I run a WWIV 4.30 BBS off of an old laptop with a null-modem cable to my server which in-turn runs Telnet BBS server which is not intended for this use, but works as a modem emulator/telnet interpreter. The BBS has no idea the data being fed to it is not from an actual modem, nor does it care.

I would like to run more than one node with this software, but it would require multiple computers. The server in question only has 1 serial port, although I could add more with a card, but I'd rather not have to deal with the power consumption/heat dissipation that would result from this.

The idea of running this old software in a VM (Virtualbox or DOSBox) came to mind, but to my knowledge, these solutions will only provide access to the physical port of the host. I was wondering if there is a known way to create virtual COM ports that show in the host OS as physical ports, but get their data from the VM. This would allow the aforementioned modem emulator to interact with the VM as if it were a real computer on a real serial port, and allow me to run more nodes with the same software.

There are obvious alternatives to this, but they lack certain functions which are necessary for this kind of arrangement to work. I would use DOSBox as it has a modem emulator of sorts built in, but in order to run multiple nodes with this software, it would require being connected to another DOSBox session with file sharing, which is not easy in a non-Windows environment(null-modem with Laplink or something of that nature comes to mind, but stability comes into question. Hence, the Virtualbox suggestion.)

Virtualbox could run a 9x OS(my current arrangement) which would allow for easy networking of the file system so the instances could interact as they need to, but then I'm running into this COM port dilemma.

Or, the native telnet BBS software(Synchronet...), but then I lose compatibility with many old DOS programs that work with the BBS software and DOS in general...

I also realize that the whole idea hinges on the availability of each VM to have processor time, which is dependent on application focus since I am not aware of any way to run either DOSBox or Virtualbox as multiple services, if that would even help.

Anyone think this is a lost cause?