Loss of Communication with the GC in your GC/MSD System

Answer

This Information Applies To: Agilent GC systems 6890N, 7890A/B, 7820, 8860, 8890 and 9000 Intuvo as part of a GC/MSD system.

Issue

PC lost communication with GC, however it is communicating with MS.

Background

PC, GC, and MS are connected via a network switch.

Steps to Follow

1. Vent the MS. See article: How To Vent (Shut Down) the GC/MSD - EI – MassHunter. After vent cycle is completed, switch off MS, GC, and PC.
2. Restart PC, then the GC followed by the MS.
3. Launch the software and verify communication with GC if re-established. Otherwise, proceed with subsequent steps.
4. Ping from PC to the GC IP address. See article: How To Ping the IP Address of an Agilent Gas Chromatographs
5. If the ping test to the GC fails, check and ensure that the LAN cable is securely connected from the GC to port into the network switch.
6. If still unable to ping, try to connect to another port in the LAN switch. Verify with ping test. If the ping test still fails, try another LAN cable that has been verified to be working.
7. Visually check the indicating LED on top of switch port that is connected to GC is green. A green light indicates that the port on the network switch has a valid connection (see Figure 1).

   
   
   Figure 1. Network Switch
   1. Active Port, 2. Inactive Port
   
   

8. If the LAN cable connection between the GC and the PC has been checked and the network switch port LED is lit in green, please do a direct LAN cable connection from PC to GC using the LAN cable used by MS.
9. Repeat GC ping test again with the know good LAN cable from the MS. If the GC IP address still does not ping, contact your local Agilent support representative for further assistance.

Learn how to effectively troubleshoot your Agilent 5977 GC/MSD:  Agilent 5977 GC/MSD with MassHunter Workstation e-learning path available from Agilent education