National Instruments OPC Servers 2010 Readme

Version 10.0.0

June 2010

This file contains important information about the National Instruments OPC Servers, including installing and activating NI OPC Servers.

Overview

System Requirements

Installation Instructions

Licensing and Activation

Accessing the Help


Overview

NI OPC Servers provides a single consistent interface to communicate with multiple devices, saving you from learning new communication protocols and spending time understanding new applications. The combination of NI OPC Servers and other NI products, such as LabVIEW, the LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control (DSC) Module, Lookout, Measurement Studio, and LabWindows™/CVI™, provides a single platform for delivering high-performance measurements and control to new and existing industrial systems.

You can use NI OPC Servers with the following software applications:

By default, NI OPC Servers is installed with the DSC Module and Lookout. NI OPC Servers connects through the OPC client in the DSC Module to enable you to develop a full-fledged Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable automation controllers (PACs), and smart sensors. You can use NI OPC Servers with Measurement Studio, LabWindows/CVI, and LabVIEW by using DataSocket as an OPC client.

System Requirements

NI OPC Servers has both software and hardware minimum system requirements. This application supports the following Microsoft Windows operating systems:

Note  Because Windows 2003 Server and Windows XP have continuous updates, National Instruments recommends that you run the Windows update feature to get the latest software.

NI OPC Servers requires the following minimum hardware requirements:

Installation Instructions

Complete the following steps to install NI OPC Servers.

Note  Some virus detection programs interfere with the installer. Disable any automatic virus detection programs before you install. After installation, check your computer for viruses and enable any virus detection programs you disabled.

  1. Log on as an administrator or as a user with administrator privileges.
  2. Insert the NI OPC Servers 2010 installation CD and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
  3. Activate NI OPC Servers using the NI License Manager.

Licensing and Activation

NI OPC Servers installed with Lookout is licensed. NI OPC Servers installed with the DSC Module provides a temporary license for a two-hour evaluation period. You must activate a valid license to continue using NI OPC Servers after the evaluation period expires.

Use the NI License Manager, available by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI License Manager, to activate NI products. Refer to the National Instruments License Manager Help, available by selecting Help»Contents in the NI License Manager, for information about activating NI products.

Accessing the Help

Refer to the National Instruments Web site at ni.com/opc or the NI OPC Servers Help, available by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI OPC Servers»NI OPC Servers Help, for more information about NI OPC Servers.


Important Information

Copyright

© 2010 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.

National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.

Trademarks

CVI, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, the National Instruments corporate logo, and the Eagle logo are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Trademark Information at ni.com/trademarks for other National Instruments trademarks.

The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Patents

For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.