Chapter 1 Introduction
NI PCI-6110/6111 User Manual 1-2 ni.com
What You Need to Get Started
To set up and use the NI PCI-6110/6111, you will need the following items:
❑NI PCI-6110/6111
❑NI PCI-6110/6111 User Manual
❑NI-DAQ
❑The computer
❑(Optional) One of the following software packages and
documentation:
–LabVIEW
(Windows or Mac OS)
– Measurement Studio (Windows)
– VI Logger (Windows)
Software Programming Choices
When programming the National Instruments DAQ hardware, you can use
NI application development environment (ADE) software or other ADEs.
In either case, you use NI-DAQ.

NI-DAQ

NI-DAQ, which ships with the NI PCI-6110/6111, has an extensive library
of functions that you can call from the ADE. These functions allow you to
use all the features of the NI PCI-6110/6111.
NI-DAQ carries out many of the complex interactions, such as
programming interrupts, between the computer and the DAQ hardware.
NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software interface among its different
versions so that you can change platforms with minimal modifications to
the code. Whether you use LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, or other
ADEs, your application uses NI-DAQ, as illustrated in Figure1-1.