Anyone else using the National Instruments GPIB-ENET?

[joeqsmith]

I have two of these Ethernet GPIB controllers to run my test gear.   Switching to the new PC with Windows 10, National no longer supports it.  I have spend a few hours now looking at the data and have Labview now talking with it directly using TCP.   I managed to get my HP bench meter working.   So far very crude.   

Curious if this site has any other users of this controller.   

[Muxr]

Just a thought, but perhaps you could use a VM to run an older Windows in it. Virtualbox is free, there are guides on converting existing disk images (like your old computer) into VMs, so you wouldn't even have to install anything if you already had it on your old computer.

This post for instance has multiple different ways it can be accomplished: http://serverfault.com/questions/33603/creating-a-virtual-machine-in-virtualbox-from-a-physical-one

[joeqsmith]

Just a thought, but perhaps you could use a VM to run an older Windows in it. Virtualbox is free, there are guides on converting existing disk images (like your old computer) into VMs, so you wouldn't even have to install anything if you already had it on your old computer.

This post for instance has multiple different ways it can be accomplished: http://serverfault.com/questions/33603/creating-a-virtual-machine-in-virtualbox-from-a-physical-one

That's a great idea and it does actually work!  I had made an image of the old PC and loaded it up.  Simple enough.   The down side to this is some of my equipment (my hardware simulator) requires direct access to the PCI bus.  If you look at the document for VirtualBox, they support a hardware pass through mode but only for LINUX.  Sad as the PC would support this.  The drivers I used (WinRT) for this hardware would not work with Windows 10 as well so I spent the last three days porting my code to use Labview's generic driver.   Once I get the GPIB controller working, I can run everything under 10.   

I ended up getting a couple of express printer ports.  I understand these to be 100% compatible.  Hope this will get the old programmers and my dongles working.

[tautech]

Joe, I very recently had our local NI rep contact me out of the blue offering help and support.....might well be worth a phone call or email to see if there's help available that might not be apparent on NI's website.

[joeqsmith]

I posted on their website:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/Instrument-Control-GPIB-Serial/GPIB-ENET-Support-under-Windows-10/td-p/3336774

I think it's going to be a bust.  Maybe I was the only customer.   I started with an ISA controller.  When ISA went bust, I said screw that and went Ethernet assuming that would be a no brainer for them to support.

[Wuerstchenhund]

Just a thought, but perhaps you could use a VM to run an older Windows in it. Virtualbox is free

No need for VirtualBox, Windows 10 already comes with Hyper-V 2016 which at least in the tests we did performed notably better than VirtualBox.

The drivers I used (WinRT) for this hardware would not work with Windows 10

Not surprising. WinRT is ARM only, not x86/x64. Windows drivers are platform-dependant.

as well so I spent the last three days porting my code to use Labview's generic driver.   Once I get the GPIB controller working, I can run everything under 10.

   

First, let me say that we use Agilent/Keysight GPIB controllers at work (and I use them at home as well) so I have no direct experience with the NI GPIB Ethernet boxes and only little with the NI-VISA software, so I don't know if this works with your NI gear.

However, Agilent I/O Libraries support a mode where they can act as a 'server' where it just acts as a remote interface for one or more other I/O Lib installations on other PCs. So if this was an old HP GPIB-Ethernet adapter like the E2050B then I'd setup a Hyper-V VM in Windows 10 which runs plain Windows XP and the last version of the Agilent I/O libraries that supports the E2050B (IIRC 14.0), and then connect with the latest Keysight I/O Libraries under Windows 10 to the I/O Libs in the VM, which connect to the E2050B. This works completely transparent and from from your Windows 10 host it would look like any other instrument that is connected directly.

I wonder if NI has a similar feature in its software so you could just run the old NI-VISA on an old XP in a Hyper-V VM and have the latest NI-VISA software use it as a remote interface.

Just a thought.

[joeqsmith]

Just a thought, but perhaps you could use a VM to run an older Windows in it. Virtualbox is free

No need for VirtualBox, Windows 10 already comes with Hyper-V 2016 which at least in the tests we did performed notably better than VirtualBox.

The drivers I used (WinRT) for this hardware would not work with Windows 10

Not surprising. WinRT is ARM only, not x86/x64. Windows drivers are platform-dependant.

as well so I spent the last three days porting my code to use Labview's generic driver.   Once I get the GPIB controller working, I can run everything under 10.

   

First, let me say that we use Agilent/Keysight GPIB controllers at work (and I use them at home as well) so I have no direct experience with the NI GPIB Ethernet boxes and only little with the NI-VISA software, so I don't know if this works with your NI gear.

However, Agilent I/O Libraries support a mode where they can act as a 'server' where it just acts as a remote interface for one or more other I/O Lib installations on other PCs. So if this was an old HP GPIB-Ethernet adapter like the E2050B then I'd setup a Hyper-V VM in Windows 10 which runs plain Windows XP and the last version of the Agilent I/O libraries that supports the E2050B (IIRC 14.0), and then connect with the latest Keysight I/O Libraries under Windows 10 to the I/O Libs in the VM, which connect to the E2050B. This works completely transparent and from from your Windows 10 host it would look like any other instrument that is connected directly.

I wonder if NI has a similar feature in its software so you could just run the old NI-VISA on an old XP in a Hyper-V VM and have the latest NI-VISA software use it as a remote interface.

Just a thought.

I guess you Googled WinRT.  I have posted about this package before.  It's basically what Jungo is today. 

From above when Muxr had asked about it, I had already tested it running under VirtualBox and it works fine.   Goal is to have it all working under 10.   

The virtual port is something that could be done but it still adds another layer.  Easier to talk with it directly.

Reason for my post, I was thinking if the site had other users I would share the code. 

[Wuerstchenhund]

I guess you Googled WinRT. 

No need to google. Until recently I had a WinRT tablet (Microsoft Surface RT) in the office.

I have posted about this package before.  It's basically what Jungo is today.

I did have to google Jungo, though. From a quick look it seems to be an OS-agnostic driver development kit.

From above when Muxr had asked about it, I had already tested it running under VirtualBox and it works fine.   Goal is to have it all working under 10.   

The virtual port is something that could be done but it still adds another layer.  Easier to talk with it directly.

Reason for my post, I was thinking if the site had other users I would share the code.

Was it? I thought this was about your NI GPIB Ethernet adapters no longer being supported by NI?

[joeqsmith]

The WinRT was sold by Bluewater.  I think they want something in the 5K or so for Jungo.  I run into it a fair amount with various Mfg's eval boards.  Makes sense for prototype work.   NI's is the NI-VISA Driver Wizard which supports PXI, PCI and USB.   I've used it before and had good success with it.

Reason for my post, I was thinking if the site had other users I would share the code.

Was it? I thought this was about your NI GPIB Ethernet adapters no longer being supported by NI?

   

Yes it was.  I asked if anyone else was using it to see if it was worth posting my findings and share some ideas about getting it working. Even on the NI site, there have been no responses outside of NI.  Must not have been a big seller.