Keysight IO Libraries Suite 2023 (for Windows)

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:

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.
Install Instrument Software and Connect Your Instruments: Install any software and drivers that came with your instruments. Connect cables and apply power.
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 2023

New Feature(s):

Added support for Windows 11 systems
Added KDI component as part of the IOLS installation
Enhanced authentication mechanism:

Added SCRAM authentication mechanism for HiSLIP secure connection
Enhanced authentication mechanism that assimilates secure configuration data from SIC Expert

Enhanced VISA Interfaces with the implementation of the VISA specification v7.2

Added new PXI attributes for VISA-C, VISA.NET and VISA-COM
Added secure connection support for VISA-C, VISA.NET, and VISA-COM

Enhanced Connection Expert user interface:

The newly improved Lan instrument Add/Edit screen,

allows the addition of multiple HiSLIP addresses and
shows the connection status of an instrument (a green lock indicates a secure connection whereas a grey lock indicates the connection is not secure).

Added HTTPS support for the instrument web page
The newly improved ASRL Options screen provides toggle options for enabling or disabling ASRL sticky behavior and auto-discovery.

VISA Shared Component version 7.2

Windows on ARM Feature Support Note

Windows on ARM does not support the following features:

Serial Interface or Serial Instrument
GPIB Interface or GPIB Instrument
Remote GPIB, Remote Serial, and Remote USB

System Requirements

Keysight has tested IO Libraries Suite 2023 on the following system configurations. In general, the product should run on any x86 or x64 (except Itanium) processor. Note that performance may be impacted with less powerful systems.

Check out the details of rows marked with an asterisk (*) at the end of the table.

Operating System	Windows 7 SP1 (32/64-bit): Starter Home Basic Home Premium Professional Ultimate Enterprise	Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 (32/64-bit): Core Pro Enterprise	Windows 10 (32/64-bit): Home Pro Enterprise	Windows 11 (32/64-bit): Home Pro Enterprise	Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64-bit): Standard Enterprise	Windows Server 2016 (64-bit) (or) Windows Server 2012 (64-bit, Standard)	Windows 11 on ARM (32-bit x86 emulated applications)
Processor Speed	1 GHz 32-bit (x86) 1 GHz 64-bit (x64) No support for Itanium64	1 GHz 32-bit (x86) 1 GHz 64-bit (x64) No support for Itanium64 or Windows 8 RT	1 GHz 32-bit (x86) 1 GHz 64-bit (x64) No support for Itanium64 or Windows 10 RT	1 GHz 32-bit (x86) 1 GHz 64-bit (x64) No support for Itanium64 or Windows 11 RT	1.4 GHz (x64 processor) 1.3 GHz (Dual Core) No support for Itanium64	1.4 GHz (x64 processor) 1.3 GHz (Dual Core) No support for Itanium64	2.40 GHz, 8 Core
Available Memory *	1 GB minimum	1 GB minimum	1 GB minimum	1 GB minimum	1 GB minimum	1 GB minimum	4 GB minimum
Available Disk Space *	1.5 GB hard disk space: 1 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite	2.5 GB hard disk space: 2 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite	2.5 GB hard disk space: 2 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite	2.5 GB hard disk space: 2 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite	1.5 GB hard disk space: 1 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite	2.5 GB hard disk space: 2 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite	2.5 GB hard disk space: 2 GB for Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 100 MB for Keysight IO Libraries Suite
Minimum Display	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI	1024x768, 96 or 120 DPI

*Available memory- Installing IO Libraries Suite and .NET Framework on older PCs with minimum RAM may take a long time due to limited RAM.

*Available Disk Space- The Available Disk Space listed in the table is the minimum requirement for installation. Later on, it may use less disk space than specified.

Other Requirements

Windows version 8.1 and Windows Server version 2012 R2 require Windows update 2919355 before Keysight IO Libraries can be properly installed.

Licensing

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

Support for Older Operating Systems

Keysight recommends 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 IO Libraries Suite to locate legacy versions.

Installing the Software

To install Keysight IO Libraries Suite:

Disconnect any USB instruments, USB/GPIB converters, PXI and AXIe chassis, and FireWire (IEEE 1394)/VXI interfaces that are connected to your PC.
Close all applications running on the PC.
Install the software:

If you have the IO Libraries disk, insert it and double-click Autorun/auto.exe.
If you download from www.keysight.com, download and run IO Libraries Suite 2023.

When you install, select Typical to install with recommended settings, or Custom to:

Install the IO Libraries Suite in another directory (32-bit operating systems only).
Use Keysight 32-bit VISA with another vendor’s VISA on the same PC in side-by-side mode. For details, see Non-Keysight 32-bit VISA Detected on www.keysight.com or to the IO Libraries Suite Help following installation.

Re-connect any devices that you disconnected before installation.

(Optional) Silent (Command Line) Installation Mode

For silent installation, use the /s option. For example:
IOLibSuite_version.exe /s /z"typical"

For more information, see this page:

IO Libraries Suite: Can the IO Libraries be installed as a silent install?

Known Issues

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
You can install .NET Framework 3.5 using the IO Libraries Suite installer with the net35 directive. For example: IOLibSuite_version.exe /s /z"typical;net35"
Uninstall VISA shared component
Repair IO Library Suite to install VISA shared component

Another way to fix the issue is as follows:

Open Visual Studio developer command window with elevated privilege
Change to C:\Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\VISA\VisaCom\Primary Interop Assemblies
Run "IviPiaRegistration.bat"

Feature Obsolescence Note

Here is the list of features no longer supported in IO Libraries Suite 2023 or future releases:

Feature	Details
VXI Interface	IO Libraries Suite 2023 will not support VXI on Windows 8 or Windows 11
Operating System Support	Support for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 32-bit will be removed in the upcoming release
IO Libraries Suite Upgrade	Upgrades from IO Libraries Suite 18.0 or earlier versions will not be possible with the upcoming release of the IO Libraries Suite
.NET Framework 3.5 Install	Installing .NET Framework 3.5 as a part of IO Libraries is being removed with the upcoming release

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.