FAQ: USB Device Server

What is a USB device server?

Connecting your USB device to the SX-1000U, SX-2000U2 or SX-2000WG allows you to use it over the network. If you use a USB hub, you can establish up to 15 connections.

My USB device is not in the list of compatible devices - does it anyway work?

The chances are quite high that it works because the USB device server are made to support almost any USB device, there are just a few exceptions. If your device is not listed to be tested it does not mean that it will not work. So the list of compatible devices is not a list that includes any supported device, it only includes devices that have been tested by silex and devices that will work for sure.

What kind of devices can be connected?

USB devices including inkjet MFP, printer, scanner, digital camera, USB flash drive, memory card reader/writer, audio player, hard disk, CD/DVD/MO/FD drives can be connected. Also exotic devices like Yamaha mixing devices, USB weather stations, sewing machines or USB measurement devices are often supported.
Please note that USB devices using isochronous transmission, such as web cameras or speaker devices are in general only supported on the SX-2000WG+ and SX-3000GB. Some of those devices might not work due to driver issues or latency issues.

The USB device I want to use does not work, while others work. What is the reason?

If other USB devices work we can exclude your device server and the configuration on it to be the reason. Please make sure that you have the latest version of SX-VL and the latest firmware on your Device Server. If this also does not help please contact our support team, maybe the device you want to use is not supported at the moment.

Can I print from multiple PCs?

Also a normal print server can always only handle one client at a time.
It is not possible to connect from multiple clients at the same time but SX-VL has a function to connect automatically if there is a print job in the queue.
If a device is in use by another PC, the error message "In use by another user" is displayed, the second users print job will automatically start once the connection is available.

What operating systems are supported?

Supported operating systems are Windows2000 and Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 (32bit tested, 64bit might work), Windows Vista (32/64bit), Mac OS 10.2.8 or higher. TCP/IP needs to be available.

What network interface is supported?

SX-1000U2 and SX-2000U2:
10BASE-T/100BASE-TX wired network interface is supported.
Auto Negotiation is supported and the network is automatically detected by connecting the network cable.

SX-2000WG:
10Base-T/100Base-TX wired network interface is supported.
IEEE 802.11b/g wireless interface is supported. Our SX-2000WG works with any Access Point that uses the 802.11b/g standard.

Why can't I search using the configuration utility?

Check your network connection:

Makesure the LED on the device server shows network connection
If not: Change the power supply, make sure the network cable is working or device configured regarding your wireless network (only SX-2000WG).
The green LED should be on, the orange will flash from time to time to show network traffic.

The PC you are using for the configuration and the device server may not be in the same network segment (in an environment without a router)
->Initial configuration needs to be complete in the same network segment.

Check for other reasons if the connection is working:
Our software is using broadcast packets to detect the silex devices on the network. This might get blocked from security software. Please disable the firewall or any security software during the setup.
* Refer to "How to disable a security software such as firewall."

* If your problem has not been solved or you are using the device server in an environment other than Windows, please contact our customer support center by email or telephone.

The device server replies to ping, however, I can not print.

If you can not print even though the device server replies to ping, you can identify the cause by checking the configuration of the PC and printer, or verifying the network device that replied to ping.

Please make sure that you are connected in SX-VL with the printer. The printer needs to switch between online and offline when you connect / disconnect in SX-VL.

[Cause and measures(1)]
There may be a network device with the same IP address as your device server on the network, and the device that replied to ping may not be your device server. (Try to open the webinterface on this IP.)
->Check the IP address of each device on the network, then assign an IP address on your device server.

[Cause and measures(2)]
The printer driver used for printing may not be configured properly.
->Configure the printer driver that came with the printer or downloaded from a printer manufacturers WEB site by following the procedures.

[Cause and measures(3)]
Security software such as firewall may exclude the communication to the device server.
->Disable the security software such as firewall and verify again.
* Refer to "How to disable a security software such as firewall."

The device server replies to ping, however it can not be seen on the network.

If the device server can not be searched by the SX Virtual Link even though it replies to ping, you can identify the cause by checking the configuration of the PC and printer or verifying the network device that replied to ping.

[Cause and measures(1)]
There may be a network device with the same IP address as your device server on the network, and the device that replied to ping may not be your device server. (Try arp-a command after executing ping command.)
->Check the IP address of each device on the network, then assign an IP address on your device server.

Example) In the list displayed after executing "arp -a" command, if the Ethernet address (Physical address) shown on the right side of the IP address (Internet address) is different from your device server's Ethernet address, another network device with the same IP address replied.

[Cause and measures(2)]
Security software such as firewall may exclude the communication to the device server.
->Disable the security software such as firewall and verify again.
* Refer to "How to disable a security software such as firewall."

* If your problem has not been solved or you are using the device server in an environment other than Windows, please contact our customer support center by email or telephone.

I can not search the device server using the SX Virtual Link.

If the device server can not be searched by the SX Virtual Link even though it replies to ping, you can identify the cause by checking the configuration of the PC and printer or verifying the network device that replied to ping.

[Cause and measures(1)]
IP address may not be configured on the device server.
Complete the initial configuration using the bundled CD-ROM.

[Cause and measures(2)]
There may be a network device with the same IP address as your device server on the network, and the device that replied to ping may not be your device server. (Try arp-a command after executing ping command.)
->Check the IP address of each device on the network, then assign an IP address on your device server.

Example) In the list displayed after executing "arp -a" command, if the Ethernet address (Physical address) shown on the right side of the IP address (Internet address) is different from your device server's Ethernet address, another network device with the same IP address replied.

[Cause and measures(3)]
Security software such as firewall may exclude the communication to the device server.
->Disable the security software such as firewall and verify again.
* Refer to "How to disable a security software such as firewall."

* If your problem has not been solved or you are using the device server in an environment other than Windows, please contact our customer support center by email or telephone.

Why does the IP address change every time I turn on the device server?

[Cause]
In the environment the device server is operating, there may be a router or a server (DHCP server) with the function to assign an IP address.

[Measures]
Check the DHCP server and try one of the following.
(1)Verify the range of the IP address the DHCP server assigns, and assign a unique IP address that is out of the range. The IP address has to be from the same segment. The DHCP/BOOTP/RARP protocol of the device server needs to be disabled.

Exampl) If the range of the IP address the DHCP server assigns is from 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.32, assign an IP address which has not been used in the network from the range between 192.168.0.33 and 192.168.0.254. When you assign an IP address, make sure that the same IP address has not been assigned on multiple devices. The DHCP server itself may have the IP address such as 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.0.254. Please verify.

(2)Register the device server on DHCP server in order to assign a fixed IP address. (Refer to your DHCP server manual for how to configure.)

The device server can not be found at the Windows network computer.

The device server supports only TCP/IP protocol. Therefore, it can not be searched by Windows network computer. To search the device server, use the SX Virtual Link.

How can I read the manual?

The manual is in PDF format and included in the bundled CD-ROM.

Insert the CD-ROM and start the menu. Click "Manual" or "On Line Manual," and the on line manual cover page or the table of contents will be displayed. You can refer to the section you would like to read. If the Acrobat Reader has not been installed on your PC, it will be installed automatically.

The device can not be searched after updating my PC to Windows XP SP2.

The communication may be eliminated by firewall etc.
Verify the following and disable the firewall function temporarily if it is enabled.
Windows XP(SP2) embedded firewall
Disable the Windows firewall function.
Procedure example:
(1)Select "start" - "Control Panel"- "Security Center" - "Windows Firewall."
(2) Select "Off (not recommended)" on the "General" tab of the Windows firewall, then click "OK."

How can I configure an IP address?

(1)Verify the physical connection
* The device server and the PC you are using for the configuration need to be in the same network segment (without a router).

(2)Verify the general configuration.
-Start the device server without an IP address (factory default settings).
-The IP address you configure needs to be a unique on the LAN.
-The IP address you configure on the device server needs to be in the same class of the PC IP address you are using for the configuration.

Example) If the PC is 192.168.0.xx, configure an IP address such as "192.168.0.10" that has not been assigned on another network device.
Visit our support page on our web site for the configuration of the device server.

How can I initialize the device server?

The settings can be initialized by the push switch on the device server.
Refer to the manual in the CD-ROM for details.

When I configure the device server via a Web browser, what user name and password can I use?

Typing the device server IP address in address section on a browser will display a page where you can see the operating status of the device server and a printer and configure settings of the device server. User name is "root" and the password is not required for factory default settings.

NOTE) Depending on our products, this function may not be available. Refer to specifications for details.

Is a pop-up printer status monitor available?

The connection utility (SX Virtual Link) establishes a connection to a USB device. You can use the USB device as if it was connected locally to your PC with a USB cable.
Therefore, the bundled utility with your USB device can be used.

What is the difference between a device server and print server?

The major difference is whether the connection to the device from the PCs on the network is 1:1 basis (device server) ot 1:n (print server) basis.
The SX Virtual Link established a connection to a USB device on a network and enables you to use it as if it was connected locally to your PC. Therefore, if a USB device is connected to a PC (in use by another user), it can not be shared by other PCs.
The advantage of the device server is the connected device can be detected locally, which enables you to use the utilities that came with your USB device.

Which function does the small black switch button have?

The switches on the device server can initialize the setting and print out the settings of the device server (only available for the printer that has a font).
The switches are not used while you are using the device server normally.
If the switch is pressed for 5 seconds while inserting the AC adapter the device will reset to factory default.

Which speed does the USB port have?

The SX-1000U device server supports USB 2.0 Full Speed.
* Equivalent to USB 1.1 performance (12Mbit).

SX-2000U2 and SX-2000WG:
USB 2.0 HiSpeed (480Mbit).

I can't click on the + in front of the device in SX-VL / Is Internet Explorer 7 supported?

Upgradingto the new Internet Explorer 7 can prevent device connection or
controlof our products.

Because the new version of Internet Explorer contains an undocumented change
to "ScriptBlocking" our software is presumedly getting falsely blocked
as adanger.

In order to ensure further and unhampered use we recommend an update to
SX VirtualLink1.5.0 or higher.

Do I have to install SX-VL on any client on my network that should be able to access the USB devices connected to the device server?

Yes, you have to install SX-VL on any client.
This software includes the virtual USB port that is necessary to access the device server and the connected USB devices.

My SX-VL does not connect automatically to my favorites. Why?

The function for the favorites is using the DNS name of the device server.
If your DNS has a wrong entry this might cause the problem.
Please renew the DNS entries (reboot the router for example) or adjust the host name of the device server to be the same like the DNS entry on your server.

What is the default user name and password for telnet, webinterface etc.?

The default user name is "root" (without ").
There is no password set, so just leave the field blank.
If you device does not work with this setting please reset it to factory default.
User name is always "root".

What do the LED's on the SX-2000WG mean? (also applies for the C-6700WG)

There are 3 LED's on the front of the unit:
- Wireless
- Status
- Link

If the Link LED is on solid and the status LED flashes from time to time:
A wired connection is established and active. The status LED shows traffic.

If the wireless LED blinks:
The unit is waiting for an ad-hoc wireless connection. (Peer to peer with a notebook for example)

If the wireless LED is on solid and the status flashes:
The unit is on ad-hoc wireless connection. (Peer to peer with a notebook for example)

If the wireless LED is on solid and the link LED blinks:
The unit is trying to connect to a wireless LAN access point (or WLAN router), but does not detect the unit.
Possible reasons: MAC filtering, wrong SSID, wrong encryption methode, wrong encryption key.

If the wireless LED is on solid and the link LED is on solid, status flashes:
The unit is connected to a wireless LAN access point (or WLAN router), the status LED indicates traffic on the wireless interface.

How to reset my device to factory default?

Please keep the small black button on the unit pressed while you insert the AC adapter. After about 6 seconds the STAT LED will turn on, you can lift the button. If you print server does not have a small button but dip switches instead please set dip switch 2 to on to reset the device to factory default.

Can I use my device server on VMWare ESX Server or Server or Microsoft Hyper-V?

Please make sure that the drivers for USB are installed, our system depends on the Windows drivers, so if your virtual system does not have any USB hub hardware the drivers for USB might be not installed.

Since ESX Server or Hyper-V does not provide direct support for USB, USB drivers are not installed in the guest operating system by default. The software SX-Virtual Link depends on the USB core files to install properly. To enable the rest of the installation to proceed normally, copy and rename the required file from the original operating system CD.
• Source: usbd.sy_ in the I386 directory of the CD
• Destination: usbd.sys in the system32 drivers directory of the guest operating system
If this does not work you might need to extract the file from the "driver.cab" and copy it to the given location.

After copying this file, reboot your machine. You can then continue with the normal SX-Virtual Link installation.
Please make sure that your guest OS has direct access to the network. NAT is not supported.
Hyper-V is not yet offically tested, the information about the support of Hyper-V is at the moment based on experience from Microsoft technical support. Please test on non-productive systems in advance.

Does the device server support Linux?

No, the drivers for the virtual USB port are only available for the listed OS, Linux is not available.
The problem is that we either need to develop the drivers completely on our own or use the standard libaries and release the driver under open source licences.

The only function available from any operating system that supports TCP/IP is IP printing over LPR, RAW or IPP.

How can I install SX-VL as a service?

Please use the linked PDF to install SX-VL or any other application as a service. The files you need are included in the Micrsoft developer kit and can be found easily on the internet with google for example.
Please keep in mind that user who starts SX-VL needs to have the corresponding favorites. The favorites are always user related. So if the user "SYSTEM" starts the service please make sure that this user has the corresponding favorites. You might need to enable interaction with desktop for the service once to define the favorites or just use the Administrator account to run the service.

www.silexeurope.com/media/manuals/service.pdf

Is the operating System Windows Server 2003 64bit edition supported?

In general Windows Server 2003 is not offically supported because it is not tested. The experience is that it works on many customer system without any problem. You just have to check for this:

Option 1:
Replace the file SXCSAPI.INI from the folder s-33axxx Files Virtual Sxcsapi and then start the normal installation.

Option 2:
The SX-UPTP driver has to be installed manually, so please go to the system, click on "hardware", search for the SX-UPTP.INF from the SX-VL folder. SX-VL itself can be copied from any other client or manually composed from the SX-VL folder and the language you want. SX-VL is only the grafical interface.

What is the difference between the SX-2000WG and SX-2000WG+?

The SX-2000WG has 8 MB RAM, the SX-2000WG+ has 16MB RAM, due to this fact the SX-2000WG does not support isochronous data streaming (used for TV cards, Soundcards, Webcams with USB). This is only supported on the SX-2000WG+. The SX-2000WG+ supports any device that is also supported on the SX-2000WG. The 8 MB version will sooner or later get replaced by the 16 MB version. If you need isochronous support please make sure to get a SX-2000WG+. The SX-2000WG+ has a + in addition on the package and on the lable on the back of the device.

How to network a Dymo LabelWriter - is my device supported?

Please use the attached manual.

Installation of SX-VL

How can I install SX-VL if it stops with an error message?

Please make sure that you have the right version of the SX-VL setup started. COSETUP.EXE will automatically determine the right version. Setup32.exe is for 32bit systems, Setup64.exe is for 64bit systems.

Please also makre sure that you are logged in as Administrator. Some OEM Versions especially of Windows 7 have special security settings. In this case please make sure that the user Administrator has full access to the folders "C:Programs(x86)","C:Programs" and "C:Windows". If a user named TrustedInstaller is listed there please also add "Administrator". Right click on the folder, properties, owner.

If this also does not help you can also install SX-VL manually.

1. Copy the application from any other machine.
2. Install the SXUPTP.INF from the folder files and your OS manually via "hardware". (see attached manual for Windows 7 as example)
www.silexeurope.com/media/manuals/SX-VL-Win7.pdf

How to create exceptions on firewalls