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Before You Begin
Before you begin, please take the time to go over the guidelines for installing IC-CAP on a PC running Windows. For last-minute program and documentation information, refer to the Release Notes document on our website at:
- http://www.agilent.com/find/eesof-docs/
- Choose IC-CAP 2008 > Release Notes.
- Choose IC-CAP 2008 > Release Notes.
Note the Changes in IC-CAP 2008
Supported platforms changed.
See "Check the Windows System Requirements".IC-CAP 2008
Windows 2000 is no longer supported.
Required CPU changed.
See "Check the Windows System Requirements".IC-CAP 2008
Intel Pentium © 4 or better, or AMD XP 3000 or better now required.
Required RAM changed.
See "Check the Windows System Requirements".IC-CAP 2008
1 GB RAM is now the recommended minimum
Required hard disk space increased.
See "Check the Windows System Requirements".IC-CAP 2008
800 MB is now required for installation.
Supported compilers changed.
See "Check the Windows System Requirements".IC-CAP 2008
Visual Studio .NET 2005 is now supported
Support for downloading installation images added.
See "Installing IC-CAP".IC-CAP 2008
Installation images available for download.
The version for the license server (lmgrd) has changed to FLEXnet 11.4.1 from FLEXnet 10.8.
See "Installing Licenses".IC-CAP 2008
Impacts all systems, hardware keys, license servers, and license administration scripts.
The codeword version changed to 2.7 from 2.35.
See "Installing Licenses".IC-CAP 2008
You must obtain new FLEXnet license codewords from Agilent EEsof EDA.
Check the Windows System Requirements
Be sure your hardware and software configuration meets the following minimum hardware and system requirements to run IC-CAP, including RAM, disk space, operating systems, etc. Keep in mind that minimum requirements are just that, and they may not provide adequate performance and responsiveness.
Operating System and Service Pack
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2.
CPU
Intel Pentium © 4 or better, or AMD XP 3000 or better. If linking to 3rd party Simulators, refer to Simulator requirements as well.
Display
High-resolution color only (Super VGA, 1024x768, 15-inch monitor minimum) (at least 1280x1024 required for Extraction packages).
RAM
1 GB RAM recommended minimum. Additional RAM up to 2 GB will improve performance. Since IC-CAP is compiled on a 32-bit operating system, its processes cannot use more than 2 GB regardless of the maximum addressable memory available on your system. If linking to 3rd party Simulators, refer to Simulator requirements as well.
Virtual Memory
300 MB recommended minimum. Increased virtual memory may be required.
Web Browser
IC-CAP documentation is HTML-based and displayed via a web browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 or higher.
Java Virtual Machine and JavaScript must be enabled on your browser for the documentation to appear correctly. You can use your browser's internal Java support or download and install a Java plug-in. If you install a Java plug-in, the minimum recommended version is Sun Java Plug-in 1.3.
Hard Disk
800 MB required for installation. It is recommended that you install IC-CAP software on your local drive. Recommended file systems are FAT32 and NTFS. Novell file servers are not supported. VFAT/FAT systems are not recommended. For more information, refer to Ensure Hard Disk Storage Efficiency.
IC-CAP software codewords are locked to an external device (FLEXid hardware security key) attached to the PC's USB or parallel port or locked to a PC's LAN ethernet card. Licenses can also be secured to a network server using FLEXlm server software.
Supported Media Type
CD-ROM or high speed internet access required for program installation.
Supported Printers
Printers supported by the operating system used. (Note for HP LaserJet 3100 Only: There may be a conflict with the hardware key; if so, contact HP Printer Support by phone or on the web.)
Supported Plotters
Plotters supported by the operating system used.
Compiler (only for user compiled code interface or open measurement interface)
C++ and C:
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2005 with SP1/Hotfix
Checking the Operating System Version
To determine your operating system version, double-click the My Computer icon. Choose Help > About Windows.
Check the Supported Instrument Interfaces
If you are using IC-CAP with an NI or Agilent GPIB interface, install the interface and its driver according to the instructions supplied with the interface.
Agilent GPIB PCI card and Agilent IO Libraries
82350A1/B
Agilent LAN/GPIB Gateway Interface and Agilent IO Libraries
E5810A 2
Agilent USB/GPIB converter and Agilent IO Libraries
82357A1/B
National Instruments PCMCIA-GPIB card and NI-488.2M drivers
778034
National Instruments PCI-GPIB card and NI-488.2M drivers3
778032
- This is a discontinued product.
- Typically the LAN has some impact on speed; therefore, it will most likely be somewhat slower than a card.
- Agilent IO Libraries can substitute for the NI-488.2M drivers.
For the latest information refer to this manual on our website at: http://www.agilent.com/find/eesof-docs.
Note
Configuring the Driver for the GPIB Interface
Your GPIB interface includes the software necessary for an application to use the facilities the interface provides. The software typically has two components:
| • | A kernel driver (also known as a device driver) |
| • | An application interface DLL, which interfaces with the kernel driver |
For Windows, the most recent version of the SICL drivers can be downloaded from the Agilent IO Libraries website located at:
http://www.agilent.com/find/iolib
For National Instruments drivers, the most recent version can be downloaded from the National Instruments website located at:
Note
The downloaded file is executable. To install the Agilent IO Libraries, run this file and follow the supplied installation instructions.
After installation is complete, run the IO Config program by selecting Start > Programs > Agilent IO Libraries > IO Config from the Windows main screen.
To configure a GPIB card installed locally on the PC, select the relevant GPIB option (based on the Interface Description) from the Available Interface Types field, then click Configure > OK. The default settings are correct.
To configure a remote LAN/GPIB gateway, select Lan Client (Lan Instruments) from the Available Interface Types field, then click Configure > OK. The default settings are correct.
Get Codewords for IC-CAP 2008
You must have new FLEXnet license codewords to run IC-CAP 2008. The codewords are tied to the FLEXid of your hardware key or the Ethernet MAC address of your PC's Ethernet LAN card.
You can request codewords via the Web at:
The codewords are emailed to you in a license file named license.lic.
If you choose to tie your codewords to a hardware key (dongle), the hardware key was shipped with your installation media. If you do not have a hardware key, please contact Agilent EEsof Business Support at 1-800-507-6274.
See Chapter 2, "Setting up Licenses on Windows Systems" for more details about codewords.
Check Available Memory
Minimum recommended memory is 1 GB. More memory results in better overall system performance. To check the amount of memory on your system without rebooting, double-click the My Computer icon. Choose Help > About Windows.
Checking Virtual Memory
The recommended minimum virtual memory is 300 MB. IC-CAP model files that contain large amounts of data (such as projects with many devices or data values) may require more. To check the current amount of virtual memory:
Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Options. Under Virtual memory, choose Change. You can choose to use the current setting or change it.
Check Available Disk Space
To check the amount of disk space on your system without rebooting, double-click the My Computer icon. Select View > Details. Look in the Free Space column for each of your drives. (You might have to use the bottom scroll bar to see this column.)
Defining an Install Folder
Be sure you have permissions to write to the disk drive on which you want to install IC-CAP. The installation also adds entries to your PC's Windows Registry. Make sure you have permissions to do so.
The installation path for IC-CAP software cannot contain any folder names that use a space. For example, do not install to C:\Program Files\IC-CAP 2008. If you include a space in a folder name, you will get an error such as Could not invoke simulator when you try to run a simulation. You will have to uninstall IC-CAP and then install it again.
Caution