August 2015
This document contains information about NI TestStand 2014 SP1. Refer to the NI TestStand 2014 SP1 Release Notes for information about getting started with TestStand, such as system requirements, licensing information, and installation instructions. If you do not activate a TestStand license, TestStand operates in Evaluation Mode.
Refer to the What's New in TestStand topics for TestStand 2014 SP1 in the NI TestStand Help for detailed information about new features and other changes since TestStand 2014. Refer to the What's New in TestStand topics for previous versions of TestStand in the NI TestStand Help for information about new features, compatibility and known issues, and bug fixes for those versions.
You can install TestStand or deployments of TestStand for TestStand 2014 SP1 and TestStand 2013 or earlier on the same computer. Use the TestStand Version Selector to select the active version of TestStand before you launch TestStand or a deployed TestStand application. National Instruments does not support running applications that use two different versions of TestStand at the same time.
You cannot install TestStand 2014 SP1 over a previous version, such as TestStand 2013, and you cannot install TestStand 2014 SP1 in the default installation directory for a previous version. If you installed a previous version of TestStand in a non-default directory, you can uninstall the previous version of TestStand and install TestStand 2014 SP1 to that directory.
Upgrading TestStand 2014 to TestStand 2014 SP1
Activating a License after Upgrading to a Service Pack
Installing TestStand 2014 SP1 Deployment Software
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x
TestStand Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016
Additional TestStand Resources
You can install TestStand or deployments of TestStand for TestStand 2014 SP1 and TestStand 2013 or earlier on the same computer. Use the TestStand Version Selector to select the active version of TestStand before you launch TestStand or a deployed TestStand application. National Instruments does not support running applications that use two different versions of TestStand at the same time.
You cannot install TestStand 2014 SP1 over a previous version, such as TestStand 2013, and you cannot install TestStand 2014 SP1 in the default installation directory for a previous version. If you installed a previous version of TestStand in a non-default directory, you can uninstall the previous version of TestStand and install TestStand 2014 SP1 to that directory.
Installing TestStand 2014 SP1 or a deployment of TestStand 2014 SP1 upgrades TestStand 2014. You can no longer install a service pack side-by-side with its main release. TestStand 2014 SP1 and TestStand 2014 use the same directories for the <TestStand>, <TestStand Public>, and <TestStand Application Data> directories.
TestStand 2014 SP1 upgrades TestStand 2014 files according to the following guidelines:
Refer to the NI TestStand Help for more information about the locations of TestStand directories.
Note: You can install TestStand 2014 SP1 on a computer on which you have not previously installed TestStand 2014. If you want to install TestStand 2014 SP1 immediately after installing TestStand 2014, you must first restart the computer when prompted after you finish installing TestStand 2014.
Use the following Microsoft Windows operating systems and service packs with TestStand 2014 SP1:
| Operating System | Recommended Service Pack | Required Service Pack | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.1 (32- and 64-bit) | — | — | Refer to the How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8 section of this document for more information about using TestStand on Windows 8.1. |
| Windows 8 (32- and 64-bit) | — | — | Refer to the How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8 section of this document for more information about using TestStand on Windows 8. |
| Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit) Starter, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate | Service Pack 1 | — | Refer to the TestStand and Windows 7/Vista section of the NI TestStand 2014 SP1 Release Notes for more information about using TestStand on Windows 7/Vista. |
| Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit) Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate | Service Pack 2 | Service Pack 1 | |
| Windows XP (32-bit) Professional | — | Service Pack 3 | — |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) | — | — | TestStand supports only R2 editions of Windows Server. |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) | — | Service Pack 2 | |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) | — | Service Pack 2 |
Notes:
After you install TestStand, you must use the NI Activation Wizard to activate the software or initiate the evaluation period for the software. You must have the serial number and the name of the software kit to activate TestStand. You can find both of these items on the Certificate of Ownership card included in your software kit.
Refer to the NI TestStand 2014 SP1 Release Notes for more information about licensing in TestStand. Refer to the Activating Your Software topic in the NI TestStand Help for more information about how to activate TestStand.
When you upgrade TestStand with a service pack release by installing TestStand or a deployment that includes the TestStand Engine, the TestStand Engine on the computer becomes unlicensed. You must reactivate the license on the computer.
A TestStand 2014 Development System License or a Debug Deployment Environment License must be current with the Standard Service Program (SSP) to reactivate the service pack license. With TestStand 2014 or later, you can reactivate a Custom Sequence Editor License for a service pack upgrade, even if the SSP for the original license lapsed. A TestStand Base Deployment License does not require SSP to reactivate the service pack license.
You can install deployments for TestStand 2013 and TestStand 2014 SP1 on the same computer. Use the TestStand Version Selector to select the active version of TestStand before you launch the deployed TestStand application. National Instruments does not support running applications that use two different versions of TestStand at the same time.
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.
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 TestStand 2014 SP1.
Refer to the List of Bug Fixes in TestStand 2014 SP1 on the National Instruments website for a list of a subset of issues fixed in TestStand 2014 SP1. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in TestStand 2014 SP1. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.
Refer to the NI TestStand Help for information about TestStand 2014 SP1. You can access the NI TestStand Help in the following ways:
TestStand includes a variety of example programs that you can use to help you learn key concepts or to serve as a starting point for applications you create. You can browse the examples in the following ways:
Select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI TestStand Example Programs Help from the TestStand Sequence Editor.
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:
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.
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. |
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 Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
| Windows 8.x Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
| Windows 8.x Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
| Windows 8.x Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
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) 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.
National Instruments TestStand will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of TestStand 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 |
| NI LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| NI LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
| NI Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| NI TestStand | tslcp |
| NI DIAdem | ddlcp |
| NI SignalExpress | selcp |
| NI VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
Refer to the Technical Support page at ni.com/support and search for TestStand to access the TestStand Support website, which contains online documentation, KnowledgeBase articles, tutorials, example code, discussion forums, and other resources.
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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.
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