LabOne Software Architecture¶
Zurich Instruments devices use a server-based connectivity methodology. Server-based means that all communication between the user and the instrument takes place via a computer program called a server, the Data Server. The Data Server recognizes available instruments and manages all communication between the instrument and the host computer on one side, and communication to all the connected clients on the other side. This allows for:
- A multi-client configuration: Multiple interfaces (even from multiple computers on the network) can access the settings and data on an instrument. Settings are synchronized between all interfaces by the single instance of the Data Server.
- A multi-device setup: Any of the Data Server’s clients can access multiple devices simultaneously.
This software architecture is organized in layers.
MFLI/MFIA Software Architecture¶
Compared to all other Zurich Instruments devices, the MF platform is special in the sense that it has the LabOne Software built into the device directly. Only the LabOne APIs run on an external PC.
To use the LabOne user interface, no additional software is required. If the MF device is running, one can simply directly connect to the device by using the device serial as host address in a browser.
http://mf-devxxxx/
However, to improve performance, other software configurations are possible. By installing the LabOne software on an external PC, the MFLI/MFIA instrument can be accessed via a LabOne Web Server running there. This gives advantages due to the improved computing power and the greater memory resources of the external PC. Moreover, if performing measurements with two or more synchronized MFLI/MFIA instruments, a LabOne Data Server running on the external PC can also be used. Indeed, to synchronize multiple MFLI/MFIA instruments, this software configuration is mandatory.
