LabVIEW FPGA IP Builder (Early Access Program) Readme

December 2011

This file contains information about the LabVIEW FPGA IP Builder (Early Access Program), including supported platforms and FPGA targets, installation instructions, activation instructions, help resources, and known issues.

Overview
System Requirements
Supported FPGA Targets
Installation Instructions
Activation Instructions
Accessing Help
Finding Examples
Known Issues


Overview

The LabVIEW FPGA IP Builder enables you to create FPGA algorithms, interactively optimize the algorithms according to specific application requirements, and automatically generate efficient LabVIEW FPGA code.

You must have the LabVIEW FPGA Module, necessary Xilinx compilation tools, and NI-RIO installed on the local computer to use the FPGA IP Builder. Refer to the FPGA Module installation options on the LabVIEW Platform DVD, or your original media, for instructions on installing the FPGA Module and Xilinx compilation tools for LabVIEW. Refer to the NI Device Drivers DVD for instructions on installing NI-RIO.

After you install the FPGA IP Builder, an IP Builder project item automatically appears when you add an FPGA target to a LabVIEW project. The FPGA IP Builder supports only a limited number of FPGA targets.

System Requirements

The computer you are using must meet the following minimum system requirements to run the FPGA IP Builder:

You can run the FPGA IP Builder on the following operating systems:

Note: The FPGA IP Builder does not support Windows NT/Me/2000/98/95 or the Windows Server non-R2 editions.

Supported FPGA Targets

The FPGA IP Builder supports the following FPGA targets:

Device Type Target
CompactRIO cRIO-911x
FlexRIO PXI-795xR
PXIe-796xR
IF Transceivers* PXIe-5641R
MXIe-RIO Chassis NI 9157
NI 9159
R Series PCIe, PXI-784xR
PCIe, PXI-785xR
* You must have the NI-5640R instrument driver installed.

Installation Instructions

Double-click the setup.exe file in the root directory of the FPGA IP Builder installer and follow the instructions on the screen to install this product.

Activation Instructions

Complete the following steps to activate the FPGA IP Builder.

  1. Install the FPGA IP Builder—Refer to the readme_FPGAIPBuilder.html file, located in the root directory of the installation media, for information about installing the FPGA IP Builder.
  2. Locate your Serial Number—Your serial number uniquely identifies your purchase of NI software. You can find your serial number on the Certificate of Ownership included in your software kit. If your software kit does not include a Certificate of Ownership, you can find your serial number on the product packing slip or on the shipping label.
  3. Obtain your Activation Code—You must obtain your activation code before activating the FPGA IP Builder. To obtain your activation code, you must send an email to ipbuilder.activation@ni.com with the following information: name, company, serial number, and computer ID. You can use the FPGA IP Builder License utility to create the email message. If you installed the FPGA IP Builder for the first time, the installer may launch the FPGA IP Builder License utility for you. Otherwise, perform the following steps to launch the utility and obtain your activation code:
    1. Double-click the IPBuilderLicense.exe file located in the root directory of the FPGA IP Builder installation media or in the following directory: Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\IP Builder.
    2. In the dialog box that appears, which contains the draft email message you can use to obtain your activation code, click the Generate Email button. Your default email application launches with the new email message.
    3. Verify the email message contains correct information. For example, the Serial Number field must contain the correct serial number you find in Step 2.
    4. Send the email message.

      You will receive your activation code from National Instruments if the information you provided is correct. The process might take up to 48 hours. You can use the FPGA IP Builder in evaluation mode, which expires 90 days after you install the software, while waiting for your activation code. After you receive your activation code, proceed to the next step to activate the FPGA IP Builder.
  4. Launch the NI Activation Wizard—The NI Activation Wizard guides you through the activation process. Perform the following steps to activate the FPGA IP Builder by using the NI Activation Wizard:
    1. Launch NI License Manager by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI License Manager.
    2. Double-click the FPGA IP Builder product name in the NI License Manager tree.
    3. In the NI Activation Wizard that appears, select Apply one or more 20-character activation codes previously acquired for this computer and click the Next button.
    4. Enter the activation code you obtained in Step 3 and click the Next button.
  5. Save your Activation Code for Future Use (optional)—NI Activation Wizard provides you with the option to receive an email confirmation of your activation code. If you reinstall your software on the same computer, the same activation code will work. To apply this activation code in the future, launch the NI Activation Wizard and select Apply one or more 20-character activation codes previously acquired for this computer.

Installing and Activating Software Upgrades

If you are upgrading or moving between software packages, in most cases you do not have to install additional software, as follows:

For information on how to use NI License Manager to activate software, refer to the NI License Manager Help, which you can access from the Help»Contents menu item in NI License Manager.

Product Registration

During activation, you may be prompted for your ni.com user ID and password in order to register your product. NI uses the contact information that you provide to ensure access to your service benefits, including technical support, software upgrades, and updates. If you are not prompted to register, you can visit ni.com/support, click the Product Registration link, and enter your registration information manually.

Privacy Policy

National Instruments respects your privacy. For more information about the National Instruments activation information privacy policy, go to ni.com/activate/privacy.

Terms

activation code A 20-character code that enables NI software to run on your computer, based on your serial number and computer ID. You receive and apply an activation code by completing the activation process.
computer ID A 16-character ID that uniquely identifies your computer, generated during the activation process. To find your computer ID, launch NI License Manager and click the Display Computer Information button.
serial number An alphanumeric string that uniquely identifies your purchase of a single copy of software, included in your software kit on your Certificate of Ownership, on the product packing slip, or on the shipping label.

National Instruments uses activation to better support evaluation of our software, to enable additional software features, and to support license management in large organizations. To find out more about National Instruments software licensing, visit ni.com/activate for frequently asked questions, resources, and technical support.

Accessing Help

Refer to the LabVIEW Help, available by selecting Help»LabVIEW Help in LabVIEW, for more information about using the FPGA IP Builder.

Finding Examples

LabVIEW examples for the FPGA IP Builder are located in the labview\examples\FPGAIPBuilder folder. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.

You also can find example VIs using the NI Example Finder. Select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. Use the Browse or Search page of the NI Example Finder to find an example VI. In the Browse page, the FPGA IP Builder examples are located in the Toolkits and Modules»FPGA IP Builder folder.

Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments website for an up-to-date list of known issues in the FPGA IP Builder.


Copyright

© 2011 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

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

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 ni.com/patents.