Keysight IO Libraries Suite 17.0

Do not install this software on instruments.

Keysight IO Libraries Suite 17 begins the next generation of the former Agilent IO Libraries Suite, the libraries and tools you've come to rely on to speed up connection and control of your instruments. You may notice that some identifiers – for example, file paths and Windows service names – still include the Agilent name; these will be addressed in future versions of the software. Agilent’s Electronic Measurement Group became Keysight Technologies in 2014; for more information, see http://www.keysight.com.

Table of Contents

• What is the Keysight IO Libraries Suite?
• System Requirements
• Installing the Software
• What's New?
• Upgrading from Earlier Versions of IO Libraries Suite
• Known Issues
• Uninstalling the Software
• License Grant

The Keysight IO Libraries Suite is a collection of libraries and utility programs. The IO libraries (SICL, VISA, and VISA COM) enable instrument communication for a variety of development environments (Keysight VEE Pro, Microsoft Visual Studio, etc.) that are compatible with GPIB, USB, LAN, RS-232, PXI, AXIe, and VXI test instruments from a variety of manufacturers. Several utility programs help you quickly and easily connect your instruments to your PC.

Establishing communication between your instruments and your PC is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Install the IO Libraries Suite: Get all the software you need to connect instruments to your PC via GPIB, USB, LAN, and other standard interfaces.
2. Install Instrument Software and Connect Your Instruments: Install any software that came with your instruments. Connect cables and apply power.
3. Run Keysight Connection Expert to Identify and Communicate with Instruments: See your system graphically and send commands to your instruments.

If you received two disks with your Keysight product, install the IO Libraries Suite first. Then browse the second disk to find instrument drivers, documentation, and other application software, depending on the product you have purchased.

The following table lists the system configurations that Keysight tested IO Libraries Suite 17.0 on and that are therefore guaranteed to work. In general, any x86 or x64 (except Itanium) processor should work but there may be a decrease in performance.

Browser: Use a supported version of Internet Explorer; see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969393.

¹ On older PCs with minimum RAM, installation can take a long time when installing the IO Libraries Suite and the .NET Framework.

² .NET Framework Runtime Components are installed by default with Windows Vista. Therefore, you may not need this amount of available disk space.

³ Because of the installation procedure, less disk space may be required for operation than is required for installation. The amount of space listed above is required for installation.

Who is licensed to install IO Libraries Suite 17?

See the License Grant at the end of this file to determine whether you are licensed to install this software.

What if I need support for an older operating system?

It is generally best to use the current version of the IO Libraries Suite. This version will support the newest interfaces and operating systems, and will have the most advanced features. However, you may need to install an earlier version of the IO Libraries Suite to support an older interface or operating system. Refer to http://www.keysight.com/find/iosuite to locate the version you need.

To install Keysight IO Libraries Suite 17:

First, disconnect any USB instruments, USB/GPIB converters, and FireWire (IEEE 1394)-VXI interfaces that are connected to your PC.

Shut down all other applications that are running on the PC.

If you have the IO Libraries disk in your CD/DVD drive:

1. Open Windows File Explorer and browse the CD/DVD drive.
2. Browse to the Autorun folder and double-click to execute auto.exe.

If you are downloading Keysight IO Libraries Suite from the Web:

1. Go to http://www.keysight.com/find/iosuite.
2. Download the IO Libraries Suite self-extracting zip file (*.exe) to any location on your hard disk.
3. Double-click the .exe file to extract all files and start the installation process. Follow the instructions as prompted during the installation.

You can select either a Typical or a Custom installation. In most cases, you can select a Typical installation which installs the IO Libraries Suite using the recommended settings. Select the Custom installation to:

• Install the IO Libraries Suite in another directory (for 32-bit operating systems only).
• Use Keysight 32-bit VISA with another vendor’s VISA on the same PC in side-by-side mode. Details on side-by-side mode are available at www.keysight.com/find/side-by-side-install and in the IO Libraries Suite Help following installation.

After the installation is complete, re-connect any devices that you disconnected prior to installing.

Keysight IO Libraries Suite 17 marks a significant update in the architecture of the IO Libraries Suite infrastructure, as well as an all-new Connection Expert. The changes fall into these categories:

• Discovery Service
• New Connection Expert Utility
• PXI Enhancements
• Other Changes

To learn more about the changes, see the Transition Guide in the IO Libraries Suite Help. To find this help, click the IO Control in the Windows notification area, then select Documentation > IO Libraries Suite Help.

Note: The IO Libraries Suite GPIB auto-scan feature is incompatible with certain instruments, including some Keysight 34980As and 34410As; in some cases, compatibility depends on the version of firmware on your instrument. If IO Libraries Suite detects an incompatible instrument on a GPIB interface, it will automatically turn off auto-scan for that GPIB interface.

In addition, some older instruments do not respond correctly to the SCPI identification query, *IDN? These instruments may experience problems when queried by the IO Libraries Suite. After two failures, IO Libraries Suite will stop sending *IDN? to that instrument until the next reboot or reconnect. You can prevent *IDN? from ever being sent to an instrument by manually adding the instrument and turning off its auto-identification property.

For more information on the auto-scan and auto-discovery features, click the IO Control in the Windows notification area, then select Documentation > IO Libraries Suite Help and search for "auto-scan" or "auto-discover" in the help file. For up-to-date information about compatibility issues and solutions, visit www.keysight.com/find/iosuitecompatibility.

When you upgrade to IO Libraries Suite 17, in general, your configuration is retained. However, you may see some changes in your configuration and some instrument properties may be lost. For detailed information and workarounds, see Upgrading from Earlier Versions in the IO Libraries Suite Help. To find this help, click the IO Control in the Windows notification area, then select Documentation > IO Libraries Suite Help.

1. This version of Keysight IO Libraries Suite cannot be installed on instruments. Do not install this software on instruments.
   
   
2. Unlike previous versions of IO Libraries Suite, this version constantly monitors mDNS traffic in order to detect new and deleted connections and other changes in instrument status. In rare cases, certain instruments may produce large amounts of mDNS traffic. If this happens, you'll see a large number of extraneous messages in Connection Expert's message area. To eliminate this traffic, you can go to the instrument's Web interface or front panel and turn off mDNS.
   
   
3. VISA aliases and favorite instruments are both stored internally with reference to the instrument's VISA address. Because of this, if you change the VISA address of an instrument – for example, by changing the VISA interface ID of that instrument's corresponding interface; or by changing the GPIB address, IP address, or hostname of the instrument itself  – the connection of that instrument to its VISA aliases and to its favorite status will be lost.
   
   For example, if you change an instrument's GPIB address from 3 to 5:
   • Any aliases previously defined for this instrument will no longer be associated with the instrument. To associate them again, in Connection Expert select Settings, then Aliases; select each alias for this instrument, and select the new VISA address (e.g., GPIB::5::INSTR).
   • The favorite status of this instrument will revert to the default; for a GPIB instrument, the default is to be a favorite instrument.  If you do not want this instrument to be a favorite, click the star icon to the left of the instrument in Connection Expert's Instruments view to turn it off (gray).
     

Use the Windows Control Panel to remove the Keysight IO Libraries Suite. Do not delete files directly. To uninstall or modify the Keysight IO Libraries Suite, select Keysight IO Libraries Suite from the list of installed programs.

Removing the IO Libraries Suite does not delete the standard VISA directory, standard VISA COM files, standard IVI (Interchangeable Virtual Instrument Foundation) files, and IVI Shared Components. This is because there is no reliable way for the IO Libraries Suite uninstaller to be sure that no other installed product (whether from Keysight or another vendor) is using these files and directories.

Keysight grants you a non-exclusive license of the Software at no charge pursuant to the terms of the License Agreement. The License Agreement is displayed when you install the software and is available in the IO Libraries Suite Online Help. You may download the Software, and store or run the Software for internal use and purposes in accordance with this Agreement and the documentation provided with the Software. Such documentation may include license terms provided by Keysight's third party suppliers, which will apply to the use of the Software and take precedence over these license terms. In the absence of documentation specifying the applicable license, you may store or run the Software on your PC(s) and instrument(s). If the Software is otherwise licensed for concurrent or network use, you may not allow more than the maximum number of authorized users to access and use the Software concurrently.

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