Portsmith USB User's Manual
Contents
1. User Manual Portsmith Express Express User Manual Portsmith Express Portsmith Express Second Edition May 2000 The information in this document is subject to change without notice This document refers to numerous hardware and software products by their trade names All other designations are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies Copyright 2000 Portsmith LLC All rights reserved Portsmith LLC 1111 S Orchard St M S Suite 109 Boise ID 83705 USA Ver 051200 11 Contents RrOGuct OVCL YV 1 Wns se AAA oe be oes a ia ata l Packase Contents e ad sho eee ANA l Sy Stent ReQuircMmemMs ta a a dg PE ded Phe E e AE 2 Hardware Descuptiohicatiioscaia dada 2 Meala oieee aE a a a OO N a 4 Hardware Selina bore teeth ir a a a a 4 Software Installation cid sete id des 5 Ethernet Setup Portsmith Express 0 20 0 0 cece eee eens 6 PAVED oC UP de ate at as ts ta tae te ad td dede 6 Seal POS CUP sra ees eee eevee PEs 85686 bach cis Y USB Peripheral Setup lt lt 0d Aita bh es 1 Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility o ooooooooooo moro 8 View Docking SAUS AA A dis 8 View Peripheral and General Information 000 0 cee 9 Set Multiple Docking Profiles booleana eis 11 Customer DUPPOl tura aa ee 12 TOUBIESHOOUNG riada is 12 Technical Support is edit ie is kee Re A 14 Other cas PAPA O me ere eae 15 Hardware Ward berri goo a a 15 SOLtware2. Walton daa dais tits 16 Software License Agreement ani aa akas 17 Resulatory Informanon lt so 0 2 dao dee ewe dbs ask Oe hE eA oO eR OREN 18 111 1V Product Overview Portsmith Express is a universal port replicator that easily connects multiple desktop peripherals to any laptop PC through a single USB connection Portsmith Express features the ability to hot dock the peripherals This means you can connect the peripherals to the desktop and use them without restarting the laptop PC With Portsmith Express you can quickly hot dock the following items e Parallel Printer DB 25 IEEE 1284 e Serial Peripherals such as a serial printer modem monitor or palm device DB 9 RS 232 one at a time e Keyboard e Mouse e Up to Four USB Peripherals at the same time 10Base T Ethernet Portsmith Express models only The SoftDock Utility included with Portsmith Express offers several dock status management and troubleshooting features to simplify the overall use of the port replicator Package Contents As you unpack your Portsmith Express universal port replicator verify that all the following items are included in the box e Portsmith Express Unit e USB Cable e Universal worldwide Power Adapter with Line Cord e Portsmith Express Installation Disk includes drivers and the Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility e User Guide e Warranty Registration Card System Requirements Make sure your laptop PC syst
3. The printer port is active Power Serial Port Keyboardand Printer Port Activity Mouse Activity Activity Front View Installation Hardware Setup 1 Remove the Portsmith Express unit from the packaging 2 Place the Portsmith Express unit near the laptop PC 3 Connect the mouse keyboard and Ethernet only on Portsmith Express units to the back of the unit NOTE For the smoothest setup connect the other peripherals after installation is complete These other peripherals DB 25 parallel printer DB 9 serial peripheral and USB peripherals are discussed later in this section beginning on page 6 4 Connect the power supply to the right side of Portsmith Express unit 5 Plug the power supply into an AC outlet 6 Connect the USB cable from the Portsmith Express unit to the laptop PC NOTE Connecting the USB cable to the laptop PC is known as docking Disconnecting the USB cable from the laptop PC is referred to as undocking Wait until the docking or undocking process is finished before redocking or undocking 3 7 The laptop PC will display the Add New Hardware Wizard upon its first connection to the Portsmith Express unit After the hardware setup is complete the laptop PC will look for the Portsmith Express drivers These drivers are included on the Portsmith Express diskette Proceed to the next section Software Installation to install the drivers Software Installation In order to succ
4. installing the utility With the Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility you can e View docking status e View and modify information about peripherals and the Portsmith Express unit e Set up multiple docking profiles View Docking Status When docking and undocking the Portsmith Express unit from the laptop PC a docking status screen shown below is displayed The moving arrow indicates whether the Portsmith Express unit is docking or undocking C Docking Loading Base USB Hub Moving Indicator When Portsmith Express is docked a Portsmith Express tray icon is displayed in the system task tray Portsmith Express Or 9 36 aM Tray Icon Undocking Portsmith Express e If you are using Windows 98 or Windows 98 Second Edition you can undock the unit at any time by simply removing the USB cable from the USB port on the laptop PC You will see the status indicator moving away from the Portsmith icon e If you are using Windows 2000 click the Eject button on the user interface prior to removing the USB cable from the USB port on the laptop PC If you don t click Eject first Windows 2000 will display an error message The error message is more of a nuisance than an indicator of trouble The Eject button prevents the added annoyance of generating the error message when undocking See the illustration on the next page to view the location of the Eject button View Peripheral and General Information Portsmith s S
5. 5000267 14 Other Information Hardware Warranty Portsmith LLC warrants this product against defects in materials and workmanship to the purchaser for a period of two 2 years from the date of shipment This warranty is limited to a repair or replacement of the product To obtain warranty service the purchaser must first call Portsmith LLC for an RMA number then return the product to Portsmith LLC for repair or replacement Purchaser shall prepay shipping charges for products returned to Portsmith LLC Portsmith LLC will pay for return of the products to purchaser except that purchaser shall pay all shipping charges duties and taxes for products returned to Portsmith LLC from a country other than the United States Portsmith LLC makes no other warranty of any kind with regard to this material Portsmith LLC shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this material Within thirty 30 days of receipt should the product fail for any reason other than damage due to customer negligence purchaser has the right to return the product for a full refund of the purchase price If the purchaser wishes to upgrade or convert to another Portsmith LLC product within the thirty 30 day period purchaser has the right to return the product and apply the full purchase price toward the purchase of the other product Any other return will be sub
6. aser assumes the entire cost of servicing or repair Portsmith LLC makes no other warranty either expressed or implied with respect to this product Portsmith LLC specifically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose Some states or provinces do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you However any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness is limited to the ninety 90 day duration of this written warranty Purchaser s exclusive remedy shall be the replacement of defective media which is returned to Portsmith LLC If Portsmith LLC is unable to replace the media within a reasonable amount of time the purchaser may terminate this agreement by returning the program and all copies documentation and proof of purchase for a refund of the purchase price THE REMEDIES PROVIDED HEREIN ARE CUSTOMER S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES INNO EVENT SHALL PORTSMITH LLC BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS DIRECT INDIRECT SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT TORT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY 16 Software License Agreement Important Before installing the software please carefully read this License Agreement Installation indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions of this License If you do not agree with these terms and conditions you should return the software and your money wi
7. ch custom profile The Portsmith Express unit that you use at home will likely have different attachments than the unit you use at your office place In addition you might want to assign different settings for the units used by different people at the office or at client sites Using the SoftDock Utility you could call your home profile Smith Family Home Your office profile might be called Office Personal Desktop The profiles for units at your co worker s workstations or at your client sites could be named Office Ben s Desktop or Client Site Barb s Desktop You can make the profile names as personal or as meaningful as you prefer To rename a docking profile 1 Right click on the Portsmith Express name and PS number at the top of the list Select Rename The following screen is displayed RENAME Ea ram Office Personal Work statiorl Cancel 2 Type the name of the new profile then click OK 11 Customer Support Troubleshooting The troubleshooting section provides you with several steps to resolve the most common issues with the Portsmith Express unit After each step verify that the Portsmith Express unit is working properly If the unit is not working properly after the step is completed then proceed to the next step Problem 1 The Portsmith Express unit is not connecting properly Upon docking the status indicator lights on top of the unit should turn on momentarily shut off a
8. eady NOTE During the installation process if you are prompted to restart your laptop PC select Yes Ethernet Setup Portsmith Express The Portsmith Express installation software will install default network settings To customize your settings 1 Goto your desktop and double click the My Computer icon 2 Double click Control Panel 3 Double click Network NOTE The Portsmith Express Ethernet will be displayed as Portsmith Express Ethernet Adapter 4 Select Add to add any necessary components for your network settings or Properties to modify an existing component 5 Click OK when finished NOTE Contact your network administrator before modifying your network settings Invalid network settings may cause disruption of the network Printer Setup To add a new Plug n Play printer non networked 1 Connect the printer to the Portsmith Express unit 2 Undock and redock the laptop PC see Hardware Setup on page 4 for instructions 3 Follow the prompts in the Add New Hardware Wizard To add a new non Plug n Play printer non networked 1 Connect the printer to the Portsmith Express unit 2 Goto your desktop and double click the My Computer icon 3 Double click Printer 4 Select Add Printer 5 Follow the prompts in the Add Printer Wizard NOTE When prompted to select the printer port select the LPTUSBn port where n ISA O To verify that the printer is set up and ready to print from P
9. em meets the following requirements e One of the following operating systems Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Microsoft Windows 2000 e 32 MB of system memory e MB of available hard drive space e One available USB connection on the laptop PC Hardware Description The ports supported by Portsmith Express are identified below Refer to the illustration to see each port s location on the back of the unit 10Base T Port Ethernet LPT Port Keyboard Mouse Port Portsmith Express arallel printer Port units only P j Ji 1000008 Y Je E e PC In USB Ports Product Identification COM Port Label model and serial peripherals four serial numbers Rear View Portsmith Express has a series of lights on the front of the unit These lights are status indicators You can interpret the meaning of each status indicator light depending on whether the light is on flashing or off Below is a key to the status indicators Solid Portsmith Express is powered up and running Flashing The laptop PC is not communicating properly with the Portsmith Express unit Solid The serial port is ready Flashing The serial port is active Solid The keyboard and mouse are ready Flashing The keyboard or mouse is active Solid The printer port is ready Flashing
10. essfully use the Portsmith Express hardware you must install the companion software The software includes drivers for the Portsmith Express unit and the Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility See Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility on page 8 for descriptions of all the SoftDock Utility features 1 From the Add New Hardware Wizard click Next 2 Select Search for the best driver for your device then click Next 3 Insert the Portsmith Express Installation Disk into the floppy drive 4 Select Floppy disk drive then click Next Add New Hardware Wizard Windows will search for new drivers in its driver database on pour hard drive and in any of the following selected locations Click Next to start the search CD ROM drive Microsoft Windows Update Specify a location lt Back Cancel 5 The wizard will show that 1t has found the Portsmith Express driver Click Next to begin loading the Portsmith Express software The default path for the software is CAPSDOCK You cannot change this path during the installation process 6 When the wizard is complete click Finish The laptop PC will begin installing the software for each Portsmith Express function In addition to the Portsmith Express hardware drivers the laptop PC might need to install system drivers for your peripherals You might be prompted to insert your Windows system software to locate drivers for the peripherals Be sure to have your system software r
11. ject to Portsmith LLC s existing restocking policy PORTSMITH WARRANTS THAT THIS PRODUCT IS NEW OR HAS BEEN REMANUFACTURED TO MEET NEW STANDARDS USING NEW OR SERVICEABLE USED PARTS PORTSMITH LLC MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTY EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WITH RESPECT TO THIS PRODUCT PORTSMITH SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE Some states or provinces do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you THE REMEDIES PROVIDED HEREIN ARE CUSTOMER S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES IN NO EVENT SHALL PORTSMITH LLC BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS DIRECT INDIRECT SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT TORT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY 15 Software Warranty Portsmith LLC warrants the media the diskettes on which the software is furnished to be free of defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety 90 days from the date of shipment This warranty applies only to software products The warranty for hardware products is described elsewhere Portsmith LLC does not warrant that the operation of the program will meet your requirements or be error free The program is provided AS IS without warranty of any kind The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is with the purchaser If the program proves defective or inadequate purch
12. le click the Internet icon 3 Select the Connection tab General Notification Settings Play Sound Notification Portsmith Express has sound notification enabled by default Clear this checkbox to eliminate hearing a sound when you dock or undock You can change the default sound through the sound applet found in the Windows Control Panel Display Visual Notification Portsmith Express has visual notification enabled by default Clear this checkbox to avoid seeing the docking status screen with the moving indicator when you dock and undock NOTE Items not listed in the table have no modifiable settings within Portsmith Express 10 Set Multiple Docking Profiles You can create a custom profile for every Portsmith Express unit that you dock to This feature is particularly helpful if you want to have different settings for different Portsmith Express units Each profile is user configured and tracked separately in the software To create an additional docking profile 1 Dock a new Portsmith Express and a new profile will appear in the list 2 Modify all the desired settings in the Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility 3 Click Close All settings for the new Portsmith Express unit are tied to the product serial number They will be activated each time you dock to this particular unit In order to keep track of the various Portsmith Express units that you use the SoftDock Utility allows you to assign a meaningful name to ea
13. ll be refunded License Agreement This license permits you to 1 Use this software in the conduct of business without limit when the software is used with Portsmith Express or Portsmith Express 2 Copy the software onto any laptop PC connected to Portsmith Express or Portsmith Express You are not permitted to 1 Make modifications to any portion of this software product 2 Merge this software product or any portion of it into another program or product 3 Decompile reverse engineer disassemble or otherwise reduce the software to a human perceivable form Warranties All warranties are governed by the Software Limited Warranty included in this document NOTE BY INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT UNDERSTAND IT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT IT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN US AND SUPERSEDES ANY PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT EITHER ORAL OR WRITTEN AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN US RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT IF PORTSMITH LLC IS REQUIRED TO ENGAGE IN ANY PROCEEDING LEGAL OR OTHERWISE TO ENFORCE ITS RIGHTS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT PORTSMITH LLC SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER FROM LICENSEE IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER SUMS DUE REASONABLE ATTORNEY FEES COSTS AND DISBURSEMENTS 17 Regulatory Information This equipment generates and uses radio f
14. nd then turn on one by one If Portsmith Express does not behave in this way then Step 1 e Make sure that the Portsmith Express power supply is securely connected to the Portsmith Express unit and to the AC outlet Step 2 e Unplug the USB cable from the laptop PC wait for several seconds then plug in the USB cable again Step 3 e Undock the Portsmith Express unit from the laptop PC e Restart the laptop PC e Redock the Portsmith Express unit to the laptop PC Step 4 e Remove all port connections from the Portsmith Express unit and try to dock again If the unit docks properly try connecting one port at a time with an undock dock sequence in between until the problem peripheral is found Step 5 e Go to the desktop and double click on My Computer e Double click on Control Panel e Double click on Add Remove Programs Properties e Run the uninstall for Portsmith Express e Restart the laptop PC and reinstall the Portsmith Express Installation software refer to the Software Installation section on page 5 12 Problem 2 One of the Portsmith Express ports peripherals is not functioning properly Upon docking the status indicator lights on top of the Portsmith Express unit should turn on If they do not follow the steps below Step 1 e Check the desktop for any Portsmith Express error messages Step 2 e Make sure that the peripheral is securely connected to the Portsmith Express unit Step 3 e Und
15. ng 12 Contents of Portsmith Express pack age Creating profiles 11 Customer support 12 D Description of product 1 Docking 4 hot 1 multiple profiles 11 status 8 Drivers 4 E Eject button 8 Ethernet port 2 setup 6 G Graphic Product front view 3 Product rear view 2 H Hard drive space 2 Hardware description 2 setup 4 warranty 15 Hot docking 1 I Icon tray 8 Installation hardware 4 software 5 L License agreement software 17 Lights status 3 LPT port 2 M Memory requirements 2 Modify settings 9 Multiple docking profiles 11 N Network capable model 1 2 6 19 O Options SoftDock settings 9 Overview of product 1 P Package contents 1 Path software installation 5 Peripherals attachable 1 troubleshooting 13 Plug n Play device 6 7 Ports troubleshooting 13 Portsmith Express model 1 2 6 Printer setup 6 Product installation 4 Product overview 1 Profiles custom 11 renaming 11 R Regulatory information 18 Renaming profiles 11 Requirements system 2 S Serial number locating 14 Serial port setup 7 Setting up hardware 4 software 5 Settings modify 9 view 9 Setup Ethernet 6 printer 6 serial port 7 USB peripheral 7 SoftDock Utility 1 7 8 settings 9 20 Software included with Portsmith Express 1 installation 5 installation path 5 license agreement 17 Utility 8 warranty 16 Status docking 8 indicator 8 lights 3 view information 9 S
16. ock the Portsmith Express unit from the laptop PC e Remove the problem peripheral from the Portsmith Express port and redock e Verify that the ports are displayed correctly in the status indicator and in the Portsmith Express Monitor Utility If the port appears normal then reattach the peripheral Step 4 e Go to the desktop and double click on My Computer e Double click Control Panel e Double click System e Select the Device Manager tab e Check for any error messages from within Device Manager If a port has an error then try removing the port by selecting Remove and then undocking and redocking the unit e Reinstall the peripheral See to Hardware Setup on page 4 13 Technical Support For additional information refer to the FAQ List in the Support Section at www portsmith com If you need additional assistance you can contact a Technical Support specialist via e mail at support Oportsmith com Please provide the following information e Your name e Your phone number e Your e mail address e Portsmith Express Unit model e Portsmith Express serial number e Laptop PC make and model e Operating system e Detailed problem description NOTE You can find the Portsmith Express serial number on the label on the back of the unit Or you can right click the profile name in the software and select Serial Number When you do a screen similar to the one below will be displayed DOCKMON x Ni Serial Number P
17. oftDock Utility displays information about all peripheral devices whether they are docked or not You can modify and save the settings for the peripherals as well as for the overall functionality of the Portsmith Express unit Below are the steps you should follow to view peripheral settings and Portsmith Express settings Following the steps is a table listing each item s modifiable settings NOTE Not all items have modifiable settings To view and modify information about any peripheral or about general Portsmith Express settings 1 Double click on the Portsmith Express icon in the system task tray The following screen is displayed Fl Portsmith Express Plus PSOD0 287 S Printer Port S Serial Port E Keyboard Mouse aj Ethernet S USB Port 1 S USB Port 2 S USB Port 3 S USB Port 4 Default Printer Internet Connection Settings E a Undocked Default Printer Internet Connection Settings E a General P m dfi hlatifia shew fa Windows 2000 users should click Eject before undocking 2 Expand items in the list to display additional information about each docked or undocked peripheral or Portsmith Express setting 3 To modify item settings either right click on the list item or highlight the item and click Options 4 Click OK in the dialog box each time you modify a setting Modifiable List Item Setting Options Portsmith Express profile name Rename Use this setting to give each Portsmith E
18. ortsmith Express 1 Goto your desktop and double click the My Computer icon 2 Double click on Printer 3 Right click on the desired printer 4 Select Properties 5 Select the Details tab 6 Verify that printer port is LPTUSBn on the Details tab Serial Port Setup To add a new Plug n Play modem 1 Connect the modem to the Portsmith Express unit 2 Undock and redock the laptop PC refer to Hardware Setup on page 4 3 Follow the prompts in the Add New Hardware Wizard NOTE The serial port will automatically be assigned a COM number You can find the COM number that the system assigned to your serial port by running the Portsmith Express Softdock utility and viewing the serial port information Refer to Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility on page 8 of this manual for more information on viewing peripheral information USB Peripheral Setup NOTE We recommend that you connect all USB peripherals after you complete the Portsmith Express hardware installation To add a new Plug n Play USB peripheral 1 Attach the USB peripheral to the Portsmith Express unit 2 Follow the prompts in the Add New Hardware Wizard Portsmith Express SoftDock Utility The SoftDock software program provides you with several features that simplify using or troubleshooting your Portsmith Express unit The SoftDock utility was installed during the product installation See Software Installation on page 5 for instructions on
19. requency energy If not installed and used according to the manufacturer s instructions this equipment may cause interference with radio TV reception The Federal Communications Commission has established technical standards regarding radio frequency energy emitted by computing devices This equipment complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules subject to the following conditions This device may not cause harmful interference and it must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation There is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If you suspect that this equipment is interfering with radio TV reception try the following e While observing the interference turn the suspect equipment off and back on If the interference stops when you turn the equipment off and starts again when you turn the equipment on the equipment is probably the source of your problem e Connect the equipment and the receiver to different electrical outlets e Increase the distance between the equipment and the receiver e Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna e Consult your dealer or an experienced radio TV technician for additional advice Portsmith LLC is not responsible for radio TV interference caused by using unauthorized cables or by making unauthorized changes to this equipment 18 Index A Attachable peripherals 1 C COM port 2 7 Connection troubleshooti
20. upport customer 12 technical 14 System requirements 2 undocking instructions 8 T Technical support 14 Tray icon 8 Troubleshooting 12 U Undocking 4 instructions 8 USB peripheral setup 7 ports 2 V View settings 9 W Warranty hardware 15 software 16 Copyright 2000 Portsmith LLC Printed in USA
21. xpress at the top of the list unit a meaningful name Display Serial Number A quick way to retrieve the serial number for registering the unit or for technical support assistance Printer Port Disable Printer Filters The Portsmith Express unit arrives with the printer filters enabled Click this checkbox to disable the printer filters Use this option if you are having trouble printing Serial Port Port Name Shows the name assigned to the serial port during the serial port setup see Serial Port Setup on page 7 A drop down box displays other available ports If you change the assigned port you will receive a message stating The port name has been changed The device will need to be disconnected and reconnected for changes to take effect Default Printer Default Printer Shows the name of the printer that your laptop PC will use by default A drop down box displays other available printers Select a different printer to reassign the default You also have the option of not assigning a default printer Internet Connection Settings Track Dialup Settings Click this checkbox to have Portsmith Express remember the dialup connection settings Track Proxy Settings Click this checkbox to have Portsmith Express remember the proxy settings required for your Internet connection NOTE The Internet connection settings that are tracked can be modified as follows 1 Open the Control Panel folder 2 Doub
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