SMP Gateway User Manual • 109
14 Using Passthrough
Connections
Most manufacturers of recent IEDs provide native vendor tools (NVT) for the configuration and
maintenance of their devices. These tools usually connect to the device using a serial link or, less
frequently, a network connection.
The optional SMP Gateway passthrough feature gives you the ability to use PC-based tools to
access the devices connected to an SMP Gateway. With this feature, the SMP Gateway serves as a
terminal server for remote maintenance, monitoring and control of the connected devices.
14.1 Principles of Operation
The native vendor tools expect the device to be connected to a serial port on the PC. Since the
device is now connected to the SMP Gateway instead, the passthrough function has to intercept
this communications link and provide a mechanism to exchange data between the NVT and the
SMP Gateway.
The passthrough functionality is implemented by two software components: the SMP Connect
windows application, which is part of the SMP Tools suite, and the SMP Gateway’s Passthrough
Server. An overview of the passthrough functionality is presented in the following illustration.
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