A method for a server to assign a corn port to a peripheral device coupled to a client computer includes initiating a session in response to a request from a client, receiving from the client information identifying the peripheral device, calling on the server a driver for the identified peripheral device and assigning on the driver a fixed virtual port to the identified peripheral device; assigning on the server a virtual corn port in server space for the identified peripheral device, automatically specifying on the server the virtual corn port as the connection for the identified peripheral device, and mapping on the server a variable corn port to the peripheral device in server space.