System Software Migration from GPIB to LAN / LXI
Application Notes
In a typical test system, the instrumentation and controller are the most visible elements. However, for any system built from the ground up, the most costly element is often the time and effort required to create the software that controls the instruments, transfers data, analyzes results and provides a graphical interface. For this reason, the ability to reuse existing software can provide tremendous leverage—and cost savings—when it comes time to modify an existing system or create a new one with similar capabilities.
On the surface, changing system software to use LAN/LXI rather than GPIB for instrument input/output (I/O) may seem like a difficult or lengthy process. It may also seem unnecessary, given the GPIB ports built into many current-generation LXI instruments. Fortunately, compatibility modes and development tools will simplify the transition from GPIB to LXI and help you migrate your system with only modest changes to its software. What’s more, in most cases those small changes will improve overall system performance—and the speed gains can be dramatic for large-block transfers.