
COM or communications ports are other names for serial ports. Serial ports, also known as RS232 ports, are an interface used for serial communication that transmits a single bit at a time.

Serial uses this name to create a symbolic link to the port. The Ports class installer sets PortName to COM, where is a COM port number that the installer obtains from the COM port database. is the value of the PortName (or Identifier) entry value for the COM port. Serial performs the following tasks to create a COM port device interface:Ĭreates a symbolic link between \DosDevices\ and the internal device object name for a COM port. Serial does not support this entry value for a legacy COM port and always creates a COM port device interface for a legacy COM port. If the SerialSkipExternalNaming entry value does not exist, or its value is zero, Serial creates a COM port device interface otherwise, Serial does not create a COM port interface. By definition, a serial port is a COM port only if it has a COM port device interface associated with it.įor a Plug and Play serial device, external naming is controlled by a SerialSkipExternalNaming entry value under the hardware key of the device.

By default, the Serial function driver creates a symbolic link name for a serial port and registers a GUID_DEVINTERFACE_COMPORT device interface for the port.
