National Instruments PCI-GPIB User manual

© Copyright 1996 National Instruments Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.
Getting Started with Your PCI-GPIB
and the NI-488.2M™Software
for Digital UNIX
March 1996 Edition
Part Number 321182A-01

National Instruments Corporate Headquarters
6504 Bridge Point Parkway
Austin, TX 78730-5039
[phone]
Technical support fax: [phone]
Branch Offices:
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Canada (Ontario) 519 622 9310, Canada (Québec) 514 694 8521,
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Netherlands 03480 33466, Norway 32 84 84 00, Singapore 2265886,
Spain 91 640 0085, Sweden 08 730 49 70, Switzerland 056 20 51 51,
Taiwan 02 377 1200, U.K. 01635 523545

Limited Warranty
The PCI-GPIB is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship
for a period of two years from the date of shipment, as evidenced by
receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option,
repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the warranty
period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are
warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment,
as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will,
at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute
programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such
defects during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant
that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the
factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will
pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by
warranty.
National Instruments believes that the information in this manual is
accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical accuracy.
In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National
Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of
this document without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader
should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event
shall National Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or
related to this document or the information contained in it.
EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO
WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS
ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMER'S RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES
CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE
PAID BY THE CUSTOMER. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE
LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS,
USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. This limitation of the

liability of National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action,
whether in contract or tort, including negligence.
Any action against National Instruments must be brought within one year
after the cause of action accrues. National Instruments shall not be liable
for any delay in performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control.
The warranty provided herein does not cover damages, defects,
malfunctions, or service failures caused by owner's failure to follow the
National Instruments installation, operation, or maintenance instructions;
owner's modification of the product; owner's abuse, misuse, or negligent
acts; and power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third
parties, or other events outside reasonable control.
Copyright
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or
transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in
whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments
Corporation.
Trademarks
NI-488.2M™and TNT4882C™are trademarks of National Instruments
Corporation.
Product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their
respective companies.

WARNING REGARDING MEDICAL AND
CLINICAL USE OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS
National Instruments products are not designed with components and
testing intended to ensure a level of reliability suitable for use in treatment
and diagnosis of humans. Applications of National Instruments products
involving medical or clinical treatment can create a potential for accidental
injury caused by product failure, or by errors on the part of the user or
application designer. Any use or application of National Instruments
products for or involving medical or clinical treatment must be performed
by properly trained and qualified medical personnel, and all traditional
medical safeguards, equipment, and procedures that are appropriate in the
particular situation to prevent serious injury or death should always
continue to be used when National Instruments products are being used.
National Instruments products are NOT intended to be a substitute for any
form of established process, procedure, or equipment used to monitor or
safeguard human health and safety in medical or clinical treatment.

FCC/DOC Radio Frequency Interference
Class A Compliance
This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in strict accordance with the instructions in this manual, may cause
interference to radio and television reception. Classification requirements are the
same for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Canadian
Department of Communications (DOC). This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the following two regulatory agencies:
Federal Communications Commission
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at
his own expense.
Notices to User: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by
National Instruments could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment under the FCC Rules.
This device complies with the FCC rules only if used with
shielded interface cables of suitable quality and
construction. National Instruments used such cables to test
this device and provides them for sale to the user. The use of
inferior or nonshielded interface cables could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment under the FCC rules.
If necessary, consult National Instruments or an experienced radio/television
technician for additional suggestions. The following booklet prepared by the FCC
may also be helpful: Interference to Home Electronic Entertainment Equipment
Handbook. This booklet is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402.
Canadian Department of Communications
This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian
Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement
sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

© National Instruments Corp. vii PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
Contents
About This Manual ...................................................................... ix
Organization of This Manual.................................................. ix
Conventions Used in This Manual ......................................... x
Related Documentation .......................................................... x
Customer Communication ...................................................... xi
Chapter 1
Introduction..................................................................................... 1-1
How to Use This Manual........................................................ 1-1
What You Need to Get Started............................................... 1-2
Software Description .............................................................. 1-2
Hardware Description............................................................. 1-2
Chapter 2
Hardware Installation................................................................. 2-1
Chapter 3
Software Installation and Configuration ............................ 3-1
NI-488.2M Software Components ......................................... 3-1
Remove an Existing Driver .................................................... 3-1
Install the Software................................................................. 3-2
Configure the Software with ibconf (Optional)...................... 3-3
Chapter 4
Installation Verification and Troubleshooting ................. 4-1
Verify the System Boot Messages.......................................... 4-1
Run the Software Diagnostic Program ................................... 4-1
Troubleshooting ibtsta Messages ........................................... 4-2
Common Questions ................................................................ 4-3
Chapter 5
Using Your NI-488.2M Software............................................ 5-1
Introduction to ibic ................................................................. 5-1
Programming Considerations ................................................. 5-1
Appendix A
Hardware Specifications ........................................................... A-1

Contents
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX viii © National Instruments Corp.
Appendix B
Customer Communication........................................................ B-1
Glossary............................................................................................. G-1
Figure
Figure 2-1. Installing the PCI-GPIB ..................................................2-2
Tables
Table A-1. Electrical Characteristics................................................. A-1
Table A-2. Physical Characteristics................................................... A-1
Table A-3. Environmental Characteristics......................................... A-1

© National Instruments Corp. ix PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
About This Manual
This manual contains instructions for installing and configuring the
National Instruments PCI-GPIB interface board and the NI-488.2M
multitasking software for use with a DEC Alpha Station running the Digital
UNIX operating system. This manual is meant to be used with the
NI-488.2M Software Reference Manual.
Organization of This Manual
This manual is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1, Introduction, explains how to use this manual, lists what you
need to get started, and includes a brief description of the NI-488.2M
software and the PCI-GPIB.
• Chapter 2, Hardware Installation, contains instructions for installing
your PCI-GPIB.
• Chapter 3, Software Installation and Configuration, contains
instructions for installing and configuring your NI-488.2M software.
• Chapter 4, Installation Verification and Troubleshooting, describes
how to verify the installation and troubleshoot problems.
• Chapter 5, Using Your NI-488.2M Software, describes the ibic utility
and lists some programming considerations.
• Appendix A, Hardware Specifications, describes the electrical,
physical, and environmental characteristics of the PCI-GPIB and the
recommended operating conditions.
• Appendix B, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use to
request help from National Instruments or to comment on our products
and manuals.
• The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and a description of terms
that this manual uses, including abbreviations, acronyms, metric
prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.

About This Manual
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX x © National Instruments Corp.
Conventions Used in This Manual
The following conventions are used in this manual.
bold italic Bold italic text denotes a note, caution, or
warning.
bold monospace Bold text in this font denotes the messages and
responses that the computer automatically prints
to the screen.
italic Italic text denotes a cross reference.
italic monospace Italic text in this font denotes that you must
supply the appropriate words or values in place
of these items.
monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that
are to be literally input from the keyboard. It is
also used for the proper names of disk drives,
directories, programs, device names, variables,
and filenames.
Abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, symbols, and terms
are listed in the Glossary.
Related Documentation
The following documents contain information that you may find helpful as
you read this manual.
• ANSI/IEEE Standard 488.1-1987, IEEE Standard Digital Interface for
Programmable Instrumentation.
• ANSI/IEEE Standard 488.2-1992, IEEE Standard Codes, Formats,
Protocols, and Common Commands.

About This Manual
© National Instruments Corp. xi PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
Customer Communication
National Instruments wants to receive your comments on our products and
manuals. We are interested in the applications you develop with our
products, and we want to help if you have problems with them. To make it
easy for you to contact us, this manual contains comment and configuration
forms for you to complete. These forms are in Appendix B, Customer
Communication, at the end of this manual.

© National Instruments Corp. 1-1 PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
Chapter 1
Introduction
This chapter explains how to use this manual, lists what you need to get
started, and describes the NI-488.2M software and the PCI-GPIB.
How to Use This Manual
No
Yes
Gather What You Need
to Get Started
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Software Reference
Manual
Chapter 1
Write Application Program
Need to
Change Software
Settings?
Install the Hardware
Install the Software
Verify the Installation
Yes
No
Passes?
Run ibic
Review Programming
Considerations
Configure the Software
Troubleshooting
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Introduction Chapter 1
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX 1-2 © National Instruments Corp.
What You Need to Get Started
PCI-GPIB board
3.5 in. NI-488.2M Distribution Disk for PCI-GPIB and Digital UNIX
or
NI-488.2M Distribution Tape for PCI-GPIB and Digital UNIX
Digital UNIX 3.x or higher installed on your computer
Super-user privilege
Software Description
The NI-488.2M software for Digital UNIX includes a multitasking driver
and utilities that transform a DEC Alpha Station running Digital UNIX into
a GPIB Controller with complete communications and bus management
capabilities. The NI-488.2M software also includes a C language interface,
a program to test the installation of the software, an interactive control
program, and an interactive configuration program.
The NI-488.2M driver supports up to four PCI-GPIB boards and is
completely compatible with both IEEE 488 and IEEE 488.2 instruments.
Hardware Description
The PCI-GPIB is an IEEE 488 interface for computers with PCI expansion
slots. The TNT4882C ASIC performs the basic IEEE 488 Talker, Listener,
and Controller functions, including those required by the most recent GPIB
standard, IEEE 488.2. The PCI-GPIB can sustain data transfer rates of up
to 1.2 Mbytes/s, and can also implement a high-speed GPIB protocol
(HS488), so that you can have data transfers of up to 1.5 Mbytes/s,
depending on the speed of your system.
You can use standard GPIB cables to connect the PCI-GPIB with up to 14
instruments. If you need to use more than the maximum number of
instruments, you can use the National Instruments GPIB extenders or the

Chapter 1 Introduction
© National Instruments Corp. 1-3 PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
GPIB expander/isolator to add additional instruments to the system.
Double-shielded GPIB cables are also available.
Refer to Appendix A, Hardware Specifications, for more information about
the PCI-GPIB specifications and recommended operating conditions.

© National Instruments Corp. 2-1 PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
This chapter contains instructions for installing your PCI-GPIB.
Warning: Electrostatic discharge can damage several components on
your PCI-GPIB. To avoid such damage in handling the
board, touch the antistatic plastic package to a metal part of
your computer chassis before removing the board from the
package.
Before you install the PCI-GPIB, consult the manual that came with your
workstation for specific instructions and warnings. You must have
super-user privileges to install the hardware and software. This requires
you to log on as root.
Perform the following steps to install the PCI-GPIB:
1. Shut down your system by entering the following commands at the
command line prompt:
sync;sync;halt
2. Turn off your computer after it has been shut down. Keep the
computer plugged in so that it remains grounded while you install the
GPIB hardware.
3. Remove the top cover (or other access panels) to give yourself access
to the computer expansion slots.
4. Find an unused PCI expansion slot in your computer.
5. Remove the corresponding slot cover on the back panel of the
computer.
6. Insert the PCI-GPIB into the slot with the GPIB connector sticking out
of the opening on the back panel, as shown in Figure 2-1. It might be a
tight fit, but do not force the board into place.

Hardware Installation Chapter 2
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX 2-2 © National Instruments Corp.
Figure 2-1. Installing the PCI-GPIB
7. Screw the mounting bracket of the PCI-GPIB to the back panel rail of
the computer.
8. Replace the top cover (or the access panel to the expansion slot).
9. Turn on your computer. The PCI-GPIB interface board is now installed.

© National Instruments Corp. 3-1 PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
Chapter 3
Software Installation and
Configuration
This chapter contains instructions for installing and configuring your
NI-488.2M software.
NI-488.2M Software Components
The NI-488.2M software includes the following components:
• NI-488.2M driver (gpib.o)
• An include file for user programs (ugpib.h)
• C language interface libraries (libgpib.a and libgpib.so)
• Source code of C language interface library (cib.c and cib.h)
• An interactive configuration utility (ibconf)
• A software diagnostic utility (ibtsta)
• An interactive GPIB control program (ibic)
Remove an Existing Driver
If you have a previous version of the NI-488.2M software for the PCI-GPIB
installed in your system, you must remove it before you install the new
version.
To check for an existing driver, enter the following command:
/usr/sbin/setld -i | grep PCIGPIB
If the following message appears, you have an existing driver installed in
your system:
PCIGPIB XXX installed National Instruments GPIB Driver
ver
x . xx

Software Installation and Configuration Chapter 3
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX 3-2 © National Instruments Corp.
where XXX is a three-digit number corresponding to the version number. If
you have installed and removed the driver, the same message appears
without the word installed.
You must be a super user to remove the driver from the kernel
configuration. To remove the driver, enter the following command:
/usr/sbin/setld -d PCIGPIB XXX
where XXX is a three-digit number corresponding to the version number.
Install the Software
After you have removed any existing driver for the PCI-GPIB, follow these
steps to install your NI-488.2M software. Remember you must be a super
user to install the software.
1. Run the system utility setld to install the software. The commands
you enter depend on whether you are installing the software from tape
or diskette.
If you are installing from tape, insert the distribution tape into the tape
drive and enter the following command:
/usr/sbin/setld -l /dev/rmt0h
If you are installing from diskette, insert the distribution diskette into
the disk drive and enter the following commands:
mkdir /tmp/pcigpib
cd /tmp/pcigpib
tar xvf /dev/
rfd0a
/usr/sbin/setld -l .
cd ..
rm -r pcigpib
where /dev/ rfd0a is the special file for your floppy disk drive. If
you do not know the name of your floppy disk special file, ask your
system administrator.

Chapter 3 Software Installation and Configuration
© National Instruments Corp. 3-3 PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX
2. Rebuild a new kernel using the doconfig system utility. Enter the
following command:
/usr/sbin/doconfig
3. Save the old kernel and move the new kernel to /vmunix, so it
becomes the system default boot kernel. Then reboot your computer.
Enter the following commands:
mv /vmunix /vmunix.save
mv /sys/
XXX /vmunix /vmunix
reboot
where XXX is the name of the configuration that you entered while
running doconfig. The default is the host name of the computer.
After you have installed your software, you might want to view or modify
the driver configuration. Refer to the next section for instructions on
running the configuration utility ibconf. If you do not need to run
ibconf, refer to Chapter 4, Installation Verification and Troubleshooting,
for further instructions.
Configure the Software with ibconf (Optional)
The ibconf utility is the National Instruments GPIB driver configuration
utility. After installing the software, you can run ibconf to examine or
modify the software configuration. You also might want to run ibconf to
change configuration options such as device names or timeout values.
Follow these steps to run ibconf.
1. Log on as super-user (root).
2. Start ibconf by entering the following command:
/usr/bin/ibconf filename
where filename is optional and refers to the UNIX kernel built with
the NI-488.2M driver. The default UNIX kernel file is /vmunix. To
run ibconf on the kernel /vmunix, enter the following command:
/usr/bin/ibconf

Software Installation and Configuration Chapter 3
PCI-GPIB for Digital UNIX 3-4 © National Instruments Corp.
3. Use the help instructions on your screen to move around the screen,
make changes, and exit the program.
4. If you made any changes, reboot your computer from the changed
kernel so that the new settings become active.
For more information about ibconf, refer to the NI-488.2M Software
Reference Manual.
After you have installed and configured the software, you should verify the
installation. Refer to Chapter 4, Installation Verification and
Troubleshooting, for instructions on verifying the software and hardware
installation.