Skip to main content

Using AUX devices with Anzio

Introduction

In most cases, dumb terminals can print or output to an attached device of some type, such as a printer. This works very similar to passthrough printing. In many manuals this is referred to as "aux printing", printing to the auxiliary port. An additional capability of dumb terminals is its ability to receive data from "aux" devices, such as bar code readers, meters, etc.

Anzio is capable of both these, input and output to "aux" devices.

Setting your connection

On most terminals, printers are attached serially. In the case of PCs, most printers are attached parallel. With parallel devices, the communications is more or less automatic. To configure serial devices however is a chore. In AnzioWin and Anzio Lite version 12.0 we have added the command AUX-SETUP. In other versions of Anzio, this needs to be done through various Windows dialogs external to Anzio.The AUX setup is accessed through the Advanced Options dialog under the Edit menu.

Or you can do a Ctrl-Shift-f to get to the   Function:   line and enter   AUX-SETUP  to configure what port your AUX device is on. You will be asked for the device name. Usually this will be COM1 or COM2 or one of your other serial devices, but it could also be your parallel printer, i.e. LPT1.

If a serial device is entered, i.e. COM1 or COM2, Anzio will call up a dialog box allowing you to set various communications parameters for that device. These settings will then be stored with the Anzio default file for the next time.

Aux input

On a dumb terminal, the "aux" port was a second serial port, sometimes used for a passthrough printer. But alternatively, it could be used to receive serial data from a device such as a barcode reader or electronic scale. Or, sometimes these devices were "wedged" into the serial line to the host.

Anzio version 12.0 now supports serial input from a COM port on the PC, regardless of whether the PC is connected to the host via serial or TCP/IP. Note that in the first case, two serial ports would be used. To configure aux input, do

Ctrl-Shift-f     (to get to the Function: line)

AUX-SETUP

This will prompt you for the port name, and then the port settings. Then, to enable receiving serial data, do

AUX ON

and conversely,

AUX OFF

When ON, characters sent by the serial device will be sent to the host just as though they'd been entered from the keyboard.

Aux output

Most often doing AUX output is no different than capturing data to a device/file name of AUX, or simply doing passthrough print. As an example, when your terminal type is a Wyse or TV terminals, and data is sent from the host to the AUX device, the data is actually handled as if it were passthrough printing.

Another method with AnzioWin is to open an output device as AUX (file name) and then send the stream of data from the host. This date is captured and redirected according to the same settings as seen above for setting up an AUX device.

Other notes

  • Turning off "AUX Print" for certain terminal types
    To disallow recognition of control-R as "AUX print", do
                             HEXPATCH AE0 00
    Control-R is used in Wyse and Viewpoint for aux print, and is also used for file transfer with Rasmussen Software's SEND-PC and UFT programs. However, if a noisy phone line is involved, a single garbage character can be seen as a control-R, sending Anzio into print mode. This can be disabled. See our page on Customizing Anzio for more information.

  • Capture data to AUX port
    Through an AnzioWin macro or a host script for AnzioWin, you can send a command to open an output device for capturing data to an external device. This device can be called AUX.   When you OPENO a device name, such as AUX,  you to use OPENO/N, and the data that follows, up to a CLOSEO, will be directed to the AUX device. See our Using Host Scripts or Using Macros page, as well as the AnzioWin manual for more information.
     

Copyright © 2024 Rasmussen Software, Inc. Legal Information & Privacy Policy
Send comments and suggestions to rsi@anzio.com