Remote Control Basics
R&S
®
SMBV100A
394Operating Manual 1407.6062.32 ─ 08
– Setting commands cause instrument settings such as a reset of the instrument
or setting the frequency.
– Queries cause data to be provided for remote control, e.g. for identification of the
instrument or polling a parameter value. Queries are formed by directly appending
a question mark to the command header.
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According to their definition in standards:
– Common commands: their function and syntax are precisely defined in standard
IEEE 488.2. They are employed identically on all instruments (if implemented).
They refer to functions such as management of the standardized status registers,
reset and self test.
– Instrument control commands refer to functions depending on the features of
the instrument such as frequency settings. Many of these commands have also
been standardized by the SCPI committee. These commands are marked as
"SCPI compliant" in the command reference chapters. Commands without this
SCPI label are device-specific, however, their syntax follows SCPI rules as per-
mitted by the standard.
Instrument responses
Instrument responses (response messages and service requests) are messages the
instrument sends to the controller after a query. They can contain measurement results,
instrument settings and information on the instrument status.
6.1.3 LAN Interface
To be integrated in a LAN, the instrument is equipped with a LAN interface, consisting of
a connector, a network interface card and protocols. For remote control via a network,
the PC and the instrument must be connected via the LAN interface to a common network
with TCP/IP network protocol. They are connected using a commercial RJ45 cable. The
TCP/IP network protocol and the associated network services are preconfigured on the
instrument. Software for instrument control and (for specified protocols only) the VISA
program library must be installed on the controller.
VISA library
Instrument access via VXI-11 or HiSLIP protocols is usually achieved from high level
programming platforms using VISA as an intermediate abstraction layer. VISA encapsu-
lates the low level VXI or GPIB function calls and thus makes the transport interface
transparent for the user. See chapter 6.1.1, "VISA Libraries", on page 393 for details.
IP address
Only the IP address or the computer name (LAN device name) is required to set up the
connection. The IP address/computer name is part of the "visa resource string" used by
the programs to identify and control the instrument.
Forms of the VISA resource string:
TCPIP::host address[::LAN device name][::INSTR]
or
Remote Control Interfaces and Protocols
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