Lantronix EDS16PR, EDS32PR, EDS4100, EDS8PR manual Tunneling

C: Networking and Security

Tunneling

Tunneling provides a way to create a connection between two serial devices across an untrusted network so the devices can share data. The sharing of information is achieved through a direct connection (or “serial tunnel”) between the two devices that encapsulates, authenticates, and encrypts the serial data into TCP packets and sends them across the Ethernet network. In this way, two previously isolated and non- networked devices can securely and effectively communicate and exchange information and operate with existing installed software applications or devices that are configured to run independent of an Ethernet network. And because the tunnel can be secure, anyone who tries to monitor the conversation between the two devices would see encrypted, unintelligible data.

The figure below shows how a pair of device servers can be used in tandem to provide transparent serial tunneling across an Ethernet network. In this example, a POS device in a store collects data and sends it to a device server attached to a POS serial port. The device server forwards the collected data, through an encrypted tunnel established over the Ethernet network, to a device server connected to a remote PC. The data received at the remote device server is decrypted and forwarded to the PC’s serial port and received at the remote PC. In this way, serial data that goes in one end comes out at the other end.

Example of an Encrypted Tunnel

EDS Device Servers User Guide 161