Technical data

162 Agilent Connectivity Guide

7TCP/IP Network Basics

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. However,

to program (send SCPI commands) over the LAN, you must first

configure the LAN interface using Agilent

Connection Expert, provided

with the Agilent IO Libraries Suite.

Client-Server Model

The LAN software uses the client-server model of computing.

Client-server computing refers to a model where an application (the

client) does not perform all necessary tasks of the application itself.

Instead, the client makes requests of another device (the

server) for

certain services.

A LAN interface, such as a PC, makes requests over the network to a

server, such as a PC or a LAN-enabled instrument. For example, in this

figure the Server PC and the instruments can act as LAN servers. Once

the LAN server has completed the requested operation on the instrument

Figure 54 Typical Private LAN

Typical Private LAN

Ethernet

Hub or Switch

Instrument