how do you test a serial connection

[gonesurfing]

hi
ive been working on a small project its a serial to dmx protocol convertor ,i have created a interface template with child device for the lights
and have overcome an earlier error in the ruby code,but its still not working
when i reboot the core it randomly triggers some of the lights,i am not quite sure what to try nexted, can any one suggest what to try next
steve

[Thingie]

when i reboot the core it randomly triggers some of the lights

This is probably because on boot the port gets scanned for hardware. I guess this triggers the lights.
For testing the serial connection you could use a serial tester. (http://www.datalinkcom.net/accessories/9PMTT.html) The LED's on this device lid up when there is RX and/or TX traffic.

Thingie