Agilent Technologies GPIB/USB/LAN Interfaces E2094S IO Libraries Suite 15.
Notices © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2003 - 2009 Warranty No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language) without prior agreement and written consent from Agilent Technologies, Inc. as governed by United States and international copyright laws. The material contained in this document is provided “as is,” and is subject to being changed, without notice, in future editions.
Contents 1 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 What is Agilent IO Libraries Suite? . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agilent IO Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agilent IO Libraries Suite Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . Visa Open Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 13 14 21 Agilent Web Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 GPIB Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Step 2: Connect Instruments to GPIB Card . . . . . . . . 49 Install GPIB Cards in Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Connect GPIB Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
USB Troubleshooting Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . USB Hardware Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . USB Software Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Agilent IO Libraries Suite Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 81 83 84 85 Connecting Instruments to LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 LAN Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Programming Your Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 Programming Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obtaining Instrument Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Agilent IO Libraries Suite Sample Code . Using VISA COM in Other Visual Basic Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 135 136 Addressing Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Addressing Instruments via GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . Addressing Instruments via USB .
AutoIP/ZEROCONF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Duplicate IP Address Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 8 Device Hostname Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Device Hostname Services Overview . . . . . . . . . Dynamic DNS Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RFC NetBIOS Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Static DNS Naming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 184 185 186 188 Configuring Your PC for LAN Operation . . . . . . . .
Agilent Connectivity Guide
Agilent Connectivity Guide 1 Getting Started This chapter includes: • Using This Guide • What is Agilent IO Libraries Suite? • Agilent Web Resources • Contacting Agilent NOT E Unless specifically noted, this version of the Agilent Connectivity Guide is valid for Revisions 15.
1 Getting Started Using This Guide A typical complex test system includes a collection of instruments under the control of a PC that has been programmed to perform testing and reporting routines. Often, the communication between the test instruments and the PC involve various forms of I/O; refer to Figure 1. Figure 1 Example test system: PC, instruments, Three Types of I/O Configuring interfaces to connect your PC to the test instruments can be daunting.
Getting Started 1 Step 1. Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite v15.x See Chapter 2, Installing IO Libraries Suite Step 2. Connect Instruments, Install Drivers GPIB LAN • Configure GPIB Network • Install instrument drivers USB • Configure USB Network • Install instrument drivers See Chapter 3, Connecting Instruments to GPIB See Chapter 4, Connecting Instruments to USB • Select LAN Network • Configure Instruments • Install instrument drivers See Chapter 5, Connecting Instruments to LAN Step 3.
1 Getting Started What is Agilent IO Libraries Suite? Agilent IO Libraries Suite is a collection of libraries that give you the ability to use your instruments from a test and measurement program, and utilities that help you quickly and easily connect your instruments to your PC.
Getting Started 1 Agilent IO Libraries There are four IO Libraries included in Agilent IO Libraries Suite; each of them allows you to programmatically control instruments, send commands to them, and receive responses and data. The Agilent IO Libraries Suite Online Help provides guidelines to help you choose among these libraries; in general, VISA and VISA COM are recommended for new development.
1 Getting Started Agilent SICL Agilent SICL (Standard Instrument Control Library) is an I/O library developed by Agilent that is portable across many instrument I/O interfaces. Agilent does not recommend using SICL for new development; instead use either VISA or VISA COM. • sicl.h is included for use with C/C++. • sicl32.bas is included for programming in Visual Basic 6.
Getting Started 1 Agilent Connection Expert Connection Expert is a software utility that helps you quickly get your instruments connected to your PC and troubleshoot connectivity problems.
1 Getting Started Figure 2 16 Agilent Connection Expert Screen Agilent Connectivity Guide
Getting Started 1 Agilent 488 Sets Agilent Connection Expert Options. Specifically Agilent VISA options, Configuration Settings, 82357B options, and Agilent 488 options which enables Agilent GPIB cards to work in NI-488-2 compatible systems. Also available under Tools>Options. Remote IO Server The Remote IO Server software provides a way to connect via local area network (Ethernet) to instruments that are physically connected to another PC on the network.
1 Getting Started Interactive IO Agilent Interactive IO is a software utility that allows you to interact with an instrument by sending commands to the instrument and seeing the instrument’s responses.
Getting Started Command 1 Description *IDN? The Identification query returns manufacturer, model, serial number, and firmware level or equivalent. *CLS The Clear Status command clears status data structures, and forces the device to the Operation Complete query idle state. *OPC? The Operation Complete query places an ASCII character “1” into the device’s Output Queue when all pending selected device operations have been finished.
1 Getting Started ViFind32 (Debug Utility) ViFind32 is a console application that uses the viFindRsrc and viFindNext VISA functions to enumerate all resources visible to VISA. This application is useful for verifying that all expected interfaces have been configured by Connection Expert, and that the expected devices have been attached.
Getting Started 1 Visa Open Reports VISA Open Reports provide a quick “snapshot” of information about all of the hardware interfaces (GPIB, USB, VXI, etc.) configured on your PC. Open the Report: From Agilent Connection Expert, 1 Select I/O Configuration from the menu bar. 2 Select VISA Open Report. NOT E Test and Measurement Interfaces (T&M), such as GPIB or VXI, respond differently than standard computer interfaces (USB, LAN, etc.).
1 Getting Started Agilent Web Resources System Developer Center Focus on what matters most: the performance, reliability and delivery of your product. Agilent Open is a versatile combination of hardware, I/O, and software tools that make it easy to create, enhance and maintain systems. The System Developer Center provides application notes, programming examples, instrument drivers, and much more: http://www.home.agilent.
Agilent Connectivity Guide 2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite This chapter includes: • System Requirements for Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.5 • Installing the IO Libraries Suite Software • Installation Troubleshooting • Selecting Application Software • Modifying, Repairing, or Removing IO Libraries Suite • Keeping Your Software Up To Date • Using Agilent VISA in Side-by-Side Mode NOT E This chapter assumes that you are installing Agilent IO Libraries Suite from the Automation-Ready CD.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite System Requirements for Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.5 The following table lists the system configurations that we tested IO Libraries 15.5 on and are therefore guaranteed to work. In general, any x86 or x64 (except Itanium) should work but there may be a decrease in performance.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 If possible, you should always use the current version of the Agilent IO Libraries Suite. This version supports the newest interfaces and operating systems, and has the most advanced features. However, you may need an earlier version of the IO Libraries Suite to support an older interface or operating system. For example, Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.1 is required for Windows 2000. If you need an earlier version of Agilent IO Libraries, go to http://www.agilent.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite Installing the IO Libraries Suite Software NOT E You must have Administrator privileges to install Agilent IO Libraries Suite Connection Expert. This section describes how to install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on your PC. The process is as follows: 1 Verify that your PC meets the minimum system requirements. (See “System Requirements for Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.5” on page 24.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 4 Insert the Automation-Ready CD with Agilent IO Libraries Suite into the CD-ROM drive of your PC. • Wait a few seconds for the auto-run window to appear. • If the auto-run window does not appear automatically, • Click Start > Run... • Type: :Autorun\IOLibraries.hta where is your CD drive letter. 5 When the installation start-up window appears, click the “Click here to install now” button once, and wait for the InstallShield Wizard to appear.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite Agilent VISA is installed as primary. (See “Using Agilent VISA in Side-by-Side Mode” on page 40.) Figure 4 Choosing Setup Type NOTE: • If you accept the Typical Installation, click “Next” and proceed to Step 12, Start Copying Files, on page 30. • If you chose the Custom Installation radio button, click “Next” and proceed with Step 10 below.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite Figure 5 2 Agilent VISA as Primary VISA If you do have another vendor’s VISA installed, you will see a similar dialog box, but the check box will be not selected, indicating that the default is to install Agilent VISA as secondary. For details on this topic, see Using Agilent VISA in Side-by-Side Mode on page 40.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite On 64-bit Windows systems, you cannot change the destination folders. The Choose Destination Location dialog box is not displayed on those systems.. Figure 6 Choose Destination Location 11 If you chose a Custom setup, you will now see the Select Features dialog box. • Click on any feature in the list to see the feature description and the space requirements for the selected set of features.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 • If the Microsoft .NET Framework has not previously been installed on your PC, or if IO Libraries requires a newer version, IO Libraries will install it; this may take up to ten minutes. The Microsoft .NET Framework provides necessary infrastructure for Agilent IO Libraries Suite utilities, as well as for .NET programming tools and many other applications.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite there may be another CD with additional software (drivers, sample programs, etc.). If you want to install this additional software, • Insert the CD into the CD drive on your PC. • Follow the instructions that came with the CD or the hardware or software product. 17 Re-connect any USB instruments or E8491 IEEE-1394 FireWire to VXI interfaces that you may have disconnected in step 2. Install any new hardware.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 Installation Troubleshooting If you encounter problems while installing the IO Libraries Suite, the following steps may help. 1 Close or Cancel all InstallShield Wizards and other Agilent IO Libraries Suite windows. Exit any other applications on your system. 2 Browse to the autorun folder of your Automation-Ready CD and double-click to run IOLibraries.hta. This restarts the installation process.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite Selecting Application Software This table gives guidelines for using additional I/O software. When You Want to: Use This Software: Instrument Web Browser (Product Design or Product Characterization) Remotely communicate with instruments from your PC, but do not need to program the instruments. (The IO Libraries are not required.) Provides a “soft front panel” displayed on your Web browser that you can use to control the instrument (Web-enabled instruments only).
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 Modifying, Repairing, or Removing IO Libraries Suite On Windows XP, click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. On Windows Vista or Windows 7, click Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features. On 32-bit Windows systems, there are two entries for Agilent IO Libraries Suite: • Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite Figure 9 Agilent IO Libraries Suite 32-Bit Programs and Features To Uninstall (remove) or Modify Agilent IO Libraries Suite, you must select Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.5. You cannot Modify or Uninstall the other entries. If you Uninstall Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.5, the other related entries will automatically be uninstalled. You can modify all of the optional features by Modifying Agilent IO Libraries Suite 15.5.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 If you see this dialog box, insert the Automation-Ready CD with Agilent IO Libraries Suite into the CD-ROM drive of your PC. Windows will use the files on the CD to make repairs. If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7 with User Access Control (UAC) enabled, you may see this dialog box even if the CD is in the CD-ROM drive. You will be able to browse to the files on the CD, but you will get the dialog box above again and again when you click OK.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 3 Use the Browse button in the Windows Installer dialog box to browse to the location of the Installer folder on your desktop (as shown below). 4 Select the installer that was indicated in the Windows Installer dialog box (in the example shown, Agilent LXI Mdns Responder 64bit.msi). Click Open. Keeping Your Software Up To Date Web resource for the latest IO Libraries Suite software: http://www.agilent.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 This Web site includes many types of instrument drivers, including IVI-COM and VXIplug&play drivers. NOT E Agilent IO Libraries version 15.5 installs version 2.0.0 of the IVI Shared Components (see http://www.ivifoundation.org/) and .NET version 2.0 (with a Service Pack level that depends on your operating system). If you are developing .NET programs, the development environment you use must support .NET 2.0.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite may see the message Missing or Damaged GPIB-32.DLL when you attempt to use National Instruments Measurement & Automation Explorer to change the properties of an NI GPIB interface. If this occurs: 1 Disable Agilent 488: in Connection Expert, click Tools > Agilent 488... and clear (deselect) the check box labeled Enable Agilent GPIB cards for 488 programs. 2 Perform the operation that caused the error (such as changing the properties of the NI interface).
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 When you have both Agilent VISA and another vendor's VISA installed on the same system, you will need to decide whether to let your programs use the primary VISA or whether to explicitly direct them to use the Agilent VISA implementation. NOT E You do not need to install NI-VISA to use National Instruments GPIB cards and devices. You can install National Instruments’ NI-488.2 as a driver for these devices, and avoid the complications of side-by-side operations.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite • agvisa32.dll is installed, but Agilent's visa32.dll is not. Thus, it will not overwrite another vendor's visa32.dll residing in the standard location. • Agilent support files are not installed in the bin, include and lib directories of the VISA path (e.g. c:\program files\visa\winnt), since they would overwrite the other vendor's support files.
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite 2 Specifying IVI and VISA Paths in Microsoft Visual Studio In Visual Studio (VS), you must add the directories that contain IVI and VISA executables, include files, and libraries to the corresponding search paths. If these paths do not include IVI and VISA directories, various Visual Studio programs (including the C++ preprocessor, the MIDL compiler, and the linker) may not be able to find needed IVI and VISA files, and will generate errors.
2 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite For Include files: \WinNT\include \WinNT\agvisa\include For Library files: \WinNT\lib\msc \WinNT\agvisa\lib\msc IVI Shared Components and IVI Drivers To find the base directory where IVI files are stored on your system, look in the registry for the key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\IVI\ IviStandardRootDir Using the value of this key as the ivi_base_path add the following to your VS search directories: For Executab
Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite NOT E CAUTION Agilent Connectivity Guide 2 Agilent IO Libraries version 15.5 installs version 2.0.0 of the IVI Shared Components (see http://www.ivifoundation.org/) and .NET version 2.0 (with a Service Pack level that depends on your operating system). If you are developing .NET programs, the development environment that you are using must support .NET 2.0. For example, if you are using Visual Studio to develop C# or VB.
2 46 Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite Agilent Connectivity Guide
Agilent Connectivity Guide 3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB This chapter includes: • GPIB Quick Start • Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC • Step 2: Connect Instruments to GPIB Card • Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert • Step 4: Communicate with Instruments • Troubleshooting GPIB Interfaces • GPIB Troubleshooting Overview • GPIB Hardware Checks • GPIB Software Checks Agilent Technologies 47
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB GPIB Quick Start This section shows suggested steps to help you quickly get started connecting GPIB instruments to the General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB). Typical GPIB Interface System In this guide, a GPIB interface system is defined as a system in which GPIB instruments are connected to a GPIB interface card in a Windows PC via GPIB cables. (Refer to Installing I/O Software for a Windows support matrix.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC Before you connect your instruments to GPIB, install Agilent IO Libraries Suite software on your PC. See Installing Agilent IO Libraries Suite in Chapter 2 for details. Step 2: Connect Instruments to GPIB Card This step gives guidelines to connect GPIB instruments to a GPIB Interface Card (such as an Agilent 82351 PCIe™-GPIB Interface Card) installed in your PC by using GPIB cables.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB Connect GPIB Instruments 1 Review Connection Guidelines. The recommended method for connecting a GPIB system is linear with the system controller (PC) at one end of the system. However, a GPIB system can also be connected together in a star or combination configuration. The total number of devices on the system must be ≤14 and these guidelines are followed: • To minimize stress on connector mountings, stack no more than three cable connector blocks on top of one another.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 Example: Connecting a Single GPIB Instrument The following figure shows connections from a single GPIB instrument to the GPIB connector of an Agilent GPIB Interface Card installed in your PC. GPIB Cable Instrument GPIB Connector. Connect to GPIB connector on 82350 installed in PC. Figure 11 GPIB Connector. Connect to GPIB port on GPIB Instrument.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB GPIB Connector. Connect to GPIB connector on 82350 Interface Card. GPIB Connector. Connect to GPIB port on GPIB Instrument 1.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert This step shows how to use Agilent Connection Expert to configure a Windows operating system for a PC that has an Agilent GPIB Interface Card (or equivalent) installed. The default configuration is done automatically. Click Refresh All to update it at any time. This section shows how to verify or change configuration parameters. Configure GPIB Interface Cards 1 Apply Power. Apply power to the PC and to the installed GPIB instruments.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB Figure 13 Agilent Connection Expert When you select a particular instrument in the Explorer Pane, you see the parameters of the instrument in the Properties Pane on the right – such as the product number, serial number, VISA address, GPIB address, and firmware revisions. The green check mark icon at the top signifies that a listener check and IDN query were performed automatically.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 4 Configure GPIB Card Parameters. With the GPIB interface selected in the Explorer Pane, click Change Properties.... Figure 14 The 82351 Configuration Dialog Box Set the GPIB interface properties as required. Also, verify that this is the System Controller for the GPIB to which it is attached (this is the typical operating mode). (See the System Controller discussion below.) If you plan to program your instruments using the Agilent 488 API, or to run NI-488.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB 5 Change/Accept the Configuration Values. When the configuration values displayed are acceptable to you, click the OK button. Repeat Steps for Other Interfaces. If you have installed more than one GPIB interface in your test system, repeat these steps for the remaining interfaces. System Controller The System Controller setting determines whether this GPIB interface controls which bus devices talk and which bus devices listen.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 Step 4: Communicate with Instruments If your instruments show up in the Explorer Pane as verified, communication has been established. This section shows how to further verify instruments and connections using Interactive IO. Communicating Using Interactive IO Interactive IO is a utility within Agilent IO Libraries Suite that communicates with instruments. It can be used to send and receive strings to instruments, which support formatted I/O.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB Example using Interactive IO to control an Agilent 34401A 1 Select an instrument in the Connection Expert Explorer Pane. 2 Click the Interactive IO icon below the menu bar. 3 Open the Commands menu and select a command. The example below shows a *IDN? command has been chosen. (See the table below for commands and meanings. You can also type an instrument-specific command.) 4 Click Send & Read to send the selected command and have the instrument return a result.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 488.2 Commands Meaning *IDN? The Identification query returns manufacturer, model, serial number, and firmware level or equivalent. *CLS The Clear Status command clears status data structures, and forces the device to the Operation Complete query idle state. *OPC? The Operation Complete query places an ASCII character “1” into the device’s Output Queue when all pending selected device operations have been finished.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB Troubleshooting GPIB Interfaces This section shows suggested troubleshooting steps for an Agilent GPIB interface, including: • GPIB Troubleshooting Overview • GPIB Hardware Checks • GPIB Software Checks • Agilent IO Libraries Suite Checks NOT E The troubleshooting procedures in this section are primarily oriented toward an Agilent GPIB card and the Agilent IO Libraries Suite. Consult your instrument’s User’s Guide for troubleshooting details for the instrument.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 1 GPIB Hardware Checks 2 GPIB Software Checks 3 3 Agilent IO Libraries Suite Checks Typical Causes Typical Causes Typical Causes Bad GPIB cables/connections or power not ON for PC or instruments GPIB card drivers not installed or GPIB card not properly configured.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB GPIB Hardware Checks This section gives guidelines to make hardware troubleshooting checks for the GPIB card (such as an Agilent 82351 PCIe™-GPIB), including: • Check Cables/Connections/Power. • Check Device Manager • If Sound Card Does Not Work • If Data Transfers to Devices Fail • If Connection Expert Finds an Agilent 82350 Card with Serial Number ffffffff Check Cables/Connections/Power. Start your troubleshooting sequence by performing the following hardware checks.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 Check Device Manager You can use the Windows Device Manager to reinstall the interface card as required. For example, open the Control Panel. Then, select System > Hardware > Device Manager. From Device Manager, select the interface card and then Properties. Tab to Driver and click Update Driver or Reinstall Driver. This allows the Windows Plug and Play Manager to begin searching for a driver for the interface card.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB GPIB Software Checks This section provides guidelines for GPIB Interface Card software checks, including: • Check for Driver Files • Check Agilent 488 Settings • Disable Connection Expert Auto-Detection • Check BIOS/Interrupts Settings • Set 82350 Read/Write Performance Mode Check for Driver Files After installing the Agilent IO Libraries Suite, check for installed driver files. Files are listed in their default directories.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 Agilent 488..., then select the check box labeled Enable Agilent GPIB cards for 488 programs. This setting allows correct operation of 488 programs with both Agilent and third-party GPIB interfaces (even simultaneously). If you receive errors from third-party tools (such as National Instruments Measurement & Automation Explorer) when Agilent 488 is enabled, disable Agilent 488, use the third-party tool, then re-enable Agilent 488. 2 Most NI-488.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB When the IRQ is asserted, the OS calls each ISR in turn until one of them returns TRUE (meaning that it handled the interrupt). The ISR’s responsibility is to correctly return TRUE if its device was interrupting or FALSE if not. Drivers that return TRUE, even though they did not service the interrupt, will cause problems.
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 The default behavior of the 82350 driver is to use Polling mode for transfers of 256 bytes or less and to use Interrupt mode for larger transfers. You can modify this default behavior by doing the following: VISA: The VISA function viSetAttribute(vi, VI_ATTR_DMA_ALLOW_EN, attrValue) can be called to modify the read/write behavior for a VISA session.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB • The default formatted IO write buffer size is 128 so when using this default size, formatted writes in SICL (with hint = I_HINT_DONTCARE) and VISA (with VI_ATTR_DMA_ALLOW_EN = VI_TRUE) will used Polling mode even when a large number of bytes are being sent. • In SICL, Polling mode will always be used for the iread(), ifread() and iscanf() regardless of the above settings, when a termchr is set (itermchr() is not set to -1).
Connecting Instruments to GPIB 3 • If the IO icon is displayed, click the icon and click About Agilent IO Control to display the version. Version 15 or greater must be installed. (The next version of the IO Libraries after “M” discontinued this naming convention, and uses IO Libraries Suite 14.0 instead to designate the version immediately following M.01.01.) • If the IO icon is not displayed, a version may still be installed.
3 Connecting Instruments to GPIB If the blue IO icon is not displayed, either the blue IO icon display has been turned off and/or the Agilent IO Control (and associated iprocsvr.exe) is not active. In this case, click Start > Programs > Agilent IO Libraries and then click Agilent IO Control to re-start the Agilent IO Control and to display the blue IO icon.
Agilent Connectivity Guide 4 Connecting Instruments to USB This chapter includes: • USB Quick Start • Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC • Step 2: Connect Instruments to USB • Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert • Step 4: Communicate with Instruments • Troubleshooting USB Interfaces • USB Troubleshooting Overview • USB Hardware Checks • USB Software Checks Agilent Technologies 71
4 Connecting Instruments to USB USB Quick Start This section shows suggested steps to help you quickly get started connecting Universal Serial Bus (USB) enabled instruments to the USB. NOT E Optionally, a USB hub may be connected between the PC and USB instrument(s). However, this configuration is not described in this guide. See your USB hub documentation if you use a USB hub.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite and other I/O software on your PC before you connect instruments to USB. See Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite in Chapter 2 for details. Step 2: Connect Instruments to USB This step provides a USB interface overview, shows how to connect USB Instruments using the USB ports on your PC, or by using the Agilent 82357B USB/GPIB Interface Converter.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB NOT E Do not confuse the Agilent 82357 USB/GPIB Interface Converter with a USBTMC device. Agilent Connection Expert automatically configures the 82357 as a GPIB interface, not as a USBTMC device, when it is plugged into the computer. Connect USB Instruments Use the steps in this figure to directly connect USB instruments to a Windows PC.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert This step provides an overview of how Connection Expert automatically identifies USB instruments, and how you can assign VISA aliases, or programming aliases, to address those instruments in a more convenient way. Click the Agilent IO Control icon in the Windows Notification area, and then click Agilent Connection Expert.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB Automatic Identification of USB Devices. When a USB instrument is plugged into the PC, the IO Libraries Suite adds a USB interface, a USB instrument, and a VISA alias (UsbDevice1, in this case) to the Instrument I/O on this PC explorer tree. Note that the USB/GPIB converter, USB/GPIB (GPIB0), looks different than the USB interface. Figure 19 Appearance of the USB Converter vs.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Both a listener check and an identification query are done automatically, as you can see on the right side in the USB Instrument pane next to the green-white check mark symbol. NOT E When you apply power, a Found New Hardware wizard may appear from the Windows operating system. Just step through the wizard clicking Next. (You don’t need to insert a CD, since you have already installed the I/O software.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB You can change this VISA alias name to one of your own choosing before clicking OK. NOT E A VISA alias is a name of your choosing, which you assign to a device and use in your programs. Once assigned, the alias is a synonym for the device's VISA address, so you can use it to open a VISA session (using the viOpen function) and to get resource information (using viParseRsrc or viParseRsrcEx).
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Step 4: Communicate with Instruments This step shows how to use Interactive IO to send 488.2 commands to your USB instruments and read responses. NOT E Communication with installed instruments was established in Step 2: Connect Instruments to USB. Therefore, this is an optional step you can use to verify communication with instruments. Check Identification Parameters 1 Highlight the USB instrument in the Instrument I/O on this PC pane.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB 2 Select a command, or enter one in the Command area. 3 Click Send & Read to send the command to the instrument and read a response. Alternatively, click Send Command and Read Response. The Instrument Session History area displays the results. NOT E If a time-out occurs when sending/receiving commands, change the default Time-out setting of 5000ms in the Interact>Options dialog. 488.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Troubleshooting USB Interfaces This section shows suggested troubleshooting steps for Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces, including: • USB Troubleshooting Overview • USB Hardware Checks • USB Software Checks NOT E The troubleshooting procedures in this section are primarily oriented toward USB instruments and the Agilent IO Libraries Suite. Consult your instrument’s User’s Guide for troubleshooting details for the instrument.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB USB Hardware Checks Typical Causes Typical Causes No power on USB bus or hub or device turned off by Windows Plug and Play Manager. Agilent IO Libraries Suite not installed or USB drivers not installed or improper IO Libraries Suite operation.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 USB Hardware Checks This section gives guidelines to make hardware troubleshooting checks for connected USB instruments. Start your troubleshooting sequence by performing the following hardware checks. If performing the hardware checks do not correct the problem, go to USB Software Checks.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB USB Software Checks This section provides guidelines to make software troubleshooting checks for connected USB instruments. If you have not already done so, we suggest you start your troubleshooting sequence by performing the hardware checks in USB Hardware Checks. If performing the hardware and then the software checks does not correct the problem, contact Agilent for instructions. See Contacting Agilent for addresses.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Agilent IO Libraries Suite Checks This section give troubleshooting guidelines for the Agilent IO Libraries Suite, including: • Check IO Libraries Suite Installation • Check Agilent IO Control Operation Check IO Libraries Suite Installation Start your Agilent IO Libraries Suite troubleshooting sequence by verifying IO Libraries Suite installation. If the IO Libraries Suite is installed, go to Check Agilent IO Control Operation.
4 Connecting Instruments to USB 1 Check Agilent IO Libraries Version. If a version of the Agilent IO Libraries or IO Libraries Suite has been installed, a blue icon ( ) is normally displayed on the Windows notification area (on the lower right side of the screen). • If the IO icon is displayed, click the icon and click About Agilent IO Control to display the version. Version 15 or greater must be installed.
Connecting Instruments to USB 4 Check Agilent IO Control Operation When the Agilent IO Libraries Suite was installed, the Agilent IO Control was started. When the IO Control is active, it is displayed as a blue IO icon on the Windows task bar. If the IO Control is deactivated, I/O applications may be unable to open sessions or to communicate with instruments. By default, the Agilent IO Control is always active after the Agilent IO Libraries Suite is installed and the blue IO icon is displayed.
4 88 Connecting Instruments to USB Agilent Connectivity Guide
Agilent Connectivity Guide 5 Connecting Instruments to LAN This chapter includes: • LAN Quick Start • Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC • Step 2: Connect LAN Instruments • Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert •Add and Configure LAN Instruments • Step 4: Communicate with Instruments • Communicate with Instruments Using Interactive IO • Communicate with Instruments Using Telnet • Troubleshooting LAN Interfaces • LAN Troubleshooting • Network Diagnostics Agilent Technologies 89
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN LAN Quick Start This section shows suggested steps to help you quickly get started connecting and configuring your LAN-enabled instruments for site LAN or private LAN operation. Typical LAN Interface Systems The advantages of LAN technology are making it an attractive alternative to GPIB for system I/O. As a result, LAN interfaces are becoming more common in test equipment -- though LAN ports will likely coexist with GPIB for years to come.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Step 1: Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite on Your PC Install Agilent IO Libraries Suite and other I/O software on your PC before you connect instruments to your LAN port(s). See Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite for details. Then, go to Step 2: Connect LAN Instruments. Step 2: Connect LAN Instruments This section gives guidelines to connect your PCV, LAN test instruments and LAN interface devices (routers, hubs, switches, etc.) together.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Table 2 Summary of Network Topologies Network Topology Description Comments Direct Connection Direct connection between PC and single instrument (requires cross-over cable). Only connects one instrument, suitable for instrument testing. Private Instrument Subnet PC has NIC connected to a private instrument subnet Recommended topology for deployed manufacturing test systems.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Directly Connect Instrument to Computer Figure 22 Direct Connect This is the simplest possible network topology. One instrument connects directly to the computer with no other devices on the network. Typically, this requires a cross-over network cable; however, either the instrument or computer could support Auto-MDIX which automatically establishes the correct sense of the cable. • This topology: • Does not require LAN configuration.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Private Instrument Subnet Figure 23 Private Instrument Subnet This configuration creates a private LAN subnet for the instrument system. If the PC and instruments are on the same side of the router, then router runs a DHCP server and assigns address IP addresses to each device, including the computer. Agilent Connection Expert easily finds all of the instruments in this system. This topology is recommended for deployed manufacturing systems.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Private Instrument Subnet on Corporate Intranet Figure 24 Private Subnet on Corporate Intranet In this topology, the computer is on the same subnet (same side of the router) as the LAN instruments. Both are “shielded” from the corporate LAN by the router. Other PCs on the network cannot easily reach the instruments. The router runs a DHCP server for the local devices, including the computer.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Open Instrument Subnet of Corporate Intranet Figure 25 Open Subnet of Corporate Intranet The computer and instruments connect directly to the corporate LAN. To add another instrument, just plug it into any available LAN port (or stack onto a hub). The corporate DHCP server assigns IP addresses. The DNS server or corporate IT department either assigns hostnames or acquires them from the instruments through dynamic DNS.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Corporate Intranet Figure 26 Private subnet different from PC In order for the PC to access the instruments, the network infrastructure must make them visible. This suggests that the instruments are placed on the corporate intranet with a hub or switch and not a router. While this is a good model for a large, distributed organization, any computers on the corporate intranet can access the test system. Use locking to prevent test disruption.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Across the WAN -- Using the Internet Figure 27 Internet access through firewall This topology is full internet access through firewalls; the test system instruments are behind a different firewall on a different intranet. The instruments must be assigned fixed and publicly known hostnames or IP addresses. The addresses must be available through the firewalls. This requires approval and management from the IT department.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 General Issues with LAN Configuration Basic design considerations for a LAN-based test system include: Dynamic nature of IP addresses If instruments are assigned IP addresses by DHCP or AutoIP, the IP address will occasionally change. With DHCP, this could happen when the DHCP lease expires (unlikely since most configurations grant the same IP address) or when the instrument is turned off and on (this is more likely).
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Multiple NIC Cards If Agilent Connection Expert (see “Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert” on page 102) does not discover instruments because there are multiple NIC cards/interfaces in your PC (for example, a notebook computer with a built-in wireless LAN as well as a directly connected LAN). Windows Vista and Windows XP may be broadcasting on the wrong NIC and/or AutoIP may be turned on for one or more instruments.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Figure 29 Network Connections Dialog Box (Windows Vista) 2 Look in the 'Status' column in for 'connected' interfaces. 3 Right-click on the interface(s) you don't want to be searched and select 'Disable'. 4 Run Agilent’s Connection Expert again and look for the LAN devices. Add and configure the instruments you want in your test system. 5 Return to the 'Network Connections' dialog from the Windows Control Panel.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Step 3: Run Agilent Connection Expert This step shows how to • Run Agilent Connection Expert • Add and configure a LAN instrument on a local or remote subnet • Add and configure a GPIB or USB instrument that is on a LAN portal (optional) • Communicate with your instruments (optional) • Add and configure a LAN interface (optional) Click the Agilent IO Control icon in Windows’ Notification area, and select Agilent Connection Expert.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Add and Configure LAN Instruments When instruments reside on your local area network (LAN), Agilent’s Connection Expert automatically locates each instrument and allows you to configure it. 1 From the Connection Expert main screen, select the LAN interface node in the Explorer Pane (center pane). LAN (TCPIP0) is selected in Figure 30. Right-click to get a menu and select Add Instrument.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Agilent Connection Expert automatically locates, identifies, and verifies all LAN instruments that use either the VXI-11 or the SICL-LAN protocol on your local subnet and lists them in the display. This may take a few minutes; please be patient. NOT E . A separate UDP broadcast is sent to the broadcast address of each NIC. This broadcast address is the network part of each NIC's IP address with the subnet part set to all 1's.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Connecting a LAN instrument outside your local subnet When an instrument resides outside your LAN local subnet, select the Add Address tab to specify the instrument by either the IP address or the instrument hostname. 1 From the Add LAN Instruments screen, select the Add Address tab. (Figure 32).
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Searching for LAN instruments If you don’t know the IP address or hostname for an instrument, select the Search tab on the Add LAN Instruments screen (Figure 33). This allows Connection Expert to search a range IP addresses and identify all instruments in the range. This locates instruments on remote subnets. NOT E When specifying a range of IP addresses, Connection Expert pings each address in the range.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 1 Enter a range of legitimate IP addresses for Connection Expert to search. In general, keep the search range as narrow as possible. a. Alternately, select the Generate Address Range button. This opens the following dialog (Figure 34). Figure 34 Generate Address Range Dialog Enter a hostname or IP address of a computer or other device on the same network as the instrument you want to locate.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Connecting a GPIB, USB, etc. instrument on a LAN Gateway 1 From the Connection Expert main screen, select the LAN interface node in the Explorer Pane, LAN (TCPIP0) for this example. Right-click to get a menu. Then click Add Instrument. (Alternatively, you could click the Add Instrument button on the tool bar, the Task Guide, or the I/O Configuration menu.) This opens the Add LAN Instruments dialog box. Select the Add Other tab (shown below).
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 2 This opens the LAN instrument configuration dialog box, as shown. Figure 36 LAN Instrument Configuration Dialog Box Click Find Instruments... NOT E Agilent Connectivity Guide Find Instruments only searches in your local subnet. In practical terms, your local subnet is defined as instruments on your side of the nearest router.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN 3 When the Search for Remote Instruments dialog box appears (as shown below), select GPIB, USB, etc., and click Find Now. Figure 37 Search for Instruments on the LAN Dialog Box 4 When the instruments on the subnet are discovered as shown below, select one of interest, click Identify Instrument.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 5 Click OK when you are satisfied that the correct instrument has been located and selected. You now see the instrument configuration dialog box displayed including information from your selected instrument, as shown below. Figure 39 Configuration Properties for Selected Instrument Automatically, you have the IP address, the Hostname, a default Remote name, the VISA address, a verified test connection. The instrument’s identity has been verified.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Newly Added LAN Instrument in Connection Expert Figure 40 Newly Added LAN Instruments in Connection Expert Figure 40 shows that instruments have been added to the interface and acknowledged by Connection Expert. Select an instrument and click the Instrument Web Interface button (if available) to open the LXI instrument’s web interface in a browser window. To get more instrument information or change the configuration, click the Change Properties button.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Figure 41 Change Instrument Properties Dialog Box Agilent Connectivity Guide 113
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Step 4: Communicate with Instruments You can use the Interactive IO utility within Connection Expert, VISA Assistant, or the Telnet utility to verify communication with instruments via the LAN. This section gives guidelines to communicate with your instruments using Interactive IO. NOT E Communication with installed LAN instruments was established in Run Agilent Connection Expert if the instruments were visible and verified in the Connection Expert explorer view.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 488.2 and SCPI commands for communicating with instruments, as shown below. Figure 42 Common 488.2 and SCPI Commands in Interactive IO You can also type in instrument-specific commands (from your instrument’s programming guide). The common 488.2 commands and their meanings are listed in the table below. 488.2 Commands Meaning *IDN? The Identification query returns manufacturer, model, serial number, and firmware level or equivalent.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN *SAV The Save command stores the current settings of the device in local memory. *STB? The Read Status Byte query allows the programmer to read the status byte and master Summary Status bit. *TRG The Trigger command signals the transition of the Device Trigger (DT) function to the Device Trigger Active State (DTAS). *TST? The Self-test query returns zero to indicate the test completed with no errors.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 3 Click Send & Read to send the command and receive a response. The results are displayed in the Instrument Session History. Alternatively, you can click the Send Command and Read Response buttons, when you desire, to control the time gap between these commands. Interactive IO has a default timeout value set (5000 ms.), which may not be long enough for your particular application. To change that default, go to Interact > Options, edit the Timeout value, and click OK.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Run the Microsoft Telnet Client. (On Windows XP, click Start > Run and type telnet 6 At the Telnet command line, type: open XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX PPPP where XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX is the instrument’s IP address and PPPP is the port (5024 for most Agilent products). You should see a response from the instrument, such as: Welcome to Agilent’s 33220A Waveform Generator 7 Enter commands for the product.
Connecting Instruments to LAN NOT E 5 Another reason to add a LAN interface is that additional LAN interfaces are 'exported' so they are visible to NI-VISA with Passport enabled. This would allow a program to use Agilent's LAN stack on TCPIP1 for example instead of or in addition to NI's LAN stack on TCPIP0. A couple of reasons to do this: 1.Agilent's LAN stack understands SICL-LAN protocol - NI's does not. 2.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN 2 Select a LAN interface in the Explorer Pane. Click the Change Properties... button in the Properties Pane. The LAN Interface dialog box appears, as shown below. Figure 45 LAN Interface Configuration Dialog Box 3 Change the properties and click OK. Your changes will appear in the Properties Pane. VISA Interface ID. A symbolic name that is used to uniquely identify this interface. The VISA interface ID combines the interface type and a numeric identifier.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Connect timeout. The time, in milliseconds, that the PC will wait when attempting to connect to a LAN instrument. Default value: 5000 milliseconds LAN maximum timeout: The actual timeout value used when a test program specifies a timeout value of infinity. Default value: 120 seconds Client delta timeout.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Troubleshooting LAN Interfaces This section shows suggested troubleshooting steps for LAN interfaces, including the following items. For information on TCP/IP networks, see TCP/IP Network Basics. • LAN Troubleshooting • Using the ping Command • Web Browser Checks • Communication Settings Checks • Network Diagnostics LAN Troubleshooting This section provides basic network troubleshooting guidelines.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 plugs into the computer; it should be glowing steadily. If it is not lit or flashes intermittently, you may have a cable problem, a problem with the network card, hub, switch, etc. b Try disconnecting and reconnecting or replacing each network cable. Make certain you are using a known-good cable. c Do any error messages appear on the computer screen or device display? If so, attempt to resolve those errors. d Restart your computer and the instrument.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN An example to verify communication using the ping command follows. NOT E If you cannot verify communication to connected instruments using the ping command, try using ping to a device at a known address. If this is successful, the problem is likely with the instrument (for site LANs) or with the hub/switch or instruments (for private LANs).
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 .Using the route add Command If you are having difficulty with a private LAN (using a hub, switch, or even a simple crossover cable), a possible cause for no communication between the PC and connected instruments is that the PC has not recognized that it is connected to two different subnets. (See Local and Remote Networks for details.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Web Browser Checks To see if your PC has network access to an instrument, open the Web browser on the PC and type in the instrument’s IP address (or hostname, if known) on the web browser’s address line. If the instrument’s Welcome Page appears, this PC has network connection to the instrument. Repeat this step for each instrument on the network. An example for the Agilent 33220A follows.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Communication Settings Checks If all hardware connections are OK and you have been able to establish communication between your PC and instruments, but the web browser display is incorrect or the web browser display does not appear at all, the problem could be that the web browser settings are incorrect. Suggested steps follow to check your web browser settings, including the following items. If doing these steps does not correct the problem, contact Agilent for support.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 Under Proxy server, if “Use a proxy server” is checked, click the Advanced… button 6 Under Exceptions, add the IP address of the instrument or a fully-qualified domain name (such as myinstr.example.com) to the list box called “Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with:” Use a semicolon (;) to separate multiple entries. 7 Click the OK button on the bottom of the Internet Options dialog box to make changes active.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 5 Under Check for newer versions of stored pages:, click the “Every visit to the page” radio button (“Automatically” should be okay for Internet Explorer 5.5 and greater). 6 Click the OK button on the Settings page to accept the change. 7 Click the OK button on the bottom of the Internet Options dialog box to make changes active. NOT E If the previous steps to not resolve the problem, you may want to clear the cache. To do this, repeat steps 1 - 4.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN Network Diagnostics Microsoft provides valuable network diagnostic tools on their TechNet website. For example, if you are using the XP Professional Operating System, check: TechNet Home > Products & Technologies > Desktop Operating Systems > Windows XP Professional > Maintain to see their Network Diagnostics Tools Features Overview.
Connecting Instruments to LAN 5 1 Check Agilent IO Libraries Version. If a version of the Agilent IO Libraries or IO Libraries Suite has been installed, a blue IO icon ( ) is normally displayed on the Windows task bar (on the lower right side of the screen). • If the IO icon is displayed, click the icon and click About Agilent IO Control to display the version. Version 15 or greater must be installed.
5 Connecting Instruments to LAN By default, the Agilent IO Control is always active after the Agilent IO Libraries Suite is installed and the blue IO icon is displayed. However, the IO Control may be active even though the blue IO icon is not displayed. There are two ways that the blue IO icon can be hidden: • Clicking Hide Agilent IO Control. Clicking the blue IO icon and then clicking Hide Agilent IO Control hides the blue IO icon, but does not deactivate the Agilent IO Control.
Agilent Connectivity Guide 6 Programming Your Instruments This chapter includes: • Programming Overview • Addressing Instruments • Sample Programs Agilent Technologies 133
6 Programming Your Instruments Programming Overview This section provides an overview of programming instruments via LAN, USB, and GPIB interfaces. Sample programs are included to demonstrate generating a simple sine wave on an Agilent 33220A 20 MHz Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generator using Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI). The sample programs are written in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual C++, and C# using Agilent VISA COM and VISA I/O.
Programming Your Instruments 6 Obtaining Instrument Drivers Selected combinations of program environments and I/O are included in the sample programs in this guide. You will need to acquire the programming environment independently of your I/O and instrument software. In many cases, you receive two CDs with your purchase of an Agilent hardware or software product: one is the Automation-Ready CD with Agilent IO Libraries Suite and the other is the product-specific CD.
6 Programming Your Instruments Using Agilent IO Libraries Suite Sample Code The Automation-Ready CD with Agilent IO Libraries Suite provides easy instructions for connecting, configuring, and verifying your instruments with IO Libraries Suite. Go to Chapter 2, “Installing Agilent I/O Libraries Suite”, for a more detailed discussion. NOT E To obtain the Agilent IO Libraries Suite, go to www.agilent.com/find/iosuite.
Programming Your Instruments 6 • “VISA COM 488.2 Formatted I/O 1.0" corresponds to BasicFormattedIO.dll 2 Create Formatted I/O Reference. Create the formatted I/O reference with a statement such as: Dim Fgen As VisaComLib.FormattedIO488 3 Create the New Object. Use Set Fgen = New VisaComLib.FormattedIO488 to create the formatted I/O object. For additional information on VISA COM usage, see the VISA COM Help (click the IO Control, then click Documentation > VISA COM Help).
6 Programming Your Instruments Addressing Instruments This section gives guidelines to address instruments, including: • Addressing Instruments via GPIB • Addressing Instruments via USB • Addressing Instruments via LAN NOT E This chapter discusses addressing for VISA and VISA COM. This form of addressing is also used with IVI-COM and VXIplug&play instrument drivers. This chapter also includes some discussion of SICL addressing.
Programming Your Instruments 6 • Readability. Your programs will be much easier to read and understand if, for example, your multimeter is called “myDMM” instead of “GPIB2::14::8::INSTR”. This is particularly important in the case of USB instruments, whose VISA addresses are typically long and cumbersome, containing the instrument's serial number among other information. Using aliases with SICL and with Agilent 488.
6 Programming Your Instruments Configure GPIB Card Parameters. With the GPIB interface selected in the instrument Explorer Pane, click Change Properties... in the Agilent 82351 PCI GPIB Interface Properties Pane on the right. The PCI GPIB configuration dialog box appears, as shown below. Figure 49 The 82351 Configuration Dialog Box 1 Set the GPIB properties as required, referring to the online Help for specific information on each property as needed.
Programming Your Instruments 6 Example: Addressing GPIB Instruments Using VISA/SICL This figure shows example VISA and SICL addressing for GPIB instruments connected to a PC via a GPIB interface. GPIB (82350) Addressing Interface VISA/SICL Names Windows PC GPIB Cable GPIB Instruments 5 VISA Name SICL Name "GPIB0" "gpib0" 82350 GPIB Card #1 "GPIB1" "gpib1" 82350 GPIB Card #2 3 3 VISA/SICL Addressing VISA: viOpen (... "GPIB0::5::INSTR"...) viOpen (... "GPIB0::3::INSTR"...) viOpen (...
6 Programming Your Instruments Since unique names have been assigned by Connection Expert, you can use the VISA viOpen command to open the I/O paths to the GPIB instruments as shown in this figure. Or, you can use the SICL iopen command to open the I/O paths shown. Addressing Instruments via USB As desired, you can use a VISA alias to address instruments via USB. The VISA alias associates a symbolic name with a specific instrument.
Programming Your Instruments 6 1 Connection Expert automatically configures a USB interface, discovers any USB devices, and assigns default VISA alias names, as shown in the figure above. 2 Display the Changing VISA Alias Properties dialog box. Highlight the USB alias name in the explorer (center) pane. Then click Change Properties... in the VISA Alias Properties pane on the right to display the VISA Alias dialog box. Change the default VISA alias name to something meaningful.
6 Programming Your Instruments LAN Networking Protocols There are two LAN networking protocols provided with the Agilent IO Libraries Suite software. You can use one or both of these protocols when configuring your systems to use VISA and SICL over LAN. • SICL-LAN Protocol is a networking protocol developed by Agilent that is compatible with all VISA LAN products. This LAN networking protocol is the default choice in the Agilent IO Libraries Suite configuration when configuring the LAN interface.
Programming Your Instruments 6 • iopen("lan[machineName]:gpib0,1") will use the protocol type configured in Connection Expert. If Automatic is configured, SICL-LAN protocol will be attempted. If SICL-LAN is not supported, VXI-11 protocol will be used. • iopen("lan;auto[machineName]:gpib0,1") will automatically select the protocol (SICL-LAN if available and VXI-11 otherwise.) • iopen("lan;sicl-lan[machineName]:gpib0,1") will use SICL-LAN protocol.
6 Programming Your Instruments the configuration in the LAN Interface Properties Pane on the right. To alter any default properties, click Change Properties.... Figure 52 LAN Interface Properties Pane (on right) 2 When the LAN Interface dialog box appears, you can change the interface’s properties, such as the VISA interface ID, logical unit number, time-out durations, as required. Here you can select the protocol type (Auto, VXI-11, or SICL-LAN) and choose whether to log LAN connection errors.
Programming Your Instruments 6 Example: Addressing LAN Instruments Using VISA/SICL The LAN interface system in this figure consists of a Windows PC with a LAN (NIC) card and three LAN instruments. instrument1 and instrument2 are VXI-11.2 (GPIB Emulation) instruments, and instrument3 is a VXI-11.3 LAN instrument. For this system, Connection Expert has been used to assign the LAN card a VISA interface ID of “TCPIP0” and a SICL interface ID of “lan”.
6 Programming Your Instruments Since unique names have been assigned by Connection Expert, you can now use the VISA viOpen command or the SICL iopen command to open the I/O paths to the GPIB instruments as shown in the figure. TCPIP LAN Client Addressing Interface VISA/SICL Names Windows PC LAN LAN Instruments instrument1 machine name 5 VXI-11.2 GPIB Emulation gpib0,5 1.2.3.4 IP address 3 VISA Name SICL Name VXI-11.
Programming Your Instruments 6 Sample Programs Sample programs follow to demonstrate sine waveform generation for an Agilent 33220A 20 Mhz Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generator. The sample programs are essentially repeated to show the same functionality with different programming environments and I/O. Agilent IO Libraries Suite provides a number of additional sample programs for a variety of instruments.
6 Programming Your Instruments ’ and adjusting the frequency, amplitude, and offset. With Fgen .WriteString "*RST" .IO.Clear ’ Reset the function generator ’ Clear errors and status registers .WriteString "FUNCtion SINusoid" ’ Select waveshape ’ Other options are SQUare, RAMP, PULSe, NOISe, DC, and USER .WriteString "OUTPut:LOAD 50" ’ Set the load impedance in Ohms ’ (50 Ohms default) ’ May also be INFinity, as when using oscilloscope or DMM .WriteString "FREQuency 2500" .WriteString "VOLTage 1.
Programming Your Instruments 6 Example: Simple Sine Waveform (C# and VISA COM) This program selects the function as “sine,” and then sets the frequency, amplitude and offset of the waveform for an Agilent 33220A. The program is written in C# and VISA COM. NOT E “VISA COM 3.0 Type Library” corresponds to GlobMgr.dll. Once you have selected C# in Visual Studio, click Project > Add Reference... . Select the COM tab. Scroll down the list of components presented, and select VISA COM 3.0 Type Library.
6 Programming Your Instruments // // TODO: Add any constructor code // after InitializeComponent call // } /// /// Clean up any resources being used. /// protected override void Dispose( bool disposing ) { if( disposing ) { if (components != null) { components.Dispose(); } } base.Dispose( disposing ); } #region Windows Form Designer generated code /// /// Required method for Designer support /// do not modify /// the contents of this method with the /// code editor.
Programming Your Instruments 6 this.button1.Text = "button1"; this.button1.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.button1_Click); // // textBox1 // this.USBInstrument.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(88, 136); this.USBInstrument.Name = "USBInstrument"; this.USBInstrument.TabIndex = 1; this.USBInstrument.Text = "USBinstrument"; this.USBInstrument.TextChanged += new System.EventHandler(this.USBInstrument_TextChanged); // // Form1 // this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 13); this.
6 Programming Your Instruments private void USBInstrument_TextChanged(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { } private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { Ivi.Visa.Interop.ResourceManager io_mgr=new Ivi.Visa.Interop.ResourceManagerClass(); Ivi.Visa.Interop.FormattedIO488 fgen=new Ivi.Visa.Interop.FormattedIO488Class(); fgen.IO=(Ivi.Visa.Interop.IMessage)io_mgr.Open(USBInstrument.Text,Ivi. Visa.Interop.AccessMode.NO_LOCK,2000,""); fgen.WriteString("*rst",true); fgen.IO.Clear(); fgen.
Programming Your Instruments 6 Example: Simple Sine Waveform (Visual C++ and VISA) This example program is intended for use with Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 and Agilent VISA. This program uses the arbitrary waveform function to download and output a square wave pulse with a calculated rise time and fall time. The waveform consists of 4000 points downloaded to the function generator as ASCII data. #include #include #include #include
6 Programming Your Instruments CHECK(viWrite(Instrument, SCPIcmd, (ViUInt32)strlen(SCPIcmd), &actual)); strcpy(SCPIcmd,"*CLS\n"); /* Clear errors and status registers */ CHECK(viWrite(Instrument, SCPIcmd, (ViUInt32)strlen(SCPIcmd), &actual)); /* Compute waveform */ fprintf(stderr, "Computing Waveform...\n"); strcpy(SCPIcmd, "DATA VOLATILE"); for(i = 1; i <= 5; i++) /* Set rise time (5 points) */ sprintf(SCPIcmd, "%s,%3.
Programming Your Instruments 6 strcpy(SCPIcmd, "FUNCtion:USER PULSE\n"); /* Select the active arb waveform */ CHECK(viWrite(Instrument, SCPIcmd, (ViUInt32)strlen(SCPIcmd), &actual)); strcpy(SCPIcmd, "FUNCtion:SHAPe USER\n"); /* Output the selected arb waveform */ CHECK(viWrite(Instrument, SCPIcmd, (ViUInt32)strlen(SCPIcmd), &actual)); strcpy(SCPIcmd, "OUTPut:LOAD 50\n"); /* Output termination is 50 Ohms */ CHECK(viWrite(Instrument, SCPIcmd, (ViUInt32)strlen(SCPIcmd), &actual)); strcpy(SCPIcmd, "FREQuency
6 158 Programming Your Instruments Agilent Connectivity Guide
Agilent Connectivity Guide 7 TCP/IP Network Basics This chapter includes: • LAN Interface Overview • TCP/IP Protocols • IP Addressing • IP Address Configuration Methods • Device Hostname Services • Configuring Your PC for LAN Operation NOT E The information in this section is a summary of TCP/IP networks and LANs and is not intended to be a complete discussion of the subject. Consult standard reference texts for further details on TCP/IP and LANs.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics LAN Interface Overview This section provides an overview of Local Area Networks (LANs) that use Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), including: • Typical Network Topologies • LAN Hardware Architecture Typical Network Topologies LANs using TCP/IP can be divided into two categories: Site LANs and Private LANs. Site LAN Topology A Site LAN can be a workgroup LAN, Intranet, or enterprise (corporate) LAN.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Within the site LAN, every device (PC, router, server, etc.) is called a host. A host is any device on a network that has a TCP/IP address. TCP/IP addresses are called IP addresses, and each device on the network must have a unique IP address. A typical IP address for a device is 156.140.105.50. In general, communication within the site LAN and to private LANs is behind a firewall. Communication among devices on the site LAN is controlled by routers.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Typical Private LAN Ethernet Hub or Switch PC Instrument Instrument Figure 54 Typical Private LAN LAN Hardware Architecture A LAN is a way to extend the control of instrumentation beyond the limits of typical instrument interfaces. You can communicate with instruments using a web browser, the Telnet utility, or sockets.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 or device, the LAN server sends a reply to the LAN interface. This reply contains requested data and status information that indicates whether or not the operation was successful. Clients PC PC PC Instrument Instrument LAN Servers PC Figure 55 Client-Server Model Packet Switching A TCP/IP network is a packet-switched network. In this type of network, the computer that is sending the data (source host) breaks the data into smaller segments, called packets.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Router Data Source Host Router Data Data Router Data Data Router Destination Host Data Router Figure 56 Example of Packet-Switched Network 164 Agilent Connectivity Guide
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 TCP/IP Protocols This section summarizes protocols for LAN networks that use TCP/IP for communication between hosts (devices such as computers, printers, and instruments), including: • The TCP/IP Network Model • The Network Interface Layer • The Internet Layer • The Transport Layer • The Application Layer The TCP/IP Network Model The TCP/IP network model is based on protocols and an associated set of layers that control the actions of the network.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics TCP/IP Layers The TCP/IP network model is based on the Department of Defense (DoD) model. Application Layer Internet Layer Contains applications that process requests from other hosts on the network. Responsible for addressing and routing of packets. Application Transport Internet Transport Layer Network Interface Layer Network Interface Determines if sender and receiver hosts will set up a connection (before communicating).
TCP/IP Network Basics Layer Component Name 7 Description Specification A protocol for translating a Hostname into an IP address. RFC 1034 and RFC 1035 DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol A protocol for obtaining TCP/IP parameters from a central server. RFC 2131 and RFC 2132 FTP - File Transfer Protocol A protocol that defines how files are transferred from one host to another on a network.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics As packets are sent through the network, each host on the network looks at the packet to see if the packet is addressed to the host’s hardware address. If not, the host ignores the packet. The Internet Layer The Internet Layer of the TCP/IP model contains the protocols responsible for addressing and routing of packets.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is primarily used to send error messages, perform diagnostics, and control data flow. You can also use ICMP with the Packet InterNet Groper (Ping) utility. To ping another host from a Command Prompt, type ping .
7 TCP/IP Network Basics data from the Transport Layer protocols of other hosts. Hosts can be on the same local network or on a remote network. The Transport Layer has two protocols: • Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) • User Datagram Protocol (UDP) Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is the protocol that connects the sending host and the receiving host to each other. TCP provides the connection as packets are moved between hosts having the conversation.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 sender re-sends the packet. This figure shows a network in which the source and destination are using TCP and summarizes the steps to use TCP for communication between hosts. TCP Communication Router Source Destination Steps 1. Source sends a packet to destination to set up communication. 2. Destination sends acknowledgement to establish communication. 3. Source sends another packet that confirms connection. 4.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics • Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) The Application Layer is not where an Internet browser, spreadsheet, etc. interact. Applications running at the Application Layer interact with the browser, spreadsheet, etc. applications. NOT E Ports This figure shows the TCP/IP protocol stack. In the stack, TCP and UDP each have access to 65,536 ports at the Application Layer. As a packet moves up the stack, IP directs the packet to either a TCP port or to a UDP port.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 This figure shows typical socket architecture. When a socket is first created, it has an associated protocol but not an IP address or port number. A socket must be bound to a port number before it can receive messages from a remote application. Sockets Application Application Application ... ... TCP Sockets UDP Sockets Sockets bound to ports 1 2 ... 65535 1 2 ...
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application used to transfer files from one host (the server) to another host (the client) and to display the files at the requesting host. The HTTP application runs on a Web server, listens for requests at a TCP port (usually port 80 for requests), and sends files back to the requestor. The requesting host displays the files on a web browser, such as Internet Explorer.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 IP Addressing This section describes IP addressing for TCP/IP networks, including: • IP Address Classes • Subnets and Subnet Masks • Local and Remote Networks • IP Address Configuration Methods IP Address Classes Each host on a TCP/IP network must have a unique address. This address is called the IP address and consists of a network portion and a host portion. The network portion and host portion of an IP address are determined by the subnet mask.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics NOT E Dot-notation addresses ("nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn" where “nnn” is a byte value) such as IP addresses must be expressed with care, as most web software on the PC will interpret byte values with leading zeros as octal numbers. Thus, “255.255.020.011” is actually equivalent to decimal “255.255.16.9” rather than “255.255.20.11” because “.020” is interpreted as “16” expressed in octal and “.011” as “9”.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Subnets and Subnet Masks As noted, an IP address consists of a network portion and a host portion. A subnet mask is a number that looks like an IP address that shows IP how many bits are used for the network portion of the IP address by “masking” the network portion of the IP address. Every IP address must have a subnet mask. You can use standard or custom subnet masks.To see how subnet masks are used, we will first define a subnet.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics A custom subnet mask adds more bits for the network portion of the IP address and uses fewer bits for the host portion of the IP address. These additional bits are called subnet bits. NOT E Consult a standard network or TCP/IP book or use a subnet calculator (available on the Web) for creating custom subnets. Local and Remote Networks For every packet sent from a source host, IP must determine if the destination host is on the same local network or is on a remote network.
TCP/IP Network Basics Local Network #1 (4 Hosts) Local Network #2 (4 Hosts) Computer D Computer A Instrument B Instrument C 7 Router (Default Gateway) Instrument E Instrument F Figure 62 Two Networks (Subnets) Using a Router Agilent Connectivity Guide 179
7 TCP/IP Network Basics IP Address Configuration Methods This section introduces some IP address configuration methods, including: • Configuration Methods Overview • Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) • AutoIP/ZEROCONF • Duplicate IP Address Detection Configuration Methods Overview IP address configuration methods can be divided into two categories: automatic IP configuration and manual IP configuration.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows each host on the network to be automatically assigned a unique IP address when the device is connected to a network that supports DHCP and is turned ON. To enable DHCP on a Site LAN, the System Administrator assigns a pool of IP addresses to a DHCP Server to be leased to hosts on the network. Each host on the network is called a DHCP Client.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Duplicate IP Address detection is described by several Internet standards (RFC 2642/RFC 2131/ZEROCONF). It is implemented using ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) and uses broadcast Ethernet communication. The scope of duplicate IP address detection is the current Ethernet subnet. Most operating systems (Windows, Apple, etc.) implement duplicate IP address detection.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 To recover from a duplicate IP address condition, eliminate the duplicate IP address condition and then restart the affected devices. For example, an instrument can be restarted (to clear up the error) by disconnecting the Ethernet port long enough to be detected by the Ethernet connection monitoring or by cycling power to the instrument.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Device Hostname Services This section introduces some device hostname services, including: • Device Hostname Services Overview • Dynamic DNS Naming • RFC NetBIOS Naming • Static DNS Naming Device Hostname Services Overview For ease of operation and communication on a TCP/IP network, you can assign a name to a host, called a hostname.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Dynamic DNS Naming Dynamic Domain Name System (Dynamic DNS) is a distributed database of hostnames and associated IP addresses on the Internet. All hostnames on the Internet are divided into categories, called domains, such as .com, .edu, .org, etc. Dynamic DNS automatically provides hostnames and domain names for devices on networks that support Dynamic DNS. This figure shows a typical process for a DHCP Client to register a hostname and a PTR (pointer) name via a DHCP Server.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics 3 Dynamic DNS Hostname Update 4 Dynamic DNS PTR Name Update DNS Server DHCP Server 2 IP Lease Acknowledgement 1 IP Lease Request DHCP Client 1 IP Lease Request To begin, the DHCP Client has no IP address and only a hostname that is to be registered. The client sends a DHCP request to the DHCP server that provides the server with the hostname to be registered.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 completes each step in the sequence shown before returning an error message. RFC NetBIOS naming does require a reboot to force a naming change to take effect. RFC NetBIOS Naming NetBIOS Name Cache A list of recently resolved NetBIOS names to IP addresses that is stored temporarily in local host RAM. WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) A database of all NetBIOS names and IP addresses that register with the WINS server or have been entered manually by an administrator.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Static DNS Naming In contrast to automatic DNS name resolution, Static DNS naming does not require any host functionality to support dynamic methods of hostname resolution. Static DNS Naming uses a seven-step process to resolve an IP address to a specified hostname. TCP/IP completes each step in the sequence shown before returning an error message. See your instrument’s User’s Guide to determine if your instrument supports Static DNS Naming.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Configuring Your PC for LAN Operation This section shows steps to configure your PC, as required, for operation on a private LAN or for operation on site LANs that do not support DHCP, including: • Checking PC Settings • Installing Network Interface Cards • Installing TCP/IP on Your PC • Setting PC IP Address • Setting PC Hostname NOT E If your PC is part of an existing private LAN or site LAN, you probably do not need to do the steps in this section.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Figure 66 ipconfig /all Screen Capture Installing Network Interface Cards Network Interface Cards (NIC) provide the hardware interface between your PC and network devices such as routers, hubs, or switches. As required, install NIC(s) in your PC according to the NIC manufacturer’s instructions. Installing TCP/IP on Your PC To configure a network interface card, the TCP/IP protocol must be installed and configured.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Example: Installing TCP/IP (Windows XP) 1 Click Start > Network > Internet Connnections. From the “or pick a control panel icon”, select Network Connections. 2 Right-click Local Area Connection and then click Properties to display the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box. 3 The General tab should display Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). If not, click Install, then select Protocol and click Add. Then, select TCP/IP Protocol and click Install.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Example: Installing TCP/IP (Windows Vista) 1 Click Start > Control Panel > Network Connections. Figure 68 Windows Vista Network Connections 2 Right click the connection you want to change and click Properties. 3 Click the Networking tab.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 4 In the frame, This Connection uses the following items:, select either Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) or select both 5 Ensure that the two radio buttons, Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS Server address automatically are both selected. Note, if you need to manually specify an IP or DNS address, you may do it from this screen. 6 Click the OK button on the two screens to exit.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics 6 Figure 70 shows an Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box to automatically obtain IP addresses and to manually assign DNS Server addresses on a Windows XP PC. For this PC, the IP address is automatically assigned by the network. For this PC, the preferred and alternate DNS server IP addresses are manually set.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Example: Setting PC Hostname (Windows XP) 1 Right-click the My Computer icon and then click Properties to display the System Properties dialog box. 2 Select the Network Identification tab and then click Properties to display the Identification Changes dialog box. 3 As required, set/change the Hostname and/or Domain Name. When you have finished, click the OK box to enable the assignments. 4 This figure shows an example Identification Changes dialog box on a Windows XP PC.
7 TCP/IP Network Basics Example: Setting PC Hostname (Windows Vista) 1 Right-click the Computer icon, then click Properties. This opens the Properties Dialog window. Figure 72 System Maintenance Screen 2 Click the Change Setting button to open the setting window.
TCP/IP Network Basics 7 Figure 73 System Properties Screen Agilent Connectivity Guide 197
7 198 TCP/IP Network Basics Agilent Connectivity Guide
Agilent Connectivity Guide Glossary address A string (or other language construct) that uniquely locates and identifies a resource. VISA defines an ASCII-based grammar that associates address strings with particular physical devices or interfaces and VISA resources. Agilent 488 An I/O library provided in Agilent IO Libraries Suite for compatibility with existing test & measurement programs that were developed using National Instruments’ NI-488.2 or other similar libraries.
8 Glossary across the street. A bridge examines each message on a LAN, “passing” those known to be within the same LAN, and forwarding those known to be on the other interconnected LAN (or LANs). client Part of the client/server model used in distributed computing. A client is a computer system that requests services from a server computer system, such as I/O application requests, networking requests, etc.
Glossary 8 DHCP Short for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, a protocol for assigning dynamic IP addresses to devices on a network. With dynamic addressing, a device can have a different IP address every time it connects to the network. In some systems, the device's IP address can even change while it is still connected. DHCP also supports a mix of static and dynamic IP addresses.
8 Glossary hexadecimal characters, sometimes with colon or dash separators between every two characters, such as “00:03:d3:00:00:17” or “00-03-d3-00-00-17”. explorer view The tree view within the Connection Expert window that shows all devices connected to a test system. gateway Hardware that permits a network connection between the LAN that your computer understands and the instrument specific interface that your device understands.
Glossary 8 instrument A device that accepts commands and performs a test or measurement function. instrument driver Software that runs on a computer to allow an application to control a particular instrument. Interactive IO An Agilent application that allows you to interactively send commands to instruments and read the results. Interactive IO is part of the Agilent IO Libraries Suite product. interface A connection and communication media between devices and controllers.
8 Glossary IO Libraries Application programming interfaces (APIs) for direct I/O communication between applications and devices. There are four Agilent IO Libraries in the Agilent IO Libraries Suite: VISA, VISA COM, SICL, and Agilent 488. IP address An Internet Protocol (IP) address is an identifier for a computer or device on a TCP/IP network. Networks using the TCP/IP protocol route messages based on the IP address of the destination.
Glossary 8 There are many different types of LANs, Ethernets being the most common for PCs. Most Apple Macintosh networks are based on Apple's AppleTalk network system, which is built into Macintosh computers. The following characteristics differentiate one LAN from another: topology: The geometric arrangement of devices on the network. For example, devices can be arranged in a ring or in a straight line. protocols: The rules and encoding specifications for sending data.
8 Glossary local-area networks (LANs): The computers are geographically close together (that is, in the same building). wide-area networks (WANs): The computers are farther apart and are connected by telephone lines or radio waves. campus-area networks (CANs): The computers are within a limited geographic area, such as a campus or military base. metropolitan-area networks MANs): A data network designed for a town or city.
Glossary 8 FTP: Abbreviation of File Transfer Protocol, the protocol used on the Internet for sending files. HTTP: Short for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the underlying protocol used by the World Wide Web. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. ICMP: Short for Internet Control Message Protocol, an extension to the Internet Protocol (IP) defined by RFC 792.
8 Glossary proxy server A server that sits between a client application, such as a web browser, and a real server. It intercepts all requests to the real server to see if it can fulfill the requests itself. If not, it forwards the request to the real server. Proxy servers have two main purposes: Improve performance: Proxy servers can dramatically improve performance for groups of users, since a proxy server saves the results of all requests for a certain amount of time.
Glossary 8 each other and configure the best route between any two hosts. Very little filtering of data is done through routers. Routers do not care about the type of data they handle. Routers often have DHCP Server capability. SCPI Standard Commands for Programmable Instrumentation: a standard set of commands, defined by the SCPI Consortium, to control programmable test and measurement devices in instrumentation systems. secondary VISA A VISA installation that does not install visa32.
8 Glossary side-by-side A side-by-side installation allows two vendors' implementations of VISA to be used on the same computer. See also primary VISA and secondary VISA. SRQ An IEEE-488 Service Request. This is an asynchronous request (an interrupt) from a remote device that requires service. In GPIB, an SRQ is implemented by asserting the SRQ line on the GPIB. In VXI, an SRQ is implemented by sending the Request for Service True event (REQT).
Glossary 8 For example, the full address for 150.215.017.009 is 10010110.11010111.00010001.00001001. The Class B network part is 10010110.11010111 and the host address is 00010001.00001001. If this network is divided into 14 subnets, the first four bits of the host address (0001) are reserved for identifying the subnet. The subnet mask is the network address plus the bits reserved for identifying the subnetwork.
8 Glossary System Controller One Controller on a GPIB is the System Controller. This is a master Controller; it has the ability to demand control and to assert the IFC (Interface Clear) and REN (remote enable) lines. system tray See notification area. task guide The information and logic represented in the left pane of the Connection Expert window. The task guide provides links to actions and information that help guide you through the most common I/O configuration tasks.
Glossary 8 to announce its presence on the network to other devices. UPnP devices use Extensible Markup Language (XML) to establish a common language, or “protocol negotiation”, to talk to each other and determine capabilities. VEE The Agilent Visual Engineering Environment, which is software used for I/O application programming.
8 Glossary Windows notification area See notification area.
Index Numerics 488.
gateway IP address, 202 getting started, 9 glossary, 199 GPIB addressing instruments, 139 Agilent IO Libraries checks, 68 cable connection guidelines, 50 communicate with instruments, 57 configuration files, installing, 53 configure GPIB cards, 53 connect instruments, 49 crossover point, 68 definition, 48 Found New Hardware wizard, 70 hardware checks, 62 install GPIB cards, 49 install software, 49 interrupt mode, 67 polling mode, 67 quick start, 48 software checks, 64 troubleshooting overview, 60 guide usin
M rsrcName, 142 MATLAB, 13 Media Access Control (MAC) address, 167 Microsoft .NET Framework, 31 S National Instruments VISA (NI-VISA), 27, 28 network classes, 204 Network Interface cards, installing, 190 network portion, 175 network protocols, 206 Network Topologies, 91 NI MAX, errors, 65 NI tools, errors, 65 NI-488.2, 14, 39, 64, 134, 199 server, 209 servers, 161 SICL, 14, 209 sicl.h, 14 sicl32.
VISA, 12, 13, 213 National Instruments, 27 Open Report, 15 primary, 27, 28 secondary, 27, 28 side-by-side, 27, 28 VISA alias, 15 VISA Assistant, 20 See also Interactive IO VISA COM, 12, 13 VISA Open, 21 VISA Open Reports, 21 VISA rsrcName, 142 visa.h, 13 visa32.bas, 13 visa32.cs, 13 visa32.
