A study of Internet-based remote virtual instrumentation

This purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of remote virtual instruments (RVIs), investigate issues with using the Internet as a transmission media for RVIs, and study the use of software-based virtual instruments to leverage the power of computer technology. This study began with an introduction to the history, architecture, and the software and hardware components of RVIs. An RVI server was built as an internet-based server with signal processing capability as a simple nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer receiver. An RVI client was created to operate the RVI server and receive the NMR spectrum remotely over the Internet. The RVI server was built with a graphical programming language named LabVIEW, and the RVI client was built with a text-based programming language named LabWindows/CVI (C for virtual instruments). The RVI client and server applied the power and flexibility of software and implemented features that were not generally available to traditional instruments, such as login authentication, server-side connection log, and instant messaging, etc. The RVI server and client were tested under different network connections and different computers. The speed and accuracy of the NMR spectrum was examined. The study showed the practicability of using the Internet as a transmission media for RVIs, and exposed the limitation of network speed and computer hardware on RVIS. Conclusions were drawn as a guide for considering virtual instrumentation for potential applications.