For Windows, Linux and Mac hosts, the IDE supports host-target communications using either an IP address or a serial connection; we recommend both. If you have only a serial link, you'll be able to debug a program, but you'll need an IP link in order to use any of the advanced diagnostic tools in the IDE.
Target systems need to run the target agent (qconn). For more information about qconn, see Target agent (the qconn daemon).