DEV Community: Oscar

Access Webcam in RDP Session

Oscar — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 10:19:17 +0000

How to Use a Webcam Over RDP

In the light of today's global realities, namely, quarantine and social distance being the new normal, more and more people go remote with every passing day. And about anyone, who’s ever worked with the Remote Desktop, knows that managing resources between the remote terminal and the host can get quite challenging.

For one, when you need to join a video call during your RDP session, you can do it either from the host or from a guest system. While each of these ways comes with its benefits and pitfalls, it’s good to keep your options open, right? So keep on reading to get the full and complete answer to an often-asked question: “How to use my webcam over RDP?”. Also, you’ll find out about the most convenient way to enable a USB passthrough inside the RDP session for remote webcam access.

Webcam remote access: software method

An important aspect of redirecting a webcam over RDP is being able to assign it to a specific user while restricting access for everyone else. This is especially critical if you’re operating in a multi-user environment (e.g. Windows Server) or your RDP server is accessed by a large number of clients.

This is one of the reasons why USB over Ethernet is a top choice when it comes to opening your webcam for remote access. This powerful software tool has a built-in device isolation feature.

And here’s an easy-to-follow manual on how to remotely access a webcam in an RDP session:

Download and install USB over Ethernet both on your host machine and on a remote one that needs access to the webcam via RDP.
Run the app on a host, find the webcam on the list in the “Devices” tab, and click “Share”. You can change the port number, encryption, etc. if needed.
Now, launch USB over Ethernet on a remote computer. The camera will already be on the device list, so all you need to do is click “Connect”.

Some more plus points of USB over Ethernet:

Full compatibility with every Windows and Windows Server version.
Works with all brands of USB webcams.
Supports a host of popular communication apps, such as Skype, Lync, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Webex, Adobe Connect, and many more.
Is compatible with a range of remote desktop protocols including Microsoft RDP, Teradici PCoIP, Citrix ICA.
Works perfectly in macOS and most distributions of Linux.
Easy access to any kind of USB device

Setting up USB Webcam Passthrough to an RDP Session

This method works for external USB cameras, built-in laptop webcams, and monitor integrated ones. But for it to work, your RDP server must be on Windows Server 2019 (or newer) or have RemoteFX configured.

Note: RemoteFX does not work with some webcam models.

So here’s what you need to do to get free remote webcam access in Windows:

Run mstsc.exe to launch the “Remote Desktop Connection” manager. Then go to the “Local Resources” tab and click “+” to expand the “Video capture devices” section.
Tick the related checkboxes to enable both this section and your camera:
Click “OK” to save.

After that, starting from your next RDP session, you’ll be able to access this webcam and join video calls within your remote desktop session.

Note: Unless you have a really good broadband connection, it’s highly advised to adjust your settings to the maximum bandwidth possible.

Along with the camera, you can also pass through your local microphone to use it during the RDP sessions. Here is how it’s done:

On the “Local Resources” tab, click “Config remote audio settings”.
On “Settings”, find the “Remote audio recording” options and set the “Record from this computer” one.
Click “OK” to save.

Now should be able to join meeting rooms inside an RDP session with your local webcam and mic. However, in some cases, this method is not going to work even if you've set everything up correctly, so you’ll have to start all over again. But well, at least it’s free.

It’s up to you to decide between the two methods, and the choice seems pretty clear. You either pay for a never-failing software solution and save tons of nerves and opening hours, or you save some money, at the expense of your time and trouble.

How to use 3D Mouse via RDP

Oscar — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:46:46 +0000

How to redirect 3D Mouse to Remote Desktop Session

What is a 3D mouse

A 3D mouse is a specialized pointing and control device that is designed to be used in virtual 3D environments. It provides this functionality through a variety of methods including accelerometers, multi-axis sensors, and infrared sensors. Used in tandem with a traditional mouse, it allows individuals to employ a two-handed approach to their work.

Computer modelers and designers make use of 3D mice because they increase productivity and are more comfortable to use compared to traditional techniques. They are also considered essential gear for serious gamers who wish to immerse themselves in the world of virtual reality. A 3D mouse offers users the six degrees of freedom required to successfully navigate three-dimensional environments.
An example of 3D mouse that are in great demand: Logitech Space Navigator, Space Mouse Pro, Space Explorer, Space Pilot PRO and etc.

Accessing a 3D mouse in RDP sessions

It can be challenging to use a 3D mouse from within a Remote Desktop Session. If it uses a USB interface, you need the ability to redirect data transmission to your remote session. One option is to use RemoteFX USB redirection which allows an RDP to access a USB connected 3D mouse.

While this solution does enable access to the mouse, there have been problems reported with inconsistent performance from the device. The issue is that the mouse acts fine until it enters the 3D environment. When used in the 3D space, issues with the mouse driver result in a lack of control over the device’s movements.

Redirecting a 3D Mouse to RDP

USB for Remote Desktop is a third-party solution developed to streamline the process of redirecting USB device transmission. Here’s how to use USB Network Gate to redirect a 3D mouse to an RDP session.

Download and install USB Network Gate on the machine that is attached to the 3D mouse and the computer that will use RDP to access it.
On the computer with the direct connection to the 3D mouse, launch the application and go to ’Devices’. Locate the mouse in the device list and select ‘Settings’. Here you can update parameters like the port number or enable encryption. When you are finished updating parameters, click ‘Share’.
The mouse is now available to any network-connected computers that have USB Network Gate installed. Open USB for Remote Desktop app in your RDP session and in ‘Devices’L click ‘Connect’ to access the shared device.

That’s it! The 3D mouse is now available in your RDP session and ready for use.

TOP 5 Serial Port Monitors software

Oscar — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 15:40:37 +0000

RS232 standard is popular in many scientific directions and is widely used for lab equipment, quality and process controllers, various sensors, measuring tools, etc. However, you may experience some issues while trying to analyze serial port activity. A number of aspects have to be taken into consideration: hardware and cabling, communication settings and protocols. To be able to perform COM monitor activities successfully and detect any issues with serial data, you'll need a reliable serial port sniffer with a comprehensive RS232 activity log.

1. Serial Port Monitor by Eltima Software

First on our list is Serial Port Analyzer - a high-quality COM port sniffer product that can log, display and help you analyze RS232/422/485 port activity in the system. Getting all the data from this useful app allows for quality application and driver development, as well as testing and debugging of COM port devices. No additional hardware is required for RS232 port Monitor solution by Eltima. There are Standard and Professional editions depending on your needs.

With RS232 Analyzer you can connect to ports that are already open and start monitoring at once. Data is captured in real-time and displayed conveniently. Data packets are easy to compare. You can record IOCTLs with all the details and parameters.

This COM port sniffer can monitor several ports at once so users can get the data on how apps interact with several serial devices within a session. The collected data can be viewed as table, line, dump or terminal, with sump view being able to show binary, ASCII data and port settings. Another great feature this serial port testing software offers is emulating data transmission to a serial device so you can see and analyze the reaction of a device to certain commands and data. You can send string, binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, or mixed data.

The popular Modbus RTU and Modbus ASCII protocols are fully supported with all essential filters for the most effective analysis.

Serial Port Analyzer is the most precise RS232 testing software thanks to the possibility to reproduce the monitoring session in order to review certain port behavior with the same parameters used in different conditions.

The software comes with a comprehensive help system and intuitive interface, which makes it fairly simple to use.

With free serial port monitoring you can connect to real or virtual COM port and monitor the transmitted data. Specify the textual content record to keep all intercepted records to for your analysis. RS232 Logger will show how many bytes are saved in the log file and all records logged from the serial port in a complete way.

Serial Port Monitor customer's feedback
When trying to build a custom dashboard for a third party Li-Ion Battery Management System based on Texas Instruments BQ76940 and Atmel 8-bit line of microcontrollers, the integrated circuit manufacturer provided a "brief" description of the communication protocol. This description wasn't enough or complete, so analyzing the protocol transmitted while using the manufacturer provided Windows based dashboard was a must. Eltima's Serial Port Monitor with the capability of "sniffing" open serial ports on Windows platform was the best tool to do the job. Now I can see in realtime the protocol flow and understand the documentation, saving me a lot of trial and error while programming. I'm very happy of having found this piece of software.

Eduardo Roldan (Linux Expert, DIYer, EV Enthusiast)

2. Advanced Serial Port Monitor

Advanced Serial Port Monitor is perfect for performing serial monitoring of the peripheral devices connected to your computer. The free Serial Port Logger lets you connect with up to 255 physical and virtual serial ports and save data transmission information to a file. Analysis of your serial traffic can be done at any time by accessing the saved data.

COM port data logging

This application is easy to use RS232 monitoring tool with a user-friendly interface. Simply choose the COM port you want to monitor and specify its parameters, select a file to store monitoring results, and click the “Start” button.

Collecting real-time serial data

As soon as you connect a serial device to a computer you can begin to monitor its data flow. Advanced Serial Port Monitor allows you to study the details of serial traffic and ports when used with scanners, meters, and any other type of device that connects to your machine through a COM interface.

3. Free Serial Protocol Analyzer by HDD Software

Another software solution, without any hardware needed. Free Serial Port Monitor can intercept, display and analyze data exchange between a device and a serial application. Also a useful solution for software, device driver or serial hardware development that helps you test, debug, and optimize your product. It will dig into data flows and protocols and display everything in a comprehensive way.

With this program, you’ll be able to capture data and serial input/output control codes (IOCTLs) going through a COM port.

Free Serial Protocol Analyzer provides users working with COM ports with a full set of information — the app allows formatting data into different kinds of output. What’s more, it offers emulation of data sending on behalf of a monitored app. This option will clearly help you better check the reaction of a COM port to some particular data.

What is also convenient is that the software allows searching for a text in a Data View, Request View, and Console View. Plus, it’s possible to change the way the hex data displayed in Request View and Data View.

4. SerialMon

SerialMon is a free RS232 port analyzer for Windows that takes up little space. It can monitor serial port communication through software or with a simple hardware solution. Supports ABB RP570, ABB SPA-bus and NMEA 0183 protocols.

5. Portmon for Windows

Portmon can monitor and display all serial port activity in a system. Also a good tool for tracking down possible issues with apps or devices configurations and analyzing serial port usage by the apps. This solution offers remote monitoring. You can monitor many remote computers at the same time. Multiple filters help you see the data conveniently and analyze it faster. This COM monitor can export captured data to a file like the previously reviewed solutions.

Portmon for Windows
Thank you for reading our top serial monitor tools selection. Whatever you are working on, choose a reliable and best performing piece of software to achieve the most satisfying results. To find out the most comprehensive solution for your needs, read the overview of Serial Port Monitor utilities.

The problem of remote access to USB security keys

Oscar — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 12:54:25 +0000

Having a licensed USB security dongle, you may face the need to remotely access the functionality of your device. It’s not infrequent that connecting a USB key to a virtual machine or a remote desktop becomes a real challenge. What’s more, it may happen that several employees in your office need to use the same USB key simultaneously.

How to resolve this challenge

Probably the simplest way to provide remote access to a USB protection dongle is to share the device over the network. Donglify is a lightweight app designed to do just that. The software is powered by advanced port virtualization technology that allows redirecting USB dongles over any network (Internet, Wi-Fi, etc.) to any remote computer. With Donglify, you can share your licensed USB key with as many remote users as you need. A shared device will appear in remote systems like it was connected physically to those machines.

Here’s how it works:

You create a Donglify account on the software website and download the app on your computer.
Start the program and log into your account.
Once logged in, you click the plus icon in the window that will open and see the list of local USB dongles available for sharing.
Check the radio button in front of the required USB key and click “Share”.

Note: the “Multi-connect” icon shown next to a USB dongle means you can share the device over the network and use it on multiple computers simultaneously. The “Single-connect” icon indicates that a shared USB key can be connected to one remote machine at a time.

Now, you download and install Donglify on all computers that need to access the shared USB key remotely.
Once installed, start the app and log into your Donglify account.
The shared USB key will be displayed in the list of remote USB dongles that are available for connection.
All you need to do is click the “Connect” button below this USB key.

Once done, the shared USB security dongle will appear in the remote computer like it was directly connected to that PC.

Share serial data of one COM port among several applications

Oscar — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 14:40:32 +0000

Serial Port Splitter creates many virtual COM ports joined to the required physical COM port. Any application acknowledges virtual serial ports as were common hardware COM ports.

When virtual serial ports are opened by communications applications, information from the physical COM port is shipped to any or all opened virtual COM ports at the same time. And contrariwise, information from every communications application written to a virtual COM port is shipped to the physical COM port.

https://www.serial-splitter.com/use-cases/ham-radio-usage/splitting-transceiver-port/

VirtualBox: How To Pass Through USB Devices

Oscar — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 10:22:05 +0000

If you work with virtual machines, there’s a good chance you'll got to know how to attach USB in VirtualBox at some point. This article shows the way to connect USB devices to VirtualBox as well as sharing the connected devices with help USB network Gate.

How to download Instagram videos with VideoDuke for Mac

Oscar — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 07:46:51 +0000

Just imagine you can download photos or videos from Instagram on Mac in 1 click! This can be done using VideoDuke and other powerful download apps from the article. Read on to find detailed information.

RS232 extender with cable already in the past.

Oscar — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 14:36:48 +0000

RS232 extender software solution is designed to redirect serial devices over the Internet (LAN or Ethernet) in a way that makes them available to multiple remote users at the same time. A distinctive feature of this FlexiHub over IP is that its interface is really simple and intuitive. Just a couple of clicks to split the COM peripherals at any distance.

C# - Reverse Engineer Serial Communication

Oscar — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 08:39:31 +0000

Problem
I have a device that when a particular application is on send data to that application. I need to cheat this data and retrieve certain information that is not displayed. The device is custom and for some reason has no data sheets. So have to sniff the communication and rebuild the commands sent from the application to this device. So I would like to achieve this in C# or C++. Right now I've tried every sniffing software and yes they sniff it, but I want to be able to know and retrieve the data and present it live.

The easiest way to do this is to put your software between the device and the other software. Next, review all the data and capture what you need.

To do this, use serial port loopback software. There's a lot of it out there. See http://virtual-serial-port.org.

A more complicated (but more passive!) Method is to monitor IOCTLs. I can't guide you how to do things that I don't know, but that's something to look at. The software at https://www.com-port-monitoring.com/ uses this method.

An alternative piece of software that gives you virtual serial ports is com0com (http://com0com.sourceforge.net/). However, it also has a hub functionality where the device output can be sent to many applications, which may or may not be useful to you, depending on whether you just need to monitor the output from the device or in both directions.

If nothing else it can give you some open source code to base your own sniffer on if you go down the device filter route. But if you go down this route, you may need to look at the driver's signature if you need it to work on 64-bit versions of Windows 10.

Remote PLC access

Oscar — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 08:44:07 +0000

What is a PLC?

A PLC or programmable logic controller is a type of computer often employed to monitor and control industrial manufacturing operations. The device, which you may see referred to as a programmable controller, can be vital in identifying errors in industrial processes. PLCs are designed to be durable with the ability to withstand the physical challenges of an industrial environment. They are easy to program and are used to control robotic equipment, assembly line manufacturing, and other industrial activity that demands reliability.

PLCs are part of the basic infrastructure of industrial automation implementations. They can be used as a stand-alone computer to control an individual industrial machine or process. In many cases, multiple PLCs are connected in a network and used as a component of a SCADA system. The networked PLCs are controlled by servers running specialized HMI and SCADA software.
Human interaction with the network-connected PLCS is enabled by the use of a Human-Machine Interface (HMI). Configuration, monitoring, and controlling the PLCS is all done through the HMI. Generating alarms for human operators based on PLC input is another critical use of PLCs. HMIs can be simple or complex. A very basic HMI may consist of light and buttons that afford the operator the ability to perform designated functions. More complex HMIs involve a computer executing programming and monitoring software interacting with a network of PLCs.
Industrial automation systems generally follow a similar control structure. They are comprised of human operator interfaces that rely on PLCs to monitor and control industrial devices. Physical properties such as temperature, humidity, and pressure are monitored by the sensors. The electrical signals generated by these sensors is used by logical controllers to initiate various activities such as starting a device or process. Operators with access to an HMI can monitor the automated processes. In some circumstances, the operator may have the ability to override the automation to deal with a procedural anomaly. The synthesis of sensors, actuators, and logic controllers with an HMI forms the basic architecture of all automated control systems.

Accessing a PLC remotely

There are communication interfaces present in the majority of PLCs. These ports commonly employ the RS-232, RS-422, RS-485, or Ethernet protocols. PLC configuration is enacted through these communication ports. Connecting the PLC to a network is accomplished with the Ethernet port, which is a standard feature of most devices. The servers being used to control and monitor the process through the PLC gain access to it through the network connection. Other network-connected devices can also communicate with the PLC.
Virtual connections are required in order to achieve remote access to the PLCs.

Software for Network access to PLCs

PLC control software has no utility unless it can be used over a network. Serial to Ethernet Connector is a specialized application designed for remote access to RS232/485/422 interfaces. The software enables the sharing of any serial interface over a network. Any type of network including LAN, WAN, and IP is supported by this versatile communication tool.
In order to access PLCs remotely, follow these simple steps:

Download Serial to Ethernet Connector.
Install the application on a network-attached physical or virtual machine with which you want to access serial ports.
Select “Create Server Connection” in the main window.
Configure the connection settings to address your situation.
Establish a client connection on the remote computer.

It’s really that simple to manage network-attached PLCs remotely. Serial Port Monitor is an excellent tool for developing, implementing, and maintaining networks of PLCs and their applications.
Eltima Software uses the technology behind Serial Port Monitor to develop custom solutions for their clients. See what we can do for you by requesting a sample of PLC HMI virtualization technology that can be incorporated into your system or application.

Creating a USB watchdog script

Oscar — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 10:14:17 +0000

My interest in the world of cryptocurrency has been growing over the last several months. In order to address this interest, I have finally obtained a crypto mining rig.
Those of you who are familiar with mining rigs have been exposed to USB watchdogs. These are small devices that are connected to a USB port with the goal of monitoring your computer and restarting it in the case that your system freezes.

The operation of a USB watchdog is simple:

Insert the device into a free USB port. There are four pins that need to be connected. Use jumper wires to connect two of the pins to the reset button with the other two pins attached to the power switch.
Once you power on the device, it waits for a pre-determined period of time to receive a message indicating the computer is still functioning properly. If that message is not received in the designated time frame, the computer will be reset.
Step 2 is repeated indefinitely.

Specialized software is responsible for sending messages to the watchdog. If your computer crashes or freezes, the software will not be able to relay the message. If the time interval is exceeded before receiving a message, the watchdog is alerted that there is a problem with the system. It then initiates a hardware reset that is the equivalent of pushing the computer’s reset button.
USB watchdogs come with this dedicated software, though in my case the program was essentially useless. It was designed to be used on a Windows machine and I use a Linux computer for my mining rig. This posed a problem that needed to be addressed.

Taking a look at the Windows software, it seemed fairly simple so I decided to try to reverse engineer the application.

It was easy to do:
First, I needed a program that could be used to monitor the connection and the data which was being passed to the watchdog. A quick Google search directed me to a valuable tool, com port monitoring.

Employing a serial port sniffer made it easy to decipher the necessary patterns. You need to verify the serial port settings which should be:

Baud rate: 9600
Parity bits: None
Stop bits: 1

That’s all you need to begin transmitting messages to the USB watchdog.
The protocol:
The next aspect to consider is the protocol in use. Here again, the sniffer lets you conduct this investigation.
The first thing to notice is that when the watchdog software is started, it sends a packet (0x80) to which the watchdog device replies with (0x81). Despite not knowing the exact manner in which the data is encoded, it is fairly obvious that this initial connection message contains the firmware version.
I then discovered that a sequence of bytes (0x10) was being sent at the rate of one per second. This was with a timeout value of 160 seconds. Changing the timeout value to ten seconds caused the program to send a different byte (0x01).
Some deduction indicated that if a byte value of one equals ten seconds, 160 seconds should be represented by a 16. And 16 is represented in hexadecimal notation with 0x10.
When the reset button is pressed, the relays are triggered and a byte of 0xff is sent.
To my knowledge, the only operations available are these three:

Send a heartbeat message containing the current timeout value.
Check firmware version.
Reset.

The script

The completed script is rather basic. The source code is available for you to use at (https://github.com/zatarra/usb-watchdog).
There is definitely room to extend the script’s functionality in a number of ways only limited by your imagination. Some suggestions are to remotely start a mining rig or test video your system’s video cards.
Warning: Setting the heartbeat interval too low can backfire on you. If you set it to one minute, that is the amount of time you have to react if your computer crashes. You will need to boot the machine and start the script within that time frame. Failure to do that will put your computer into an infinite loop which can be very troublesome if you are using a remotely located mining rig.

Check out this code repository for the latest version of the script.
If you find this instructive, donations are gratefully accepted in the form of an adult beverage.

Accessing serial ports from a virtual machine

Oscar — Wed, 15 May 2019 08:19:08 +0000

A simple method for accessing serial ports from a virtual machine

Connecting a virtual machine to remote serial ports and devices is possible through the use of the specialized communication software application known as Serial to Ethernet Connector. It works by creating virtual serial ports that fully emulate physical serial interfaces. Using this powerful software tool you can create a connection from the guest operating system to a physical COM port on any network-attached computer. Devices that are connected to the server’s physical port are made available over the network via the virtual ports created on the client machine.
In order to create virtual COM ports to enable sharing of your serial devices, download the Serial to Ethernet Connector app and install the program on the host machine which will provide the port to share. It also needs to be installed on the guest which will access the port and any connected devices.
The software supports many virtual environments like VMware, Citrix XenDesktop, and Hyper-V and enables you to use those platforms to use virtual serial ports as if they were an actual physical interface.

Article: https://www.serial-server.net/com-port-in-virtual-machine.html