Some of the many advantages of using virtual environments are increased server utilization, improved recovery time following a disaster, and resource consolidation. A single physical server can share resources such as serial port connection, memory, and storage space for multiple virtual operating systems. The ability to access serial ports in VirtualBox enhances the efficiency of a virtual environment.
Unfortunately, it can be compacted to enable VirtualBox COM port passthrough due to the lack of serial port support built into virtualization platforms. Therefore, other methods must be employed to provide a VirtualBox session with COM port connectivity. Here are several ways that it can be done.
FlexiHub offers users a simple path to enable serial ports in VirtualBox or any other virtualization platform.
FlexiHub works by creating virtual connections and performing redirection of serial port data over a network to your VirtualBox instances. There are no complex parameters to configure. With FlexiHub, you can add a VirtualBox serial port using just one click.
Here is how to add serial ports in VirtualBox with FlexiHub:
You’re done! From this point on, serial devices connected to the host’s interfaces can be accessed in your virtual environment without any extra configuration. Flexihub allows you to efficiently manage serial ports in Hyper-V, VirtualBox, VMware, and other virtual environments.
Another method of setting up COM port forwarding on VirtualBox can be done with capabilities built into the platform. Virtual serial ports are enabled with the guest OS presented with a standard UART device to ensure compatibility. The connection is configurable and provides the ability to send and receive data. Configuration details vary based on the host OS being used.
VirtualBox serial port setup can be accomplished through the Settings tab or the VBox Manage command. This allows you to create up to four virtual serial ports in each virtual machine. You are required to configure the Port Mode and Port Number.
You should use standard values when defining the Port Number as it describes the serial port that the virtual machine will use. You also have the option of creating a user-defined serial port by providing an IRQ and I/O base address.
Port Mode defines the way in which the virtual port is connected. The Port Mode options are Disconnected, Connected to Host Device or Connected to Host Pipe.
You can configure four serial ports on each machine and multiple port numbers can be chosen.
We hope the details in this guide demonstrate how to share a COM port in VirtualBox. FlexiHub may present the simplest way to add COM ports in VirtualBox, but as you can see there are other options. Once configured, you can enjoy the full functionality of serial devices from within a virtual session as if you were directly connected to the peripheral equipment.