© 2012 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.
This file contains release notes, patent information, and last-minute information for NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 3.1. Some information in this file may be too recent to be included in the official documentation set.
This readme contains the following main sections:
Support for Windows Server 2003 R2 may require disabling physical address extensions (PAE). To learn how this might affect your use of Windows Server 2003 and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.
Win16 and DOS support are available on 32 bit Windows operating systems.
When installing on a system that already has a version of .NET Framework installed, NI-488.2 .NET Framework Help will appear in the Start menu next to other NI-488.2 shortcuts. This help requires a viewer, available with Visual Studio or other .NET development environments. If you do not have a viewer installed, you will receive a Missing Shortcut error when you try to launch the help.
This driver allows upgrades starting from NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, on Windows XP. To install over software lower than Version 2.0 on Windows XP, you must uninstall the lower version first. To uninstall on Windows XP, go to the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.5.2, was the first version to support Windows Vista. If you installed a version of NI-488.2 lower than Version 2.5.2 on Windows Vista, you must uninstall it. To uninstall on Windows Vista, go to the Control Panel and select Programs and Features. After uninstalling the unsupported driver on Windows Vista, you must run a clean-up utility. For this utility and more information, visit ni.com/kb and search for 46BH366K.
You must uninstall a higher version before installing a lower version.
For more information about changes in NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 3.1, review the Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 3.1 section.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 3.1, supports GPIB communication using the following hardware.
GPIB Interface | Windows 8/7 SP1/Vista SP2/Server 2008 R2 SP1 | Windows XP SP3/Server 2003 R2 SP2 (32-Bit) |
AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) | No | Yes |
GPIB-ENET/100 | Yes1 | Yes1 |
GPIB-ENET/1000 | Yes | Yes |
GPIB-USB-B | Yes | Yes |
GPIB-USB-HS | Yes | Yes |
NI ExpressCard-GPIB | Yes | Yes |
NI PCIe-GPIB | Yes | Yes |
NI PCIe-GPIB+ | Yes | Yes |
NI PCI-GPIB | Yes | Yes |
NI PCI-GPIB+ | Yes | Yes |
NI PCI-GPIB/LP | Yes | Yes |
NI PCI-8212 | Yes | Yes |
NI PCI-8232 | Yes | Yes |
NI PCMCIA-GPIB | No | Yes |
NI PCMCIA-GPIB+ | No | Yes |
NI PMC-GPIB | Yes | Yes |
NI PXI-GPIB | Yes | Yes |
NI PXI-8212 | Yes | Yes |
NI PXI-8232 | Yes | Yes |
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 3.1, supports GPIB Analyzer functionality using the following hardware.
GPIB Interface | Windows 8/7 SP1/Vista SP2/Server 2008 R2 SP1 | Windows XP SP3/Server 2003 R2 SP2 (32-Bit) |
NI PCIe-GPIB+ | Yes | Yes |
NI PCI-GPIB+ | Yes | Yes |
NI PCMCIA-GPIB+ | No | Yes |
This driver version is recommended for use with the following National Instruments software:
The Measurement Studio examples install to various directories, depending on the following:
For detailed information on examples for Measurement Studio, refer to Where To Find Examples in the NI Measurement Studio Help.
The following table lists the programming languages and Microsoft Visual Studio versions supported by NI-488.2.
Programming Language | Visual Studio Versions Supported by NI-488.2 |
Unmanaged C/C++ | 6.0[1], 2003, 2005[2], 2008[3], and 2010[4] |
.NET Framework 2.0 Languages (C# and Visual Basic.NET) |
2005[5] |
.NET Framework 3.5 Languages (C# and Visual Basic.NET) |
2008 |
.NET Framework 4.0 Languages (C# and Visual Basic.NET) |
2010[6] |
Visual Basic | 6.0[7] |
1 Programs built in debug mode using Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 cannot link to the current ni4882 object file. For how to solve this problem, go to ni.com/kb and search for 5DNDRI2F. 2 Requires Measurement Studio 8.0.1 - Measurement Studio 2009. 3 Requires Measurement Studio 8.6 - Measurement Studio 2009. 4 Microsoft Visual C/C++ 6.0 and 2003 do not support 64-bit GPIB applications. 5 Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2005 does not support 64-bit GPIB applications. 6 Requires Windows XP SP3 or later. 7 Visual Basic 6.0 does not support 64-bit GPIB applications. |
NI-488.2 for Windows, version 2.8.1 was the last release that included full feature support for Visual C++ MFC 2005 and 2008. Additions made to the NI-488.2 API after version 2.8.1 will not be reflected in the Visual C++ MFC support.
If you are using .NET Framework 1.1 or Visual C++ MFC 2003 and you need NI-488.2 support, you must use NI-488.2 2.8 or earlier. However, if you installed .NET Framework 1.1 or Visual C++ MFC 2003 support from a previous version of NI-488.2, upgrading to version 3.1 will not remove that support. For more information on NI-488.2 support for .NET Framework 1.1 or Visual C++ MFC 2003, including considerations for users upgrading from NI-488.2 2.8 or earlier, visit ni.com/info and enter the info code 488mvs03.
NI-488.2 includes ANSI C support for Borland 5.02.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 3.1, adds support for Windows 8. Refer to the Supported Interfaces table for the list of hardware supported on Windows 8.
351266: NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 3.1, adds support for direct entry into ni4882.dll. Previously there was only support for gpib-32.dll.
311091: In certain PXI Express chassis, the performance of GPIB writes through PXI-GPIB interfaces is very slow. This has been fixed.
370676: When disconnecting a USB hub with GPIB hardware connected, the GPIB hardware will not be properly removed from the system. This will prevent the use of the device until the system is rebooted. During the following reboot or shutdown, a blue screen error may occur. This has been fixed.
371371: When disconnecting a USB hub shortly after connecting a GPIB-USB-HS to the hub, a blue screen error may occur immediately. This has been fixed.
144103: Removing PCMCIA-GPIB interfaces while Windows is hibernated or suspended causes blue screen error during resume. This has been fixed.
122048: GPIB interface remains in locked state after the locking process is terminated unexpectedly. This generates an ELCK error on subsequent attempts to open the interface. This problem impacted all USB based GPIB interfaces. This has been fixed.
329737: A crash could occur after an upgrade if a GPIB interface was removed prior to the upgrade. The crash would occur after reinstalling the previously removed hardware. This is known to happen if the prior version installed was earlier than 2.8, and the driver is upgraded to version 2.8 or later. This issue is now resolved.
329127: PCMCIA and AT interfaces did not properly appear in Measurement & Automation Explorer or the System Configuration API when using NI-488.2 for Windows, version 3.0. This problem has been fixed.
GPIB interfaces are now displayed in MAX according to how they are connected to the system. Ethernet devices will now be located in the Network Devices section, and PXI interfaces are located with their associated PXI chassis.
GPIB interfaces supported by NI-488.2 for Windows will now be visible through the NI System Configuration API.
Previous versions of NI-488.2 for Windows did not install DOS and Win16 support on Windows 7 or Vista. It is now installed on all 32-bit versions of Windows. The feature is enabled by default, but may be disabled through Measurement and Automation Explorer.
USB and ExpressCard interfaces failed to install properly in VirtualPC, including Windows 7 XP Mode. These interfaces now enumerate correctly.
GPIB configuration data can now be reset to default through Measurement and Automation Explorer.
NI Spy is replaced by NI I/O Trace.
299874: Setting the default HS Cable Length in Measurement and Automation Explorer for the GPIB-ENET/1000 did not work. This problem had been fixed. Note: This fix requires the GPIB-ENET/1000 firmware to be updated to version 1.0.1 or later.
279530: When closing device handle, the process may hang if a USB or ExpressCard interface was removed with a call to ibwait pending. This problem had been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.8.1, adds .NET Framework 4.0 support. It is available as an option in the Feature tree during installation.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.8, adds support for the GPIB-ENET/1000. For information about the differences between the GPIB-ENET/1000 and the GPIB-ENET/100, visit ni.com/kb and search for 5BPER2G2.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.8, adds support for Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit only) and Windows Server 2008 R2. Refer to the Supported Interfaces table for the list of supported hardware.
Support for Windows 2000 is discontinued in this release.
Traditional Chinese translations are discontinued in this release.
A significant performance decrease may be encountered when performing I/O with DMA enabled. This issue impacted all PCI, PCI Express, PXI, and PMC interfaces, including the built-in GPIB ports on PXI and VXI controllers. This will happen with NI-488.2, Version 2.7.2, and older versions of NI-488.2 on systems where other NI software has been updated. This has been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.7.2, adds support for Windows 7 x86 (32-bit) and Windows 7 x64 (64-bit). Refer to the Supported Interfaces table for the list of hardware supported on Windows 7.
182620: PCI type GPIB interfaces (PCI, PCI Express, PMC, PXI) were not waiting the recommended time of 1.5 ms for instruments to respond to ibln() and FindLstn() calls. This typically would affect only older instruments with significantly slow response time and does not affect most recent instruments. This has been fixed.
173210: BIOS incompatibilities on some systems prevented NI PXI-GPIB DMA from functioning properly across a MXI-Express link. Affected systems would fail all transfers larger than 32 bytes when configured for DMA mode. This issue has been fixed.
171428: Terminating a process that is using a USB GPIB interface could cause the process to hang and possibly a bluescreen. This has been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.7.1, adds support for 64-bit user mode in .NET Framework 3.5. You now can create 64-bit applications with .NET Framework 3.5.
For additional information, refer to Working with 64-bit .NET Support for NI-488.2 in the NI-488.2 .NET Framework 3.5 Help. This help file is available at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-488.2»NI-488.2 .NET Framework 3.5 Help when the .NET Framework 3.5 Languages Support is installed on the system.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.7, adds support for the NI PCIe-GPIB+ Controller/Analyzer board.
This release adds support for the GPIB Analyzer on Windows Vista x64 (64-bit).
35095: Updated message displayed when using the Analyzer application without analyzer hardware present.
128461: The analyzer button is enabled in Measurement & Automation Explorer only when an analyzer interface is selected.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.7, adds Measurement Studio 2008 support. Measurement Studio 2008 support is selectable in the Feature tree during installation.
The serial number of a GPIB-ENET/100 can now be queried using the ibask function call.
135269: If a USB interface was removed while the system was shutting down, a runtime error could occur. This has been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6, adds a 64-bit application interface that allows users to create 64-bit applications on Windows Vista x64 (64-bit) using ni4882.obj. Using the 32-bit version of ni4882.obj, users can use the same NI4882 API to build corresponding 32-bit applications with no source code changes. The 32-bit applications based on ni4882.obj are compatible on systems with NI-488.2 for Windows, versions 1.7 and later.
For more information about the new NI4882 API, refer to the NI-488.2 Help.
This release adds support in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) for the standard Export and Import wizard. This allows you to transfer the NI-488.2 configuration settings for supported GPIB interfaces.
By default, only users with Administrator privileges can update NI-488.2 configuration settings in MAX. For less restrictive environments, this release adds an option in the MAX Tools menu to allow privileges to all users for updating configuration settings. Only a user with Administrator privileges can set the option.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6, adds .NET Framework 3.5 support and Visual Studio 2005 support fixes. They are options in the Feature tree during installation.
The Application Interface (formerly called Language Interface) and example files have moved.
The NIEXTCCOMPILERSUPP environment variable is provided as an alias to the location of C language support files. You can use this variable when compiling and linking an application. The Application Interface files (header and library files to include in applications) moved to a centralized location to prevent users from accidentally overwriting them and to provide this NIEXTCCOMPILERSUPP environment variable.
You can access the examples through Start»Programs»National Instruments»NI-488.2»Examples. The examples require the new NI4882 API.
For more information about the new NI4882 API, refer to the NI-488.2 Help.
This release includes the option of installing NI-488.2 for LabVIEW Real-Time parts from the Feature tree during installation. See the ReadMeRT.html file for more information about NI-488.2 for LabVIEW Real-Time.
41151: In rare cases, a PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA bluescreen appeared while the driver executed a serial poll. This has been fixed.
40815: In rare cases, using ibnotify with GPIB USB interfaces produced an error message, where x and y represent memory addresses: The instruction at x referenced memory at y. The memory could not be "read." This has been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.5.2, adds support for Windows Vista x86 (32-bit) and Windows Vista x64 (64-bit). Refer to the Supported Interfaces table for the list of hardware supported on Windows Vista.
This driver includes several usability improvements, including the following:
For more details about these utilities and tools, refer to the NI-488.2 Help.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Versions 2.2 through 2.4.x, attempt to prevent the system from going to standby or hibernate if there is an application with an open NI-488.2 handle. To satisfy Windows Vista requirements, this has changed to no longer prevent the system from going to standby or hibernate. After the system returns from standby or hibernate, take the handle offline and open a new handle, because any subsequent calls from the previously opened handle will return the EPWR error code, except for ibonl 0.
This driver adds .NET 2005 language support and .NET 2003 language support fixes via the native .NET API. They are options in the Feature tree during installation.
Note that prior versions of NI-488.2 for Windows offered two options for .NET support to make it easier to update existing applications. The NI-488.2 wrapper interface, which previously was available on the CD in the Microsoft .NET Language Interface directory, has been removed from the current distribution. The NI-488.2 wrapper interface is still available at our Web site, ni.com.
The Language Interface and example files have moved from the Program Files\National Instruments\NI-488.2\Languages directory to the Users\Public\Documents\National Instruments\NI-488.2\Languages directory on Windows Vista and the Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\National Instruments\NI-488.2\Languages directory on Windows XP/2000. This change satisfies Windows Vista requirements, when allowing users to save changes or add files to the directory. Note that the NI-488.2 Help incorrectly describes the location for .NET examples.
3Q4GJOAU: On certain machines, a bluescreen describing an NMI Parity Error appeared on installing a NI PCI-GPIB+ interface. This has been fixed.
GPIB-USB-HS performance has improved and is optimized for whether it is connected to a full-speed or high-speed port.
3R296C5E: If an event handler was installed to handle service request (SRQ) events, the events could fail to trigger if the session was currently locked exclusively. This has been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.4, adds support for GPIB-USB-HS, NI ExpressCard-GPIB, and a revised version of the NI PCI-GPIB+ Controller/Analyzer board.
Support for the obsolete GPIB-USB-A interface is discontinued in this release.
3I191NAK: Driver version 2.3 performance during ibcmd and serial poll calls was lower than version 2.2. This has been fixed and improved over version 2.2.
Documentation has been updated for various features.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.3, adds language support for Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), and Korean. This is in addition to English and Japanese languages supported by the previous versions of NI-488.2 for Windows. All components of this release have been localized with the exception of:
This release also includes new getting started documentation in all languages supported, available through the View Documentation utility on the NI-488.2 for Windows CD.
Windows 98/Me support is discontinued in this release.
3BI8A578: The Sysprep utility would cause a crash in some cases of deployment. This has been fixed.
3D9ES759: An ibstop call was unable to stop asynchronous ibcmda calls. This has been fixed.
Some cosmetic issues with GPIB utilities have been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.2, adds support for the AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) interface.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.2, adds support for the NI PCIe-GPIB, a PCI Express Interface for GPIB.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.2, adds the EPWR error code. This error indicates that the interface lost power. This may occur when the system goes to standby or hibernate mode. The NI-488.2 driver attempts to prevent the system from going to standby or hibernate if there is an application with an open NI-488.2 handle.
National Instruments provides two interfaces for developing GPIB-based applications in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 or later:
We recommend the native .NET API as the preferred method of developing GPIB .NET applications because of its superior integration into the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET IDE. The native .NET API can be installed from the NI-488.2 CD by selecting it from the custom installation section. It is installed in the National Instruments\Measurement Studio subdirectory. Full integrated help for this API is available inside the Visual Studio .NET environment. The NI-488.2 wrapper interface can be found on the CD in the Microsoft .NET Language Interface directory.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.2, adds the IbaSerialNumber option to ibask. This allows customers to query the serial number of the board that they are using. The ibask call will return a 32-bit serial number for supported interfaces. The driver will return with ERR bit set in ibsta, and iberr set to ECAP for unsupported interfaces. This feature is not supported with the Visual Basic language interface. The VB language interface for ibask does not handle unsigned 32-bit numbers.
34EHULAW: Older National Instruments PCMCIA-GPIB devices would not enumerate properly with the 2.1 driver. This has been fixed.
2Q379FSL: The driver sometimes would not call the ibnotify callback, or call the ibnotify callback improperly when waiting for RQS. This has been fixed.
35LEK99F: The driver would hang if a device-level ibconfig was called with IbcSPollTime, IbcPAD, or IbcSAD when an ibnotify call on the same device descriptor was in progress. This has been fixed.
36NARLXY: The driver had a small memory leak when being used by VISA. This has been fixed.
2SJC9C00: The GPIB Analyzer application would crash when launched with some video cards. This has been fixed.
2XFEF2Q6: Enabling DOS support worked improperly when logging in as a different user than it was enabled as. This has been fixed.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.1, adds support for the NI PCMCIA-GPIB interface. Following the precedent of Version 2.0 of the driver, which unified the driver for the PCI, ENET, and USB interfaces, this version ensures that those interfaces along with the NI PCMCIA-GPIB can function simultaneously with the same driver.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.1, supports the GPIB analyzer portion of the NI PCI-GPIB+ and NI PCMCIA-GPIB+ on the Windows XP/2000 operating systems. This support was previously only available on Windows NT/98/95.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, improves the installation experience for the user.
In the past, there were separate drivers for plug-in interface boards (NI PCI-GPIB, etc.), the GPIB-ENET family, and the GPIB-USB-A. Only one of these three could be installed and used at any one time. NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, removes this restriction. All supported interfaces function simultaneously with the same driver.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, resolves the issue that prevents users running the software in USER mode (as opposed to ADMINISTRATOR mode).
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, offers an improved localized solution in Japanese.
NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, does not support Win16 applications for Windows Me/9x platforms. Win16 support is available under Windows XP/2000. To use these applications under Windows Me/9x, you must use a previous version of NI-488.2 for Windows. DOS support is available on all operating systems this driver supports.
Thank you for your interest in NI-488.2 for Windows. We appreciate communicating with the people who use our products. We are also very interested in hearing about the applications you develop using our products. Our Web site, ni.com, provides advanced support and services and contact information.
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.
The following section summarizes, in alphabetical order, the third party software used by this product.
Copyright (c) 1999, 2002 Aladdin Enterprises. All rights reserved.
This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:
1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.
2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software.
3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
Copyright (c) 1996 - 2011, Daniel Stenberg, daniel@haxx.se.
All rights reserved.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Except as contained in this notice, the name of a copyright holder shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or other dealings in this Software without prior written authorization of the copyright holder.
Copyright (c) 2011 John Resig, http://jquery.com/
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Copyright (c) 1992,1993,1994 Gnanasekaran Swaminathan
All rights reserved.
Permission is granted to use at your own risk and distribute this software in source and binary forms provided the above copyright notice and this paragraph are preserved on all copies. This software is provided "as is" with no express or implied warranty
Copyright (c) 2000-2006 Lee Thomason (www.grinninglizard.com)
This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:
1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.
2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be misrepresented as being the original software.
3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.