GPIB Installation/Configuration Troubleshooter

GPIB-ENET and Windows 3.1 - Verify the Hardware Installation

Verify the Hardware Installation
When you power on your GPIB-ENET, the POWER LED comes on immediately. The READY LED flashes while it completes its power-on self-tests. When the tests complete successfully and the IP address is assigned, the READY LED remains steady, indicating that the unit is ready to operate.

The power-on self tests take about 10 seconds to complete. The time required for the IP address assignment is highly dependent on your network and the configuration of your GPIB-ENET. If the POWER LED does not come on immediately or the READY LED continues to flash for more than 1 minute, refer to the Troubleshooting Hardware Problems section below. Otherwise, proceed to the Verify the Software Installation section.

Troubleshooting Hardware Problems
Warning: The GPIB-ENET contains circuitry that operates with hazardous voltages. Do not attempt to open and service the box yourself. Leave that task to qualified personnel.

Verify that all cables are securely connected to the GPIB-ENET.
Verify that the GPIB-ENET is powered on. If the unit is powered on and plugged into an outlet of the proper voltage, yet you see no LED activity, check the condition of the fuse.
Warning: For continued protection against fire, replace the fuse with only the same type and rating of fuse.
Verify that the Ethernet port configuration slide switch is set to the correct Ethernet port. Refer to the Configure the Slide Switch section of Chapter 3, Configuring the Hardware and Software, for more information.
Verify that the DIP switch settings are configured properly for your setup. Refer to the Configure the DIP Switch section of Chapter 3, and also to Appendix B, GPIB-ENET 8-Bit DIP Switch, for more information.
Verify with the system administrator that your IP address is valid and that the network is set up to recognize the IP address properly.
If you configured the IP address manually using the Assign IP Address utility, verify that you have followed the steps in Appendix C, GPIB-ENET Configuration Utilities, correctly.
If the READY LED continues to flash for more than 1 minute, you have a problem with your setup. If the READY LED is flashing quickly, the GPIB-ENET is unable to obtain its IP address from the network. In this case, check with your network administrator to verify your IP address and make sure that you recorded the Ethernet address correctly. If the READY LED is blinking slowly, the GPIB-ENET has an internal error. In this case, refer to Appendix D, READY LED Signaling, to determine which error is being reported and contact National Instruments.

Verify the Software Installation
To test the software installation, and to verify that the software and hardware communicate properly, run the Software Diagnostic Test that came with your NI-488.2 software. The Software Diagnostic Test is a Windows application that requires no user interaction.

Follow these steps to run the Software Diagnostic Test:

Disconnect any GPIB cables.
Double-click on the Software Diagnostic Test icon in the NI-488.2 GPIB-ENET Software group in the Program Manager.

GPIB Software Diagnostic

If the software diagnostic tests pass, then your next task is to try communicating with your GPIB device through the GPIB Interactive Control (IBIC).

If the Software Diagnostic Test returns an error message, refer to the next section for troubleshooting instructions.

Troubleshooting Software Problems
The following sections explain common error messages generated by the Software Diagnostic Test.

Note: In the following paragraphs, gpibx refers to the board name gpib0, gpib1, gpib2, or gpib3, as appropriate.

Presence Test of Software Components
The Software Diagnostic Test checks for the presence of gpib.ini, gpib.dll, gpib_drv.exe, and winsock.dll. If the gpib.ini file is not found in the Windows directory, the following error message is displayed:
If the gpib.dll file is not found in either the Windows or the Windows System directory, the following error message is displayed:
If the gpib_drv.exe file is not found in the Windows System directory, the following error message is displayed:
If you get any of these three messages, you must reinstall the NI-488.2 software. If the gpib.dll file is found in the Windows directory, the following error message is displayed:
If you get this message, move the gpib.dll file into the Windows System directory and run the Software Diagnostic Test again.

If the winsock.dll file cannot be loaded, a warning box pops up with the following text:
Click on the Close button of the message box to continue. The following error message is then displayed:
Make sure that winsock.dll is somewhere in your search path. If you do not know whether it is in your search path, place it in your Windows System directory (usually c:\windows\system). If you are unable to locate winsock.dll, you should install a Winsock provider. After installing a Winsock provider, run the Software Diagnostic Test again.
Presence Test of Driver
The Software Diagnostic Test displays the following message when it fails because of a mismatch between gpib.ini and gpib.dll:
If this message appears, you should reinstall the NI-488.2 software.
Presence Test of Interface
The following error message appears if the software is not configured properly:
If this message appears, you could have one of the following situations:
- The GPIB-ENET is not correctly configured for your network. Try to ping your GPIB-ENET to make sure it is recognizable on the network. ping is a network utility that sends a packet to a device/host on the network, then waits for it to be echoed back, which indicates an active device/host. Your winsock provider probably came with a ping utility. Find the directory where ping.exe is installed and type in the following command:
  where IPaddress is the IP address assigned to your GPIB-ENET. If your network administrator assigned you a hostname also, you can type in ping hostname. If ping is unable to communicate with your GPIB-ENET and your network administrator tells you that your IP address is valid, contact National Instruments.
- The Use this Interface field in the GPIB software configuration utility might be unchecked for gpibx. If you want to use the GPIB-ENET associated with gpib x, you must check this field.
- The GPIB-ENET might not be properly configured. Refer to the Configure the Hardware section in Chapter 3, Configuring the Hardware and Software, for detailed instructions.
- The IP Address field in the GPIB software configuration utility might be incorrect for the GPIB-ENET gpibx. Run the GPIB software configuration utility to enter the correct IP address value.
GPIB Cables Connected
The following error message appears if a GPIB cable is connected to the GPIB-ENET when you run the Software Diagnostic Test: