More about Module Description Files

Module Description Files (also called module.ini files) provide a mechanism for informing the operating system and the PXI Resource Manager about key attributes of a PXI module. The module description file accomplishes this with two primary features:

• It specifies how the operating system should identify this device and associate it with the VISA implementation.
• It specifies how the PXI Resource Manager should handle combination modules with multiple PCI devices and/or multiple PCI functions.

A module vendor provides a module description file to enable a user to easily configure the product into a PXI system. The specification for these files is at http://www.pxisa.org/Specifications.html.

The NI-VISA Driver Wizard uses module.ini files to allow you to easily load settings for a given VISA PXI/PCI instrument. The wizard generates a module.ini file when it creates its output files, and you can reload this file later to update settings used by the wizard. You can also distribute the module.ini file to users of your instrument.

Note  The wizard currently reads, but does not write, module.ini files describing combination (multifunction or multidevice) modules in a single module.ini file.