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Chapter 1
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Introduction
Purpose
Welcome to
IVI Getting Started Guide
. This guide introduces key concepts about
IVI drivers and shows you how to create a short program to perform a
measurement. The guide also provides a brief introduction to several advanced
topics.
IVI Getting Started Guide
is intended for individuals who write and run programs
to control test-and-measurement instruments. As you develop test programs, you
face decisions about how you communicate with the instruments. Some of your
choices include Direct I/O, VXIplug&play drivers, or IVI drivers. If you are new to
using IVI drivers or just want a quick refresher on how to get started,
IVI Getting
Started Guide
can help.
IVI Getting Started Guide
shows you that IVI drivers can be straightforward, easy-
to-use tools. IVI drivers provide a number of advantages that can save time and
money during development, while improving performance as well. Whether you are
starting a new program or making improvements to an existing one, you should
consider the use of IVI drivers to develop your test programs.
So consider this the “hello, instrument” guide for IVI drivers. If you recall, the “hello
world” program, which originally appeared in Programming in C: A Tutorial, simply
prints out “hello, world.” The “hello, instrument” program performs a simple
measurement on a simulated instrument and returns the result. We think you’ll find
that far more useful.
Why Use an Instrument Driver?
To understand the benefits of IVI drivers, we need to start by defining instrument
drivers in general and describing why they are useful. An instrument driver is a set
of software routines that controls a programmable instrument. Each routine
corresponds to a programmatic operation, such as configuring, writing to, reading
from, and triggering the instrument. Instrument drivers simplify instrument control
and reduce test program development time by eliminating the need to learn the
programming protocol for each instrument.