C# – SerialPort.GetPortNames() behavior

I ended up using WMI and @Hans' advice to check what serial ports are new/missing.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Diagnostics.Contracts;
using System.IO.Ports;
using System.Management;

public static class SerialPortService
{
    private static SerialPort _serialPort;

    private static string[] _serialPorts;

    private static ManagementEventWatcher arrival;

    private static ManagementEventWatcher removal;

    static SerialPortService()
    {
        _serialPorts = GetAvailableSerialPorts();
        MonitorDeviceChanges();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// If this method isn't called, an InvalidComObjectException will be thrown (like below):
    /// System.Runtime.InteropServices.InvalidComObjectException was unhandled
    ///Message=COM object that has been separated from its underlying RCW cannot be used.
    ///Source=mscorlib
    ///StackTrace:
    ///     at System.StubHelpers.StubHelpers.StubRegisterRCW(Object pThis, IntPtr pThread)
    ///     at System.Management.IWbemServices.CancelAsyncCall_(IWbemObjectSink pSink)
    ///     at System.Management.SinkForEventQuery.Cancel()
    ///     at System.Management.ManagementEventWatcher.Stop()
    ///     at System.Management.ManagementEventWatcher.Finalize()
    ///InnerException: 
    /// </summary>
    public static void CleanUp()
    {
        arrival.Stop();
        removal.Stop();
    }

    public static event EventHandler<PortsChangedArgs> PortsChanged;

    private static void MonitorDeviceChanges()
    {
        try
        {
            var deviceArrivalQuery = new WqlEventQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_DeviceChangeEvent WHERE EventType = 2");
            var deviceRemovalQuery = new WqlEventQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_DeviceChangeEvent WHERE EventType = 3");

            arrival = new ManagementEventWatcher(deviceArrivalQuery);
            removal = new ManagementEventWatcher(deviceRemovalQuery);

            arrival.EventArrived += (o, args) => RaisePortsChangedIfNecessary(EventType.Insertion);
            removal.EventArrived += (sender, eventArgs) => RaisePortsChangedIfNecessary(EventType.Removal);

            // Start listening for events
            arrival.Start();
            removal.Start();
        }
        catch (ManagementException err)
        {

        }
    }

    private static void RaisePortsChangedIfNecessary(EventType eventType)
    {
        lock (_serialPorts)
        {
            var availableSerialPorts = GetAvailableSerialPorts();
            if (!_serialPorts.SequenceEqual(availableSerialPorts))
            {
                _serialPorts = availableSerialPorts;
                PortsChanged.Raise(null, new PortsChangedArgs(eventType, _serialPorts));
            }
        }
    }

    public static string[] GetAvailableSerialPorts()
    {
        return SerialPort.GetPortNames();
    }
}

public enum EventType
{
    Insertion,
    Removal,
}

public class PortsChangedArgs : EventArgs
{
    private readonly EventType _eventType;

    private readonly string[] _serialPorts;

    public PortsChangedArgs(EventType eventType, string[] serialPorts)
    {
        _eventType = eventType;
        _serialPorts = serialPorts;
    }

    public string[] SerialPorts
    {
        get
        {
            return _serialPorts;
        }
    }

    public EventType EventType
    {
        get
        {
            return _eventType;
        }
    }
}

The MonitorDeviceChanges method actually sees all device changes (like Device Manager), but checking the serial ports allows us to only raise an event when those have changed.

To use the code, simply subscribe to the PortsChanged event, e.g. SerialPortService.PortsChanged += (sender1, changedArgs) => DoSomethingSerial(changedArgs.SerialPorts);

Oh, and the .Raise method is just an extension method I picked up somewhere:

/// <summary>
/// Tell subscribers, if any, that this event has been raised.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T"></typeparam>
/// <param name="handler">The generic event handler</param>
/// <param name="sender">this or null, usually</param>
/// <param name="args">Whatever you want sent</param>
public static void Raise<T>(this EventHandler<T> handler, object sender, T args) where T : EventArgs
{
    // Copy to temp var to be thread-safe (taken from C# 3.0 Cookbook - don't know if it's true)
    EventHandler<T> copy = handler;
    if (copy != null)
    {
        copy(sender, args);
    }
}

According to this, the USB connected "Virtual COM ports" are indeed using the USB CDC class.