Using NISPY DLLs for VxiPlug&Play driver development

[mef526]

Using NISPY DLLs for VxiPlug&Play driver development.

I am developing and testing VXI Plug&Play drivers. I am testing the error conditions and need to verify the drivers do not send SCPI when invalid parameters are sent. I would like to use the NISPY dlls so that I can verify this automatically, without the tester having to monitor NISPY. Is there a way to do this?

[Dan_Mondrik]

I assume that what you are trying to do is to ensure that no VISA I/O calls get made when your driver has an invalid parameter. Using NI Spy will show you what calls are made, as you know.

What you might want to do is to configure NI Spy to start up with capture enabled and have it log to a file; then you can visually inspect the log file later. However, take note that the log file will get huge quickly.

Another option might be to manually disconnect the device (eg, the MXI cable)after viOpen; this assumes that you are doing all your invalid parameter testing at one point in time but it may not work for all buses.

If you are writing an IVI driver, we do have a test utility for IVI driver testing for compliance with the spec, and for some other structural tests.


Dan Mondrik
Senior Software Engineer, NI-VISA
National Instruments

[mef526]

Actually I was hoping that I could install a callback so that if any bus transactions occur that the program could be notified. I am developing VXI Plug&Play drivers that are wrappers on SCPI over GPIB. The spec for the VXI driver says that in the case there is an invalid parameter, no buss transactions occur. Currently we make the tester monitor NISPY to test for this. We would like to make it automatic.

[chen ning]

We are writing IVI drivers now, I wonder how can we get this test utility
(for IVI
driver testing for compliance with the spec) from your place.


chen ning
Easbeacon Test Systems Co.


"Dan Mondrik" wrote in message
news:506500000005000000B9270000-986697009000@quiq.com...
> I assume that what you are trying to do is to ensure that no VISA I/O
> calls get made when your driver has an invalid parameter. Using NI
> Spy will show you what calls are made, as you know.
>
> What you might want to do is to configure NI Spy to start up with
> capture enabled and have it log to a file; then you can visually
> inspect the log file later. However, take note that the log file will
> get huge quickly.
>
> Another option might be to manually disconnect the device
(eg, the MXI
> cable)after viOpen; this assumes that you are doing all your invalid
> parameter testing at one point in time but it may not work for all
> buses.
>
> If you are writing an IVI driver, we do have a test utility for IVI
> driver testing for compliance with the spec, and for some other
> structural tests.
>
> Dan Mondrik
> Senior Software Engineer, NI-VISA
> National Instruments

[mef526]

Management has been reluctant ot invest in IVI untill all the kinks are worked out. There is a group actively persuing it, but my main effort is with legacy drivers. The latest one will be COM wrapping a VISA DLL. For testing I have a program that reads in the VISA header file, creates data structures an maps function pointers (GetrProcAddress()) and then reads in a script. This works for 2 reasons- 1. VISA is well defined. 2. Our drivers are a wrapper for SCPI on GPIB. In this way I can actually fully test a driver with a simulation before I write a line of code for it. When the simulation is done, I can run the test used to simulate on the actual driver. It used to take 2 weeks to manually test a driver. Now I can do it in 20 minutes, and spend the 2 we
eks writing the script for the test program to run. If you are interested I can create a script for your instrument if you want to send me a spec and a PO.