NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6

© 2008 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Thank you for using NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6.

This file contains release notes, patent information, and last-minute information for the NI-488.2 for Windows software. Some information in this file may be too recent to be included in the official documentation set.

This readme contains the following main sections:


Release Notes

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6, is the latest driver offering from National Instruments. Every attempt has been made to maintain backward compatibility with the installed base of existing NI-488.2 applications.

Windows 2000 Installation

When installing on a Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 system without critical updates, you may encounter an error message during installation: \SystemRoot\system32\DRIVERS\ni488k.sys device driver could not be loaded. Error Status was 0xc0000034. You can ignore this message, as installation will continue normally. To prevent this message from appearing, do either of the following before running the NI-488.2 installation:

More information is available at our Web site, ni.com, when you search for KnowledgeBase 45O8JNHR.

Win16 and DOS Support

Win16 and DOS support are not available on Windows Vista and later operating systems.

Borland Builder and Delphi

The Borland Builder and Delphi examples have been removed from the current distribution. These examples are still available at our Web site, ni.com. When upgrading to the current distribution, any Borland Builder and Delphi files installed by the lower version of NI-488.2 will be removed.

NI-488.2 .NET Framework Help

When installing on Windows Vista or 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.

Upgrading from Released NI-488.2 Versions

This driver allows upgrades starting from NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, on Windows XP/2000, and from NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.5.2, on Windows Vista. To install over software lower than Version 2.0 on Windows XP/2000, you must uninstall the lower version first. To uninstall on Windows XP/2000, go to Add/Remove Programs.

Unsupported NI-488.2 Versions on Vista

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.5.2, is the first version to support Windows Vista. If you have 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 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 and search for KnowledgeBase 46BH366K.

Downgrading to Lower NI-488.2 Versions

You must uninstall the higher version before installing the lower version. To uninstall, go to Programs and Features on Windows Vista or Add/Remove Programs on Windows XP/2000.

Upgrading from Unreleased NI-488.2 Versions

During beta program testing for NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6, you must uninstall any previous unreleased (that is, API preview or beta) NI-488.2 version before installing the next one. To uninstall, go to Add/Remove Programs on Windows XP/2000 or Programs and Features on Windows Vista.


Please review the Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.6 section.


Supported Interfaces

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6, supports the following hardware.

GPIB Interface XP sp2/2000 sp4 Vista x86 (32 bit) sp1 Vista x64 (64 bit) sp1
AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) Yes No No
GPIB-ENET/100 Yes Yes Yes
GPIB-USB-B Yes Yes Yes
GPIB-USB-HS Yes Yes Yes
NI ExpressCard-GPIB Yes Yes Yes
NI PCIe-GPIB Yes Yes Yes
PCI-GPIB Yes Yes Yes
PCI-GPIB+ Yes Yes Yes*
PCI-GPIB/LP Yes Yes Yes
PCI-8212 Yes Yes Yes
PCI-8232 Yes Yes Yes
PCMCIA-GPIB Yes No No
PCMCIA-GPIB+ Yes No No
PMC-GPIB Yes Yes Yes
PXI-GPIB Yes Yes Yes
PXI-8212 Yes Yes Yes
PXI-8232 Yes Yes Yes

* Analyzer functionality is not supported.


Compatible Software

This driver version has been tested with the following software at the time of the release.

Note: From the list above, only Microsoft Visual C/C++ 8.0 and 9.0 support 64-bit GPIB applications at this time.

This driver should work with versions earlier than those listed above, but the earlier versions have not been tested. Check our Web site, ni.com, for more information about compatible software released later than this driver.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.6

64-bit Application Interface

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.

Portable Configuration

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.

Configuration Privileges

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.

.NET Support

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.6, adds .NET 2008 support and .NET 2005 support fixes. They are options in the Feature tree during installation.

Application Interface and Examples

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.

Real-Time Option

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.

Serial Poll Bluescreen

41151: In rare cases, a PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA bluescreen appeared while the driver executed a serial poll. This has been fixed.

ibnotify Error

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.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.5.2

Windows Vista

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.

Usability

This driver includes several usability improvements, including the following:

For more details about these utilities and tools, refer to the NI-488.2 Help.

Power Management

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.

.NET Support

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.

Language Interface and Examples

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.

Analyzer NMI Parity Error

3Q4GJOAU: On certain machines, a bluescreen describing an NMI Parity Error appeared on installing a PCI-GPIB+ interface. This has been fixed.

GPIB-USB-HS

GPIB-USB-HS performance has improved and is optimized for whether it is connected to a full-speed or high-speed port.

SRQ

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.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.4

New Hardware Support

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.4, adds support for GPIB-USB-HS, NI ExpressCard-GPIB, and a revised version of the PCI-GPIB+ Controller/Analyzer board.

GPIB-USB-A

Support for the obsolete GPIB-USB-A interface is discontinued in this release.

ibcmd and Serial Poll Performance

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

Documentation has been updated for various features.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.3

New Language Support

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

Windows 98/Me support is discontinued in this release.

Microsoft Sysprep Utility

3BI8A578: The Sysprep utility would cause a crash in some cases of deployment. This has been fixed.

ibcmda and ibstop

3D9ES759: An ibstop call was unable to stop asynchronous ibcmda calls. This has been fixed.

Utilities

Some cosmetic issues with GPIB utilities have been fixed.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.2

AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP)

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.2, adds support for the AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) interface.

PCI-Express™ Interface for GPIB

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.2, adds support for the NI PCIe-GPIB, a PCI-Express™ Interface for GPIB.

Power Management

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.

.NET Support

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.

New ibask option

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.

PCMCIA-GPIB

34EHULAW: Older National Instruments PCMCIA-GPIB devices would not enumerate properly with the 2.1 driver. This has been fixed.

ibnotify

2Q379FSL: The driver sometimes would not call the ibnotify callback, or call the ibnotify callback improperly when waiting for RQS. This has been fixed.

ibconfig

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.

Memory leak

36NARLXY: The driver had a small memory leak when being used by VISA. This has been fixed.

Analyzer

2SJC9C00: The GPIB Analyzer application would crash when launched with some video cards. This has been fixed.

DOS

2XFEF2Q6: Enabling DOS support worked improperly when logging in as a different user than it was enabled as. This has been fixed.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.1

PCMCIA-GPIB

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.1, adds support for the 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 PCMCIA-GPIB can function simultaneously with the same driver.

Analyzer

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.1, supports the GPIB analyzer portion of the PCI-GPIB+ and PCMCIA-GPIB+ on the Windows XP/2000 operating systems. This support was previously only available on Windows NT/98/95.


Enhancements and Bug Fixes in Version 2.0

Installer

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, improves the installation experience for the user.

Windows XP/2000

In the past, there were separate drivers for plug-in interface boards (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).

Internationalized Software Support

NI-488.2 for Windows, Version 2.0, offers an improved localized solution in Japanese.

Win16 and DOS Support

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.


Contacting National Instruments

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.


Patent 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.