LabVIEW 2015 Real-Time Module Readme

June 2015


This file contains important information about the Real-Time Module, including installation instructions, new features, a partial list of bugs fixed for the LabVIEW 2015 Real-Time Module, and known issues.


Overview

System Requirements

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

Automating the Installation of NI Products

How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x

NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Legal Information


Overview

The LabVIEW Real-Time Module is a complete solution for creating reliable, stand-alone embedded systems with a graphical programming approach. As an add-on to the LabVIEW development environment, the LabVIEW Real-Time Module helps you develop and debug graphical, deterministic real-time applications that can be downloaded to and executed on embedded hardware devices such as NI CompactRIO, NI CompactDAQ, NI Single-Board RIO, PXI, vision systems, or even third-party PCs.


System Requirements

  • LabVIEW 2015 Full or Professional Development System (32-bit)
  • At least 200 MB of disk space in addition to the LabVIEW-recommended minimum
  • One of the following operating systems for application development:
    • Windows 8.0/8.1
    • Windows 7
    • Windows Vista
    • Windows XP Service Pack 3 Professional
    • Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit)
    • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)

Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW 2015.


Note:


  • The Real-Time Module is compatible with LabVIEW (32-bit) only. Therefore, you must have LabVIEW (32-bit) installed even if you use a 64-bit OS.
  • You might need more memory than the LabVIEW-recommended minimum depending on the size of the application you design in LabVIEW on the host computer.
  • Support for Windows Server 2003 R2 might require disabling physical address extensions (PAE). Refer to the National Instruments website for information about how this might affect your use of Windows Server 2003 R2 and what actions you might have to take.
  • The Real-Time Module does not support the Windows Server non-R2 editions.

The Real-Time Module installs the following real-time operating systems (RTOSes). Refer to the specific RT target hardware documentation for information about which RTOS your target uses.

  • NI ETS
  • NI Linux Real-Time
  • VxWorks

Note:   Each RTOS supports only a subset of LabVIEW features. Refer to the Real-Time Module»Real-Time Operating Systems book on the Contents tab of the LabVIEW Help for a list of unsupported LabVIEW features and special considerations for each RTOS.


Application Software Support

The following table lists the application software versions, including service packs, supported by the LabVIEW 2015 Real-Time Module.


Application Software Versions Supported by Product
LabVIEW 2015 (32-bit only)

Installation Instructions

You can install all of your LabVIEW products—including the Real-Time Module—using the LabVIEW 2015 Platform media. Refer to the LabVIEW Installation Guide on the LabVIEW Platform media for installation instructions and system requirements.


To request additional LabVIEW Platform media, refer to the National Instruments website.


Note  If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.


Installing and Using Japanese and Simplified Chinese Languages on an RT Target

After you install the Real-Time Module on your development computer, you can complete the following steps to install and use Japanese and Simplified Chinese languages on an RT target:


  1. Use the LabVIEW Real-Time Software Wizard in NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX) to install the Language Support for Japanese or Language Support for Simplified Chinese software component on the RT target. Refer to the Measurement & Automation Explorer Help for information about the LabVIEW Real-Time Software Wizard.
  2. Open the System Settings tab and select Japanese or Simplified Chinese as the Locale.

Note:  You cannot use Japanese or Simplified Chinese characters in directory names or filenames on the RT target.


Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.


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 Real-Time Module.


Maximizing RT FIFO Throughput

Customers using RT FIFOs with Linux Real-Time targets and the LabVIEW 2015 Real-Time Module may see increased CPU utilization compared to previous versions. If your application requires you to maximize FIFO throughput and minimize CPU impact, you may need to use the same CPU core to read from and write to the same RT FIFO.


Bug Fixes

The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in the Real-Time Module. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the Real-Time Module. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate the issue has been fixed.


ID Fixed Issue
521631 Obtain Queue Function does not preallocate memory to the Max Queue Size when Embedded UI is enabled.
519937 Making changes to a LabVIEW class between interactive deployment sessions can cause the Real-Time target to crash or hang.
519798 Running the Profile Performance and Memory tool on a cRIO with Embedded UI enabled crashes the Real-Time runtime on the target.
515335 Running parallel read and write Timed Loops with RT FIFOs can cause the read to intermittently hang.
514835 The "enable project access" option can be configured in MAX but the property is missing from the system configuration API.
513004 WebDAV Server on VxWorks Real-Time controllers returns incorrect response for "last modification" when accessed with Directory Listing.vi.
505224 NI Linux Real-Time (Intel x64-based) does not natively support third-party USB ethernet dongles but NI Linux Real-Time (ARM-based) does.
485965 Using a custom right click menu in interactive mode with Embedded UI enabled can cause the Real-Time runtime to crash.
475970 RT Wait function does not wait for the correct amount of time on Linux RT Controller.
428520 LabVIEW classes within a CompactRIO Target, configured for hybrid mode, containing Open FPGA Reference by VI will cause UDVs and Scan Engine Variables to load incorrectly in the project.

Accessing the Help

Refer to the LabVIEW Help, accessible by selecting Help»LabVIEW Help from LabVIEW, for information about the Real-Time Module.


Finding Examples

Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. LabVIEW examples for the Real-Time Module are located in the labview\examples\Real-Time Module directory. 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.


Automating the Installation of NI Products

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. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.


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:


How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x

When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.x, 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.


Using NI Launcher

NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.


Note  NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.x. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher.

Pinning Frequently Used Applications

For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:


Current ApplicationIcon LocationPin to Action
Windows 8.x DesktopDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to Taskbar
Windows 8.x Desktop Start screenRight-click application and select Pin to Start
Windows 8.x Start screenDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen

Finding All Programs

If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select All apps (Windows 8.0) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).


For more information about NI support for Windows 8.x, visit ni.com/windows8.


LabVIEW Real-Time Module Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016

The LabVIEW Real-Time Module will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of the Real-Time Module that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:


Product Info Code
LabVIEWlifecycle
LabWindows™/CVI™cvi_lifecycle
Measurement Studiomstudiolifecycle
TestStandtslcp
DIAdemddlcp
SignalExpressselcp
VeriStandnivslifecycle

Legal Information

Copyright


© 1999–2015 National Instruments. 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.


End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices


You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:


  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights


If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.


IVI Foundation Copyright Notice


Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.


The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.


Trademarks


Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on 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 the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.


374714C-01