[time-nuts] device as sniffer/ promiscuous mode GPIB devices?

[Tom Van Baak]

Hi Patrick,

HP, IoTech, and National make (or made) cool stand-alone
GPIB debuggers that I think can be used as bus level sniffers,
at least for low data volume and rates. I have extras here and
can give you one for your project. Contact me offline.

/tvb

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Patrick" <optomatic at rogers.com>
To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" <time-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 5:19 AM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] device as sniffer/ promiscuous mode GPIB devices?


> Hi Ulrich
> 
> Thanks for your time and thanks for EZGPIB!
> 
> I rebuild and resell lab instruments. My customers are doing great work 
> finding cures for diseases. The software to control their instruments 
> cost between 5-40K and is hyped up garbage that eats up their meager 
> budgets. I desperately, desperately want to write an open source 
> replacement. I am planning on offering the "base package" for free but 
> charging a small fee for some of the various add on instrument control 
> modules. I also want the application to have the on-board tools required 
> to sniff ports for the do-it-your-self reverse engineering of closed 
> source communication.
> 
> I need to sniff the communication between the instruments and their 
> native software. Abdul, helpful as always, has shown me that I must use 
> a card that supports promiscuous mode. I have an INES PCI GPIB card on 
> hand and I am going to give that a try.
> 
> Does anyone have experience with any promiscuous mode devices? Under 
> Linux would be even better, if possible?
> 
> Is NI spy a full sniffer? NI have been really mistreating me of late and 
> I would prefer not to buy from them as they no longer provide free 
> technical support(now it's $300)
> 
> Thanks-patrick