections seem ok, then you may have a damaged power adapter. Please contact our technical support department for assistance.

Q10. My serial device will not respond even though the Device Server is functioning, what is the problem?

A. Typically this means that there is a problem with the application software, serial interface cable or the serial device itself. Try the following to determine what is causing the problem:

1. Make sure the serial device is powered up.
2. Make sure the serial cable is properly connected to the serial device and to the SDS.
3. Try a different serial cable.
4. Try a different port on the SDS Device Server.
5. Review your serial device literature. Make sure that the settings it specifies match those the Device Server is using (check the serial port settings for the Device Server using the Web interface).
6. Try plugging the serial device directly into a PC using the same cable used with the Device Server’s serial port. If that works but the Device Server does not, then it’s likely that the application software is hard-coded to work with a built-in COM port. If it does not, then your serial device is malfunctioning or the serial cable is defective / incorrectly wired for the DTE interface

Q11. Do I need special software or a specific web browser in order to administer my SDS?

A. No. The ThinQ web-based administration console can be accessed from any Internet enabled computer using any standard web browser (IE, Netscape, etc.) Yes. In order to ensure maximum compatibility with the Web interface provided by the Real-Time Operating System embedded in the SDS, please use Internet Explorer to change settings and view charts correctly.

Q12. Do I need to use a null modem cable between the Device Server and my serial device? What about on the Ethernet jack?

A. If the serial device has a DCE interface (like a modem), then you will need a straight-through serial cable. If the serial device has a DTE interface (like a PC), you will need a null modem cable. As for the Ethernet side, the Quatech premium line of device servers have an Auto MDI/MDIX interface, which means it will automatically adapt to either cable. So, whether connecting to a hub, switch, router or directly into a PC’s NIC, the Device Server is “smart” enough to know whether to crossover signals or not.

Q13. I see you list support for Linux. Does it support my kernel?

A. There are so many distributions of Linux and so many kernel modifications (one of the good and bad things about Open Source operating systems) that it’s impossible to tell with certainty whether our Linux drivers will work right out of the box for you. What we can say is that we internally test with the leading distributions/kernel releases and will be happy to help you use our products in your own customized application when possible. Please contact Technical Support for more information.

Q14. What security protocols are supported by your wireless device servers?

A. At this time, Quatech wireless device servers support 64/128-bit WEP and WPA protocols. We are currently working on WPA2 and a suite of EAP-based protocols, and will make announcements of their availability when finished. In the meantime, if you already have Quatech wireless device servers, please upgrade to the latest firmware version listed on our website to ensure that you have the best protection available.