Info: NI-VISA

[santo_13]

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@Iwa6 wrote:

NI-VISA is not free.
If you are not using it in conjunction with NI software or hardware, you will need to purchase a license.

(There is no serial code or activation when you purchase a license. You will only be issued with a proof of purchase.)

https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA00Z000000P7OLSA0&l=ja-JP

https://forums.ni.com/t5/Instrument-Control-GPIB-Serial/NI-VISA-licensing-policy/td-p/2382668

https://www.ni.com/ja-jp/shop/product/ni-visa.html

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That is an interesting revelation. It makes sense; NI needs some monetary benefits to maintain and give drivers for free, and they recoup those costs from selling HW/SW.

As a individual user one may not be directly impacted, but for a business use, this does have legal complications if NI chooses to audi and sue the company using NI-VISA without a NI product to go along with it.

[crossrulz]

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@johnnythesailor wrote:

@crossrulz do you have any responses so far?

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Not from NI, which is not surprising given the time of year. But we did find evidence that it has been this way since at least 2008, possibly since ~2000.  It is basically if you are not using any NI hardware or software (LabVIEW or Test stand), then you need to purchase the VISA license.  I don't see how it is enforcable given the current setup.

[Iwa6]

Many users may be unaware of this fact and end up using it for free.
The reason for this is partly because the fact is not prominently displayed during the installation of NI-VISA, but it must also be due to the fact that each instrument manufacturer's manuals include a statement that encourages the use of NI-VISA for remote control.
(Those manuals do not mention that NI-VISA is a license that can be paid for depending on the conditions.)
When GPIB was the main means of communication, using NI-VISA together with NI's GPIB I/F satisfied the requirements for free use.
However, with the introduction of VXI-11, USBTMC, etc., there are cases where NI-VISA is not used in combination with NI hardware, making it easier to violate the license.
We could recommend Keysight VISA (IO Libraries Suite) to continue using it free of charge, but since Keysight is a direct competitor for each instrument manufacturer, we would have to recommend NI-VISA.