Display live data from IP serial device on LAN

Parappa

Hi all,

I am totally new to PHP and have a question.

I want to find a way to present on a web page live data which is streaming from a serial device which is connected to the LAN using an ethernet-to-serial box.

Everything is on the same LAN and the web server is a NAS box that can run PHP.

The serial device will not be connected to a PC.

Instead it will have its own IP and Port number.

The application is to have live temperature readings being shown on a web page, and the temperature data comes from the serial device through the serial-to-ethernet box on the LAN.

I am not sure if this can be done, and I don't have a background in PHP.

Any help gratefully received.

Thanks,

dalecosp

Well, first off, we need to know something about the device. Does it have documentation that tell what features you're using? Can we access a socket on the ethernet device, for instance?

dalecosp

Based on a quick web search, I'm guessing that it would be something like that ... check out PHP's socket functions....

Parappa

Hi dalecosp,

Thanks for the questions. Will try my best to provide more info.

The device that will be connected to the LAN is a

http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/external-device-servers/uds1100.html

I went through the documentation and it says:

"...creates a fully transparent serial connection to existing PC-based software applications—making it possible to remotely connect to equipment already in the field as if it were connected to a local PC serial port.

• Protocols: ARP, UDP, TCP, ICMP, Telnet, TFTP, AutoIP, DHCP, HTTP, SNMP TCP, UDP, and Telnet, TFTP, RFC2217 "

So it is possible to Telnet in to the assigned IP😛ORT number to see the data output.

Then I want to connect a Temperature sensor on to the RS232 Serial Port end at 300 baud 8,N,1.

So there is no need for a PC in the equation and I hope to create a web page/PHP script that runs on the NAS Web Server (on the same LAN) that can display the temperature from the sensor in real time.

I have had a look at the socket function you recommended and because I don't know PHP I can't say for sure if it will accept sockets.

If it is possible to get a socket connection, is it realistic to expect to get the data on to a web page?

I know I will need to learn PHP, but I have never really programmed before and wanted to find out if I have a chance of getting this to work. Not sure about how much skill is required...

Thanks for your assistance!

dalecosp

I'd dig into the docs a little more. HTTP might be the easier choice; while it's certainly possible to use sockets, if there's basically web server on the device itself ... (they say it speak HTTP, it seems...) that's about the easiest thing to do, I'd think. For that matter, I think PHP will do most of those protocols ... it's just a question of knowing what to write.

And welcome to PHPBuilder, by the way. 🙂

Parappa

Thanks for the welcome 🙂

Forgot to mention about the "built in web server".

I checked this out and it is only for configuring the device. Once the device has got an IP, the web interface just allows for configuring.

I am quite certain that it is not a web server in the sense of hosting a "site".

It would have been great if they did that! Then I would just use HTTP as you suggest.

At the moment I am starting to go through tutorials to learn PHP, so that hopefully i will be able to write something in PHP soon.

PHP looks so alien and impossible to understand!!