Modbus software: test, monitoring and
master emulation

Modbus Protocol Analyzer offers a convenient way to track down the possible problems during development of an application or a driver, test and optimize serial devices, etc.

This professional Modbus test software allows you to:

• Connect to a serial port that is already in use by a different program and start monitoring it right there. All data received by the port is shown in real time for immediate tracking of any possible issues.
• Monitor several serial ports at the same time. You can analyze the activity of several Modbus ports in one session synchronously. Data flowing in both directions is conveniently recorded in a single log on a first-in first-out basis.
• See the captured data in a table, terminal, line, and dump views at the same time. You can use various filters for precise monitoring.
• Emulate the data transfer to a serial device to see exactly how it will react to specific commands.

Find out how to decode Modbus messages here.

The challenge of splitting Modbus data

As you already know, a typical Modbus communication is established between multiple sensors and a single controller (or a server) that receives the incoming data via a serial communication interface. This COM port is usually controlled by a specialized serial app. In many cases, however, it may be required to open the receiving port with several applications at a time. As a rule, this does not seem possible unless you use a dedicated Modbus splitter software.

Virtual COM Port Driver by Electronic Team is probably the most optimal solution for this task. The program works as a serial port splitter able to duplicate data coming into one COM port to an unlimited number of real and virtual serial interfaces. Virtual COM Port Driver will help you create as many virtual RS485 (RS232, RS422) ports as you need in your system. So if you want your Modbus traffic to be received by several apps simultaneously, you can simply create virtual copies of the master’s receiving COM port and connect the required apps to them. Virtual COM Port Driver will duplicate the traffic to all of the virtual copies of the real COM port and this way several apps will be able to receive the same data at a time.

Share Modbus devices over TCP

Another special option that really deserves your attention is sharing Modbus over Ethernet. You can make a local Modbus device accessible to multiple remote users with the help of a handy network solution - Serial to Ethernet Connector.

This advanced utility makes it possible for you to work with up to 500 remote Modbus devices at a time. A really nice thing about the Modbus over IP software is that it can run in the background as a service, which means you don’t need to always keep it open. What’s more, the program is able to backup a configuration and move it to another machine this way saving you time and effort.

For now, Modbus to Ethernet Connector is available for Windows and Linux platforms. And the version for Linux is a command-line solution.