Installing and Controlling Third-Party Devices
Agilent LC System: Installation

What is required?

Hardware Installation

1. Make sure that the modules installed in your system and firmware version are compatible for use with the ICF.

2. Connect the modules via LAN. For details, refer to Agilent LC System/1200 HPLC System: LAN.

3. After setup of the instrument, follow the steps described under Software Installation below.

Software Installation

1. Install the ICF software package from the Chromeleon DVD (in the Drivers\Agilent Instrument Control Framework folder). The package consists of the ICF setup (ICFInstallPackage.msi) and the driver package setup (LCDriverInstallPackage.msi).

   • First install the ICF setup on the IPC that controls the Agilent LC system by double-clicking the ICFInstallPackage.msi file. Then install the driver package setup by double-clicking the LCDriverInstallPackage.msi file. Follow the instructions provided by the installation wizards.

1. • Install the ICF setup and the driver package setup on any PC that runs Chromeleon client software.

     Notes:

     1. • On Terminal Servers, install via Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Add New Programs and browse to the MSIs.

        • To control an Agilent LC (editing methods, viewing the status) or to change a Chromeleon server configuration from a remote client it is required to install both packages on the remote client PC, too. Make sure that the same ICF version is installed on all PCs.

        • Installation IQ is available for both packages under C:\Program Files\Agilent Technologies\Instrument Control Framework\IQTWizard.

2. Before you install the LC System device driver it is recommended to test the installation using the "Agilent.InstrumentControl.TestApp.exe" test application provided by Agilent. The test helps you to identify network related issues at an early stage. The application is provided under C:\Program Files\Agilent Technologies\Instrument Control Framework. To run the test:

   • First, turn on all modules of the LC system.

   • Open a command window (Start>Run>Cmd). Use the ping <IP> command to verify that the installed modules can be addressed. TCP/IP settings are correct if replies are received from the instrument.

   • Double-click the Agilent.InstrumentControl.TestApp.exe to start the test application.

   • Click Configure and configure a new instrument.

   • Click Auto Configure and enter the IP address of the instrument.

   • Tip:

     Instead of typing long numerical IP addresses (such as 192.168.254.11), you can assign a host name to your instrument.  
     Open C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts with a text editor such as Notepad and add a line containing the numerical IP address and a hostname (in the example below "LC11") at the end of the file, e.g.:

     192.168.254.11 LC11

     You may use any string of alphanumerical characters to specify the host name.

     When setting up the configuration, you can then use the host name, here "LC11", rather than the numerical IP address.

   • When configuration is completed, exit the configuration dialog.

   • Click Open to display the Agilent Instrument Status window. Click Initialize in the upper left corner to connect the modules. The installation is correct if the status information (e.g., Ready, NotReady) for each individual module is provided.

3. Install the LC System device driver in the Chromeleon Server Configuration:

   • Start the Chromeleon server.

   • Start the Server Configuration program. (For more information about the program, refer to  The Server Configuration Program.)

   • Add the driver to a timebase. For details, see Adding, Configuring or Deleting Devices. When you add the driver to the timebase, the LC System Configuration dialog opens automatically where you can add and configure modules. The left panel of the dialog box lists all the modules that are currently supported by the ICF. The right panel lists the modules that are currently configured. Click the Help button or press F1 for detailed information on instrument configuration.

   • Click Auto Configure and enter the IP address of the instrument.

3. • After configuration, click OK to close the module configuration dialog. Incorrect entries, for example, an invalid module name, are marked by a red error icon displayed next to the “Configure Agilent ICF Instrument” button on the General tab page. A tooltip provides more details about the error.

   • On the Signals (2D), Spectra (3D) and Scans configuration tab pages, verify that all settings are correct. Edit/correct settings if necessary. For more information click the Help button or press F1.

   • To control the LC System, connect the Agilent_ICF.pan control panel in the Chromeleon client to the corresponding timebase. On the panel, click the Launch ICF Status Window button.

Unattended Installation

For setup automation, standard msi commands can be used to install the software packages, for example:

• msiexec /i ICFInstallPackage.msi /qn INSTALLDIR="C:\ICF" ADDLOCAL="ALL" REMOVE="Japanese,Chinese,Portuguese"

• msiexec /i LCDriverInstallPackage.msi /qn INSTALLDIR="C:\ICF" ADDLOCAL="ALL" REMOVE="Japanese,Chinese,Portuguese,CompactLC"

Hints for Software Updates

This section provides information about what to observe after update of the ICF software package and/or Chromeleon. The following two use cases can be distinguished:

1. Update of ICF software package and Chromeleon software

   After updating both the ICF software and Chromeleon remove the LC driver from the instrument and then add it again. This is to ensure that all new modules are available in Chromeleon and that signal configuration is correct.

2. Update of ICF software package only

   When you update the ICF software package without updating Chromeleon, Chromeleon will not be able to automatically configure the new modules supported by the ICF. Therefore, the module names in the Agilent Configuration Editor should be checked and corrected, if necessary. Also, adapt the channel names and signal configuration on the Signals (2D) and Spectra (3D)/Scans configuration tab pages, if needed. Signals that cannot be assigned to Chromeleon channels are indicated by the generic (Gen) signal type.

Troubleshooting

Problem: When attempting to install the driver or launch the ICF status window, the following error message may be displayed:

File or assembly name "file:///C:\chromel\bin\DDK\V1\Agilent.InstrumentControl.Interface.dll", or one of its dependencies, was not found. The system cannot find the file specified.

Reason: The ICF software package is not installed correctly or not installed at all.

To remedy the situation, install the ICF software package by following the description above.

Problem: The following error message appears during device configuration of the Agilent LC system: "xyz cannot be loaded. Could not find file [directory path\filename]".

Reason: The file "ApplicationCustomization.xml" is missing.

To solve the problem, copy ApplicationCustomization.xml from C:\Chromel\bin\DDK\V1\Drivers\Agilent\ICF or from the Chromeleon DVD (in folder Drivers\Agilent Instrument Control Framework) and paste it into the location indicated in the message.

Problem: The Agilent module switches from a Ready state to a NotReady state.

Reason: External influences, such as gas bubbles in the RI detector or a lack of eluent, could result in a NotReady state of an Agilent module. For these instances it might be necessary to fix the NotReady condition manually, for example by purging the module or rebalancing the RI detector and to restart the batch afterwards.

Further Information

For more installation details, refer to the respective instrument manual.

For an overview of the different Agilent/HP instruments for which device drivers are available in Chromeleon, refer to  Agilent (formerly HP).