How to do robust SerialPort programming with .NET / C#?

Question

I\'m writing a Windows Service for communication with a Serial Mag-stripe reader and a relay board (access control system).

I run into problems where the code stops

Answer 1

This code seems to work properly. I've tested it on my local machine in a console application, using Procomm Plus to open/close the port, and the program keeps on ticking.

    using (SerialPort port = new SerialPort("COM1", 9600))
    {
        while (true)
        {
            Thread.Sleep(1000);
            try
            {
                Console.Write("Open...");
                port.Open();
                port.DtrEnable = true;
                Thread.Sleep(1000);
                port.Close();
                Console.WriteLine("Close");
            }
            catch
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Error opening serial port");
            }
            finally
            {
                if (port.IsOpen)
                    port.Close();
            }
        }
    }