NIPAL and NIKAL explained

[randy_brandenburg]

I have a COTS product that uses the NI 488.2 GPIB API (ibdev, ibrd, ibrt, etc) to communicate with a NI PCI-GPIB  card. My job is to simulate the PCI-GPIB card without having the PCI card attached.

First, I am trying to understand how the pieces interact after installed, specifically libgpibsvc , nikal, nipalk, ni488k

Is there somewhere I can find an explanation of what NI-PAL and NI-KAL are and how they interact with each other? 

[PeterGC]

Randy,

Unfortunately you cannot simulate GPIB devices in measurement and automation explorer.  You may be able to simulate your device using IVI drivers.  

Here is an article describing how to do this.

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4560

NI-PAL is a driver that is installed by many NI software products.   NI-KAL is distributed as source code, it is not "open source" but what we call "exposed source".  This means that it is exposed but people are not allowed to modify and redistribute it.  It is governed by our Linux Drivers license distributed with all Linux driver software.

Hope this helps!

-Pete

[randy_brandenburg]

Thanks for the info Pete. 

Unfortunately, I am not using LabView or LabWindows. Actually trying to simulate the PCI-GPIB card itself.

We have a requirement to integrate with a third party s/w package which currently talks to an actual PCI-GPIB card using the NI 488.2 API. The goal is to write a simulated PCI driver or replace the NI API with a stub version that makes the s/w think it is actually talking across a gpib. We have done this in Solaris, but had the NI driver source code to modify at the time (early 2000s).

Thanks. 

[PeterGC]

Randy,

Unfortunately we do not openly distribute NI driver source material.  Sorry I can't be more helpful. 

Peter Connolly

Applications Engineer

National Instruments