Requirements for a Desktop PC as a Real-Time Target
Primary Software: LabVIEW Modules>>Real-Time Module
Primary Software Version: 8.5.1
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: LabWindows/CVI Add-ons>>Real-Time Module
Problem: What are the system requirements for a Desktop PC to be used as a target with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module or LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module (version 8.0 or later) and how should it be installed?
Solution: The LabVIEW Real-Time Module and LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module feature support for desktop PCs as Real-Time targets. This document provides specific guidelines regarding the requirements and installation instructions for LabVIEW Real-Time and LabWindows/CVI Real-Time on a desktop PC. A
LabVIEW Real-Time Deployment License for Standard PC's- ETS RTOS is required for each target machine. Note: NI-FGEN and NI-SCOPE are not supported on Desktop ETS systems.
Software/License Requirements:
- LabVIEW Real-Time Module version 8.0 or later - or - LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module version 8.0 or later
- NI LabVIEW Real-Time Deployment License for Desktop PCs for every PC target
- LabVIEW Real-Time for Desktop PC Utility USB Drive. This can be created with Measurement & Automation Explorer by selecting Tools»RT Disk Utilities.
Basic System Requirements:
These system requirements must be met by the desktop computer in order to run the LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI Real-Time engine:
- Supported Processors:
- Intel® Pentium® 3 (7.1+)
- Intel® Pentium® 4 (7.1+)
- Intel® Celeron® (8.0+)
- Intel® Pentium® M (8.0+)
- AMD Athlon™ 64 (8.0+)
- AMD Athlon™ XP (8.0+)
- Intel® Core 2 family of processors (8.5+)
- Intel® Pentium® D (8.5+)
- Intel® Multi-core Xeon® (8.5+)
- AMD Multi-core Opteron® (8.5+)
- Supported Ethernet Chipsets: A network adapter with a supported ethernet chipset is required. The adapter can be integrated to the motherboard or PCI. The model number is followed by the product ID and the supported LabVIEW Real-Time version.
- 10/100 Devices
- Intel® 8255x Family
- 82559 "0x1229" (7.1+)
- 82559er "0x1209" (8.5+)
- InBusiness® 82559 "0x103A" (8.5+)
- Intel® 82562 Family
- 82562em "0x2449" (8.5+)
- 82562et "0x1039" (8.5+)
- 82562etb "0x103B" (8.5+)
- Intel® Pro/100 VM "0x1033, 0x1034, 0x1038, 0x103C, 0x103E" (8.5+)
- Intel® Pro/100 VE "0x1032, 0x103D"(8.5+)
- Intel® 82801 CAM (ICH3) "0x1031, 0x1035, 0x1036, 0x1037" (8.5+)
- Intel® 82571EB (8.6+)
- Intel® 82571EI (8.6+)
- Intel® 82572 - Quadport (8.6+)
- nVidia® nForce MCPx Family
- MCP
- MCP2
- MCP3
- 400 MCP4
- 400 MCP5
- 250 MCP6
- MCP7
- CK804 MCP8
- CK804 MCP9
- 430 MCP12
- 430 MCP13
- Gigabit Device
- NI-PCI-8232 GPIB/Gigabit Ethernet (7.1+)
- Intel® 8254x Family
- 82540 (7.1+)
- 82540EM "0x100E" (8.5+)
- 82541EI "0x1013" (8.5+)
- 82541EP "0x1018" (8.5+)
- 82541GI "0x1076" (8.5+)
- 82541PI "0x1076" (8.5.1+)
- 82541GI-Mobile "0x1077" (8.5+)
- 82541ER "0x1078" (8.5+)
- Intel® 82573 Family
- 82573 (8.2.1+)
- 82573E/V "0x108B" (8.5+)
- 82573E/V w/AMT "0x108C" (8.5+)
- 82573L "0x109A" (8.5+)
- nVidia® nForce MCPx Family
- Intel® 82563EB (8.6+)
- Intel® 82567 (8.6+)
- Intel® 82571(8.6+)
- Broadcom® BCM5751 "0x1677" (8.0+)
- VLX Emulated Ethernet (8.6+)
- PXIe-8234
An example of a board that carries the Intel® 82540 chipset is the NI-PCI-8232 GPIB/Gigabit Ethernet.
An example of a commercially available board that carries the 82550 chipset is the Intel Pro/100 S.
- RAM requirement: RT supports 2 GB (gigabytes) maximum RAM
- In Real-Time 8.5.0 and previous, too much RAM may cause deployment errors.
- Real-Time 8.5.1 provided support for systems with more than 2 GB RAM, but it will only utilize 2 GB.
- Motherboard Requirements:
- 3.3 and 5 volt rails on motherboard
Note: Some server class, industrial, or non-dell motherboards may lack the 3.3 volt rail required by National Instruments M-Series boards. The BIOS may have a description of the power rails supported by the motherboard.
- Hard Drive Requirements:
- Parallel ATA (IDE)
- Serial ATA (AHCI)
- FAT32 File system on the primary partition of hard drive of the desktop PC
(If you want to test your PC for compatibility with the LabVIEW Real-Time PC Evaluator it is necessary to create a FAT32 partition first. You can use 'Format hard disk' option from the Desktop PC Utility menu.)
Note: LabVIEW RT and LabWindows/CVI versions prior to 8.5 do not support Serial ATA, however the following options may be available depending on the specific desktop PC.
- A Parallel ATA drive can be installed and the Serial ATA controllers can be disabled in the BIOS.
- The BIOS may have the option of setting the Serial ATA controller to a mode making the drive appear to be Parallel ATA. This may referred to with different names such as "PATA", "Legacy", "Compatibility", or other names. An example of this mode is discussed in section 4.1 of "Intel® 82801EB (ICH5) and Intel® 82801ER (ICH5R) Serial ATA Controller - Programmer’s Reference Manual (PRM)". Some PC BIOS may not support this mode, such as the Dell Precision 360. Sometimes it is helpful to disable the UDMA-mode.
LabVIEW RT 8.5 and LabWindows/CVI RT 8.5 support Serial ATA, but only AHCI mode. Other modes such as IDE will not work. Contact the vendor of the motherboard to determine if the chipset supports AHCI.
- Setup Requirements
- 3.5 inch floppy drive (1.44 MB)
- PS2 Keyboard - (Required when using a LabVIEW Real-Time Format Disk)
- USB Flash drive
- Must be formatted for the FAT32 File System
- Only supported in LabVIEW Real-Time 8.2 or later
Note: It is recommended that USB be disabled in the BIOS to prevent jitter. A USB floppy drive and/or keyboard could be used for the initial setup of a system if the BIOS supports it. For example a USB floppy drive could be used to execute the LabVIEW Real-Time Format Disk, after which the system will boot LabVIEW Real-Time from the hard drive and would not require a boot floppy and after which USB should be disabled.
Additional Requirements:
- LabVIEW Real-Time 8.2.1 and previous and LabWindows/CVI Real-Time 8.2.1 and previous require that the BIOS include the PCI BIOS interface function set. Whether the BIOS includes PCI BIOS support is generally not specified on data sheets and may be difficult to determine. If the PCI BIOS interface function set is not present in the BIOS, LabVIEW Real-Time and LabWindows/CVI Real-Time will not be able to access PCI devices and will generally display an error that it failed to find and configure a network adapter. An example motherboard which does not include PCI BIOS support is the Intel® D915GEV.
- LabVIEW Real-Time 8.5 and LabWindows/CVI Real-Time 8.5 do not require that the BIOS include the PCI BIOS interface function set.
- Disable hyperthreading in BIOS for any Intel processor that supports hyperthreading. If enabled, the RT OS will detect two cores per processor and become unstable.
Configuration InstructionsRefer to the
Using Desktop PCs as RT Targets with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module document for configuration instructions.
Related Links: Product Manuals: Using Desktop PCs as RT Targets with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module KnowledgeBase 3YQ8O7TQ: Can I Boot into or Run LabVIEW Real-Time Using a USB Flash Drive?KnowledgeBase 4LEHIQ4N: How Can I Test My PC For Compatibility with LabVIEW Real-Time or LabWindows/CVI Real-Time for Desktop ETS?
Attachments:
Report Date: 05/24/2004
Last Updated: 08/21/2008
Document ID: 39NDI8PK
