macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install ser2netlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 5638
Install ser2net with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman, zypper
Allow network connections to serial ports. Version 4.6.8 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-13. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install ser2net.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add ser2netAlpine Linux edge package indexes · ser2net · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install ser2netDebian stable package indexes · ser2net · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install ser2netFedora Rawhide package metadata · ser2net · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#ser2netnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/se/ser2net/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S ser2netArch Linux sync databases · ser2net · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install ser2netopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · ser2net · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Allow network connections to serial ports
Project links
Commands and aliases
- ser2net
history
Project history and usage
ser2net is a long-running daemon that bridges network connections to serial ports and other gensio connectors, including IPMI Serial over LAN.
Project history
ser2net originated as a daemon for making local serial ports accessible over networks and has accumulated a long maintenance history under Corey Minyard. Its repository contains more than a thousand commits and records releases dating back at least to the 2.x series in the 2000s.
Modern ser2net is built on the gensio library. This expanded the original serial-to-TCP model into a general accepter-to-connector bridge with optional encryption, authentication, mDNS, IPMI Serial over LAN, and multiple transport protocols. Configuration evolved from the historical ser2net.conf format to the documented YAML configuration used by current releases.
Adoption history
ser2net has long been packaged by major Linux and Unix-like distributions. The input records availability through Homebrew, Alpine, Debian, Fedora, Nix, Arch, Ubuntu, and openSUSE, consistent with its role as infrastructure for embedded systems, laboratory equipment, and remote administration.
How it is used
Administrators define connections from TCP, telnet, RFC 2217, or protected gensio listeners to serial devices such as /dev/ttyUSB0. Clients can then access remote serial consoles through ordinary sockets or gensio-aware tools, with optional remote serial-parameter control, encryption, authentication, and mDNS advertisement.
Why package nerds care
ser2net is a classic Unix adapter: it exposes serial hardware to socket-oriented clients without forcing applications to understand local device APIs. Support for RFC 2217, encryption, authentication, mDNS, IPMI SOL, and the flexible gensio transport stack has allowed a small daemon to remain useful across generations of serial and network deployments.
Timeline
- 2000s: ser2net was established as a packaged serial-to-network daemon.
- 2009: The changelog records the 2.7 release series and expanded tracing support.
- Modern era: ser2net adopted gensio and YAML configuration, gaining broader transports, encryption, authentication, and service discovery.
Related projects
- gensio supplies ser2net's transport, encryption, authentication, and client tooling. OpenIPMI supports IPMI Serial over LAN connections, while gensiot and gtlssh are official companion clients for plain, RFC 2217, and protected connections.
Sources
- Official changelog: https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net/blob/master/ChangeLog
- Official example configuration: https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net/blob/master/ser2net.yaml
- Official repository and README: https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- formula declares a Homebrew service
Signals
- metadata:service
- text:network
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Formula metadata declares a service or daemon block.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 3 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
/etc/ser2net/ser2net.yaml
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
/etc/ser2net/ser2net.crt/etc/ser2net/ser2net.key
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
ser2net | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-09-19
manager version4.6.8
manager updated2026-09-13
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://ser2net.sourceforge.net/
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://ser2net.sourceforge.net/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:ser2net |
|---|---|
| Version | 4.6.8 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ser2net |
| Homepage | https://ser2net.sourceforge.net/ |
| Upstream docs | https://ser2net.sourceforge.net/ |
| License | GPL-2.0-only |
| Source archive | https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/ser2net/ser2net/ser2net-4.6.8.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-09-13T08:01:07Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | gensio, libxcrypt, libyaml |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | declared |
| Caveats | To configure ser2net, edit the example configuration in $HOMEBREW_PREFIX/etc/ser2net/ser2net.yaml |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | ser2net |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
ser2net 4.6.4-1
Serial port to network proxy
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo apt install ser2net- Section: utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
Nix95%
ser2net
nix profile install nixpkgs#ser2net- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
Ubuntu apt95%
ser2net 4.6.0-1build2
Serial port to network proxy
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo apt install ser2net- Section: universe/utils
- Architecture: amd64
- 4 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
apk95%
ser2net 4.6.4-r0
A proxy that allows telnet/tcp connections to be made to serial ports
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo apk add ser2net- License: LGPL-2.1-only AND GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ser2net
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
apk95%
ser2net-doc 4.6.4-r0
A proxy that allows telnet/tcp connections to be made to serial ports (documentation)
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo apk add ser2net-doc- License: LGPL-2.1-only AND GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ser2net
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
apk95%
ser2net-openrc 4.6.4-r0
A proxy that allows telnet/tcp connections to be made to serial ports (OpenRC init scripts)
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo apk add ser2net-openrc- License: LGPL-2.1-only AND GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ser2net
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
dnf95%
ser2net 4.6.8-1.fc45
Proxy that allows TCP/UDP to serial port connections
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo dnf install ser2net- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ser2net
- 12 dependencies
- 5 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
pacman95%
ser2net 4.6.8-1
A proxy that allows telnet/tcp connections to be made to serial ports
https://sourceforge.net/projects/ser2net
sudo pacman -S ser2net- License: GPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 2 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
zypper95%
ser2net 4.6.8-1.1
Serial port to network proxy
https://github.com/cminyard/ser2net
sudo zypper install ser2net- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Productivity/Networking/Other
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: ser2net
- 8 dependencies
- 2 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Ser2net
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation