An instrument may show as offline due to a number of reasons, typically related to communication errors. Understanding how your instrument communicates with the software is a vital part of troubleshooting:



TABLE OF CONTENTS


Instructions to troubleshoot communication problems

Step 1: Identify any possible changes that were recently made.

  • Did your IT department recently work on the computer? If so, find out what changes they may have made.
  • Changes to the IP address or PC name may be the root cause of the problem.


Step 2: Check the cable and/or ethernet hub.

  • Check that the correct ethernet cable from the instrument is plugged into the onboard LAN port of the instrument PC. 
  • Unplug and plug in the cable again on both the instrument and the PC side.
  • If the instrument ethernet cables are plugged into an ethernet switch/hub, and then from the hub into the PC, ensure that the hub/switch has power and that all cables are properly clicked in.


Step 3: Check that the IP address of the ethernet adapter is still correctly configured

  • Go to Windows Control Panel and select Network and Internet followed by Network and Sharing Centre
  • On the left-hand side of the screen click Change Adapter Settings
  • Determine which network connection belongs to the onboard ethernet adapter (the one the instrument is plugged into). Typically when the instrument is plugged in, it will say "unidentified network". Right-click on this adapter and choose Properties.


  • Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties
  • Select Use the following IP address and enter an IP address that is in the same range as the instrument. When clicking in the Subnet mask box, it will be filled in automatically. For an LC instrument, the default IP is 192.168.254.11. For a GC, the IP can be obtained from the keypad or touchscreen, but is typically 100.100.100.2. 
  • When setting the IP address for a default LC the adapter IP settings should be as follows:

  • When setting the IP address for a default GC the adapter IP settings should be as follows: 

Step 4: Test the communication between the PC and instrument

  • Search ‘cmd’ and open Command Prompt app. 
  • Type “ping ” and the IP address of the PC and press enter.

  • Then enter “ping ” and the IP address of the instrument and press enter. If there are additional samplers or detectors (e.g. headspace sampler or MS) with their own IP addresses, ping these each as well to test communication.
  • Successful communication for each will be indicated by – Received 4, Lost 0. Unsuccessful communication for each will be indicated by – Received 0, Lost 4.

Step 5: If communication is unsuccessful, check the hardware

  • Check hardware again and try different ethernet cables, a new ethernet hub or a USB-to-ethernet adapter if the actual onboard ethernet adapter is suspected to be faulty.
  • If using a USB-to-ethernet adapter, remember to restore the onboard ethernet adapter settings to obtain the IP address automatically and set the USB-to-ethernet adapter IP address again to within range of the instrument.

Step 6: Launch the online software

  • Once communication has been successfully established, try launching the acquisition or online software again.
  • The instrument should now be showing as online
  • If communication was successful when pinging both the instrument and the computer, but there are still problems with the software, it may be necessary to investigate licensing issues.