National Instruments PCI-6110E/6111E - Manual (Page 16)

Chapter 1 Introduction
PCI-6110E/6111E User Manual 1-4 © National Instruments Corporation
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 or National Instruments
application software, your application uses the NI-DAQ driver
software, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.
Figure 1-1. The Relationship between the Programming Environment,
NI-DAQ, and Your Hardware
Register-Level Programming
The final option for programming any National Instruments DAQ
hardware is to write register-level software. Writing register-level
programming software can be very time-consuming and inefficient,
and is not recommended for most users.
Even if you are an experienced register-level programmer, using
NI-DAQ or application software to program your National Instruments
DAQ hardware is easier than, and as flexible as, register-level
programming, and can save weeks of development time.
NI-DAQ
Driver Software
DAQ or
SCXI Hardware
Personal Computer
or Workstation
Conventional
Programming
Environment
ComponentWorks,
LabVIEW,
LabWindows/CVI,
or VirtualBench
PCI_E.book Page 4 Thursday, June 25, 1998 12:55 PM