National Instruments GPIB-SCSI-A User manual

October 2003
323734A-01
INSTALLATION GUIDE
Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A
and NI-488.2 for Solaris
This document describes how to configure and connect the GPIB-SCSI-A to
your Sun SPARC system and how to install NI-488.2 for Solaris. The NI-488.2
software included in this kit is intended for use with Sun SPARC systems running
Solaris 2.6 or later. Other documentation, including the software reference
manual, is available on your NI-488.2 software for Solaris CD in the
\documentation folder.
Before you install your GPIB controller, consult the manual that came with your
workstation for specific instructions and warnings. You must have superuser
privileges to install the hardware and software.
™

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 2 ni.com
Figure 1. GPIB-SCSI-A Rear Panel
Configuring the Hardware
The hardware configurations of the SCSI ID (Target ID) and the GPIB primary
address must match the software configuration in the system configuration files
and the NI-488.2 software.
The GPIB-SCSI-A is shipped from the factory with a 100–120 V or a 220–240 V
power supply. Before you use the GPIB-SCSI-A, verify that the voltage on the
power supply matches the voltage that is supplied in your area.
Caution Operating the GPIB-SCSI-A at any voltage other than the one
specified on the bottom of the unit could damage the unit. Replacement
fuses must be the proper type and rating, which are 100 to 120 VAC,
200 mA UL/CSA approved, or 220 to 240 VAC, 125 mA IEC approved.
The GPIB-SCSI-A is shipped from the factory configured to operate in SCSI (S)
mode. Optional parity checking on the SCSI port is disabled. The SCSI ID that the
GPIB-SCSI-A responds to is set at 5, and the primary GPIB address is set at 0.
Additionally, the GPIB-SCSI-A kit is shipped from the factory with a SCSI
A
B
SW1 SW2
ON
OFF
12345678
9120
O
N
CTS 206-8
12345678
9120
O
N
CTS 206-8
GPIB
SCSI

© National Instruments Corporation 3 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
terminating resistor installed. Depending on how you connect the GPIB-SCSI-A
to your system, you may want to remove the terminating resistor.
Note The only parameters available for configuration with this kit are
the SCSI ID (Target ID) and the GPIB address. Do not change any other
switch settings from the factory default settings.
The factory default setting of the GPIB-SCSI-A Target ID is 5. To confirm that a
Target ID of 5 is available in your system, print out the startup messages from the
last time you booted with the following command:
dmesg
Among the startup messages are the devices found on the SCSI bus and their
respective Target ID numbers. If a Target ID of 5 is not available in your system,
select an unused Target ID (a number between 0 and 7) and set the appropriate
switch to that Target ID number (refer to the Configuration Switch Settings for
SW1section). Typically,Targets 1 and 3 are used bythe internal disks, Target 4 is
used by a tape drive (if you have a tape drive), and Target 0 is used by an external
disk drive. Target 7 is always used by the Sun SPARC system central processing
unit.
Configuration Switch Settings for SW1
The DIP switch at location SW1 on the rear panel in Figure 1 is used to configure
the power-on primary GPIB address and SCSI ID of the GPIB-SCSI-A. Figure 2
shows the factory default settings.

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 4 ni.com
Figure 2. SW1 Default Mode Switch Settings
Switches 1 through 3 are used to configure the SCSI ID. Switch 1 is the most
significant bit, and Switch 3 is the least significant bit. For example, if Switches 1
through 3 are set to OFF, ON, ON, the SCSI ID is 3.
Switches 4 through 8 are used to configure the power-on primary GPIB address.
Switch 4 is the most significant bit, and Switch 8 is the least significant bit. For
example, if Switches 4 through 8 are set to OFF, OFF, OFF, ON, OFF, a primary
address of 2 is indicated. The largest primary address that can be set is 30.
The default settings of Switches 1 through 3 are ON, OFF, ON, respectively, to
select the SCSI ID of 5. Switches 4 through 8 are OFF, indicating that the GPIB
primary address of the GPIB-SCSI-A is 0.
Configuration Switch Settings for SW2
The DIP switch at location SW2 on the rear panel in Figure 3 is used to configure
the mode of operation for the GPIB-SCSI-A. These switch settings should not be
changed for use with the Sun SPARC system. Figure 3 shows the factory default
settings. Make sure that these switches are set as shown in Figure 3. If they are not,
set these switches as indicated.
SW1
12345678
9120
O
N
CTS 206-8

© National Instruments Corporation 5 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Figure 3. SW2 Default Mode Switch Settings
Table 1 shows the factory default configurations of the eight switches for SW2.
Table 1. Factory Default Configurations for SW2
Switch Position Indication
1–3 OFF Reserved and should remain OFF
4ON Double buffering is enabled
5OFF GPIB-SCSI-A completes all data requests to the
count specified
6ON GPIB-SCSI-A buffers data during data transfer
commands
7ON GPIB-SCSI-A neither notices nor reports SCSI
parity errors
8OFF Operating in S (SCSI) mode
SW2
12345678
9120
O
N
CTS 206-8

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 6 ni.com
Connecting the Hardware
The following are general instructions for connecting the GPIB-SCSI-A to the
Sun SPARC system. Consult the chapter on installing external drives in the
installation guide that came with your Sun SPARC system for specific instructions
and warnings.
There are two methods for connecting the GPIB-SCSI-A to the Sun SPARC
system. One method is connecting the GPIB-SCSI-A directly to the Sun SPARC
system unit by using a cable with the proper connectors at each end. The other
method is daisy-chaining. Daisy-chaining is a means of connecting a number
of SCSI devices to a host; thereby, a single port on the host can serve a variable
number of devices. Daisy-chaining is the suggested method for connecting the
GPIB-SCSI-A to the Sun SPARC system.
Whether you are using a direct connection or daisy-chaining, there are four basic
steps to connecting the GPIB-SCSI-A.
1. Shut down your system and power off your computer.
2. Connect the cables.
3. Switch on your GPIB-SCSI-A.
4. Power on your system.
Step 1. Shut Down the System
Complete the following steps to shut down your system:
1. Enter the shutdown command and power off your computer. (You need
superuser privilege to do a shutdown.)
2. Unplug the power cord from the power outlet.

© National Instruments Corporation 7 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Step 2. Connect the Cables
Caution Never connect or disconnect SCSI cables when any device
(computer, tape drive, GPIB-SCSI-A, and so on) is powered on. Doing
so can cause fuses to blow inside the GPIB-SCSI-A and inside other
SCSI devices that supply termination power (TERMPWR) to the
SCSI bus.
Complete the following steps to connect the cables:
1. Connect the SCSI cable to the GPIB-SCSI-A and fasten it securely. Connect
the other end to your SCSI system. Be sure to use only shielded SCSI cables.
Total cable length in your SCSI system should be less than 6 m, and
terminating resistors should be installed on both ends, as described in the
Using SCSI Terminating Resistors section.
2. Connect the GPIB cable to the GPIB-SCSI-A and tighten the thumbscrews on
the connector. Connect the other end to your GPIB system. Be sure to use only
shielded GPIB cables. Total cable length in your GPIB system should be less
than 20 m, with a maximum separation of 4 m between any two devices. You
should have no more than 15 devices in a GPIB system, and at least two-thirds
of those devices must be powered on.
3. Plug the power cord into an AC outlet of the correct voltage.

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 8 ni.com
Using SCSI Terminating Resistors
Because of its high-speed capabilities, the SCSI bus is sensitive to the electrical
characteristics of the SCSI cabling. When a signal is sent through the SCSI bus,
it bounces back and creates echoes along the cabling. Any device in the middle
of the daisy-chained SCSI bus receives these signal echoes. You should use
terminating resistor packs to prevent echoes and ensure proper termination of a
signal. Read the documentation for each device in your system to find out what
kind of termination it provides.
If your GPIB-SCSI-A is located at the end of an SCSI bus, you can prevent echoes
by leaving the terminating resistor pack installed on one of the ports on the rear
panel of the GPIB-SCSI-A. Also, ensure that the device at the other end of the
SCSI bus (for example, the SCSI host in Figure 4) has a terminating resistor
installed. Remove the terminating resistor packs on all devices except for the one
at each end because SCSI signals are not reliably passed along the SCSI bus after
they reach a device with a terminator.
Caution Never connect more than two sets of terminating resistors on an
SCSI bus because more than two sets might overload the signals and
generate errors.
Figure 4 shows where to install terminating resistors if the GPIB-SCSI-A is
located at the end of a system.

© National Instruments Corporation 9 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Figure 4. Location of Terminating Resistors for GPIB-SCSI-A at End of SCSI Bus
If your GPIB-SCSI-A is not located at the end of the SCSI bus, remove
the terminating resistor pack from the rear panel of the GPIB-SCSI-A. Also
ensure that all other devices in the middle of the bus (for example, the SCSI disk
drive in Figure 4) do not have terminating resistors installed. The devices at each
end of the SCSI bus should have terminating resistors installed.
1 To GPIB Devices
2 Terminating Resistors
3 GPIB-SCSI-A
4 SCSI Tape Drive
5 SCSI Disk Drive
6SCSIHost
POWER READY TALK LISTEN SEND RECEIVE
GPIB-SCSI-A
IEEE-488 SCSI CONTROLLER
1
3
4
2
5
6

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 10 ni.com
Step 3. Switch On Your GPIB-SCSI-A
Switch on your GPIB-SCSI-A by using the rocker switch on the rear panel. The
POWER LED should come on immediately and the READY indicator on the
front panel should come on after the GPIB-SCSI-A has passed its power-on
self-test, indicating that the unit is ready for operation.
If the READY indicator does not come on within 10 seconds after the unit is
powered on, recheck all connections and switch settings and retry the power-on
sequence. If the READY light still fails to come on, contact National Instruments.
Step 4. Power On Your System
Complete the following steps to power on your system:
1. Plug the power cords of the Sun SPARC system and any other SCSI
equipment into a power outlet.
2. Power on all devices.
3. Power on your system.
Installing NI-488.2
Complete the following steps to install NI-488.2 for Solaris:
1. Insert the NI-488.2 for Solaris installation CD.
2. You must have superuser privilege before you can install NI-488.2 for Solaris.
If you are not already a superuser, type su root and enter the root password.

© National Instruments Corporation 11 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
3. Add NI-488.2 to the operating system by entering the following command.
a. On Solaris 2.6 or later versions, the CD automatically mounts as soon as
you insert the CD. If this feature is disabled on your workstation, you must
mount the CD by typing the following command:
/usr/sbin/mount -o ro -F hsfs /dev/dsk/c0t6d0s2 /cdrom/cdrom0
b. Enter the following command to add NI-488.2 to your system:
/usr/sbin/pkgadd -d /cdrom/cdrom0 NICscsia
4. Follow the instructions on your screen to complete the installation.
Configuring the Software with ibconf (Optional)
ibconf is an interactive utility you can use to examine or modify the
configuration of the driver. You might want to run ibconf to change the settings
of the software parameters. You must have superuser privilege to run ibconf.
ibconf is largely self explanatory and contains help screens that explain all
commands and options. For more information on using ibconf, refer to the
NI-488.2M Software Reference Manual.
Complete the following steps to change the default parameters of your NI-488.2
software. The driver should not be in use while you run ibconf.
1. Log on as superuser (root).
2. Type the following command to start ibconf:
ibconf
After you have installed and configured the software, you should verify the
installation. Refer to the Installation Verification section.

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 12 ni.com
Removing NI-488.2 (Optional)
If you ever decide to stop using your GPIB-SCSI-A, you can remove NI-488.2
from your system. To remove NI-488.2 from the kernel configuration, you must
have superuser privilege and the driver must not be in use.
Enter the following command to unload the software:
pkgrm NICscsia
Installation Verification
The software installation test ibtsta verifies that the driver is installed correctly.
It checks for correct access to the device driver.
Run ibtsta by entering the following command:
ibtsta
If no error occurs in ibtsta, NI-488.2 is installed correctly.
If ibtsta fails, it displays an error message that explains why the test failed and
how you can correct the problem. If you are unable to run ibtsta successfully
after you have followed the on-screen instructions, refer to the Common Questions
section.
Using NI-488.2 with Solaris
This section helps you get started with NI-488.2 for Solaris.

© National Instruments Corporation 13 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Introduction to ibic
The NI-488.2 software includes the Interface Bus Interactive Control utility, ibic.
You can use ibic to enter NI-488 functions and IEEE 488.2-style functions (also
known as NI-488.2 routines) interactively and display the results of the function
calls automatically. Without writing an application, you can use ibic to do the
following:
• Verify GPIB communication with your device quickly and easily
• Become familiar with the commands of your device
• Receive data from your GPIB device
• Learn new NI-488.2 functions and routines before integrating them into your
application
• Troubleshoot problems with your application
• Enter the following command to run ibic:
ibconf
For more information about ibic, refer to Chapter 6, ibic, of the NI-488.2M
Software Reference Manual.
Programming Considerations
Depending on the programming language you use to develop your application,
you must include certain files, statements, or global variables at the beginning of
your application. For example, you must include the header file sys/ugpib.h in
your source code if you are using C/C++.
You must link the language interface library with your compiled source code. Link
the GPIB C language interface library using one of the following commands,

Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris 14 ni.com
where example.c is your application name:
cc example.c -lgpib
or
cc example.c -dy -lgpib
or
cc example.c -dn -lgpib
-dy specifies dynamic linking, which is the default method. It links the application
to libgpib.so. -dn specifies static linking in the link editor. It links the
application to libgpib.a. For more information about compiling and linking,
refer to the man pages for cc and ld.
For information about each NI-488 function and IEEE 488.2-style function,
choosing a programming method, developing your application, or compiling
and linking, refer to the NI-488.2M Software Reference Manual.
Common Questions
This section describes how to troubleshoot problems and answers some common
questions. Also refer to Appendix B, Common Errors and Their Solutions, of the
NI-488.2M Software Reference Manual.
What could be causing a problem if the installation process fails?
The most probable reason is that the GPIB-SCSI-A is at a different SCSI Target
ID than what you entered during installation. Reinstall using the correct ID.
What is wrong if ibfind returns a –1?
The driver may not be installed correctly or the nodes may not have been created
when the driver was loaded. Try removing and reinstalling NI-488.2 from the CD.

© National Instruments Corporation 15 Installing Your GPIB-SCSI-A and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Also, the file may require read/write privileges you do not have, or you may have
renamed a device. Make sure that the device names in your application program
match the device names in ibconf.
What information should I have before I call National Instruments?
Please have the results of the diagnostic test ibtsta. You also should have run
ibic to try to find the source of your problem.
Does this driver work with 64-bit Solaris?
Yes. NI-488.2 for Solaris works with either 32-bit or 64-bit Solaris.You also can
create 32-bit or 64-bit applications. The driver installs both 32-bit and 64-bit
language interface libraries on the system. For information on using the NI-488.2
language interfaces, refer to the Programming Considerations section.
Technical Support and Professional Services
Visit the following sections of the National Instruments Web site at ni.com for
technical support and professional services:
•Support—Online technical support resources include the following:
–Self-Help Resources—For immediate answers and solutions, visit our
extensive library of technical support resources available in English,
Japanese, and Spanish at ni.com/support. These resources are
available for most products at no cost to registered users and include
software drivers and updates, a KnowledgeBase, product manuals,
step-by-step troubleshooting wizards, conformity documentation,
example code, tutorials and application notes, instrument drivers,
discussion forums, a measurement glossary, and so on.
–Assisted Support Options—Contact NI engineers and other
measurement and automation professionals by visiting

National Instruments™, NI™, ni.com™, NI-488™, NI-488.2™, and NI-488.2M™ are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Product
and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. For patents covering National Instruments
products, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your CD, or ni.com/patents.
©2003 National Instruments Corp. All rights reserved.
ni.com/support. Our online system helps you define your question
and connects you to the experts by phone, discussion forum, or email.
•Training—Visit ni.com/training for self-paced tutorials, videos, and
interactive CDs. You also can register for instructor-led, hands-on courses
at locations around the world.
•System Integration—If you have time constraints, limited in-house technical
resources, or other project challenges, NI Alliance Program members can
help. To learn more, call your local NI office or visit ni.com/alliance.
•Declaration of Conformity (DoC)—A DoC is our claim of compliance
with the Council of the European Communities using the manufacturer’s
declaration of conformity. This system affords the user protection for
electronic compatibility (EMC) and product safety. You can obtain the
DoC for your product by visiting ni.com/hardref.nsf.
•Calibration Certificate—If your product supports calibration, you can
obtain the calibration certificate for your product at ni.com/calibration.
If you searched ni.com and could not find the answers you need, contact your
local office or NI corporate headquarters. Phone numbers for our worldwide
offices are listed at the front of this manual. You also can visit the Worldwide
Offices section of ni.com/niglobal to access the branch office Web sites,
which provide up-to-date contact information, support phone numbers, email
addresses, and current events.