Connecting with Ethernet

The LI-6400XT has an expansion slot that accepts an Ethernet adapter (6400-26)1, included in the spares kit. Configuration is automatic: plug in the card and cable, plug the other end of that cable into your computer or switch, and in a few seconds the LI-6400 will be configured and ready to go.

Figure 11‑4. You can connect the LI-6400XT directly to your computer, or directly to the LAN to which your computer is connected. If you need more ports, use a multi-port Ethernet Switch.

Note: If the direct connection (A) doesn’t seem to work, try plugging both computer and LI-6400XT into an Ethernet Switch, as in (B).

The LI-6400XT supports Secure Shell (SSH), SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), Samba (file sharing on Windows, Mac OX, Linux, Unix), and Zero Configuration Networking.

The following sections provide step-by-step instructions to guide you through the various operations available via Ethernet connection to your LI-6400XT.

Note: For all Ethernet interactions, the LI-6400XT does not have to be in any special mode. It can be doing anything - New Measurements mode, LPL screen, etc.. The only requirement is that the console is powered on, with the network card and cable plugged in.

Installing Ethernet

  1. Plug in the Ethernet adapter card
  2. It goes in label side up. A few seconds after you plug it in, you should hear three quick beeps.
    3. Figure 11‑5. Ethernet adapter card inserted in the LI-6400XT expansion slot.
  3. Verify the configuration
  4. You can verify the configuration on the display of the LI-6400 in the The Network Status Program.

Operational hint: If network operations become unresponsive, try ejecting and re-connecting the Ethernet adapter card.

The Network Status Program

The Network Status program is accessible from either the LPL screen, or OPEN’s Utility Menu.

Figure 11‑6. The Network Status display shows the LI-6400’s connection status and host name.

If you are successfully connected, you’ll see the IP address at the top of the display. Alternative messages include:

“Not possible” - this LI-6400 is not an XT and has no compact flash expansion slot.2

“Card not inserted” - the Ethernet card is not inserted in the compact flash slot.

“Cable not connected” - an Ethernet cable is not connected.

“Acquiring...” - The LI-6400 is still configuring itself to the network.

Normally, during the few seconds after connecting to a network, the message line will change several times between an IP address, the “Cable not connected” message, and the “Acquiring...” message, as the self-configuration takes place.

The Host name is the name the LI-6400XT will have on your LAN. By default, this will be the instrument’s serial number, but you may change it to any valid name (start with a letter, avoid spaces, case insensitive). Examples: qwerty, my6400, psc-1234, BoSox07.

The User name is always lpl (lower case LPL). The default password is also lpl. The User name and password will be needed to access the LI-6400XT for file sharing from a remote computer.

The MAC Address will be the answer to a question your IT people might ask if they need to make special allowances for you and your LI-6400XT. Otherwise, ignore it.

The “More info...” option (press M) will show a screen similar to Figure 11‑7.

Figure 11‑7. Services should be 6400 and 6409. Clients shows the number of remote connections using 6400 or 6409. That is, connections using LI6400XTerm, LI6400Group, etc. The remaining information pertains to mounting the LI-6400XT’s file system on your PC. This is discussed below in this chapter.

Making the LI-6400XT Wireless

While the LI-6400XT has no inherent wireless capability, you can add it via the Ethernet card, by connecting to a wireless router (see Look Ma, No Wires! or Adding Wireless Connectivity to the LI-6400XT In Five Easy Steps).

(Windows) File Transfer with Explorer

  1. Open an Explorer Window
  2. Click on, for example, “My Computer”.
    3. Figure 11‑8. Get to the LI-6400 either by entering the host name, or by navigating.
  3. You can either navigate to the LI-6400 by clicking on icons, or get there in one step by entering the host name. If you navigate there, you may have to go through (depending on what version of Windows you have, etc.) “My Network Places” and “Entire Network”. If you see a work group named Licor, look in that. Eventually, you should find your XT in a list:
    4. Figure 11‑9. Navigating to an LI-6400XT with Windows Explorer
  4. Authenticate
  5. When you open the server for the first time (since login), you will have to authenticate the connection by entering the user name (lpl) and password (lpl again, unless you have changed it):
    6. Figure 11‑10. Use lpl for the user name and the password.
  6. Navigate to the User directory
  7. When Windows opens the LI-6400XT server, you will see an “lpl” folder. Double click it.
  8. This will bring you to the file system you are familiar with on the LI-6400. Your data and configuration files are in the User folder, and you can drag and drop from there to your desktop or other Explorer windows.
Figure 11‑11. Your data files will be in the User folder. Sys contains programs, and dev contains instrument specific calibration files.

Opening an Explorer Window from LI6400XTerm

Another way to open an Explorer window is to start with LI6400XTerm, and click the Open File System button. (You need not be communicating with any instrument to do this.)

Figure 11‑12. Using LI6400XTerm to mount an XT file system.

When you select an instrument from the drop down list, and click OK, you will then either be show the authentication window (Figure 11‑10), or the Explorer window for lpl (Figure 11‑11).

(Windows) File Transfer with WinSCP

WinSCP is a freely downloadable (winscp.net) Windows application that supports SFTP. It is a reliable alternative if you are having trouble making Windows recognize the LI-6400XT. For example: when we plug an LI-6400XT into the LAN here at LI-COR, it can sometimes take several minutes before it becomes “visible” in the Microsoft Windows Network. Win-SCP and LI6400XTerm, on the other hand, will find it immediately.

  1. Run WinSCP, and log in
  2. Once installed and launched (after a restart), WinSCP presents its connection dialog (Figure 11‑13). Enter the Host name, User name, and password, and then press Login. The host name and password should match your instrument (Figure 11‑6).
    3. Figure 11‑13. Connecting via WinSCP.
  3. Drag and Drop as needed
  4. WinSCP will open a window to the LI-6400XT’s file system, from which you can drag and drop files just like with Explorer (Figure 11‑14).
    5. Figure 11‑14. Using WinSCP.
  5. Using WinSCP.

(Mac OS X) File Transfer with Finder

From a Mac with OS X, you can connect to the LI-6400XT with Finder, either by directly entering the host name, or navigating to it:

  1. Enter the host name or IP address
  2. Open the “Connect to Server...” dialog, under Go in Finder’s Menu Bar. Precede the host name with smb:// and put .local. behind it (Figure 11‑15).
    3. Figure 11‑15. Connecting to a server with Macintosh Finder.
  3. If you enter the IP address, put “smb://” in front of it (e.g. smb://172.24.80.33).
  4. Verify
  5. You will be asked to select a share. Your only choice is lpl, so just click OK (Figure 11‑16).
    6. Figure 11‑16. The share name is lpl.
  6. Authenticate
  7. The workgroup should default to LICOR. Enter the user name (always lpl) and password (also lpl, unless you have changed it), and click OK.
    8. Figure 11‑17. Enter the username and password.
  8. Open the LPL server
  9. Finder will open a window for lpl (the LI-6400XT’s file system), and add it to the Shared items on the left side of the Finder window.
    10. Figure 11‑18. The file system of an LI-6400XT shown in Finder.

You can now drag and drop files or folders, just as if the LI-6400XT were a mass storage device connected to your computer.

When you are done, you can disconnect if you wish by selecting Eject from Finder’s File Menu, or clicking the eject icon to the right of its Shared list entry.

Opening a Finder Window with LI6400XTerm

You can also open a Finder window for the XT using LI6400XTerm, by clicking on the Mount FS button.

Figure 11‑19. Opening a Finder window with LI6400XTerm.

Pick the instrument, click OK, and a Finder window will open in a few seconds.

Finder mounts the LI-6400XT in the Mac file system at /Volumes/lpl.

(Mac OS X) File Transfer with Fetch

Fetch is a nearly-free, downloadable (fetchsoftworks.com) file transfer application for Mac OS that supports SSH and SFTP, but with a graphical interface.

  1. Run the application and log in.
  2. The New Connection dialog lets you specify host name, user name, and password (Figure 11‑20).
    3. Figure 11‑20. Connecting with Fetch.
  3. Explore, Drag, Drop, etc.
  4. Once you are logged in, the LI-6400XT’s file system will appear in the Fetch window (Figure 11‑21). You can then drag, drop, and otherwise manipulate files.
    5. Figure 11‑21. Opening a Finder window with LI6400XTerm.

(Linux) Connecting with Nautilus

The examples below are from Fedora 15.

Method 1: “Connect to Server”

Use the “Connect to Server” entry in the Places drop down.

Figure 11‑22. Connecting to the LI-6400XT with Connect To Server.

Method 2: Browse Network

From a Nautilus window, select Browse Network in the side bar, find your LI-6400XT, and double click it (Figure 11‑23).

Figure 11‑23. Using Browse Network to get to an LI-6400XT file system.

Method 3: Launch Nautilus from a Command Line

You can start from the command line in Terminal, and launch a file browser aimed at your LI-6400XT (Figure 11‑24). The example uses psc-1276, so substitute the host name of your own LI-6400 (see The Network Status Program).

Figure 11‑24. Opening a GUI interface to the LI-6400XT file system from Linux.

(Mac OS X, Linux) Command Line File Transfer

If you don’t mind working with a command line, you can do all manner of evil with the LI-6400XT, using rcp, rsynch, and the like. You need to know that the real path to the file system that you see on the LI-6400XT is /home/lpl/. Thus, the data file /User/data is really /home/lpl/User/ data. The user name is lpl, and the password is lpl.

Here are two simple examples:

Copy a data file named ’mydata’ from the /User directory on the LI-6400XT to the destination directory /Users/jon/test on your computer:

rcp lpl@psc-1094.local:/home/lpl/User/mydata /Users/jon/test

To copy the entire contents of the /User directory into the existing directory /Users/jon/Test, preserving file time stamps and permissions, do this:

rcp -rp lpl@psc-1094.local.:/home/lpl/User/* /Users/jon/Test

NOTE: If you have mounted the LI-6400XT’s file system to your computer, then you can treat its files as “local”, and you needn’t worry about host names and passwords. For example, with OS X, you can mount the file system with Finder ((Mac OS X) File Transfer with Finder), then all the LI-6400XT files will be in the location /Volumes/lpl. So, for example, from Terminal, you can get a list of the files in the LI-6400XT’s /User directory by typing this:

ls /Volumes/lpl/User

or you can copy the data file ’mydata’ from the /User directory on the LI-6400XT to the existing destination directory /Users/jon/test on your computer:

cp /Volumes/lpl/User/mydata /Users/jon/test