R&S AFQ100A
Switchover to Remote Control
1401.3084.32 5.8
E-3
Software for instrument control and the VISA program library must be installed on the controller. The
instrument control is via the VXI-11 standard protocol.
Only the IP address or the computer name is required for link setup. The IP address/computer name is
part of the "resource name" used by the programs for identification and control of the instrument. The
resource name has the form:
TCPIP::ipaddr::inst0::INSTR
ipaddr
has to be replaced by the IP address or the computer name of the instrument.
For instance, if the instrument has the IP address 192.1.2.3, TCPIP::192.1.2.3::inst0::INSTR is the valid
resource name. Specification of
inst0
in the resource name is optional. In this example, also
TCPIP::192.1.2.3::INSTR is therefore a valid resource name.
A resource name with computer name could be
TCPIP::RSAFQ100Axxxxxx::INSTR
, for instance.
TCPIP
designates the network protocol used and
INSTR
indicates that the VXI-11 protocol is used.
If several instruments are connected to the network, each instrument has its own IP address and
associated resource name. The controller identifies these instruments by means of the resource name.
In the example below, the program 'Measurement & Automation Explorer' from National Instruments is
used for setting up an Ethernet remote-control link. Link setup with this program is easy and first tests
can be performed. The R&S AFQ is preconfigured for networks using DHCP (dynamic host
configuration protocol). If this configuration is used, the computer name must be entered at the position
of the IP address. It is also possible to assign a fixed IP address to the R&S AFQ (see chapter 1,
section
Configuring the R&S AFQ for Network Operation