Title: WhiteHEAT USB COM Port Naming Conflicts
Date: March 14, 2000
KDB: KDB-267
Revision: 1.00
Author: AES
Distribution: External
Symptoms:
When a WhiteHEAT board is installed and then the USB cable is unplugged while another serial port is added to the system (such as a Blue Heat etc.), the COM port names used by the new installation will often be the same ones used by the original WhiteHEAT installation. Once the WhiteHEAT is reconnected, two devices will have ports associated with them that have the same COM number and will not function correctly.
Solution:
It is desirable that a WhiteHEAT keep the same COM numbers associated with it when installed, disconnected, and subsequently reconnected. This is a feature designed into the WhiteHEAT USB product. The feature actually will maintain a COM number to specific WhiteHEAT association no matter where a unit is plugged into a system’s USB subsystem.
However, a problem with this feature is that when a WhiteHEAT is removed the standard install procedures for devices is not aware of the pending reconnection of the WhiteHEAT and assumes the COM port numbers are available for it’s use. This causes the COM names to be reused and when the WhiteHEAT is plugged back in, will result in a COM name conflict.
The COM names that are in conflict can be renamed using the Device Manager → Ports → Communications Port Properties → Port Settings → Advanced configuration dialogue.
End of KDB-267