INSTALLATION of PyVISA and NI-VISA on UBUNTU 10.04 Lucid LTS (addendum Scientific Linux 6.0)

[mtblanc]

Hello,

This is my log file to install NI-VISA and Py-VISA on Ubuntu 10.04. This log is the compilation of one day of frustration!!

Although it is not very difficult... I am not a specialist and it always takes me some effort to go back to this level of details.

Installation of NI software will always be a pain and Linux users should really think twice about the choice of their distirbution

(see the end of this message where I recently switched to Scientific Linux for peace of mind).

I do it mainly for back compatibility purpose but thankfully I am not in a critical situation as those who are running labview.

I only need it as an abstraction layer in python (great way to interface work).

Installation of NI-GPIB 488 and VISA on Ubuntu 10.04

STEP 1: PREPARATION

#########  Download the software #################

http://search.ni.com/nisearch/app/main/p/bot/no/ap/tech/lang/fr/pg/1/sn/catnav:du,ssnav:sup/searchSc...

get NI-VISA-5.0.0.iso

NOTE: The NI-488 gpib driver is useless (only compile w/ Kernel 2.2)

NI-488.2 2.3 - Linux - 32 Bit

Download the iso

extract the files inside the iso using archive software

nivisa-5.0.0f1.tar.gz

############# install the linux source ###########

sudo apt-get install linux-source-2.6.32

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Kernel/Compile

############## usefull doc #####################

http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-6742

http://decibel.ni.com/content/thread/3643

http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-11652

STEP 2: GPIB and PyVISA

######### install linux gpib driver ############

http://linux-gpib.sourceforge.net/

!! Attention it might not install w/ recent kernel version: tested w/ 2.6.32-21, does not work w/ 2.6.32-27

get the Kernel 2.6 source version (linux-headers)

(read the INSTALL)

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

tar zxvf linux-gpib-3.2.11.tar.gz2

./configure

make

sudo make install

################# install pyvisa ###############

http://sourceforge.net/projects/pyvisa/

PyVISA-1.3

sudo apt-get install ipython

sudo ./setup.py install

#### DO NOT TRY to INSTALL the binary of PyVISA #####

STEP 3: NI-VISA

tar zxvf nivisa-5.0.0f1.tar.gz

################ install nikal ##################

cd rpms

sudo alien -k --scripts nikali-2.0.0-f0.noarch.rpm

sudo dpkg -i nikali_2.0.0-f0_all.deb

cd /usr/local/natinst/nikal/bin/

#check that: cat /etc/natinst/nikal/nikal.dir -> /usr/local/natinst/nikal

sudo echo '/usr/local/natinst/nikal' > /etc/natinst/nikal/nikal.dir

# NI-shell files require modifications to work w/ bash. $1 must be append at the end

# Here is a simple bash file to modify it:

# create a shell file w/ your favorite editor (in my case emacs). The new file name will be modshell.sh

emacs -nw /usr/local/nikal/bin/modshell.sh

# insert in modshell.sh  the following 3 lines (diregard the > chraracter at the beginning of each line, its purpose is

to indicate that you are working inside a file):

>#!/bin/bash

>cat $1 | sed '$a$1' > tmp; mv tmp $1

>sudo chmod u+x $1

# the file should have executable privilege chmod u+x /usr/local/nikal/bin/modshell.sh

sudo ./modshell.sh nikaliInstallerUtility.sh

# The file nikalKernelInstaller.sh seems also to need a modification

> replace the line parseArguments $* by  parseArguments $@

sudo ln -s /bin/bash /bin/sh

sudo ./nikaliInstallerUtility.sh nikaliPostInstall

sudo ./updateNIDrivers

sudo modprobe nikal

# force the nikal module to load at boot. Add

# "nikal" to the file in /etc/modules

sudo depmod -a

################ install nipal ##################

sudo dpkg -i nipalki_2.5.4-f0_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i nipali_2.5.4-f0_i386.deb

NB: make sure /etc/natinst/nipal/nipal.dir: /usr/local/natinst/nipal

sudo echo '/usr/local/natinst/nipal' > /etc/natinst/nipal/nipal.dir

cd /usr/local/natinst/nipal/bin

# modify the shell file (see above)

# The file palModuleMgr.sh seems also to need a modification

> replace the line parseArguments $* by  parseArguments $@

sudo /usr/local/nikal/bin/./modshell.sh nipalkiInstallerUtility.sh

sudo ./nipalkiInstallerUtility.sh nipalkiPostInstall

# alternative you can run directly

sudo ./palModuleMgr.sh -i -o linux:dir=nipal -t kernelDriver -s demand -c -f /usr/local/natinst/nipal/src/objects/nipalk-unversioned.o

sudo modprobe nipalk

sudo depmod -a

sudo /etc/init.d/nipal restart

################ check modules ##################

Ensure that the nipal kernel module is created in /lib/modules/<kernel-headers>/kernel/natinst/nipal/nipal.ko

Start the application bum (System -> Administration -> Bootup Manager). Search for nipal and click on the checkbox to activate it at boot. Right click on nipal and select the "Start Now" option.

######################### NI-VISA #############

sudo dpkg -i nivisak_5.0.0-b5_i386.deb  nivisa_5.0.0-b5_i386.deb

cat /etc/natinst/vxipnp/nivisa.dir -> /usr/local/vxipnp

cat /etc/natinst/vxipnp/vxipnp.dir -> /usr/local/vxipnp

# run the post install software; either modify the shell file as above

# for some reason the following 2 lines needs also to be added to the shell files on top of the above modifications

>nipalDir="`cat /etc/natinst/nipal/nipal.dir`"

>palModuleMgr="$nipalDir"/bin/palModuleMgr.sh

sudo usr/local/nikal/bin/modshell.sh nivisakInstallerUtility.sh

sudo usr/local/nikal/bin/modshell.sh nivisaInstallerUtility.sh

sudo ./nivisakInstallerUtility.sh nivisakPostInstall

sudo ./nivisaInstallerUtility.sh nivisaPostInstal

# or run directly the postinstall command inside the file

sudo /usr/local/natinst/nipal/bin/palModuleMgr.sh -i -o linux:dir=vxipnp -t kernelDriver -s demand -c -f /usr/local/vxipnp/src/objects/NiViPciK-unversioned.o

sudo /usr/local/natinst/nipal/bin/palModuleMgr.sh -i -o linux:dir=vxipnp -t kernelDriver -s demand -c -f /usr/local/vxipnp/src/objects/NiViPxiK-unversioned.o

sudo updateNIDrivers

################# complement modules  #############

# generic procedure

sudo alien -k xxx-version.rpm

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite xxx_version_i386.deb

cd /usr/local/natinst/xxx/

# modify the shell xxxInstallerUtility.sh

sudo /usr/local/nikal/bin/modshell.sh xxxInstallerUtility.sh

sudo ./xxxInstallerUtility.sh xxxPostInstall

#

sudo alien -k niorbi-1.9.3-f0.i386.rpm

sudo alien -k nidimi-1.10.0-f0.i386.rpm

sudo alien -k nirpci-4.2.0-f0.i386.rpm

sudo alien -k nimdnsresponder-1.1.0-f3.i386.rpm

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite niorbi_1.9.3-f0_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite nidimi_1.10.0-f0_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite nirpci_4.2.0-f0_i386.deb

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite nimdnsresponder_1.1.0-f3_i386.deb

sudo updateNIdrivers

sudi reboot

visaconf

NOTE: My PyVISA seems broken!

>>> import visa

>>> visa.get_instruments_list()

['ASRL1']

### No gpib devices!!!!

>>> keithley = visa.instrument("GPIB::12")

It could not find the proper library VI_ERROR_LIBRARY_NFOUND: A code library required by VISA could not be located or loaded. I tried both to compile PyVISA w/ pyhton2.5 or python2.6: same problem! If someone has a feedback experience about it, comments are welcome!

Update of the problem (Jan 12 2011): after extensive search I am convinced that there is a bug in the module NiViPciK inside nivisa 5.0. It does not recognize PCI gpib device !!! Seems like there is some miscommunication w/ the Kernel.

Update  (Jan 17 2011): after a long search around the problem, I decided to give up on Ubuntu and I gave it a try to Scientific Linux latest release 6.0. Amazing: it works right out of the box! What a change with the Ubuntu ordeal. Could even succeed to put my latest python package. Well I think that I am going to stick to SL environment for data acquistion. This is for me a rediscovery of Red Hat (my first Linux environement ... back in 94) after some infidelities w/ Slackware, then Debian, a little passage through Libranet and a rather long fidelity to Ubuntu, well it is a pleasant surprise. I discovered the famous yum, which did not exist half a decade ago back when rpms could be scarry: you could send your system to oblivion w/ rpms. First impression, it seems now on par with apt-get. At least with SL6.0 I get a pretty decent environment w/ python 2.6. High five to the SL 6.0 team! Morality, it is way easier to change distribution then try to force the NiVISA encapsulation in Linux.

[psou]

Hi,

I'm trying to install NI-VISA following your advices. I encounter several issues with it. I precise that I have installed ubuntu last week so I am a very new user of it.

I got then the 10.10 version.

So, first I got the "unknown tag error" when executing the alien conversion of the nikali.rpm but it seems it doesn't care according to what I saw on others tutorials.

More troubling, I can't find any 'modshell.sh' file and there is no repertory "nikal" at the '/usr/local' location.

Also, when I try to modify the 'nikalKernelInstaller.sh', I get the information : 'modul nikal not found'.

Could you help me about these issues?

Sorry if my questions appear to be very basic.

Bye

[bandix]

It did not work for me. There were several errors and missing steps.

"unknown tag error"  - this can be ignored if the .deb file is created

[neurostu]

thanks for posting this, it is helpful. However, would it be possible to expand it to include instructions on how to install the c api as well?    

[wannabegeek]

I am hoping this will work for me on my Ubuntu system. I just need GPIB to work as i understand it .

I plan to use matlab/GPIB to send commands to an Agilent Microwave network analzyer.

I am not sure where the NI-KAL comes in. NI web site says that NI-KAL is unsed in every Linux driver.

wbg

[irwan]

nikal is the glue to all NI closed-source driver. This is necessary to isolate our binary against changes in the Linux kernel.

[metux]

---

@irwan wrote:

nikal is the glue to all NI closed-source driver. This is necessary to isolate our binary against changes in the Linux kernel.

---

That's the idea behind. In practise, it never works well - there're just so many things that can change in subtle ways on binary level, between versions as well as build configurations, that a proper isolation takes something like an own VM (which always have to be kept up to date for each kernel version).

The whole thing is economically ridiculous: properly mainting something like nikal (what NI doesn't really do) is a full time job for several people. OTOH, writing a proper IIO driver for a DAQ device takes about 6 weeks (yes: been there, done that).