Serial over Ethernet allows you to share up to 255 serial port devices over a TCP/IP network turning your computer into a low-cost terminal server. As a result, any serial port device connected to a COM port could be accessed from anywhere in the world as if it were attached to the local PC.
When the attached serial port device sends communication data, it will actually be transmitted over a TCP/IP network. Such behavior is achieved due to the use of virtual serial port technology which emulates standard COM ports. In this case, the Windows OS treats virtual serial ports in the same way as real ones therefore you are no longer limited to just two real ports (the number of physical ports you have) per system and can create COM port connections without occupying a real serial port.
Serial over Ethernet provides the ability to create several connection types for three main purposes: share serial port for incoming connections (Server), connect serial port to remote host (Client) and share serial port using UDP. Starting from version 5.0, all SEC internal drivers for Windows Vista and Server 2008 are digitally signed by Microsoft.
