Agilent IO
Libraries Suite 16.0 Update 1
Table of Contents
What Is Agilent IO Libraries Suite?
Agilent 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 (Agilent VEE Pro, Microsoft Visual Studio, etc.) that are compatible with GPIB, USB, LAN, RS-232, PXI, 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 via GPIB, USB, LAN, and other standard interfaces.
2. Connect Your Instrument: Connect cables and apply power.
3. Run Agilent Connection Expert to Configure Your Connection: See your system graphically and send commands to your instruments.
If you received two CD-ROMs with your Agilent product, install the IO Libraries Suite first. Then browse the second CD to find instrument drivers, documentation, and other application software, depending on the product you have purchased.
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System Requirements for Agilent IO Libraries Suite 16.0 |
The following table lists the system configurations that Agilent tested IO
Libraries 16.0 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.
|
Operating |
Windows XP, |
Windows Vista®, |
Windows 7 |
|
Processor speed |
600MHz or higher required |
1Ghz 32-bit (x86), 1GHz 64-bit
(x64), |
1Ghz 32-bit (x86), 1GHz 64-bit
(x64), |
|
Available |
256 MB minimum |
1 GB minimum |
1 GB minimum |
|
Available |
1.5 GB available hard disk space,
includes: · 1GB available for
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 2 · 100MB for Agilent
IO Libraries Suite |
1.5 GB available hard disk space,
includes: · 1GB available for
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP12 · 100MB for Agilent
IO Libraries Suite |
1.5 GB available hard disk space,
includes: · 1GB available for
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP12 · 100MB for Agilent
IO Libraries Suite |
|
Video |
Super VGA (800x600) 256 colors or
more |
Support for DirectX 9 graphics
with |
Support for DirectX 9 graphics
with |
|
Browser |
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or
greater |
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or
greater |
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or
greater |
1 Note: 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.
2 .NET Framework Runtime Components are installed by default with
Windows Vista. Therefore, you may not need this amount of available disk space.
You may want the Adobe® Reader, which will allow you to read Agilent IO Libraries Suite manuals in PDF format. It can be obtained at http://www.adobe.com.
Who is licensed to install IO Libraries Suite 16.x?
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 Agilent 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.agilent.com/find/iosuite to locate the version you need.
To install Agilent IO Libraries Suite 16.x:
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 Automation-Ready CD in your CD-ROM drive:
1. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to your CD drive.
2. Browse to the Autorun folder and double-click to execute auto.exe.
If you are downloading Agilent IO Libraries Suite from the Web:
1. Go to http://www.agilent.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.
After the installation is complete, re-connect any devices that you disconnected prior to installing.
For detailed discussion of installation options, refer to the Agilent IO Libraries Suite Connectivity Guide. You can find the Connectivity Guide at http://www.agilent.com/find/iosuite.
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What's
New in Agilent IO Libraries Suite 16.0 Update 1? Update 1 provides the following defect fixes: ·
A performance problem with VISA viMoveInXX,
viMoveOutXX and viMove calls has been fixed. The performance problem affected
these calls only when they involved FIFO moves to or from PXI devices with
VI_ATTR_SRC_INCREMENT or VI_ATTR_DEST_INCREMENT set to 0 (zero). ·
"Not supported" errors are now correctly
reported back to VISA for viMoveXX modes that the PXI kernel driver does not
support. ·
Calling viOutXX or viInXX on a PXI session no longer
changes VI_ATTR_SRC_INCREMENT and VI_ATTR_DEST_INCREMENT back to 1 if they were
previously set to 0 (zero). ·
Agilent PXI Resource Manager can now enumerate PXI
chassis that are on the PCI root bus (PCI bus number 0). ·
PXI enumeration is now performed correctly on
non-English Windows systems; Agilent Connection Expert now displays the
correct PXI modules and properties on non-English Windows systems. ·
The size and layout of the Add LAN Instrument dialog
on 1024x768 screen at 120 DPI scale has been improved. ·
A defect caused SICL aliases to be removed; this has
been repaired. ·
The timeout for Web downloads of IO Libraries Suite
version information and driver update data has been extended to 30 seconds. ·
A problem with the VISA viMoveAsync function on the
PXI interface has been repaired. The function now obeys VISA locks as it
should. ·
A defect caused incorrect interrupted error handling for large
binary blocks requiring multiple HiSLIP messages. This has been repaired. ·
In rare cases, a defect caused HiSLIP connections to become
unresponsive, such that viRead and viWrite returned errors on every call.
This has been repaired. ·
HiSLIP device clear now correctly resets the Message ID for
the last message sent. This resolves a problem that resulted in failure to
unlock a device in rare cases. ·
VISA calls using HiSLIP connections now return
VI_ERROR_RSRC_LOCKED when appropriate. A defect previously caused VI_ERROR_IO
to be returned rather than VI_ERROR_RSRC_LOCKED in some cases. ·
On rare occasions, a Windows blue screen failure would occur
when a PXI kernel driver was unloaded. This has been repaired. |
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Agilent IO Libraries Suite 16.0 offered these new features: ·
Support for modular instruments. Agilent VISA and Connection Expert supports PXI
(PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation), PXIe (PCI eXpress eXtensions for
Instrumentation), and PCIeTM (PCI EXPRESS®) devices. Modular instruments allow
you to mix or match devices from multiple vendors when designing and
implementing a test system. For more information on modular devices and
recommended PCs (coming soon) see www.agilent.com/find/modular. ·
Support for the HiSLIP protocol for
LAN-based instruments. HiSLIP works
at nearly the speed of raw sockets, allowing fast query/response transactions
and fast bulk data transfers while still supporting the instrument-like
capabilities of conventional test and measurement protocols. HiSLIP also
has enhanced locking behavior and supports both IPv4 (Internet Protocol
version 4) and IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) connections. The HiSLIP
protocol is similar to VXI-11; you can convert an existing VXI-11 program to
HiSLIP by simply changing the address string. Refer to chapter 6 in the VISA User's Guide for more
information. ·
Built-in driver updates. Connection Expert now allows you to search for,
verify, and update IVI® instrument drivers from the instrument properties
view. ·
Automatic application updates. When enabled, you will be notified when a newer
release of the Agilent IO Libraries Suite is available. Note: You can easily disable the application update
feature if you want to prevent unauthorized personnel (such as test system
operators) from inadvertently updating system software. ·
A new IVI Foundation USBTMC driver. This driver replaces the Agilent driver that was
installed in previous versions of the IO Libraries. This new IVI driver is
signed/authenticated by Microsoft, and is compatible with VISA libraries from
multiple vendors. The IVI Foundation USBTMC driver provides these
benefits: ·
On Windows XP,
you no longer need to have administrator credentials to add a new USBTMC
device. The IVI USBTMC driver works in multi-vendor environments. ·
As more vendors
adopt this driver, you can avoid the driver incompatibilities commonly
experienced when using multiple USBTMC drivers from multiple vendors. ·
Improved access to documentation. API user's guides and online help are
consolidated, making access to related API documentation easier. New
documentation menus make it easier to find the documentation you need. ·
Windows XP SP2
is no longer supported. Windows XP SP3 is still supported.
·
The IO
Libraries introductory video may not play from the installation CD. On
Windows XP machines with Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), an error can sometimes
occur when attempting to watch the IO Libraries Suite introductory video from
the IO Libraries installation CD. A workaround is: 1.
Open IE8 and
click Tools > Internet Options > Advanced tab. 2.
In the Multimedia
section uncheck Play animations in webpages*. 3.
Exit IE8.
Re-insert the installation CD into the CD drive and click Watch Video. ·
The following
memory related I/O Functions that support 64-bit addresses in 32-bit
applications are currently not implemented in Agilent VISA:
viMoveIn8Ex viMoveOut8Ex viMoveIn16Ex viMoveOut16Ex viMoveIn32Ex viMoveOut32Ex viMoveIn64Ex viMoveOut64Ex viMoveEx viMoveAsyncEx viMapAddressEx viMemAllocEx viMemFreeEx ·
The following
functions used for allocating memory for VXI and PXI devices and interfaces
are currently not implemented in Agilent VISA: viMemAlloc viMemFree ·
PXI trigger
routing and reservations are currently not available through Agilent
VISA. As a result, the PXI0::BACKPLANE
interface is not implemented and the following functions and attributes are
not supported: viMapTrigger VI_ATTR_PXI_SRC_TRIG_BUS viUnmapTrigger VI_ATTR_PXI_DEST_TRIG_BUS ·
The
asynchronous VISA functions viReadAsync, viWriteAsync, and viMoveAsync are implemented synchronously in Agilent
VISA. Consequently the viTerminate
function is not implemented. ·
IO Monitor
display issue. The parameters for the VISA viMoveInXX, viMoveOutXX and viMove
attributes displayed in the Agilent IO Monitor may be incorrect and difficult
to interpret. Note that the VISA functions themselves behave correctly; it is
only the display in Agilent IO Monitor that may be confusing or incorrect.
This is a known defect that will be addressed in a future release. ·
PXI DMA Notes: The VI_ATTR_DMA_ALLOW_EN defaults to
VI_FALSE on the PXI interface in Agilent VISA. Setting it to VI_TRUE will enable DMA for
the following memory I/O functions in Agilent VISA: viMoveIn8 viMoveOut8 viMoveIn16 viMoveOut16 viMoveIn32 viMoveOut32 viMoveIn64 viMoveOut64 viMove viMoveAsync
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Previous Version Information - IO Libraries 15.5 added these
features:
·
IO Libraries 15.5 retains the functionality of IO Libraries
15.1 and added support for 64-bit operating systems such as Windows Vista
64-bit. It also added support for Windows 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit.
·
E8491B VXI IEEE 1394 Slot 0 (FireWire) has 32-bit support
only (no 64-bit support).
·
Microsoft Windows 2000 is no longer supported.
·
Agilent IO Libraries version 15.5 installs version 2.0.0.0
of the IVI Shared Components (see http://www.ivifoundation.org/) and .NET
Framework version 2.0 (SP1 on Windows Vista and Windows 7, SP2 on Windows XP).
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.NET applications, you must use Visual
Studio 2005 or higher. (Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 does not recognize .NET
Framework 2.0, and as a result, Visual Studio 2003 may not be used to develop
.NET solutions with IO Libraries Suite 15.5.)
Caution: Once you have
installed version 2.x of the IVI Shared Components (for example, by
installing Agilent IO Libraries Suite 16.0), you will not be able to build
IVI drivers and applications developed with earlier versions. You will need to
upgrade those drivers/applications to the new IVI Shared Components (and
to build on Visual Studio 2005 or higher, or you will need to build those
drivers/applications on a different machine that does not have version 2.x of
the IVI Shared Components.
·
If you are installing IO Libraries on a 64-Bit operating
system, use the VISA 64 Conflict Manager to change default interface
configurations. From Agilent Connection Expert, select I/O
Configuration > VISA 64 Conflict Manager.
·
The VISA resource string format for USB devices has changed.
In previous versions of the Agilent IO Libraries Suite, the VendorId and
ModelCode fields were displayed as decimal numbers. In IO Libraries Suite
15.5, they are displayed as 4-digit hexadecimal numbers:
Old format: USB0::1234::5678::0::INSTR
New format: USB0::0x04D2::0x162E::0::INSTR
In a viOpen call, either format can be used, but the behavior of viFindRsrc
has changed.
If you use a regular expression to return USB instruments and you specify a
VendorId and/or ModelCode, you can use either hexadecimal or decimal format.
Matching resources will be returned from viFindRsrc in the format you
use to specify them. If decimal is used, the decimal format of the resource
string will be returned. If hexadecimal is used or the VendorId and/or
ModelCode is not specified in the regular expression, the hexadecimal format
resource string will be returned. This behavior applies to both 32-bit and
64-bit applications using Agilent VISA.
Note: If another vendor’s 32-bit VISA is installed and Agilent VISA is
the secondary 32-bit VISA, the parsing rules for regular expressions in viFindRsrc
called from 32-bit programs are determined by the other vendor’s VISA. NI-VISA,
for example, requires the 4-digit hexadecimal form for USB devices.
·
Location of Agilent Connection Expert log changed: As part
of the migration to Vista, the location of Ace.log file was moved out of:
C:\Program Files\Agilent\IO Libraries Suite
to the standard Windows location for program data. In Windows XP it is:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Agilent\Agilent IO
Libraries
and in Windows Vista it is:
C:\ProgramData\Agilent\Agilent IO Libraries
·
Location of programming samples changed: The default
installation location for programming samples is now:
o
C:\ProgramData\Agilent\Agilent IO Libraries Programming
Samples on Windows
Vista and Windows 7
o
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Agilent\IO Libraries
Suite Programming Samples on Windows
XP
· Power management on Windows Vista and Windows 7: On Windows XP, the Agilent IO Libraries Service prevents transition to standby mode, meaning that if the computer attempts to “sleep” or “hibernate” when the Agilent IO Libraries Service is running, it will not be able to do so. On Windows Vista and Windows 7, services cannot prevent the transition to standby, so the PC will sleep even during I/O activity. If you run the IO Libraries Suite on a Vista PC, Agilent suggests that you configure it not to enter sleep mode, because you may lose I/O events during sleep. However, the IO Libraries Suite will function correctly when normal PC operation resumes.
Use the Windows Control Panel ("Add or Remove Programs" in Windows XP or "Programs and Features" in Windows Vista or Windows 7) to remove the Agilent IO Libraries Suite. Do not delete files directly. To uninstall or modify the Agilent IO Libraries Suite, select Agilent IO Libraries Suite 16.0 from the list of installed programs. See the Agilent IO Libraries Suite Connectivity Guide for detailed instructions.
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. There is no reliable way for the IO Libraries Suite uninstaller to be sure that no other installed product (whether from Agilent or another vendor) is using these files and directories.
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License Grant |
For every individual Agilent instrument, Agilent hardware I/O product (including Agilent GPIB cards and Agilent I/O converters), and development copy of Agilent VEE Pro that you legally own or have a valid, legal license from Agilent to use, Agilent grants you one 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 one copy of the Software, and store or run that copy of 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 Agilent'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 one copy of the Software on one machine or instrument. 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.
Microsoft
and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Windows
Vista is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in
the United States and/or other countries.
Visual
Studio is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries.
IVI
is a registered U.S. trademark of the IVI Foundation, Inc.
PCIe
and PCI EXPRESS are registered trademarks and/or service marks of PCI-SIG.
PXI is a
registered US trademark of the PXI Systems Alliance, Inc.
LXI is a
registered U.S. trademark of the LXI Consortium, Inc.
FireWire
is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
Adobe, the
Adobe Logo, Acrobat and the Acrobat Logo are trademarks of Adobe Systems
Incorporated.
Copyright © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2004-2010