All about devices in NEST
=========================

.. from SLI docs:

Devices are network nodes which provide input to the network or record
its output. They encapsulate the stimulation and measurement process. If
you want to extract certain information from a simulation, you need a
device which is able to deliver this information. Likewise, if you want
to send specific input to the network, you need a device which delivers
this input.

Devices have a built-in timer which controls the period they are active.
Outside this interval, a device will remain silent. The timer can be
configured using the command ``SetStatus``.

By definition, a device is active in the interval \\((t_1,t_2)\) if we
can observe events \\(E\) with time stamps \\(t_E\) which obey \\(t_1 <=
t_E < t_2\) for all \\(E\) . In other words, the interval during which
the device is active corresponds to the range of time-stamps of the
device’s events.

Note that it is not possible to generate/observe an event with time
stamp 0.

A range of devices is available for the stimulation of neurons.

All devices which are used to observe the state of other network nodes
are called recording devices. Examples are ``multimeter`` and
``spike_recorder``.

Recording devices have properties which control the amount, the
format, and the destination of their output.

.. toctree::
  :maxdepth: 2

  record_from_simulations
  stimulate_the_network
  ../models/index_device