Performance Considerations
The Manager application can connect up to a maximum of 600 instruments. As described below, there are IO interface and computer resource limitations to keep in mind.
Limitations of Remote Instruments
The Manager application operates best with instruments that are connected locally to the computer running the application. The Instruments that are connected via LAN from remote locations or on a slow LAN may experience degraded performance and intermittent disconnects. Remote IO server connections will also suffer from degraded performance since they introduce another computer to the IO pathway.
Connection Issues with USB 3.0
If you are using USB to connect to your instruments, make sure you are using USB 2.0 ports. At this time, you might experience connection integrity and performance issues with USB 3.0 (indicated by "SS" next to USB connector on computer).
Limitations of GPIB
IO operations over GPIB are by nature serial transactions and performance will possibly degrade to the slowest instrument if multiple instruments are sharing the same GPIB bus. If you are experiencing performance issues with GPIB, try using separate GPIB interfaces or consider moving your instruments to USB for higher performance.
Limitations of RS-232
Since serial interface operations are much slower in comparison to USB and LAN, we caution the use of RS-232. Although RS-232 is supported on some instruments, the overall performance will be degraded and some functionality might not be available when using this interface.
Limitations Due to Computer Resources
The processing power and memory capacity of your computer will determine the number of simultaneous operations allowed without degrading overall performance. Operations that require significant computational power, such as checking connection status and applying configurations to large number of instruments, will be most affected by your computer's resources.