Testing Open Socket Communications Using PuTTY

INTRODUCTION:

Many instruments include the ability to be controlled via a remote connection to a

computer using an Ethernet connection. In many cases, these instruments require a

special software library that can help establish and maintain the communications link

between the instrument and controlling computer. This can be annoying for a few

reasons… the software library is likely to occupy a large amount of space on the

controlling computer and is also required on any computer that is being used to control

the instrument. In a remote networking application where multiple user’s may want

access to a test instrument, this can cause support and installation headaches.

Luckily, there are a few solutions that can help. In this application note, we are going to

discuss using open socket communication techniques using an open source

communication tool called PuTTY with a SIGLENT SSA3032X spectrum analyzer.

What are open sockets and why use them?

Within the context of Ethernet/LAN connections, sockets are like mailboxes. If you want

to deliver information to a specific place, you need to be sure that your information is

delivered to the correct address.

In the context of test instrumentation, an open socket is a fixed address (or port

number) on the Ethernet/LAN bus that is dedicated to process remote commands.

Open sockets allow remote computers to simply use existing raw Ethernet connections

for communications without having to add additional libraries (VISA or similar) that

require additional storage space and processing overhead.

Programs that utilize sockets for LAN communication tend to take up less memory and

operate more quickly.

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