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Olga Weis
Last updated May 24, 2024
When it comes to using serial ports in VMware, the simplest method is to pass the host’s serial port directly to the VM. This technique is effective for both built-in COM ports and USB-to-serial adapters, making it a viable option if you need to access a serial-based device, such as a printer or barcode scanner, from within a VM.
In this article, you’ll learn how to make a serial port available in VMware using a universal software solution. This enables the connection of a VMware host’s serial port to a VM’s virtual COM port over the network.
Additionally, you'll become familiar with the setup process for VMware COM port passthrough across various VMware solutions.
One of the simplest and most convenient solutions to enabling VMware serial port passthrough is FlexiHub.
FlexiHub is a software utility that lets you use serial ports and devices in VMware or any type of virtual environment.
FlexiHub works by establishing a virtual connection that redirects data from a physical serial port to a virtual COM port within the VMware session over the network. It’s so simple that no modifications of network parameters are required to add a VMware serial port.
You can add up to 4 serial ports to a VMware Workstation. The virtual interfaces can be used to redirect data to physical serial ports, files or named pipes. When you add a serial port to a VMware Workstation session you can create modems and other serial devices that are available to the VM. The virtual port can also send debugging information to the host or another virtual machine.
For vSphere virtual machines, there are four different ways of adding a serial port to VMware VM. it’s totally up to you to decide which one will be the best for your current task.
Before you start, don’t forget to shut down or power off the virtual machine and make sure you have these privileges: "Virtual Machine", "Configuration", and "Add or Remove Device".
With this method, you can enable VMware ESXi serial port connection for 32 serial ports per VM.
To enable VMware serial port passthrough in VMware Horizon, you’ll need to install Horizon Agent with the Serial Port Redirection setup option (deselected by default). Once you set up the serial port redirection feature, it’ll automatically work on all your remote desktops and published applications (the redirected ports may be mapped to avoid conflicts).
To enable serial port redirection in VMware View, you’ll need to make a redirected serial port active by right-clicking the port’s tool tray icon during a desktop session and picking “Connect“ from the menu. Alternatively, you can set a serial device to connect automatically whenever you connect to the remote desktop/published app.
In VMware Fusion, the serial port adding process won’t be very long or difficult.
Before you start, don’t forget to shut down or power off the virtual machine as its setting can’t be changed while it’s running or suspended.
In summary, this guide offers an in-depth look at integrating serial ports into VMware environments, streamlining the connection of external devices and enhancing VM capabilities. Utilizing FlexiHub, the process becomes straightforward across VMware Workstation, ESXi, Horizon, and Fusion, allowing for efficient device management and data transfer within virtual settings. This ensures users can fully leverage serial port functionality to meet their specific operational needs.
