The Windows Developer's Digest
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From S.D.: Hi! Have you all considered setting up a subscription to WD-3? I, for one, am terrible at remembering to look at something periodically. It's easier to not rely on my memory and tohave periodicals magically appear in my inbox.

WD-3 replies: we initially thought this was a bad idea because of the overhead of pruning the list after every mailing to get rid of stale addresses. Then we realized that readers wouldn't have any other good way to know when a new issue arrives. So we're trying out a subscription idea. Give us your e-mail (fill out this online form), and we'll send you an e-mail every time there's a new issue of WD-3.

From D.F.: There is a much simpler way of remotely debugging a test machine than [Jolyon's article in the March 15] prescribes. Simple use a Serial-Over-IP device which is controlled by the remote host running WinDbg. I've used Jolyon's method when I had to dial-up to a remote system serially connect to the test machine because IT administrators were afraid or unable, due to burdensome Corporate policies which do not understand firewall administration. But I found that be installing a Serial-Over-IP device on the host system and putting the device next to the test machine with a null modem connection between it and the remoteserial port to be the much more simplistic. This is because this configuration functions just as thought the null modem cable was connecting the local host and target in the standard direct connect method. The only difference in the Over-IP connection is that the host is communicating to it's COM serial port over the Ethernet to reach the physical hardware.

I've even debugged several systems at the same time clear across the world in Germany using a Multi-Port Serial-Over-IP connection from my development desk in the good ol' U.S.of A. and have been using this method for several years now. I've even advocated this use of Serial-Over-IP for remote debugging for several years now to the folks at Microsoft ateach WinHEC conference.

J.W. replies: Thanks for your response to my piece. Having had a quick look at your web site I can see that this is a really cool approach. Perhaps you could write a piece setting out how to get the Serial-Over-IP technique working? You don't want to bother advocating it to Microsoft - advocate it to developers like me, desperately trying to get the debugger to work in the field!

A problem with your approach is that it depends on additional hardware and therefor costs money. Mine is free to anyone who develops drivers.  

My piece for Wd-3 was prompted primarily by excitement at getting this stuff to work at all and also the desire to help other folk (my own development team included!) to have fun with this technology. I don't claim to be an expert in this field, so feedback from folk such as yourself is of real interest - it would be great if you could share your insights with the development community. You may sell more boxes!

From R.R.: Other people give us T-shirts, mugs, and luggage. What've you got?

WD-3 replies: This being pretty much a pro bono effort, we don't have any of those boring, traditional giveaways. Instead, we have the totally cool WD-3 Bookmark, which you can get free from a WD-3 editor at WinHEC or by sending a SASE to the EIC's business address (see the Contact Us page).

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