Remote Control
R&S
®
FSVA/FSV
567Operating Manual 1176.7510.02 ─ 09
SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments)
SCPI commands - messages - are used for remote control. Commands that are not
taken from the SCPI standard follow the SCPI syntax rules. The instrument supports
the SCPI version 1999. The SCPI standard is based on standard IEEE 488.2 and aims
at the standardization of device-specific commands, error handling and the status reg-
isters. The tutorial "Automatic Measurement Control - A tutorial on SCPI and IEEE
488.2" from John M. Pieper (R&S order number 0002.3536.00) offers detailed informa-
tion on concepts and definitions of SCPI.
The requirements that the SCPI standard places on command syntax, error handling
and configuration of the status registers are explained in detail in the following sec-
tions. Tables provide a fast overview of the bit assignment in the status registers. The
tables are supplemented by a comprehensive description of the status registers.
4.1.1.1 VISA Libraries
VISA is a standardized software interface library providing input and output functions to
communicate with instruments. The I/O channel (LAN or TCP/IP, USB, GPIB,...) is
selected at initialization time by means of the channel–specific address string ("VISA
resource string") indicated in Table 4-1, or by an appropriately defined VISA alias
(short name). A VISA installation is a prerequisite for remote control using the VXI-11,
raw socket, RSIB or the newer HiSLIP protocol. The necessary VISA library is availa-
ble as a separate product. For details contact your local R&S sales representative.
For more information on VISA refer to the user documentation.
4.1.1.2 Messages
The messages transferred on the data lines are divided into the following categories:
●
Interface messages
Interface messages are transmitted to the instrument on the data lines, with the
attention line being active (LOW). They are used to communicate between the con-
troller and the instrument. Interface messages can only be sent by instruments that
have GPIB bus functionality. For details see the sections for the required interface.
●
Instrument messages
Instrument messages are employed in the same way for all interfaces, if not indica-
ted otherwise in the description. Structure and syntax of the instrument messages
are described in Chapter 4.1.4, "SCPI Command Structure", on page 576. A
detailed description of all messages available for the instrument is provided in the
chapter "Remote Control Commands".
There are different types of instrument messages, depending on the direction they
are sent:
– Commands
– Instrument responses
Remote Control - Basics
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