When you have installed the Port Server software and setup the static port(s) as required, you need to create channels in the database. The channels represent the connections between the ClearSCADA servers and the remote computer or modem (depending on your system setup).
You need to configure channels that are appropriate to the types of serial devices that are connected to the remote computer or communicate with ClearSCADA via a modem. For example, you can use the port server to allow ClearSCADA to SCADAPack Modbus device communications via a remote computer. To do this, you would need to configure Advanced Modbus PSTN or Advanced Modbus Direct channels to represent the connections.
In this section, we explain how to create and configure the channels that are required for your port server setup. For details on the channel settings that do not specifically relate to the port server setup, you should refer to the documentation for the relevant driver. For example, if you need information on the settings for an Advanced Modbus PSTN channel, you will need to refer to the ClearSCADA Guide to the SCADAPack Modbus Driver.
You need to create and configure Channels for Dynamically Assigned Ports if:
- You are using the port server to provide ClearSCADA with exclusive access to a remote computer's serial ports.
- You are using the port server to allow modem sharing.
You need to create and configure Channels for Statically Assigned Ports if:
- You are using the port server to provide ClearSCADA and other external applications access to a remote computer's serial ports.