Keysight E4428C ESG RF Operating instructions

Keysight
Signal Generators
E4428C/38C ESG RF
E8663B/E8663D PSG RF Analog
N5161A/62A/81A/82A MXG RF
E8257D/67D PSG Microwave
N5183A MXG Microwave
Programming
Guide
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Keysight Signal Generator Programming
Notices
© Keysight Technologies, Inc. 2012-2014
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Manual Part Number
E8251-90355
Edition
September 2014
Published in USA
Keysight Technologies, Inc.
1400 Fountaingrove Pkwy.
Santa Rosa, CA 95403 USA
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Contents
Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide iii
1 Getting Started with Remote Operation
Programming and Software/Hardware Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
IO Libraries and Programming Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Keysight IO Libraries Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Windows XP, 2000 Professional and Vista Business Keysight IO Libraries 15.0 (and Newer) . . . . . . . . . 6
Windows NT and Keysight IO Libraries M (and Earlier) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Selecting IO Libraries for GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Selecting IO Libraries for LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Programming Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Using the Web Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Modifying the Signal Generator Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Enabling the Signal Generator Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Configuring the Display for Remote Command Setups (MXG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Configuring the Display for Remote Command Setups (ESG/PSG). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Getting Help (Keysight MXG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Getting Help (ESG/PSG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Setting the Help Mode (ESG/PSG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Error Message File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Error Message Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2 Using IO Interfaces
Using GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Installing the GPIB Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Set Up the GPIB Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Verify GPIB Functionality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
GPIB Interface Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
GPIB Programming Interface Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Before Using the GPIB Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Interface Check using HP Basic and GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Interface Check Using NI–488.2 and C++. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Using LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Setting Up the LAN Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Setting up Private LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Verifying LAN Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Using VXI–11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Using Sockets LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Contents
Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guideiv
Using Telnet LAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Using FTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Using LXI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Using RS–232 (ESG and PSG Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Selecting IO Libraries for RS–232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Setting Up the RS–232 Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Verifying RS–232 Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Character Format Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
If You Have Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
RS–232 Programming Interface Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Before Using the Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Interface Check Using HP BASIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Interface Check Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Queries Using HP Basic and RS–232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Queries for RS–232 Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Using USB (Keysight MXG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Selecting I/O Libraries for USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Setting Up the USB Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
3 Programming Examples
Using the Programming Interface Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Programming Examples Development Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Running C++ Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Running C# Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Running Basic Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Running Java Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Running MATLAB Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Running Perl Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Using GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Installing the GPIB Interface Card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
GPIB Programming Interface Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Before Using the GPIB Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
GPIB Function Statements (Command Messages). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Interface Check using HP Basic and GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Interface Check Using NI-488.2 and C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Interface Check for GPIB Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Local Lockout Using HP Basic and GPIB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Local Lockout Using NI-488.2 and C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Queries Using HP Basic and GPIB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Queries Using NI-488.2 and Visual C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Contents
Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide v
Queries for GPIB Using VISA and C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Generating a CW Signal Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Generating an Externally Applied AC-Coupled FM Signal Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Generating an Internal FM Signal Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Generating a Step-Swept Signal Using VISA and C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Generating a Swept Signal Using VISA and Visual C++. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Saving and Recalling States Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Reading the Data Questionable Status Register Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Reading the Service Request Interrupt (SRQ) Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Using 8757D Pass-Thru Commands (PSG with Option 007 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
LAN Programming Interface Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
VXI-11 Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
VXI-11 Programming Using SICL and C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
VXI-11 Programming Using VISA and C++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Sockets LAN Programming and C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Queries for Lan Using Sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Sockets LAN Programming Using Java . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Sockets LAN Programming Using Perl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
TCP-IP (LAN) Programming Using Matlab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
RS-232 Programming Interface Examples (ESG/PSG Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Before Using the Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Interface Check Using HP BASIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Interface Check Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Queries Using HP Basic and RS-232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Queries for RS-232 Using VISA and C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
4 Programming the Status Register System
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Overall Status Byte Register Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Status Register Bit Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Example: Enable a Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Example: Query a Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Accessing Status Register Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Determining What to Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Deciding How to Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Status Register SCPI Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Status Byte Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Status Byte Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Service Request Enable Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Status Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Contents
Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guidevi
Standard Event Status Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Standard Operation Status Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Baseband Operation Status Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Data Questionable Status Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Data Questionable Power Status Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Data Questionable Frequency Status Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Data Questionable Modulation Status Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Data Questionable Calibration Status Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Data Questionable BERT Status Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
5 Creating and Downloading Waveform Files
Overview of Downloading and Extracting Waveform Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Waveform Data Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Understanding Waveform Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Bits and Bytes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
LSB and MSB (Bit Order) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Little Endian and Big Endian (Byte Order) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Byte Swapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
DAC Input Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
2’s Complement Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
I and Q Interleaving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Waveform Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
File Header. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Marker File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
I/Q File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Waveform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Waveform Phase Continuity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Phase Discontinuity, Distortion, and Spectral Regrowth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Avoiding Phase Discontinuities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Waveform Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Memory Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Memory Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Commands for Downloading and Extracting Waveform Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Waveform Data Encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
File Transfer Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
SCPI Command Line Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Commands and File Paths for Downloading and Extracting Waveform Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
FTP Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Creating Waveform Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Code Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Contents
Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide vii
Downloading Waveform Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Using Simulation Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Using Advanced Programming Languages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Loading, Playing, and Verifying a Downloaded Waveform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Loading a File from Non–Volatile Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Playing the Waveform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Verifying the Waveform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Building and Playing Waveform Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Using the Download Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Downloading E443xB Signal Generator Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
E443xB Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Storage Locations for E443xB ARB files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
SCPI Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Programming Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
C++ Programming Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
MATLAB Programming Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Visual Basic Programming Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
HP Basic Programming Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Troubleshooting Waveform Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
Configuring the Pulse/RF Blank (Keysight MXG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
Configuring the Pulse/RF Blank (ESG/PSG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
6 Creating and Downloading User–Data Files
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
Signal Generator Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Memory Allocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
Memory Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Checking Available Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
User File Data (Bit/Binary) Downloads (E4438C and E8267D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
User File Bit Order (LSB and MSB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Bit File Type Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
Binary File Type Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
User File Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
Determining Memory Usage for Custom and TDMA User File Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Downloading User Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Command for Bit File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
Commands for Binary File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
Selecting a Downloaded User File as the Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Modulating and Activating the Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Modifying User File Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Contents
Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guideviii
Understanding Framed Transmission For Real–Time TDMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Real–Time Custom High Data Rates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Pattern RAM (PRAM) Data Downloads (E4438C and E8267D) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
Understanding PRAM Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
PRAM File Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
SCPI Command for a List Format Download . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
SCPI Command for a Block Data Download. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Selecting a Downloaded PRAM File as the Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Modulating and Activating the Carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Storing a PRAM File to Non–Volatile Memory and Restoring to Volatile Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Extracting a PRAM File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Modifying PRAM Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
FIR Filter Coefficient Downloads (N5162A, N5182A, E4438C and E8267D). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Data Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Data Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Downloading FIR Filter Coefficient Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Selecting a Downloaded User FIR Filter as the Active Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
Using the Equalization Filter (N5162A and N5182A with Options 651, 652, 654 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Save and Recall Instrument State Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Save and Recall SCPI Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
Save and Recall Programming Example Using VISA and C# . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
User Flatness Correction Downloads Using C++ and VISA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
Data Transfer Troubleshooting (N5162A, N5182A, E4438C and E8267D Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
User File Download Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
PRAM Download Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
User FIR Filter Coefficient File Download Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide 1
1Getting Started with Remote Operation
CAUTION Keysight does not recommend going backwards in firmware versions (loading older
firmware versions into newer instruments) as hardware/firmware conflicts can result.
NOTE For the N5161A/62A, the softkey menus and features mentioned in this chapter are only
available through the Web- Enabled MXG or through SCPI commands. Refer to “Using the Web
Browser” on page 11 and to the SCPI Command Reference.
The MXG ATE blank front panel models, N5161A and N5162A signal generators, are part of
the MXG instrument family and unless otherwise indicated, all references to the MXG are
inclusive of the MXG ATE instruments.
Full LXI–B feature implementation is only available on instruments with firmware >A.01.50.
A license may be required to enable this feature and to download firmware versions
>A.01.50. For information on new firmware releases, go to
http://www.keysight.com/find/upgradeassistant.
•Programming and Software/Hardware Layers on page 2
•Interfaces on page 3
•IO Libraries and Programming Languages on page 4
•Using the Web Browser on page 11
•Preferences on page 19
•Error Messages on page 23

2Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide
Getting Started with Remote Operation
Programming and Software/Hardware Layers
Programming and Software/Hardware Layers
Keysight MXG, ESG, PSG signal generators support the following
interfaces:
Use these interfaces, in combination with IO libraries and programming languages, to remotely
control a signal generator. Figure 1-1 uses GPIB as an example of the relationships between the
interface, IO libraries, programming language, and signal generator.
Figure 1-1 Software/Hardware Layers
Instrument Interfaces Supported
Keysight MXG GPIB, LAN, and USB 2.0
Keysight PSGa
aThe PSG’s AUXILIARY INTERFACE connector is compatible with ANSI/EIA232 (RS-232) serial
connection but GPIB and LAN are recommended for making faster measurements and when
downloading files. Refer to “Using RS–232 (ESG and PSG Only)” on page 61 and the
User’s Guide.
GPIB, LAN, and ANSI/EIA232 (RS- 232) serial connection
Keysight ESG GPIB, LAN, and ANSI/EIA232 (RS- 232) serial connection

Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide 3
Getting Started with Remote Operation
Interfaces
Interfaces
GPIB GPIB is used extensively when a dedicated computer is available for remote control of
each instrument or system. Data transfer is fast because GPIB handles information in
bytes with data transfer rates of up to 8 MBps. GPIB is physically restricted by the
location and distance between the instrument/system and the computer; cables are
limited to an average length of two meters per device with a total length of 20 meters.
For more information on configuring the signal generator to communicate over the
GPIB, refer to “Using GPIB” on page 25.
LAN Data transfer using the LAN is fast as the LAN handles packets of data. The single
cable distance between a computer and the signal generator is limited to 100 meters
(100Base- T and 10Base- T).
The Keysight MXG is capable of 100Base- T LAN communication. The ESG, PSG and
E8663B are designed to connect with a 10Base- T LAN. Where auto- negotiation is
present, the ESG and PSG’s can connect to a 100Base- T LAN, but communicate at
10Base- T speeds. For more information on LAN communication refer to
http://www.ieee.org.
The following protocols can be used to communicate with the signal generator over the
LAN:
•VXI- 11 (recommended)
•Sockets
•TELNET
•FTP
The Keysight MXG supports LXI Class Bafunctionality. For more information on the
LXI standards, refer to http://www.lxistandard.org/home.
For more information on configuring the signal generator to communicate over the LAN,
refer to “Using LAN” on page 31.

4Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
The IO libraries is a collection of functions used by a programming language to send instrument
commands and receive instrument data. Before you can communicate and control the signal
generator, you must have an IO library installed on your computer. The Keysight IO libraries are
included on an Automation- Ready CD with your signal generator and Keysight GPIB interface board,
RS- 232b
(ESG/PSG/E8663B
Only)
RS- 232 is an older method used to communicate with a single instrument; its primary
use is to control printers and external disk drives, and connect to a modem.
Communication over RS- 232 is much slower than with GPIB, USB, or LAN because data
is sent and received one bit at a time. It also requires that certain parameters, such as
baud rate, be matched on both the computer and signal generator.
CAUTION For long strings of commands and waveform downloads, upgrading to
Keysight IO Libraries 15.0 and above can decrease RS- 232 performance,
potentially resulting in an Error –310.
NOTE Because GPIB, LAN, and USB offer better communication performance,
Keysight recommends that RS- 232 only be used for interactive sessions or
short commands.
For more information on configuring the signal generator to communicate over the
RS- 232, refer to “Using RS–232 (ESG and PSG Only)” on page 61.
USB
(Keysight MXG
Only)
•The rear panel Mini- B 5 pin connector is a device USB and can be used to connect
a controller for remote operation.
•The Type- A front panel connector is a host USB and can be used to connect a
mouse, a keyboard, or a USB 1.1/2.0 flash drive.
USB 2.0’s 64 MBps communication speed is faster than GPIB (for data transfers, >1 KB)
or RS- 232. (For additional information, refer to the Keysight SICL or VISA User’s
Guide.) But, the latency for small transfers is longer.
For more information on connecting the signal generator to the USB, refer to the
“Keysight IO Libraries Suite” on page 5 and the Keysight Connection Expert in the
Keysight IO Libraries Help.
For more information on configuring the signal generator to communicate over the USB,
refer to “Using USB (Keysight MXG)” on page 69.
aLXI Class B Compliance testing using IEEE 1588-2008 not available at release.
bThe ESG and PSG’s AUXILIARY INTERFACE connector is compatible with ANSI/EIA232 (RS-232) serial connection but GPIB and LAN are
recommended for making faster measurements and when downloading files. Refer to “Using RS–232 (ESG and PSG Only)” on
page 61 and the User’s Guide.

Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide 5
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
or they can be downloaded from the Keysight website: http://www.keysight.com.
CAUTION For long strings of commands and waveform downloads, upgrading to Keysight IO
Libraries 15.0 and above can decrease RS- 232 performance, potentially resulting in an
Error –310.
NOTE To learn about using IO libraries with Windows XP or newer operating systems, refer to the
Keysight IO Libraries Suite’s help located on the Automation- Ready CD that ships with your
signal generator. Other sources of this information, can be found with the Keysight GPIB
interface board’s CD, or downloaded from the Keysight website: http://www.keysight.com.
To better understand setting up Windows XP operating systems and newer, using PC LAN
port settings, refer to Chapter 2.
Keysight IO Libraries Suite
The Keysight IO Libraries Suite replaces earlier versions of the Keysight IO Libraries. Keysight IO
Libraries Suite does not support Windows NT. If you are using the Windows NT platform, you must
use Keysight IO Libraries version M or earlier.
Windows 98 and Windows ME are not supported in the Keysight IO Libraries Suite version 14.1 and
higher.
CAUTION The Keysight MXG’s USB interface requires Keysight IO Libraries Suite 14.1 or newer.
For more information on connecting instruments to the USB, refer to the Keysight
Connection Expert in the Keysight IO Libraries Help.
For long strings of commands and waveform downloads, upgrading to Keysight IO
Libraries 15.0 and above can decrease RS- 232 performance, potentially resulting in an
Error –310.
NOTE The signal generator ships with an Automation- Ready CD that contains the Keysight IO
Libraries Suite 14.0 for users who use Windows 98 and Windows ME. These older systems
are no longer supported.
Once the libraries are loaded, you can use the Keysight Connection Expert, Interactive IO, or VISA
Assistant to configure and communicate with the signal generator over different IO interfaces. Follow
instructions in the setup wizard to install the libraries.

6Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
NOTE Before setting the LAN interface, the signal generator must be configured for VXI- 11 SCPI.
Refer to “Configuring the VXI–11 for LAN (Keysight MXG)” on page 32 or “Configuring the VXI–11
for LAN (ESG/PSG)” on page 33.
Refer to the Keysight IO Libraries Suite Help documentation for details about this software.
Windows XP, 2000 Professional and Vista Business Keysight IO Libraries 15.0 (and Newer)
NOTE Windows NT is not supported on Keysight IO Libraries 14.0 and newer.
For additional information on older versions of Keysight IO libraries, refer to the Keysight
Connection Expert in the Keysight IO Libraries Help. The Keysight IO libraries are included
with your signal generator or Keysight GPIB interface board, or they can be downloaded
from the Keysight website: http://www.keysight.com.
VISA Assistant
VISA is an industry standard IO library API. It allows the user to send SCPI commands to
instruments and to read instrument data in a variety of formats. Refer to the VISA Assistant Help
menu and the Keysight VISA User’s Manual (available on Keysight’s website) for more information.
VISA Configuration (Automatic)
1. Run the VISA Assistant program:
Start > All Programs > Keysight IO Libraries Suite > Keysight Connection Expert > Tools > Visa Assistant >.
2. Click on the interface you want to use for sending commands to the signal generator.
3. Click the Formatted I/O tab.
4. Select SCPI in the Instr. Lang. section.
You can enter SCPI commands in the text box and send the command using the viPrintf button.

Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide 7
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
Using VISA Configuration (Manual)
Use the Keysight IO Libraries Suite 15.0, to perform the following steps to use the Connection Expert
and VISA to manually configure an interface.
1. Run the Keysight Connection Expert program: Start > All Programs > Keysight IO Libraries Suite >
Keysight Connection Expert >.
2. On the tool bar select the Add Interface button.
3. Click LAN Interface in the Available interface types text box.
4. Click the ADD button.
5. Verify that the Auto (automatically detect protocol) bubble is checked. Click O.K. to use the default
settings.
6. Click LAN(TCPIPO) in the Instrument I/O on this PC text box.
7. On the tool bar select the Add Instrument button.
8. Click the Add Address button in the Add LAN Instruments window.
9. Enter the hostname of the instrument or select the Use IP Address check box and enter the IP
address.
10. Click OK.

8Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
Windows NT and Keysight IO Libraries M (and Earlier)
NOTE Windows NT is not supported on Keysight IO Libraries 14.0 and newer.
The following sections are specific to Keysight IO Libraries versions M and earlier and apply
only to the Windows NT platform.
For additional information on older versions of Keysight IO libraries, refer to the Keysight
Connection Expert in the Keysight IO Libraries Help. The Keysight IO libraries are included
with your signal generator or Keysight GPIB interface board, or they can be downloaded
from the Keysight website: http://www.keysight.com.
Using IO Config for Computer-to-Instrument Communication with VISA (Automatic or Manually)
After installing the Keysight IO Libraries version M or earlier, you can configure the interfaces
available on your computer by using the IO Config program. This program can setup the interfaces
that you want to use to control the signal generator. The following steps set up the interfaces.
1. Install GPIB interface boards before running IO Config.
NOTE You can also connect GPIB instruments using the Keysight 82357A USB/GPIB Interface
Converter, which eliminates the need for a GPIB card. For more information, go to
http://www.keysight.com/find/gpib.
2. Run the IO Config program. The program automatically identifies available interfaces.
3. Click on the interface type you want to configure, such as GPIB, in the Available Interface Types
text box.
4. Click the Configure button. Set the Default Protocol to AUTO.
5. Click OK to use the default settings.
6. Click OK to exit the IO Config program.
VISA Assistant
VISA is an industry standard IO library API. It allows the user to send SCPI commands to
instruments and to read instrument data in a variety of formats. You can use the VISA Assistant,
available with the Keysight IO Libraries versions M and earlier, to send commands to the signal
generator. If the interface you want to use does not appear in the VISA Assistant then you must
manually configure the interface. See the Manual VISA Configuration section below. Refer to the VISA
Assistant Help menu and the Keysight VISA User’s Manual (available on Keysight’s website) for more
information.

Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide 9
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
VISA Configuration (Automatic)
1. Run the VISA Assistant program.
2. Click on the interface you want to use for sending commands to the signal generator.
3. Click the Formatted I/O tab.
4. Select SCPI in the Instr. Lang. section.
You can enter SCPI commands in the text box and send the command using the viPrintf button.
VISA Configuration (Manual)
Perform the following steps to use IO Config and VISA to manually configure an interface.
1. Run the IO Config Program.
2. Click on GPIB in the Available Interface Types text box.
3. Click the Configure button. Set the Default Protocol to AUTO and then click OK to use the default
settings.
4. Click on GPIB0 in the Configured Interfaces text box.
5. Click Edit...
6. Click the Edit VISA Config... button.
7. Click t he Add device button.
8. Enter the GPIB address of the signal generator.
9. Click the OK button in this form and all other forms to exit the IO Config program.

10 Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide
Getting Started with Remote Operation
IO Libraries and Programming Languages
Selecting IO Libraries for GPIB
The IO libraries are included with the GPIB interface card, and can be downloaded from the National
Instruments website or the Keysight website. See also, “IO Libraries and Programming Languages” on
page 4 for information on IO libraries. The following is a discussion on these libraries.
CAUTION Because of the potential for portability problems, running Keysight SICL without the
VISA overlay is not recommended by Keysight Technologies.
VISA VISA is an IO library used to develop IO applications and instrument drivers that
comply with industry standards. It is recommended that the VISA library be used
for programming the signal generator. The NI- VISA and Keysight VISA libraries are
similar implementations of VISA and have the same commands, syntax, and
functions. The differences are in the lower level IO libraries; NI- 488.2 and SICL
respectively. It is best to use the Keysight VISA library with the Keysight GPIB
interface card or NI-VISA with the NI PCI- GPIB interface card.
SICL Keysight SICL can be used without the VISA overlay. The SICL functions can be
called from a program. However, if this method is used, executable programs will
not be portable to other hardware platforms. For example, a program using SICL
functions will not run on a computer with NI libraries (PCI- GPIB interface card).
NI- 488.2 NI- 488.2 can be used without the VISA overlay. The NI- 488.2 functions can be
called from a program. However, if this method is used, executable programs will
not be portable to other hardware platforms. For example, a program using
NI- 488.2 functions will not run on a computer with Keysight SICL (Keysight GPIB
interface card).
Selecting IO Libraries for LAN
The TELNET and FTP protocols do not require IO libraries to be installed on your computer.
However, to write programs to control your signal generator, an IO library must be installed on your
computer and the computer configured for instrument control using the LAN interface.
The Keysight IO libraries Suite is available on the Automation- Ready CD, which was shipped with
your signal generator. The libraries can also be downloaded from the Keysight website. The following
is a discussion on these libraries.
Keysight VISA VISA is an IO library used to develop IO applications and instrument drivers that
comply with industry standards. Use the Keysight VISA library for programming
the signal generator over the LAN interface.
SICL Keysight SICL is a lower level library that is installed along with Keysight VISA.
Programming Languages
Along with Standard Commands for Programming Instructions (SCPI) and IO library functions, you
use a programming language to remotely control the signal generator. Common programming
languages include:
•C/C++

Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide 11
Getting Started with Remote Operation
Using the Web Browser
•C#
•MATLAB
•HPBasic
•LabView
•Java
• Visual Basic
•PERL
•KeysightVEE
For examples, using some of these languages, refer to Chapter 3.
Using the Web Browser
NOTE The following example for accessing the MXG instrument’s Web- Enabled uses the
instrument’s predetermined default hostname that the MXG ships with (e.g. a- <instrument
model number>- <last 5 digits of the instrument serial number>).
The procedure that follows assumes the signal generator is running firmware A.01.20 or
later.
MXG Web- Enabled SCPI command capability is not available for versions of Internet
Explorer ≥7.0. (The SCPI Telnet softkey is inactive for these versions.) To use the Telnet
SCPI, refer to Figure on page 12.
The Web- Enabled MXG ATE web page is titled: “Web- Enabled MXG”, since the MXG ATE is
part of the MXG signal generator family.
For MXG ATEs, press the front panel LAN Preset key and wait for the front panel green
LAN indicator light to stop blinking. It is possible the hostname may have been changed
from its default value. The MXG ATE hostname is not changed by pressing the LAN Reset
key. For information on using the MXG's USB port to query its IP address, refer to the
Keysight Connectivity Guide (E2094- 90009) or to the LAN Connectivity FAQs for details on
using the instrument over LAN.
For more information on LAN Connectivity, refer to the Keysight Connectivity Guide
(E2094- 90009) or to the LAN Connectivity FAQs for details on using the instrument over
LAN.

12 Keysight Signal Generators Programming Guide
Getting Started with Remote Operation
Using the Web Browser
The instrument can be accessed through a
standard web browser, when it is
connected to the LAN. To access through
the web browser, enter the instrument IP
address or the hostname as the URL in
your browser.
The signal generator web page, shown at
right and page 16, provides general
information on the signal generator, FTP
access to files stored on the signal
generator, and a means to control the
instrument using either a remote
front- panel interface or SCPI commands.
The web page also has links to Keysight’s
products, support, manuals, and website.
For additional information on memory
catalog access (file storing), and FTP, refer
to the User’s Guide and “Waveform
Memory” on page 228 and for FTP, see
“Using FTP” on page 48 and “FTP Procedures”
on page 240.
The Web Server service is compatible with
the Microsoft Internet Explorer (6.0 and
newer) web browser and operating systems
Windows 2000, Windows XP, and newer.
For more information on using the Web
Server, refer to “Enabling the Signal
Generator Web Server” on page 14.
To operate the signal generator, click the
keys.
The Keysight MXG supports LXI Class B*
functionality. For more information on the LXI
standards, refer to http://www.lxistandard.org/home.
*LXI Class B Compliance testing using IEEE
1588-2008 not available at release.
Note:
If you do not see this window, check to see if the window is hidden behind
your browser window or your web browser settings are set to block pop-ups.
To use this feature, you need to set your web browser to allow pop-ups for
your instrument’s IP address.
Remote SCPI commands requires the Telnet feature on the computer. The
Telnet feature is available from a variety of sources.Some software updates
can block (break) this Telnet connection (e.g. Internet Explorer 7). When
using Internet Explorer as a browser, only versions <Internet Explorer 7
enable the Web-Enabled MXG SCPI feature.
If the “SCPI Telnet” softkey is not active, to display the SCPI Telnet box:
1) On the PC, click Start > Run
2) In the dialogue box type: Telnet [IP address of MXG] 5024 [This
is the port number for connecting to the MXG.]
Note: Telnet port 5023 is available for backwards compatibility (i.e. for
firmware versions <A.01.50).