March 2018
Thank you for using FlexRIO Support 18.0. This file contains important information about FlexRIO Support 18.0 and is organized into the following sections.
Application Development Environments (ADEs)
Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples
Product Security and Critical Updates
Installing FlexRIO Support 18.0
IVI Compliance Package Functionality
Uninstalling/Modifying FlexRIO Support 18.0
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
FlexRIO Support 18.0 includes the following new features.
FlexRIO Support 17.0 includes the following new features.
FlexRIO Support 16.1 includes the following new features.
FlexRIO Support 16.0 includes the following new features.
FlexRIO Support 18.0 software supports the following FlexRIO hardware:
Controllers for FlexRIO
FlexRIO FPGA Modules
FlexRIO Adapter Modules1
1 FlexRIO adapter modules are supported only in LabVIEW 2017, and LabVIEW 2018.
Device-specific information about these modules is included in the FlexRIO Help.
FlexRIO Support 18.0 supports the following operating systems:
| Operating System | 64-bit | 32-bit |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 1 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows 8.1 1 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows 7 Service Pack 1 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 2 | ✓ | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.x | ✓ | — |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.x | ✓ | — |
| Scientific Linux 6.x | ✓ | — |
| CentOS 7 | ✓ | — |
Note In July 2016, NI dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. FlexRIO Support 18.0 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use FlexRIO Support 18.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing FlexRIO Support 18.0, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2016, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?.
1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.1. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.
2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.
Note: FlexRIO Support 18.0 does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.
NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.
FlexRIO Support 18.0 supports the following real-time operating environments:
Note: FlexRIO Support 18.0 and later do not include Legacy FTP Server (deprecated) in FlexRIO Linux-RT recommended software sets. This addon is still available through custom software installation.
Note: You should install ADEs before installing FlexRIO Support 18.0. To add support for ADEs installed after installing FlexRIO Support 18.0, modify your FlexRIO Support 18.0 installation or launch the FlexRIO Support 18.0 installer again.
| Note | $(IVIROOTDIR32) is configured as an environment variable on the target system. |
If you upgraded an installation of IVI, your files may be located in the following location:
|
| Note | $(IVIROOTDIR64) is configured as an environment variable on the target system. |
The product documentation is available at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI FlexRIO. Visit ni.com/manuals for the latest versions of product documentation.
To view these documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/reader.
The documentation set is composed of the following documents:
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| FlexRIO Help | Contains information about FlexRIO device support. This book also provides instructions for using LabVIEW and the LabVIEW FPGA Module with FlexRIO devices. |
| NI-7931R/7932R/7935R User Manual | Contains information about how to develop applications for your NI-793xR module. |
| Getting started guide for your device | Contains software and hardware installation, MAX configuration, signal connection, and troubleshooting information for your device. |
| Specifications document for your device | Lists technical specifications for your device. |
| FlexRIO Support 18.0 Readme (this document) | Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. |
For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.
To use the .NET API, you must install the the .NET class libraries or the .NET Wrapper in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to the National Instruments .NET Driver Support document at ni.com/info and enter Info Code NETAPIdriversupport.
Note To view PDFs, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/reader.
Refer to ni.com/flexrio for additional FlexRIO product support and information.
In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. FlexRIO examples are classified by keyword, so you can search for a particular device or measurement function. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs (including FlexRIO) and their descriptions:
The NI Example Finder is also available in LabWindows/CVI by selecting Help»Find Examples.
Examples also are available online that demonstrate applications using FlexRIO. Refer to ni.com/examples for these examples and for more information.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.
FlexRIO Support versions are aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with. Driver versions start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, FlexRIO Support 18.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2018.
Complete the following steps to install FlexRIO Support 18.0 for use with LabVIEW:
Note: In the LabVIEW FPGA installation menu, you must also install the Compilation Tools for FPGA Devices other than Virtex-II to use these examples.
Note: Visit ni.com/info and enter rdsoftwareversion as the Info Code for more information about which minimum software versions you need for your device.
FlexRIO Support no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. FlexRIO Support supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer supports the following features:
If you want to use the above features, you must install IVI Compliance Package separately, either from ni.com/downloads or from the NI Device Drivers 2018 DVD.
For Windows 7 Service Pack 1, complete the following steps:
For Windows 8.1, complete the following steps:
You can access the bug fixes and software and documentation known issues lists online at ni.com/info by entering Info Code ex492k.
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
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Patents
For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
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