Serial Port Access via WINE v10 on Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1

Serial Port Access via Wine 10 on Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1

Do you need to access a serial port through Wine in Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1? This article covers the necessary steps and approaches to help you achieve serial communication via a USB-to-TTL converter like the Prolific PL2303. We'll explore the concepts, subtopics, and best practices for setting up and connecting serial devices using Linux and Wine.

1. Overview of Wine and Serial Port Access

Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator) is a compatibility layer that enables running Windows applications on Unix-based systems. Though serial port access through Wine is not directly supported, you can configure Wine to interact with the underlying Linux serial devices.

2. USB-to-TTL Converters and Linux

A USB-to-TTL converter allows you to connect a serial device to a computer via USB. In Linux, these devices typically appear as ttyUSB* nodes under /dev/. For instance, the Prolific PL2303 USB-to-TTL converter will show up as /dev/ttyUSB0.

3. Implementing Serial Device Connection

To use a Prolific PL2303 USB-to-TTL converter in Wine, follow this old Superuser thread. The steps involve editing a Wine configuration file and setting up the corresponding symbolic link. Here's an outline of the procedure:

1. Identify the Linux device path:

ls /dev/ttyUSB*

2. Edit the Wine configuration file:

sed -e 's#/dev/ttyS[0-9]*#/dev/ttyUSB0#g' ~/.wine/dosdevices/com1

3. Symlink the Wine com1: to the ttyUSB0 device:

ln -sf /dev/ttyUSB0 ~/.wine/dosdevices/com1

4. Serial Device Access Testing

After completing the configuration, test serial communication by using a Windows application that requires a serial port, such as Putty.

5. Best Practices

Keep these best practices in mind when implementing serial device access with Wine:

• Follow the order of steps carefully.
• Always double-check the device node /dev/ttyUSB* before creating the symlink.
• Be cautious when using sed or other text manipulation tools. Incorrect edits may cause harm or require manual resolution.

By following the outlined process, you can successfully achieve serial communication via USB-to-TTL converters and Wine in Linux Mint Cinnamon 21.1. This article has covered the required steps and best practices for interacting with serial devices using Linux and Wine.

References

• Type: Article
• Title: “Serial connections not working in Wine”
• https://superuser.com/old-questions/717559