Adding a Serial Port

You can add to your virtual machine a serial port that will be connected to a real port on your physical computer, a socket, or an output file.

Note: A virtual machine can have up to four serial ports.

To add a serial port to a virtual machine

1. Choose Configure from the Virtual Machine menu to open Virtual Machine Configuration.
2. Click the Add button in the bottom part of the Virtual Machine Configuration dialog to launch Add Hardware Assistant.
3. In the Select Device window, select Serial Port and click Continue.

   To add a serial port that will have a typical configuration, click the Add Typical Device button. Assistant will add a typical serial port ready for use.

4. In the Add Serial Port window, specify the resource to be used for the serial port emulation and click Continue. You can choose one of the following resources:
   • Real Port. Select this option to connect the virtual machine's serial port to the serial port of the physical computer. You will be able to choose the serial port in the next window.
   • Output File. Select this option to connect the virtual machine's serial port to an output file. You will be able to locate the file in the next window.
   • Socket. Select this option to create and connect the virtual machine's serial port to a socket of the physical computer.

     Note: When you connect two virtual machines via serial ports, both virtual machines should have serial ports emulated by sockets with the identical names.

     If you want the device to be connected to the virtual machine automatically at startup, select the Connected option. If you clear this option, the drive will be enabled in the configuration, but not connected to the virtual machine. You can connect it later when running the virtual machine.

5. In the next window, specify the resource properties and click Add Device:
   • If you chose Real Port, specify the port to be used for the virtual serial port device in the Serial Port list.
   • If you chose Output File, define the file to be used for the virtual serial port device in the Output File field or leave the default file offered by Add Hardware Assistant.
   • If you chose Socket, specify the name of the socket to be used for the virtual serial port device and its mode. The socket mode defines the role the virtual machine will play when establishing a network connection to another computer. It can be set to one of the following: Server or Client. The Server socket enables you to use the given virtual machine to direct the other one. The Client socket enables you to direct the given virtual machine from the other one.

     Note: When you establish a connection between two virtual machines, one virtual machine socket should function in the Server mode, and the other one - in the Client mode.

     When you are ready, click the Add Device button to add a new serial port to your virtual machine.

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