FAQs

Linux Support for the Brainboxes PCIe (PX) range of serial cards

The Linux kernel has built-in support for a selection of the Brainboxes PCIe (PX) cards. A relatively new kernel version is required for the devices to be used.
The following table lists the minimum kernel versions required for the devices:

Linux Kernel Version Brainboxes device(s)
4.17.0 and later PX-272
PX-306
5.15.61 (LTS) and later 5.15 releases
5.19.2 and later
PX-101 (Revision 2 only)
PX-203 (Revision 2 only, no LPT)
PX-235 (Revision 2 only)
PX-246 (Revision 2 only)
PX-257 (Revision 2 only)
PX-420 (Revision 2 only)
PX-803 (Revision 2 only)
PX-846 (Revision 2 only)

How can I tell what Linux kernel version I am using?

You can find out the version of the kernel that your Linux system is using with the terminal command:
uname -v
This will print the running kernel version. For example, Debian 11 (Bullseye) prints:
#1 SMP Debian 5.10.179-2 (2023-07-14)
The system is running version 5.10.179 LTS, so is compatible with all devices.

Which Linux distributions use which kernel versions?

The following table is a selection of Linux distributions and their associated kernel versions, which you can use to compare against the above compatibility table.
Note that these are the kernel versions as of writing. There may have been updates to the versions since this article was published. Check with your vendor if you are unsure.

Distribution Linux kernel version
RHEL/CentOS/Oracle Linux (non-UEK) 7 3.10.0
Oracle Linux (UEK) 7 5.4.17
RHEL/Rocky Linux/Alma Linux/Oracle Linux (non-UEK) 8 4.18.0
Oracle Linux (UEK) 8 5.15.0
RHEL/Rocky Linux/Alma Linux/Oracle Linux (non-UEK) 9 5.14.0
Oracle Linux (UEK) 9 5.15.0
Debian Linux 10 (Buster) 4.19.282
Debian Linux 11 (Bullseye) 5.10.179
Debian Linux 12 (Bookworm) 6.1.38
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS 4.15.0
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS 5.4.0
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS 5.15.0

How do I use my PX device on Linux?

After the device is detected and installed by the Linux system, the device will be available at /dev/ttySx, with x being a number. Serial devices start at ttyS0 and each additional port installed on the computer will use the next available number.

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