August 2016
Thank you for using NI-VNA. This file contains important information about NI-VNA and is organized into the following sections:
Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples
NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
NI-VNA 16.0 includes the following new features:
NI-VNA 15.0 includes the following new features:
NI-VNA 14.0 includes the following new features:
The NI-VNA instrument driver supports the following devices on all Supported Operating Systems.
Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI Vector Network Analyzers Help.
NI-VNA 16.0 supports the following operating systems:
1 NI-VNA requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, which is not automatically installed with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Refer to Microsoft KB2785188 for more information about how to enable .NET Framework 3.5, which includes .NET Framework 2.0.
2 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.
3 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1 requires Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.
Note: NI-VNA 16.0 does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.
NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.
Note You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows™/CVI™ or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-VNA. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI-VNA, modify your NI-VNA installation or launch the NI-VNA 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. |
| Item | Installed Location |
|---|---|
| NI-VNA | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niVNA |
| NI-VNA Function Panel | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niVNA\niVNA.fp |
| NI-VNA Examples | <NIDocDir>\niVNA\Examples |
| NI-VNA Header files | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Include |
| NI-VNA Import Library files (32-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Lib |
| NI-VNA Import Library files (64-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Lib_x64 |
| NI-VNA DLL (32-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR32>\Bin |
| Item | Installed Location |
|---|---|
| NI-VNA Function Panel | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Drivers\niVNA\niVNA.fp |
| NI-VNA Header files | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Include |
| NI-VNA Import Library files (64-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Lib_x64 |
| NI-VNA DLL (64-bit) | <IVIROOTDIR64>\Bin |
Documentation for NI-VNA is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-VNA»Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.
| Document | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NI Vector Network Analyzers Help | HTML/Windows Help | Contains primary help content for NI RF vector network analyzers. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
|
| Getting started guide for your device | Printed and PDF | Contains software and hardware installation, MAX configuration, signal connection, and troubleshooting information for your device. |
| Specifications for your device | Lists technical specifications for your device. | |
| Calibration procedures for your device | Contains calibration instructions for your device. | |
| NI-VNA Readme | HTML (this document) | Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. |
| Introduction to niVNA | HTML | Contains information about driver documentation, examples, connecting to your instrument, configuring instrument settings, and known issues. |
| NI-VNA IVI Compliance Document | TXT | Contains information about IVI compliance. |
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/acrobat.
NI–VNA palette VIs are available from the Functions»Measurement I/O»NI–VNA palette.
NI–VNA functions are available in LabWindows/CVI from the Instrument menu. To load the NI–VNA function panel (.fp), select Instrument»Load, and navigate to IVI\Drivers\niVNA\niVNA.fp.
In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI–VNA 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 and their descriptions:
The NI Example Finder is also available in LabWindows/CVI by selecting Help»Find Examples.
You can also access all the installed NI–VNA examples for LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI–VNA»Examples.
With this release, NI-VNA drops support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, and Windows XP. NI-VNA 16.0 and later will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-VNA 16.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-VNA 16.0, 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?.
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.
NI-VNA versions are now 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 now start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, NI-VNA 14.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2014. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI-VNA 2.0.1. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI-VNA 14.0.
For Windows 7, complete the following steps:
For Windows 10/8.1, complete the following steps:
As part of the NI-VNA 16.0 installation, the following software is installed. To completely remove the NI-VNA 16.0 installation from your system, you must also remove all of the following packages:
Caution Several of the software packages listed above are shared with other NI software packages. If you attempt to remove a piece of software that something else is dependent on, a message launches to warn you about the software dependencies. You can choose to either uninstall all of the software or to leave the shared software installed. If you choose to uninstall the shared software, some of your other NI software may no longer function correctly.
Note Do not attempt to uninstall by manually deleting files.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI-VNA 16.0 Known Issues at ni.com for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-VNA 16.0.
The following items are changes in NI-VNA 15.0 from NI-VNA 14.0.
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 506610 | Fixed an issue in which NI-VNA measurements are incorrect after loading multiple CHX files using the niVNA Load Calibration And Configuration Data From File VI or the niVNA_LoadCalibrationAndConfigurationDataFromFile function. |
The following items are changes in NI-VNA 14.0 from NI-VNA 2.0.1.
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 372001 | Fixed an issue in which the NI-568x RF power meter instrument driver returns an error during ni568x Fetch after calling niVNA Initialize. |
| 385555 | Fixed an issue in which NI-VNA returns an error during niVNA Load Calibration and Configuration Data From File when loading a file sourced from the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel. |
| 384845 | Fixed an issue in which the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel ignores floating point multiplier or divisor settings when configuring multiple source setup. |
NI-VNA contains third-party software for which the following licenses and notices apply:
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:
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.
NI-VNA requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, which is not automatically installed with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Refer to Microsoft KB2785188 for more information about how to enable .NET Framework 3.5, which includes .NET Framework 2.0.
When you install National Instruments 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.
Copyright
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NI 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:
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 NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
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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