National Instruments PCI-GPIB User manual

October 2003
323726A-01
INSTALLATION GUIDE
Installing Your PCI-GPIB,
PXI-GPIB, or PMC-GPIB
and NI-488.2 for Solaris
This document describes how to install and configure your GPIB hardware and
NI-488.2 software. Refer to the section that describes the installation for your
particular board. 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 Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris 2 ni.com
Installing the PCI-GPIB
Caution Electrostatic discharge can damage several components on
your GPIB board. To avoid electrostatic damage when you handle the
module, touch the antistatic plastic package to a metal part of your
computer chassis before you remove the board from the package.
Complete the following steps to install the PCI-GPIB.
1. Log on as superuser. To become a superuser, type su root and enter the root
password.
2. Shut down your system by typing the following commands at the command
line prompt:
sync;sync;shutdown
3. Power off your computer after it has shut down. Keep the computer plugged
in so that it remains grounded while you install the PCI-GPIB.
4. Remove the top cover (or other access panels) to give yourself access to the
computer expansion slots.
5. Find an unused PCI slot in your computer.
6. Remove the corresponding slot cover.
7. Insert the PCI-GPIB into the slot with the GPIB connector sticking out of the
opening on the back panel, as shown in Figure 1. It might be a tight fit, but do
not force the board into place.
8. Replace the top cover (or the access panel to the PCI slot).
9. Power on your computer. The PCI-GPIB interface board is now installed.

© National Instruments Corporation 3 Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Figure 1. Installing the PCI-GPIB
1 PCI Board 2PCISlot 3 Personal Computer
1
2
3

Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris 4 ni.com
Installing the PXI-GPIB
Caution Electrostatic discharge can damage several components on
your GPIB board. To avoid electrostatic damage when you handle the
module, touch the antistatic plastic package to a metal part of your
system chassis before you remove the board from the package.
Complete the following steps to install the PXI-GPIB.
1. Log on as superuser. To become a superuser, type su root and enter the root
password.
2. Shut down your system by typing the following commands at the command
line prompt:
sync;sync;shutdown
3. Power off your PXI or CompactPCI chassis after it has shut down. Keep the
chassis plugged in so that it remains grounded while you install the PXI-GPIB.
4. Choose an unused PXI or CompactPCI peripheral slot. For maximum
performance, the PXI-GPIB has an onboard DMA controller that can only
be used if the board is installed in a slot that supports bus master cards.
National Instruments recommends installing the PXI-GPIB in such a slot.
If you install the board in a non-bus master slot, you must disable the
PXI-GPIB onboard DMA controller using the board-level call ibdma.
Refer to the NI-488.2M Software Reference Manual for a complete
description of ibdma.
5. Remove the filler panel for the peripheral slot you have chosen.

© National Instruments Corporation 5 Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris
6. Touch a metal part on your chassis to discharge any static electricity that might
be on your clothes or body.
7. Insert the PXI-GPIB into the selected slot. Use the injector/ejector handle to
fully inject the device into place. Figure 2 shows how to install the PXI-GPIB
into a PXI or CompactPCI chassis.
8. Screw the front panel of the PXI-GPIB to the front-panel mounting rail of the
PXI or CompactPCI chassis.
9. Power on your PXI or CompactPCI chassis. The PXI-GPIB interface board
is now installed.

Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris 6 ni.com
Figure 2. Installing the PXI-GPIB
1 Injector/Ejector Handle (in Down Position)
2 PXI-GPIB Board
3 PXI Chassis
4 Injector/Ejector Rail
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
ON STANDBY
3
2
3
4

© National Instruments Corporation 7 Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris
Installing the PMC-GPIB
Caution Electrostatic discharge can damage several components on
your GPIB board. To avoid electrostatic damage when you handle the
module, touch the antistatic plastic package to a metal part of your
computer chassis before you remove the board from the package.
Complete the following steps to install the PMC-GPIB.
1. Log on as superuser. To become a superuser, type su root and enter the root
password.
2. Shut down your system by typing the following commands at the command
line prompt:
sync;sync;shutdown
3. Power off your system.
4. Find an unused PMC slot in your system. You may need to remove the host
from the system to access the slot.
5. Remove the corresponding slot filler panel from the host.
6. Touch a metal part on your chassis to discharge any static electricity that might
be on your clothes or body.
7. Insert the PMC-GPIB into the slot as shown in Figure 3. It might be a tight fit,
but do not force the board into place.
8. Use the mounting hardware provided to fasten the PMC-GPIB to the host.
9. Reinstall the host, if you removed it to install the PMC-GPIB.
10. Power on your system. The PMC-GPIB interface board is now installed.

Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris 8 ni.com
Figure 3. Installing the PMC-GPIB
1 Host Face Plate 2 PMC-GPIB Board 3 Mounting Screws
1
2
3

© National Instruments Corporation 9 Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris
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-ROM.
2. You must have superuser privileges before you can install NI-488.2 for
Solaris. If you are not already a superuser, type su root and enter the
root password.
3. Add NI-488.2 to the operating system by doing the following:
a. 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 NIpcigpib
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.

Installing Your GPIB Hardware and NI-488.2 for Solaris 10 ni.com
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 Verify the Installation section.
Removing NI-488.2 (Optional)
If you ever decide to stop using your PCI-GPIB, PXI-GPIB, or PMC-GPIB, you
can remove the board and the NI-488.2 software. 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 NIpcigpib
Verify the Installation
This section describes how to verify the software installation.
Verifying the System Boot Messages
If a message in the following format displays on the console or in the
command tool window during software installation, the driver has established
communication with the hardware device and recognized it.