I/O exception error when using serialport.open()

Question

FINAL UPDATE

It was our firmware the whole time. Embarrassing to a degree, but I'm happy we can move forward and I can put learning Java off for another day. My answer is below.

UPDATE

So I have more or less given up on this. I think it is a bug that goes down to the API, but I have neither the time, resources nor skill-set to get to the bottom of it. I think there exists some hardware to whom Windows just gives the middle finger. I have downloaded Eclipse, switched to Java and will try to see if that works. If not, you'll see me back here. However, I would absolutely love to solve this and so if anyone has the time or inclination to dig deep into this one, I'd love to see what you come up with. Obviously I will be checking back here from time to time. Please make sure you '@' me in your comments so I am alerted.

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ORIGINAL POST

I know there are a few other people dealing with this issue, but I was hoping someone could help me. I am trying to connect to a COM port, but I am getting an I/O exception when I try to use the serialport.Open() command:

System.IO.IOException: The parameter is incorrect.

   at System.IO.Ports.InternalResources.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String str)
   at System.IO.Ports.InternalResources.WinIOError()
   at System.IO.Ports.SerialStream.InitializeDCB(Int32 baudRate, Parity parity, Int32 dataBits, StopBits stopBits, Boolean discardNull)
   at System.IO.Ports.SerialStream..ctor(String portName, Int32 baudRate, Parity parity, Int32 dataBits, StopBits stopBits, Int32 readTimeout, Int32 writeTimeout, Handshake handshake, Boolean dtrEnable, Boolean rtsEnable, Boolean discardNull, Byte parityReplace)
   at System.IO.Ports.SerialPort.Open()
   at *programtitlehere.cs*:line 90

I am using a Stellaris LM4F232 to emulate a COM port. I can open, access and I get good results using Termite (a terminal program), but whenever I try with Visual Studio it won't even connect, and I get this error. Now I don't even really know what this error means and despite trying to read elsewhere, I still feel lost.

Can anyone explain to me what is happening here and maybe I can begin to try to figure this out? I can include more code, but to be honest there isn't much there; all the properties of the serial port device are as normal, and it is only happening with this device (I can use an MSP430 no problem with the same details).

My code is shown below for people who would like to see it (note this is just a 'sandbox', not the actual program, but the symptoms are identical):

try
{
    serialPort1.PortName = "COM5";
    serialPort1.Open();
    if (serialPort1.IsOpen == true)
    {
        textBox1.Text = "CONNECTED";
    }
    else
    {
        textBox1.Text = "NOT CONNECTED";
    }
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show("Error: " + ex.ToString(), "ERROR");
}

and the other settings are done with the property manager (the only difference is baud is set to 230400; all others are on their default). I can open up COM4 with this (an MSP430) which for all intents and purposes is an identical device. I can open COM5 with Termite, so I know the connection is good). And no, I am not trying to open them at the same time. If you need more information let me know and I can post more.

EDIT: I'm on day three of trying to figure this out and still no luck. I don't really understand why I can access this COM port through a terminal program and not my own when, as near as I can see, there is absolutely no difference. Is there a program that can 'examine' a COM port to see the properties of it (besides Windows manager I mean)? I'm getting pretty frustrated and am sort of at a stand still in my project until I figure this out...

EDIT2: I've found an apparent workaround, but I've yet to get it to work here. Now I get a few different I/O errors, but at least it is motion (not sure if it is progress). I've also learned that this is a .NET bug, which has existed since 2.0. I'd still love any help, but if I figure it out I will report back. Zach's code (the workaround linked above) is shown below:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.IO.Ports;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Win32.SafeHandles;

namespace SerialPortTester
{
    public class SerialPortFixer : IDisposable
    {
        public static void Execute(string portName)
        {
            using (new SerialPortFixer(portName))
            {
            }
        }

        #region IDisposable Members

        public void Dispose()
        {
            if (m_Handle != null)
            {
                m_Handle.Close();
                m_Handle = null;
            }
        }

        #endregion

        #region Implementation

        private const int DcbFlagAbortOnError = 14;
        private const int CommStateRetries = 10;
        private SafeFileHandle m_Handle;

        private SerialPortFixer(string portName)
        {
            const int dwFlagsAndAttributes = 0x40000000;
            const int dwAccess = unchecked((int) 0xC0000000);

            if ((portName == null) || !portName.StartsWith("COM", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
            {
                throw new ArgumentException("Invalid Serial Port", "portName");
            }
            SafeFileHandle hFile = CreateFile(@"\\.\" + portName, dwAccess, 0, IntPtr.Zero, 3, dwFlagsAndAttributes,
                                              IntPtr.Zero);
            if (hFile.IsInvalid)
            {
                WinIoError();
            }
            try
            {
                int fileType = GetFileType(hFile);
                if ((fileType != 2) && (fileType != 0))
                {
                     throw new ArgumentException("Invalid Serial Port", "portName");
                }
                m_Handle = hFile;
                InitializeDcb();
            }
            catch
            {
                hFile.Close();
                m_Handle = null;
                throw;
            }
        }

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern int FormatMessage(int dwFlags, HandleRef lpSource, int dwMessageId, int dwLanguageId,
                                                StringBuilder lpBuffer, int nSize, IntPtr arguments);

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern bool GetCommState(SafeFileHandle hFile, ref Dcb lpDcb);

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern bool SetCommState(SafeFileHandle hFile, ref Dcb lpDcb);

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern bool ClearCommError(SafeFileHandle hFile, ref int lpErrors, ref Comstat lpStat);

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern SafeFileHandle CreateFile(string lpFileName, int dwDesiredAccess, int dwShareMode,
                                                        IntPtr securityAttrs, int dwCreationDisposition,
                                                        int dwFlagsAndAttributes, IntPtr hTemplateFile);

        [DllImport("kernel32.dll", SetLastError = true)]
        private static extern int GetFileType(SafeFileHandle hFile);

        private void InitializeDcb()
        {
            Dcb dcb = new Dcb();
            GetCommStateNative(ref dcb);
            dcb.Flags &= ~(1u << DcbFlagAbortOnError);
            SetCommStateNative(ref dcb);
        }

        private static string GetMessage(int errorCode)
        {
            StringBuilder lpBuffer = new StringBuilder(0x200);
            if (
                FormatMessage(0x3200, new HandleRef(null, IntPtr.Zero), errorCode, 0, lpBuffer, lpBuffer.Capacity,
                              IntPtr.Zero) != 0)
            {
                return lpBuffer.ToString();
            }
            return "Unknown Error";
        }

        private static int MakeHrFromErrorCode(int errorCode)
        {
            return (int) (0x80070000 | (uint) errorCode);
        }

        private static void WinIoError()
        {
            int errorCode = Marshal.GetLastWin32Error();
            throw new IOException(GetMessage(errorCode), MakeHrFromErrorCode(errorCode));
        }

        private void GetCommStateNative(ref Dcb lpDcb)
        {
            int commErrors = 0;
            Comstat comStat = new Comstat();

            for (int i = 0; i < CommStateRetries; i++)
            {
                if (!ClearCommError(m_Handle, ref commErrors, ref comStat))
                {
                     WinIoError();
                }
                if (GetCommState(m_Handle, ref lpDcb))
                {
                     break;
                }
                if (i == CommStateRetries - 1)
                {
                     WinIoError();
                }
            }
        }

        private void SetCommStateNative(ref Dcb lpDcb)
        {
            int commErrors = 0;
            Comstat comStat = new Comstat();

            for (int i = 0; i < CommStateRetries; i++)
            {
                 if (!ClearCommError(m_Handle, ref commErrors, ref comStat))
                 {
                     WinIoError();
                 }
                 if (SetCommState(m_Handle, ref lpDcb))
                 {
                     break;
                 }
                 if (i == CommStateRetries - 1)
                 {
                     WinIoError();
                 }
            }
        }

        #region Nested type: COMSTAT

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
        private struct Comstat
        {
            public readonly uint Flags;
            public readonly uint cbInQue;
            public readonly uint cbOutQue;
        }

        #endregion

        #region Nested type: DCB

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
        private struct Dcb
        {
            public readonly uint DCBlength;
            public readonly uint BaudRate;
            public uint Flags;
            public readonly ushort wReserved;
            public readonly ushort XonLim;
            public readonly ushort XoffLim;
            public readonly byte ByteSize;
            public readonly byte Parity;
            public readonly byte StopBits;
            public readonly byte XonChar;
            public readonly byte XoffChar;
            public readonly byte ErrorChar;
            public readonly byte EofChar;
            public readonly byte EvtChar;
            public readonly ushort wReserved1;
        }

        #endregion

        #endregion
    }

    internal class Program
    {
        private static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            SerialPortFixer.Execute("COM1");
            using (SerialPort port = new SerialPort("COM1"))
            {
                port.Write("test");
            }
        }
    }
}

EDIT3: Day 6: I'm still plugging away at this. My water rations are low, but still I struggle on. I feel help must surely be on the horizon. Whoever finds this journal bring my remains back to Canada and find Nicole. Tell her I love her.

But seriously, I have no idea what is causing this problem. I'm wondering if it is purely on the embedded side; maybe because it is USB On-The-Go (OTG), or because the device is capable of being a host also. Has anyone run into that problem? It doesn't explain why I can use Termite (a terminal program, for those viewers just joining us) though. I have been trying to find an open source terminal program that a) works and b) see a). As per usual, I will report back if I discover the issue here as I have now found countless forums where it sounds people have had this issue dating back to 2006.

EDIT4: So as per the advice given, I downloaded a port monitoring software application (I got Eltima Serial Port Monitor), and it does look like a baud issue:

But strangely no matter what baud I set, it still fails. And also can someone explain what the up/down thing means? I tried googling it, but the keywords are too general. As usual, I will keep reporting back any changes.

Also, for the record, I can connect using Eltima at a baud of 115200 (same as Termite). Unfortunately this does not work in Visual Studio.

EDIT5: Our plot takes a surprise twist. I was monitoring what happens when Termite connects to the COM port in question and BLAM! Termite throws the exact same error as my program, but it ignores it. Genius, right? Sloppy, but it works. Now I need to learn how to ignore IOExceptions. I'll report back when I get it figured out.

EDIT6: So as it turns out it is a baud rate issue, but it goes deeper. I have been using Eltima Serial Port Monitoring software, and it is very intuitive and easy to use. I would recommend it. After some research I have learned that you cannot ignore this exception and still connect to the serial port using .NET's library.

So I have to go deeper into the Win32 API and write my own. I have found a few pages that touch on this, but to be honest I have never done anything like this before, so it may be a while before I report back, but I will definitely figure this out and get back to everyone. There are way too many who suffer from this problem.

I have found quite a few forums and websites where I can see the exact same symptoms, but nobody has really done much besides say 'Yeah, .NET sucks'. I plan on writing a full static library class and then publish either on my website, here and wherever else I can. Hopefully .NET will take notice (this bug has existed since 2.0).

Answer 1

This comes from the serial port driver; it is unhappy about one of the settings. With baudrate being a good candidate, drivers tend to allow only up to 115200. Albeit that this should not be a restriction when this is a dedicated CAN bus product.

The best way to tackle this is by using Sysinternals' Portmon utility; you can see what is being sent to the driver. Observe it for Terminate first; that's your known-to-work baseline. Then tinker with SerialPort properties until the initialization commands, as you see them in PortMon, sent by your program matches Termite's. Just the values, not the order. If that doesn't pan out either then take it to the parking lot and back over it with your car several times and buy another brand.

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Update: it certainly looks like a baudrate problem. That's an issue in .NET; it is not going to ignore the driver's error return code like your terminal emulator programs do. The actual value should not matter since you are talking to an emulated serial port. There is however a possible issue with the CAN bus speed; rates are variable and it isn't clear to me how they are negotiated. This tended to be done with DIP switches in the olden days, and it may well be that the driver wants you to specify the speed through the baudrate setting. There ought to be something about it on the box or in the manual. Typical speeds are 40, 250 or 500 kbit/s. The manufacturer certainly would know; give them a call.

Answer 2

I faced a similar problem as reported in this thread, but I managed to solve the problem!

I am using STM32F2xx for the VCP!

And indeed it was my firmware problem. I forgot to include serial port settings in my USB callback!

The process of connecting a serial port from PC and firmware:

1. When a PC opens a serial port communication, the PC will send some command into the "configuration endpoint"
2. In the firmware, it would have a callback and the firmware will provide all the USB information (they call it a USB descriptor)
3. USB information is the configuration of each endpoint, (for example, latency, data size transmission, and type of USB - high speed or low speed)
4. Once the firmware has completed sending all the information, the PC will acknowledge and USB communication is successfully opened
5. Then, the PC will send a command to get the serial port settings from the firmware
6. Serial port settings are baudrate, data parity, and bit length.
7. In firmware, it should reply the serial port settings back to PC (my mistake occurs here; I didn’t not send any serial port settings back to the PC)
8. If successful, PC will start the serial port communication!
9. If failed, PC will give an open serial port error (but, do note that this error sometimes is bypassed)

In STM32 firmware code:

static int8_t CDC_Control_FS (uint8_t cmd, uint8_t* pbuf, uint16_t length)
{
    switch (cmd) {
       case CDC_GET_LINE_CODING:
        {
            // I was missing this part
            uint32_t baudrate = 9600;
            pbuf[0] = (uint8_t)(baudrate);
            pbuf[1] = (uint8_t)(baudrate >> 8);
            pbuf[2] = (uint8_t)(baudrate >> 16);
            pbuf[3] = (uint8_t)(baudrate >> 24);
            pbuf[4] = 0;
            pbuf[5] = 0;
            pbuf[6] = 8;
            break;
        }:
....

Answer 3

I ran into the same situation. I am trying to connect serial communication to my 3G USB Dongle (Huawei E303F) at /dev/ttyUSB0. I use Mono in Raspbian (Raspberry Pi 2). On my development PC and macOS, my program runs fine. But when I deploy it into Raspbian, I got the IOException Broken Pipe error on Serial.Open().

It took me three days of debugging, and I tried all possible solutions. Finally I found that I have to set...

serialPort.DtrEnable = true;
serialPort.RtsEnable = true;

Before calling .Open().

Answer 4

And so our thrilling tale comes to a close. It was firmware the whole time (i.e. the code on the embedded device). We changed up a few functions and essentially poked around, chopped, added and altogether cleaned up the code and voila, the code is working. This pic sums it up pretty well. Curse you firmware!!

However, the bug described in my (lengthy) question still persists for many people and I know there are lots of people out there who still have it. All I can say is good luck and quadruple check your firmware (apparently triple checking it isn't enough these days).

Answer 5

I had the same problem and setting the baud rate to 1 fixed it!