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From: rhes@igloo.UUCP (Richard H. E. Smith II)
Newsgroups: misc.wanted,comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: PC as RS232 Data Analyzer (longish)
Message-ID: <375@igloo.UUCP>
Date: 29 Jan 88 07:45:33 GMT
References: <2473@emory.uucp> <1063@percival.UUCP>
Reply-To: rhes@igloo.UUCP (Richard H. E. Smith II)
Organization: igloo, Northbrook, IL
Lines: 80
Summary: PCI LM1 looks nice

>In an article in misc.wanted Ken Mandelberg asks:
>
>>In the serial RS232 world, I have seen a number of special purpose data
>>analyzers, which seem quite expensive. Although I suppose they do other
>>things, a big piece of their functions is just accurately logging the
>>traffic in both directions, and triggering on certain sequences. It
>>seems to me that a PC with two serial interfaces could do much the same
>>thing, and that the software is not especially tricky.
>
>>Has anyone seen a product of this sort?

We (wearing my work hat at Sun Electric) have just received on trial a
LM1 Protocol Analyzer made by Progressive Computing Inc.  This is a board
for IBMoid PCs, plus software.  I believe it sells for about $1600.
At first glance, it looks very good.

Quick summary of claimed features:
	Menu driven protocol analyser
	Data display & capture (to memory and/or disk)
	Autoconfiguration
	DDCMP decodes
	BERT/BLERT
	Time-of-day stamping
	Interactive BASIC simulation
	Software breakout box
	Built-in ASYNC terminal emulation

	Capture at up to 72KBaud to buffer, or to disk at 9.6Kbaud
	DCE & DTE emulation
	dual protocol monitoring (different protocol on transmit & receive)
	SDLC/HDLC real time frame decode

	Optional ISDN, SNA, X.25 level 3 decode modules available
	DOS commands with monitor running in background

	One year warranty
	Free loaner
	One year s/w updates included

I've been reading the manual, and am about to attempt to extensively test
this unit by programming it using the customized BASIC (special emulation
verbs added to a grungy interpretive BASIC) to emulate a BISYNC credit card
network that our cash registers talk to... if it can simulate this network,
it is outperforming $5000+ datascopes, which cannot pick fields out of
records to create response records.

At first attempt, the package performs "datascope" monitoring functions well,
and sufficiently intuitively that a highly trained software engineer who is
familiar with various different datascopes could operate it without reading
the documentation.  Your mileage may vary.  The "autoconfigure" function
could identify some easy ASYNC and BISYNC lines correctly, which is better
than some older ARC 'scopes we now have usually do.

I will be searching for hard tests, and will attempt to report more.

I have nothing to do with Progressive Computing, Inc., which claims to be
located at 28 Greenwood Court, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137.

---------

In article <1063@percival.UUCP> gary@percival.UUCP (Gary Wells) writes:

>You don't even need 2 ports, just one.  Most EIA (RS-232) drivers will handle
>a "bridged" connection, that is, will source multiple recievers.  Just build
>yourself a Y cable, and run your PC communications program in capture mode.
>If possible, have it display, not act upon, control sequences.  

Sure, but if you do this, you will short the Tx & Rx leads unless you build
a powered or mechanism... only a couple of gates, but not just a piece of
cable.  Even if you make the OR, you will still have trouble if the line
you're trying to analyze is full duplex, and both sides send a character
at the same time.  Also, your PC's serial port is ASYNC only.

I noticed that the PCI device described above uses the obvious hardware,
namely Zilog SCC with appropriate gating.  The SCC is a dual serial port
device which is quite flexible....

----------

Dick Smith
...ihnp4!ddsw1!igloo!rhes