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"Virtual instrumentation, virtually anywhere"

Do you want to...

• Master the basics of Internet technology, including TCP/IP, network security, Web servers and Web applications, email, and more?
• Control LabVIEW applications from any Web browser?
  
• Use LabVIEW with CGI, Java, ActiveX, and DataSocket ?
• Learn about the VI Server, DataSocket VIs

Apply the latest Internet technologies to bring LabVIEW to life on the Internet or inside your organization's intranet.

In a nutshell, this book will teach you everything you need to use LabVIEW and...

• TCP/IP
• Networks
• Client-Server VIs
• VI Server
• DataSocket
• Web servers
• HTML
• HTTP
• CGI
• Internet Toolkit
• Java
• ActiveX
• Network Security
• Email
• FTP
• Telnet
• Real-word applications

You can create networked virtual instrumentation systems that are available wherever and whenever you need them. Whether you need to monitor your Virtual Instruments (VIs) over the Web, or create a remote control system through your LAN, you will find the tools and techniques to create networked applications in this book.
Review the basics of the Internet and its key applications from the viewpoint of LabVIEW, then learn to set up secure client-server applications. Hands-on examples and activities are given throughout the book.
Internet Applications in LabVIEW is the first book that specifically combines Internet technologies with LabVIEW know-how. Use these powerful tools to enhance collaboration and keep pace with today's decentralized computing environments.

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NEW! LabVIEW Internet Applications Course, a highly-acclaimed, hands-on 3-day class based on this book, will get you jump-started in Internet-enabling your instrumentation systems. More info, schedule...

Part I: Introduction to Internetworking LabVIEW

1. Remote Virtual Instrumentation.
Introduction. Virtual Instrumentation, LabVIEW, and the Internet. Why Networked Instrumentation. Overview of LabVIEW Features for Internet Applications.

2. Internet Technology: A Primer.
Overview. Networks and the Internet. The TCP/IP Protocol. FAQs.

3. Client-Server Applications with LabVIEW.
Overview. Client-Server Models for LabVIEW. TCP Client-Servers in Practice for LabVIEW. UDP Client-Server in LabVIEW. The Remote DAQ Server. FAQs.

4. The VI Server.
What Is the VI Server? Using the VI Server for Client-Server and Distributed Computing Applications. FAQs.

5. DataSocket.
Overview of DataSocket. Using DataSocket VIs in LabVIEW. FAQs.

Part II: LabVIEW and the Web

6. How the World Wide Web Works.
Overview. The Technologies of the Web. Putting It All Together: Web Technologies at Work. FAQs.

7. Publishing Web Documents with LabVIEW.
Overview. Creating Web Documents from LabVIEW. Accessing Web Documents from LabVIEW. A Summary of the LabVIEW-Web Capabilities. FAQs.

8. Advanced Web Technologies: An Overview.
CGI and Forms. Java Applets. ActiveX Controls. JavaScript. ActiveServer Pages (ASP). Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Document Object Model (DOM). Dynamic HTML (DHTML). XML (eXtensible Markup Language). Multimedia and Plug-Ins on the Web. E-commerce.

9. Using CGI with LabVIEW.
Overview of CGI. Some More Background on CGI. LabVIEW and CGI Applications. FAQs.

10. Using ActiveX with LabVIEW.
ActiveX Overview. LabVIEW and ActiveX. Controlling LabVIEW Over the Web with DataSocket and ActiveX Controls. FAQs.

11. Using Java with LabVIEW.
Overview. Java Programming. Using the DataSocket JavaBean. Other Techniques for Using Java and LabVIEW. FAQs.

12. Network Security Issues and Solutions.
Overview of Net Security. Security Considerations of LabVIEW Network Technologies. Security Considerations of LabVIEW Web Technologies. FAQs.

Part III: LabVIEW and Other Internet Protocols

13. Using LabVIEW with Other Internet Protocols.
Overview. E-Mail. FTP. Other Internet Protocols. FAQs.

Part IV: Practical Applications

14. Practical Considerations for LabVIEW Internet Applications.
Designing Internet-Enabled Virtual Instrumentation. Databases and Other Related Stuff We Didn't Talk About. Looking Ahead: The Future of Net-Enabled Instrumentation.

15. Real-World LabVIEW-Internet Applications.
LabVIEW as World Wide Web Server and Internet Interface to Operating Equipment. Remote Test Monitoring with LabVIEW and DataSocket. Programming Tools Give Internet-Based Instrumentation Extra Interactivity. Remote Manipulation with LabVIEW for Educational Purposes. Using Java Applets to Control DC Servo Dynamometer System Remotely. Information Passing Over a LAN Using LabVIEW. Process Control Over an Intranet with BridgeVIEW.

Appendix A: CD-ROM Contents.
Appendix B: Resources.
Appendix C: References.
Glossary.
Index.

The CD-ROM iscontains code, solutions for the book's activities, examples, plus a variety of software for Windows and MacOS.

Some of the numerous examples include complete source code to:

• Monitor LabVIEW VIs over the Web
• Master the details of DataSocket to share live data over the Net
• Create ActiveX controls and Java applets for controlling LabVIEW
• Use the Internet Toolkit for G to work with e-mail and ftp
• Use the VI Server for distributed computing
• Understand CGI applications
• Apply the principles of network security to your software

The CD includes evaluation versions of the following (for both Windows and MacOS):

• LabVIEW 5.0
• DataSocket JavaBeans
• SNMP Toolkit
• Virtual Instrumentation Beans (VIB) for Java

and free versions of:

• IBM Visual Age for Java (Windows only)
• Netscape Navigator
• Adobe® Acrobat Reader

Updated May 2002

Do you have a bug or error in the book to report? Please email me! Below is the list of errors and corrections for the current edition.

Errata

• Chapter 15, p. 546: The call by reference example files on the CD, VI Server(send).vi and VI Server(receive).vi should have their names swapped.
• Chapter 9, p. 298: The referenced file guestbook.html, necessary for Activity 9.8, is missing on the CD. Download it here (note: since this is an HTML file, your browser will display it. Choose "Save... " to put this file on your drive).
• Chapter 6, p.172: "A Simple HTTP Server in LabVIEW". For LabVIEW 6i users, you will not be able to open the "antique" LabVIEW Web server, since it is a LabVIEW 3.0 VI. Download an upgraded example that works with 6i.
• Chapter 9, p. 310: Figure 9-24 has an error. On the block diagram, the string constant "panel.vi" should be "panel2.vi"
• Chapter 4,p. 96: near bottom of page, should read, "Note that a class just defines an object; a class isn't an object itself"
• On the CD activities for Chapter 6: the "No Timeout Error.vi" is not included in "example.llb"; however, you can find this VI in the tcpex.llb in the LabVIEW built-in examples.
• Chapter 10, p. 330: says ComponentWorks eval version is on CD, but this software is not on the CD. You can download an evaluation version from http://www.ni.com/cworks
• p. 243, 328, 538 referer to the "NCompass" plugin as an ActiveX solution for Netscape; however, this plugin is no longer supported.
• In, chapter 11, the activities use IBM VisualAge for Java 2.0. The version on the CD is actually VisualAge 3.0. To make the applets work, you should select the option to "use no inner classes" when exporting your .jar files.
• Chapter 11, p. 375: Applet name "DSMesage" should be "DSMessage"
• Chapter 11, p. 379: the string constant "data" should be "data1"
• Chapter 11, p. 390: in the HTML code, the tag for the applet should read: <APPLET CODE=DSChart.class ARCHIVE=DSChart.jar, datasocket.jar, NIEvalRunTime.jar WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=300>. This assumes that the VisualAge code was saved as "DSChart.jar" as indicated on page 389

Updates

Wondering what is different with LabVIEW 6i? As far as Internet capabilities, not that much has changed from 5.1, despite the marketing hype around 6i. A summary of the major Internet-related changes of LabVIEW 5.1 to LabVIEW 6i:

• Contrary to popular conceptions, the Internet Toolkit has not been incorporated into 6i; you would still need to buy it separately.
• There are some changes to how DataSocket works. For example, now you can attach a control or indicator directly to a DataSocket URL without using a block diagram function. The DataSocket VIs have been simplified as well.
• There are also some additional features in the VI Server: you can now have control references as well as an Application or VI reference.
• The new LabVIEW Player makes it easy to distribute VIs to anyone, without the end user having to purchase LabVIEW. The LabVIEW Player, downloadable free of charge from http://www.ni.com, allows people to run (but not edit) your VIs, in a very similar fashion to Adobe Reader allowing anyone to read .pdf files.

Of course, there are many new features in LabVIEW 6i, but virtually everything in the current edition of my book still applies just as described, whether it's the built-in web server, VI Server, ActiveX and Java, CGI.

Stay tuned for the revised and upated edition of Internet Applications in LabVIEW.