Win10 patches / Chemstation

[MichaelVW]

We've been happily using ChemStation E02.02.1431 on a couple Windows 10 machines (and one Windows 11) for a couple years now.

We've started having issues in Spring of 2024 on three different instruments, each one run by a different computer.

Each PC has two network cards. There is a switch for each GC / MS / Computer set. The computer's other network card goes out to the company network and internet.

In the past, for some (not all) instruments, loading ChemStation only worked if you disabled the 2nd network, regardless of what you had the Interface Metric / Bind Order set at under Network Settings -> TCP/IP. One the software was loaded, there was no problem.

Now it seems that if the 2nd network is connected, running samples sometimes results in the software freezing after the injection is made. To recover, the PC, GC, and MS need to be restarted.

I don't know if this is related or not, but another system is doing a weird thing where it "cannot bring up GC." The only solution I've found is to change the settings in Agilent MSD Configuration to make it an offline instrument. Then I load the software, load and save my method, load and save the sequence table, shut it down and switch it back to Online mode.

Is anyone else having similar struggles?

[antonk]

Let me guess - your GC's are 7890.

7890 collects data in the following manner:
* PC allocates server socket for each data channel
* PC subscribes the channel on GC and passes IP and port number
* GC connect server sockets on PC and start sending data.

Problem is at two levels:
* 7890 driver at PC side allocates server sockets in a manner the standard Win10 router can not handle interface preference.
* You are trying to solve network isolation problem at wrong OSI/ISO abstraction level.

I'd placed single router to isolate your analytical network from public/office network. All the instruments and workstations have to be connected to switches behind this router.
Use single PC network card and do not try to resolve routing (yes, it is routing problem) at the level completely not intended for it (user win10 PC)

[antonk]

Also the configuration, mentioned above give additional benefit.

You can use single LabAssitant (or whatever) their software for monitoring and firmware upgrade called.

[wss]

I remember I had a similar problem, activating SICL LAN with the Agilent IO Libraries installed seemed to fix it (forgot how to do this though). The NIC connected to the instrument LAN had to have its metric set to 1 as well in the TCP/IP settings.