__level-1 text from tedd. T = 23.10.99|13:15 -0400 __

> >I may have to make a rather unpolished serial port snooper for
> >in-house debugging use. But before I do, fearing reinvention of the
> >wheel, I thought I'd ask if anyone know if such a program existed as
> >shareware or freeware.
> >
> >The common Mac has two serial ports; for this never mind one-port
> >powerbooks and the new USB Macs. I minimally need to have this
> >snooper show all communications on both ports, both acting as input
> >ports. Then I can connect these between another Mac (or PC) and a
> >connected serial device like a modem. The snooper is a "wire tap"
> >device that records both sides of the I/O.
> >
> >Ideally the program would support triggering to start and stop
> >recording, but that is not vital. (Triggering is defining one or more
> >bytes in a sequence to watch for, and if present, to use it to start
> >or stop the display buffer filling. It is somewhat like a trigger on
> >a logic analyzer or oscilloscope.)
> >
> >Of course it needs to have some serial port options like baud rate 
>and parity.
> >
> >If none exists and I have to roll my own "wheel", what is the maximum
> >receive speed that I can expect a Quadra-series Mac to receive via a
> >FB application? Will it reliably grab 28.8 or 38.4 kbps? Two ports at
> >once? Any special FB tricks to watch for?
> >



>Ray:
>
>Check out CommSleuth (formally CommSpy). Their link is:
>
>     http://alwaysthinking.com
>
>The program does what you want.
>
>tedd
>

Thanks Tedd, I checked out the web site and corresponded with the 
author. It is not quite what I was seeking and is a considerable 
compromise. It is intended to watch the in and out paths of a single 
port on the same Mac that is running another application using the 
same port, like a e-mail client or web browser.

I am seeking an application that watches the input channel on two 
serial ports, so that the Mac running the application must be 
connected to another computer (Mac or PC) that is tied to a device 
like a printer or modem, using a special cable. We're not concerned 
about the extra Mac or cable (we do hardware design work), but the 
way to do the snooping.

Peter Lawton, of Always Thinking said this, in addition:

>We have heard of a program called "Serial of Champions", and even found the
>author at one point.  That was about a year ago, I think.  But we've never
>been able to find a copy of the software on the Net.  (I was no longer
>looking when I found the author.)

I haven't searched for it yet, but that is another possibility.

Thanks,

Ray


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