Keysight IO Libraries Suite 2026

Contents:

• What is the Keysight IO Libraries Suite?
• What's New in Keysight IO Libraries Suite 2026
• Feature Obsolescence Note
• Getting Started
• Known Issues
• Reporting a Product Cybersecurity Issue
• License Grant
• Trademarks and Copyright

What is the Keysight IO Libraries Suite?

The Keysight IO Libraries Suite is a collection of libraries and utility programs. The IO libraries (SICL, VISA, VISA.NET, 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 and drivers for your instruments. Connect the cables and apply power.
3. Run Keysight Connection Expert to Identify and Communicate with Instruments: See connected instruments, send commands to your instruments, and configure the settings.

What's New in Keysight IO Libraries Suite 2026

New Features

• Unified installer with selectable GUI utilities and IO interfaces
  The unified IO Libraries Suite installer now allows you to select which GUI utilities and IO interfaces to enable during installation. You can choose to enable or disable the following components:
  • New Connection Expert
  • New Interactive IO
  • New IO Monitor
  • IO interfaces supported on the platform
  By default, all components supported on the current platform are selected. Components that are not supported on the platform are shown as disabled and cannot be selected.
  The installer automatically installs required dependencies for selected interfaces. For example:
  • Remote interfaces require the LAN interface
  • VXI-GPIB requires PCI-GPIB
  • PXI (ZED feature) requires the LAN interface
  This provides greater flexibility and control over which utilities and interfaces are installed.
  Platform-specific availability applies. For example:
  • VXI and VXI-GPIB are not selected by default on Windows 11
  • Some interfaces, such as ASRL and GPIB, are not supported on Windows on ARM64 and cannot be selected

Enhancements

• Usability improvements in new utilities
  New Connection Expert, New IO Monitor, and New Interactive IO include the following usability improvements:
  • Support for resizing, reordering, and selecting visible columns in tabular views
  • Ability to launch IO Monitor and Interactive IO directly from Connection Expert
  • Renamed views:
    • Flat View → Instruments View
    • Group View → Interface View
  • Status bar displays the IO Libraries Suite version
  • At launch, a welcome dialog highlights recent UI changes and new functionality improvements
    
• Updates to utilities user interfaces 
  Connection Expert, IO Monitor, and Interactive IO UI include the following changes:
  • Links to launch the new Connection Expert, Interactive IO, and IO Monitor.
  • At launch, a welcome dialog highlights recent UI changes and new functionality improvements

Defect Fixes

The following issues are resolved in this release:

• Missing shared files after uninstalling IO Libraries Suite or HPP
• Failure when hostname contains non-ASCII characters
• Failure when Windows username contains non-ASCII characters
• Discovery service stops working after system resumes from sleep
• iproc82357.exe crash when connecting certain USB devices
• Conflict caused by VISA header macro definition
• VISA.NET installer did not remove old policy files during upgrade
• Default PXI address form setting was not applied correctly
• PXI registry sub-keys were removed during uninstall
• TCP Keep Alive not functioning correctly with HiSLIP and VXI-11
• LAN auto-discovery list displayed when auto-discovery was disabled
• The chassis detection problem occurring when Nimbus 7–based IVI drivers were installed
• The KCCS malfunction that occurred after the system resumed from sleep

Feature Obsolescence Note

Here is the list of features no longer supported in the IO Libraries Suite 2024 and later versions:

Getting Started

System Requirements

Keysight has tested IO Libraries Suite 2026 on the following system configurations. The product should run on any x86 or x64 (except Itanium) processor. 
Note: Less powerful systems may impact the performance.

• Other Requirements
  Windows Server version 2012 R2 requires Windows update 2919355 before the Keysight IO Libraries can be properly installed.
• Licensing
  See the Grant License at the end of this file to determine whether you are licensed to install this software.
• Support for Older Operating Systems
  Keysight recommends that you use the current version of the IO Libraries Suite. It supports the newest interfaces and operating systems and has the most advanced features. If you need to install an earlier version to support an older interface or operating system, go to the IO Libraries Suite to locate legacy versions.

Installing the Software

To install Keysight IO Libraries Suite:

1. Download the Keysight IO Libraries installer from www.keysight.com.
2. Disconnect any USB instruments, USB/GPIB converters, PXI and AXIe chassis, and FireWire (IEEE 1394)/VXI interfaces connected to your PC.
3. Close all applications running on the PC.

4. Install the software:
   

   Step-by-Step Installation

   Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

   Note: During installation, the Select Components dialog allows you to choose which GUI utilities and IO interfaces to install. The available options depend on the operating system and platform support.

   Silent Installation

   Refer to the IO Libraries Suite: Silent Installation guide.

5. Reconnect any devices that you disconnected before installation.

Uninstallation

• Uninstall the Keysight IO Libraries Suite using Control Panel for a clean uninstallation.
  Uninstaller Location:  C:\Program Files\Keysight\IO Libraries Suite\uninstall

Program Files Installed by the Keysight IO Libraries Suite 2026

The following components will be listed in the Control Panel application manager:

• IVI Shared Components 3.0.3
• IVI.NET Shared Components 2.0.1
• IVI.NET Shared Components 3.0.0
• MSVC++ 2015-2022 64-bit 14.40.xxxxx
• MSVC++ 2015-2022 32-bit 14.40.xxxxx
• VISA Shared Components 8.0.0
• VISA.NET Shared Components 8.0.1
• 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy) 0.0.1
• Keysight Distributed Infrastructure 3.11.86
• Keysight IO Libraries Suite 2026

Known Issues

• New GUIs Fail to Launch Without Microsoft WebView2 Installed
  The new GUIs of Connection Expert, Interactive IO, and IO Monitor do not work on systems where Microsoft WebView2 is not installed. This is observed on some machines, specifically Windows Server 2019 and 2022, where WebView2 may not be available by default. WebView2 is Microsoft’s component for embedding Edge/Chromium in Windows applications. When launching any of the new GUIs, a pop-up will appear stating that WebView2 is not installed, along with a link to download and install it. The pop-up is shown only once; if dismissed, you must restart the system to see it again.
  Workaround: Download and install WebView2 from the link provided in the pop-up, or directly from: Download Microsoft WebView2.
  A reboot is required after the installation.
• Installation and Uninstallation Issue When Running an Older Installer
  If a version newer than IOLS 2024 is installed, and an older installer (but not older than IOLS 2023 Update 1) is run, the installation fails with the error "a newer version has already been installed." In this scenario, attempting to uninstall the current version from the Control Panel also fails, showing the message the IOLS "is already uninstalled."
  Workaround: Rerun the installer of the currently installed version, or install a newer version.
  
• Issues in the new GUIs
  The New Connection Expert application needs to be refreshed to reflect the following changes:
  • When you update Instrument drivers
  • When you programmatically update triggers
• Unexpected Reboot During IOLS Upgrade on Systems with PCIGPIB Card
  On systems such as the HP Z4 G5 Workstation Desktop PC running Windows 10 21H2 (10.0.19044) with a PCIGPIB card, the system may unexpectedly reboot during an IOLS upgrade when the PCIGPIB kernel driver is updated.
  Workaround: Disable VT‑d/IOMMU in the BIOS, reboot the system, verify in msinfo32 that Kernel DMA Protection is OFF and Virtualization‑Based Security is Not Enabled, then proceed with the upgrade.
• Missing Components in VISA COM Applications
  Ivi.Visa.Interop.dll is missing in the 32-bit VISA COM applications. The workaround to fix the issue is as follows:

  • Install .NET Framework 3.5
    
  • Uninstall the VISA shared component
  • Repair the IO Library Suite to install the VISA shared component

  Another way to fix the issue is as follows:

  • Open Visual Studio developer command window with elevated privileges 
  • Change to C:\Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\VISA\VisaCom\Primary Interop Assemblies
  • Run "IviPiaRegistration.bat"
• Backward Compatibility
  VISA.NET applications using Ivi.Visa.dll or Keysight.Visa.dll and targeting .NET Framework 2.x or 3.x will no longer work with IO Libraries Suite (IOLS) 2025 or later versions, as it only supports .NET Framework 4.x for VISA.NET.
  

  To resolve this issue, you can:

  1. Rebuild your application to target .NET Framework 4.x (recommended).

  2. Modify your application's configuration file by explicitly setting <supportedRuntime> to "v4.0" in yourApplication.exe.config:

     <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
     <configuration>   
       <startup>       	
         <supportedRuntime version="v4.0"/>
       </startup>
     </configuration>

     This ensures compatibility with IOLS 2025 or later versions.

• Delinea Tool Interference

  We've identified issues when installing or upgrading the IO Libraries Suite (IOLS) on systems where the Delinea tool is used. These issues may include failures during installation or upgrading certain IOLS components.

  Action Required: If you encounter problems with IOLS installation or upgrades while using Delinea, please get in touch with Keysight Support for assistance. 

• Limitations on Windows on ARM64:

  Windows on ARM64 does not support the following features:

  • Serial Interface or Serial Instrument
  • GPIB Interface or GPIB Instrument
  • Remote GPIB, Remote Serial, and Remote USB
  • Some IO interfaces, including VXI, and VXI-GPIB, are not supported on Windows on ARM64 and cannot be installed.

Reporting a Product Cybersecurity Issue

Keysight is committed to cybersecurity. Ensure your products are secure by following best practices, including keeping Windows updated, using firewalls, and maintaining up-to-date antivirus software. Report any suspected vulnerabilities or cybersecurity issues related to Keysight products through the appropriate channels:

• Product Cybersecurity Information
• Responsible Disclosure
• Report a Cybersecurity Issue

License Grant

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 by 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.

Trademarks and Copyright

PCIe® and PCI EXPRESS® are US-registered trademarks and/or service marks of PCI-SIG.

© Keysight Technologies 1983-2026