Dell Laptop Won't Communicate w/GPIB-ENET/100

[mloisell]

I have a GPIB-ENET/100 that works great when controlled from a desktop computer on our network, yet when I try to control it with a laptop, it won't pass the third test (GPIB Interfaces Sequentially Verified) in the MAX NI-488.2 Trouble-Shooting Wizard. NI-Spy reports iberr EDVR(0):

> 1. ibfind(GPIB0)
> Process ID: 0x000007FC Thread ID: 0x00000360
> Start Time: 09:18:36.876 Call Duration: 00:00:02.323
> ibsta: 0x8000 iberr: 0 ibcntl: -519700367(0xe1060071)



The laptop is a Dell Latitude C510/C610 running Windows XP and NI-488.2 2.10. I've also verified that I have the latest BIOS and drivers.

Has anyone else ever seen anything like this?

Thanks!

Matt

[Ricardo_SR]

Hi Matt,

Usually when you have a sequentially verified test failed, it is because there is a resource conflict.
Please check the following link.
PCI or PCMCIA GPIB Device Fails the GPIB Interfaces Sequentially Verified Test
Make sure that you can ping the GPIB-enet box.
Here are some links on how to troubleshoot EDVR errors:
Causes of EDVR Error on the GPIB-ENET
Again, make sure that you have firmware version B.9 and driver 2.2
If you try directly from ibic what happens?
To try in ibic you need to go to Measur
ement and Automation Explorer go to the GPIB board and right click it. Then choose communicate with instrument.

Hope this helps,

Ricardo Santa Olalla
National Instruments

[mloisell]

Hi Ricardo,

Thank you for the suggestions!

Regarding the first link you suggested:
1. GPIB cable is disconnected
2a. I'm using firmware B.9 and NI 488.2 v2.1
2b. Doesn't apply as this is connected via the network
3. Doesn't apply, same as 2b
4. Doesn't apply, same as 2b

GPIB-ENET/100 pings great: <1ms response time.

Regarding the second link, my network administrator assures me that the address assigned for the GPIB-ENET/100 is unique.

I confirmed the firmware is vB.9 and I'm using NI 488.2 v2.1, which is the latest version I can find on the NI web site. Is 2.2 in your note a typo?

I was able to get the ibic prompt from MAX by right clicking the GPIB device and selecting "Interactive Control", but I'm not familiar with the interface
and it's pretty cryptic, so I wasn't able to determine anything interactively. Are there any commands you can suggest that I try from the ibic prompt?

Thanks!

--
Matt

[voraciousniuser]

Hi Matt -- as Ricardo said, looks like you are having a resource conflict -- in addition to all the steps that you carried you with the links, did you also go to the BIOS during startup to check IRQs? If not, you can find out how to do this here

The Interactive Control (IBIC) is a nice way to check your instrument as it allows you to do low level calls to your GPIB instrument. The calls that you make will depend on your instrument but its similar to using a linux command prompt. So, I would suggest refering to the manual of your instrument.

Hope this helps -- VNIU

[mloisell]

Hi VNIU,

Thanks for the info, but I don't see how this can be an IRQ conflict as I am trying to communicate with the GPIB-ENET/100 via our ethernet. Everything else I do via our network from this laptop computer works just fine, including entering my comments in this thread.

I tried using "ibfind" in IBIC and got an "EDVR 0xe0140035" error. I also tried "ibfind gpib0" and got an "EDVR 0xe1060071" error.

The GPIB-ENET/100 continues to ping great and can still be controlled from a desktop computer elsewhere in the building. The trouble seems to be limited to the Dell laptop. The biggest difference between the two computers (other than one is a laptop and the other is a desktop) is the desktop is running Windows 2000, while the lap
top is running Windows XP.

[gpibtester]

Matt,

The iberr EDVR(0) with ibcntl set to 0xe1060071, can occur when the ENET hostname or IP Address is invalid. You might want to check how the ENET/100 is configured on the desktop and then compare it to the laptop. To check what the ENET hostname (or IP Address) is set to:

1. Invoke MAX.
2. Right-click on the GPIB-ENET/100 in the Devices & Interfaces list.
3. Select "Properties" from the drop-down list.
4. In the GPIB Configuration dialog box, click on the "Network Settings" tab.
5. Check to see what is entered in the text field for "IP Address/Hostname:".

Once you find out what the IP Address/Hostname is set to on the desktop, then you can verify it is set to the same on the laptop.

Hope this information helps.

[mloisell]

Hello gpibtester,

That was it, although I could swear that was one of the first things I checked, and neither the hostname nor the IP address seemed to work. I must be losing my mind. 😉

To summarize, it appears that although a hostname can be specified in the "Device Configuration" via...

1. Invoke MAX
2. Right-click on the GPIB-ENET/100 in the Devices & Interfaces list.
3. Select "Device Configuration" from the drop-down list.
4. Select the IP address/hostname of the GPIB-ENET/100 in the new window that appears.
5. Click the "Properties" button.

...it cannot be used to address the device in the "Network Settings" accessed in the 5 steps you described above. I had to use the actual IP address of the GPIB-ENET/100.

Th
anks again!

(I've attached screen shots of the device configuration and working and non-working network settings for anyone else that may have the same problem I did.)

--
Matt

[gpibtester]

Matt,

GREAT! I am glad things are working!

Thanks for the bitmaps! I think I know where the confusion started.

In the 1st bitmap, even though the text field for the IP Address/Hostname is filled in, if you will notice underneath it, the radio button is checked for the static IP Address of 19.7.28.132. So the ENET was set up for static IP addressing and not DHCP (which uses the Hostname), which is why the IP Address was needed for the working network setting (3rd bitmap). Hopefully that explanation is not too confusing.

Anyway, it's great that the ENET/100 is finally up and running on the laptop too!