National Instruments 6508 PCI-DIO-96 - Manual (Page 15)

Chapter 1 Introduction
© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 PCI-DIO-96 User Manual
LabWindows/CVI features interactive graphics, a state-of-the-art user
interface, and uses the ANSI standard C programming language. The
LabWindows/CVI Data Acquisition Library, a series of functions for
using LabWindows/CVI with National Instruments DAQ hardware, is
included with the NI-DAQ software kit. The LabWindows/CVI Data
Acquisition Library is functionally equivalent to the NI-DAQ software.
Using ComponentWorks, LabVIEW, or LabWindows/CVI software
will greatly reduce the development time for your data acquisition and
control application.
NI-DAQ Driver Software
The NI-DAQ driver software is included at no charge with all National
Instruments DAQ hardware. NI-DAQ is not included with SCXI or
accessory products, except the SCXI-1200. NI-DAQ has an extensive
library of functions that you can call from your application
programming environment. These functions include routines for analog
input (A/D conversion), buffered data acquisition (high-speed A/D
conversion), analog output (D/A conversion), waveform generation
(timed D/A conversion), digital I/O, counter/timer operations, SCXI,
RTSI, self-calibration, messaging, and acquiring data to memory.
NI-DAQ has both high-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum ease of
use and low-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum flexibility and
performance. Examples of high-level functions are streaming data to
disk or acquiring a certain number of data points. An example of a
low-level function is writing directly to registers on the DAQ device.
NI-DAQ does not sacrifice the performance of National Instruments
DAQ devices because it lets multiple devices operate at their peak
performance.
NI-DAQ also internally addresses many of the complex issues between
the computer and the DAQ hardware such as programming interrupts
and DMA controllers. NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software
interface among its different versions so that you can change platforms
with minimal modifications to your code. Whether you are using
conventional programming languages, ComponentWorks, LabVIEW,
or LabWindows/CVI, your application uses the NI-DAQ driver
software, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.