NI-FBUS 14.0 Readme

August 2014


Version 14.0


This file contains important information about the NI-FBUS software, including installation instructions, new features, a partial list of bug fixes for each release, known issues, and troubleshooting questions.


Overview

System Requirements

Supported Hardware

NI Application Software Support

Additional Supported Development Environments

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

New Features and Bug Fixes

NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0

NI-FBUS Configurator 5.0

NI-FBUS Configurator 4.1.1

NI-FBUS Configurator 4.1

NI-FBUS Configurator 4.0.1

NI-FBUS Configurator 4.0

NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0.2

NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0.1

NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0

Driver Version Naming Changes

Evaluation Mode

Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions

Known Issues

Resources

Credits

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 NI-FBUS software enables you to develop applications to configure and control Foundation Fieldbus networks and devices. The NI-FBUS 14.0 software includes the following components:


  • NI-FBUS Communications Manager (CM) 14.0
  • NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0
  • NI-FBUS Monitor 14.0

Note  If you upgrade from an earlier version of the NI-FBUS software, National Instruments recommends that you upgrade all components to the same version to avoid incompatibility between versions.


System Requirements

NI-FBUS 14.0 supports the following operating systems:


  • Windows 8.1/8/7/Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Windows XP SP3 (32-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit)
Notes  The following list describes restrictions for using NI-FBUS on Windows:
  • NI-FBUS supports only R2 editions of Windows Server.
  • Upgrading Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 with the NI-FBUS software installed might result in device configuration information damage and ostensible disconnection between devices. National Instruments recommends that you reinstall the NI-FBUS software after upgrading the operating system.

Supported Hardware

NI-FBUS 14.0 supports the following National Instruments hardware products on Windows and the LabVIEW Real-Time environment:


  • NI PCI-FBUS/2 (2-Port Fieldbus Interface for PCI)
  • NI PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 (1-Port FOUNDATION Fieldbus Interface for PCMCIA)
  • NI PCMCIA-FBUS/2 Series 2 (2-Port FOUNDATION Fieldbus Interface for PCMCIA)
  • NI USB-8486 without USB screw retention and mounting option (1-Port FOUNDATION Fieldbus Interface for USB)
  • NI USB-8486 with USB screw retention and mounting option (1-Port FOUNDATION Fieldbus Interface for USB on CompactRIO)
    • CompactRIO: NI-RIO 4.0 (or later) and LabVIEW 2011 (or later) required.
      • Real-Time Controller: NI cRIO-9012, NI cRIO-9014, NI cRIO-9022, NI cRIO-9023, NI cRIO-9024, NI cRIO-9025, NI cRIO-9076, NI cRIO-9081, and NI cRIO-9082
    • CompactRIO: NI-RIO 13.0 (or later) and LabVIEW 2013 (or later) required.
      • Real-Time Controller: NI cRIO-9068

NI Application Software Support

The following table lists the NI application software versions, including service packs, supported by NI-FBUS. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.


NI Application SoftwareVersions Supported by NI-FBUS
NI LabVIEW 2011 or later

Note  If you want to use the LabVIEW VIs for NI-FBUS, you can only use the 32-bit version of LabVIEW.


Additional Supported Development Environments

In addition to the NI application software, the NI-FBUS 14.0 software also supports the following development environments:


  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5/4.0
  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2012/2008/2005/2003/6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0

Installation Instructions

Complete the following steps to install NI-FBUS:


Notes  Before installing NI-FBUS, check whether you need to complete the following preliminary tasks to prepare a clean environment to run NI-FBUS.
  • Install NI-FBUS before you install the Fieldbus hardware such as the USB-8486, PCMCIA-FBUS, PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2, and PCI-FBUS/2 cards. Refer to the Installing the Hardware section of the NI-FBUS Installation Guide, available in PDF-format in the NI-FBUS Software media or in printed-format shipped with the media, for information about installing and configuring the NI-FBUS hardware.
  • If you have the NI-FBUS Configurator 5.0 or earlier installed on the computer, you must uninstall the previous version from the computer before installing the NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0. You are recommended to remove all existing NI-FBUS cards, such as the USB-8486, PCMCIA-FBUS, PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2 and PCI-FBUS/2 cards, from the computer.
  • If you have both the NI-FBUS Monitor and the NI-FBUS Configurator installed on the same computer, uninstalling the NI-FBUS Monitor might cause the NI-FBUS Configurator to work improperly. To ensure that the NI-FBUS Configurator works properly, you must reinstall the NI-FBUS Configurator after uninstalling the NI-FBUS Monitor.
  1. Log in as an administrator or as a user with administrator privileges.
  2. Insert the NI-FBUS Software media and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

    If the installer does not launch automatically, navigate to the media using Windows Explorer and launch the autorun.exe file from the media.
  3. Choose Install NI-FBUS 14.0 to install all the components including Monitor 14.0. Choose Install Monitor 14.0 to install Monitor 14.0 only.

    You can also select the installation components in the Features dialog box later.
  4. The interactive setup program guides you through the necessary steps to install NI-FBUS. You can go back and change values where appropriate by clicking the Back button. You can exit the setup by clicking the Cancel button.
  5. Restart the computer when the setup is complete.
  6. If you want to install NI-FBUS to a CompactRIO target, complete the following steps:
    1. Use NI Measurement & Automation Explorer to locate your CompactRIO target under Remote Systems.
    2. Right-click the Software item and select Add/Remove Software to launch the installer.
    3. Choose the software set you want to install to the target.
    4. Place a checkmark in the NI-FBUS 14.0 checkbox.
    After the installation, you can open the Interface Configuration Utility for further configuration.

Activation: You can use Communications Manager and its APIs for free. You must activate the Configurator 14.0 and Monitor 14.0 before you can use the online interfaces.


You must purchase licenses to activate the NI-FBUS Configurator and the NI-FBUS Monitor.


Caution: Reinstalling the NI-FBUS Configurator might cause you to lose existing port configuration information. Before uninstalling the previous version of the NI-FBUS Configurator, create backup copies of the NVM files. The NVM files store the port configuration parameters you changed from their default values. If you are using the NI-FBUS Configurator 2.3.6 or later, the NVM files are located in the National Instruments\NI-FBUS\Data\Nvm directory. If you are using the NI-FBUS Configurator 2.3.5 or earlier, the NVM files are located in the NIFBUS\Data\Nvm directory.


Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security for security information about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.


New Features and Bug Fixes

Configurator 14.0

  • Added support to LabVIEW 2014
  • Obsoleted the legacy VIs and utilities
    • The legacy VIs are not available under the Legacy API (Windows Only) palette.
    • Tag Editor is not available.
    • Add Interface Wizard is not available.
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issues fixed in the NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Configurator.
    IDFixed Issue
    483217Interface Configuration Utility does not count EDDL local parameter number correctly
    473688Maximum size for Common Software Download is incorrect in ITK
    468492The C# API WaitAlert2 does not work
    424901The Configurator cannot display the & symbol properly
    422834Communications Manager (CM) resets CURRENT_TIME in MIB to 1972/01/01 when you download linking schedules in Clear Device mode
    422071Update the .NET framework from 2.0 to 4.0 for .Net library

Configurator 5.0

  • Added support to use CompactRIO with USE-8486 as field devices:
    • Creating, editing, and deleting the Analog Input (AI), Analog Output (AO), Discrete Input (DI), and Discrete Output (DO) function blocks programmatically
    • Auto-recovery after configuration
    • Added Link Active Scheduler support to USB-8486 in field device mode
  • Added field device support to CompactRIO with USB-8486, including cRIO-901x, cRIO-902x, cRIO-9068, cRIO-9076, and cRIO-908x
  • Added support to cRIO-9068 for Linux RT
  • Added support to Windows 8.1
  • Added support to LabVIEW 2013 SP1
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issues fixed in the NI-FBUS Configurator 5.0. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Configurator.
    IDFixed Issue
    415733Configurator does not show DD-defined menu correctly
    382252Domain download based on MIB is not supported
    382251Variable list data type is not readable in C# library

Configurator 4.1.1

  • Added support to the HSE ITK
  • Added support to LabVIEW 2012
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issues fixed in the NI-FBUS Configurator 4.1.1. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Configurator.
    IDFixed Issue
    346192Adding a customized tab in the block view on Configurator causes the error of NIFCONF_ERR_APPLICATION_EXCEPTION
    335253Communications Manager can not find the latest version of DD5 file when the Rev01 DD file does not exist
    325020The VB6 example application crashes when opening session
    320528Interface Configuration Utility fails to import the DD/CFF file when the DEV_REV is greater than 9

Configurator 4.1

  • Added support to USB-8486 with USB screw retention and mounting option on CompactRIO
  • Provided a set of LabVIEW APIs to monitor data over the H1 bus and programmatically configure the H1 network (excluding schedule/trend/alarm downloading)
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issues fixed in the NI-FBUS Configurator 4.1. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Configurator.
    IDFixed Issue
    302729The Import DD feature fails if the local file path is longer than 100 characters
    247680The function nifDownloadDomain() returns E_RESOURCE (-6) error when downloading Yokogawa FVX110 firmware
    247652The Field Diagnostic Alarm test cases cannot run due to the E_BAD_ARGUMENT (-5) error in the function nifConnectAlert()

Configurator 4.0.1

  • Added support to Windows 7
  • Added support to the 64-bit operation systems such as Windows 7 64-bit, Vista 64-bit, Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit
  • Improved the user interface of Communications Manager
  • Enabled the interfaces automatically with default settings without the need to run Interface Configuration Utility
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issues fixed in the NI-FBUS Configurator 4.0.1. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Configurator.
    IDFixed Issue
    219390Configurator crashes on some EDDL devices
    217415Configurator crashes in Live List window when CM is closed manually
    215340The parameter values in offline device are still NULL if the imported online parameters are 0
    203244Incorrect tab index for EDDL with empty menu item

Configurator 4.0

  • Added support to the USB-8486 H1 interface devices
  • Added support to DDS 5.1.2
  • Improved EDDL layout
  • Added new DD/CFF files supporting the new devices
  • Fixed some major inconvenience issues

Monitor 4.0.2

  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issue fixed in the NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0.2. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Monitor.
    IDFixed Issue
    332131Monitor may lose packets when a large number of FF devices are connected with a USB-8486

Monitor 4.0.1

  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issue fixed in the NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0.1. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Monitor.
    IDFixed Issue
    300080Monitor may sometimes fail to launch

Monitor 4.0

  • Added support to the USB-8486 H1 interface devices
  • Added support to Windows 7
  • Added support to the 64-bit operation systems such as Windows 7 64-bit, Vista 64-bit, Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit
  • Added support to the simulator board
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the issues fixed in the NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0. This table is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in this version of NI-FBUS Monitor.
    IDFixed Issue
    101645Supporting for partial load of the large files
    88190Some packet numbers become negative
    87112The first page is always printed when printing a specific page

Driver Version Naming Changes

NI-FBUS 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-FBUS 14.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2014. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI-FBUS 5.0, including NI-FBUS Configurator 5.0 and NI-FBUS Monitor 4.0.3. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI-FBUS 14.0, including NI-FBUS Configuration 14.0 and NI-FBUS Monitor 14.0.


Evaluation Mode

You can use NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0 and Monitor 14.0 in evaluation mode by clicking the Evaluate Now button when you launch the software.


In evaluation mode, NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0 only supports the offline function, which includes the following features:


  • Configuring multiple offline interfaces
  • Configuring offline devices through DD/CFF files
  • Configuring offline function block applications
  • Saving offline configurations

In evaluation mode, NI-FBUS Monitor 14.0 only supports the offline function, which includes the following feature:


  • Running the simulator board based on an existing Monitor record file

Note  The NI-FBUS Monitor does not support block instantiation on offline devices.


Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions

  • How do I install a USB-8486, PCMCIA-FBUS, PCMCIA-FBUS Series 2, or PCI-FBUS/2 interface board?

    Install NI-FBUS and then shut down the PC. Follow the NI-FBUS Installation Guide to install the Fieldbus hardware. Boot up the PC and Windows recognizes the NI-FBUS interface card automatically. Follow the Found New Hardware Wizard and install the driver for the new hardware.

    Run the Interface Configurator Utility, which will show the USB/PCI/PCMCIA interface after you install the driver.

    Open the NI-FBUS Communications Manager to begin working with the newly-configured hardware.
  • When do I need to activate the NI-FBUS Configurator 14.0 and Monitor 14.0?

    When launching Configurator 14.0 or Monitor 14.0, an activation request dialog box prompts you to activate the product. You also can activate these components later using the NI License Manager, available by selecting Start»Programs»National Instruments»NI License Manager.

    You must activate the NI-FBUS Configurator before you can use the following features:
    • H1 interfaces (PCMCIA-FBUS, PCI-FBUS and USB-8486) and HSE interfaces (Ethernet and HSE Linking Device)
    • Ethernet and High-Speed-Ethernet (HSE) Linking Device in the Add Interface Wizard, Interface Configuration Utility, and Communications Manager

    You do not have to activate the NI-FBUS Configurator in the following situations:
    • Install the drivers for the NI-FBUS interface devices
    • Use Communications Manager APIs to build your own applications
    • Evaluate the NI-FBUS Configurator in offline mode
  • How do I activate the NI-FBUS Configurator and Monitor?

    You can acquire the activation code from National Instruments through the Internet, telephone, or fax. Apply the activation code. Refer to the National Instruments License Manager Help, available by selecting Help»Contents in the NI License Manager, for more information about activating National Instruments software.

    Do not remove the Ethernet adapter from the computer after you activate the NI-FBUS Configurator. Removing the Ethernet adapter might deactivate the NI-FBUS Configurator.
  • How does NI-FBUS Communications Manager support Device Descriptions (DD)?

    NI-FBUS uses manufacturer-supplied device descriptions. To use a new Device Description (DD), you must first specify a "Base Directory" for your device descriptions. This directory can be anywhere on your computer. All your DD files are in this directory.
    1. Launch the NI-FBUS Interface Configuration Utility and click Import DD/CFF.
    2. Click DD Info.
    3. Click Browse to locate the base directory path, or manually input the whole path for this directory, such as C:\Program Files\National Instruments\NI-FBUS\DD.
    After completing the previous steps, you can see the base directory of NI-FBUS. You can import your manufacturer-supplied DD files into this directory.
    1. Launch NI-FBUS the Interface Configuration Utility and click Import DD/CFF.
    2. Click Browse to locate the DD/CFF file or input the path.
    3. Click OK.
    4. The Interface Configuration Utility checks the DD/CFF files. If no error is detected, the .cff file, .ffo file, and the associated .sym file are copied to the correct location in the base directory; otherwise, an error message will help you to locate the error.
    NI-FBUS uses identifying information in the actual device to locate the DD for this device. The identifying information includes four resource block parameters: "MANUFAC_ID", "DEV_TYPE", "DEV_REV", and "DD_REV". If the identifying information is incorrect, NI-FBUS will not be able to locate the DD for the device. When it has located the DD, NI-FBUS matches the block types in the DD with the actual blocks in the device by using the Item ID of the block characteristics record. Once again, if this information is incorrect, NI-FBUS will not be able to locate the description of that particular block.
  • Troubleshooting — Setting Addresses

    If you have trouble setting the address of your device, you may need to change some of the "System Management Info" parameters in the Advanced settings of your interface port in the Interface Configuration Utility. The parameters involved in setting addresses are T1 and T3. These parameters represent delay time values that your interface card uses to compensate for the delays inherent in the device and in the set address protocol itself.

    T1 is a parameter that describes the expected response delay of the device at a given address. Normally, you will not need to increase this parameter; however, if it appears that your interface card is not seeing the device's responses related to setting an address, you can increase this value. The correct value for this parameter can be dependent on the number of devices on the link. For example, if you are using a bus monitor, you might see a WHO_HAS_PD_TAG request going to the device to start the Set Address sequence, and an IDENTIFY response coming back, but with the host never continuing with the next step in the protocol, the SET_ADDRESS packet. This would probably mean that your T1 value is too small and should be increased.

    T3 is a parameter that describes the expected time for the device to respond at its new address. This parameter is highly dependent on the number of devices on the link and the number of addresses being polled (see "Setting the Number of Polled Addresses" below for instructions). If you are using a bus monitor, you may be able to see the host identify a device (with the IDENTIFY packet) at the new address BEFORE the device has sent its probe response (PR) packet to the host. This is an error that is indicative of a T3 value that is too small. If this occurs, increase your T3 value until the IDENTIFY packet to the new address occurs after the PR.

    All of the System Management Info timers are in units of 1/32 of a millisecond; for instance, T3=32000 units means that T3=1 second.
  • Troubleshooting — Setting the Number of Polled Addresses

    The Fieldbus Specification describes how a Link Active Scheduler device (LAS device) probes a list of addresses to allow devices to come online during normal operation. The LAS sends a Probe Node (PN on the bus monitor) packet to each address in its list of addresses during operation at a regular interval determined by the number of devices on the link and the value of the Link Maintenance Token Hold Time parameter. The Fieldbus Specification describes how to tell the LAS to avoid probing certain addresses in the range, which can speed up detection of new devices on the bus (or devices that are having their addresses changed). The two parameters involved in maintaining the list are called FirstUnpolledNode and NumOfUnpolledNodes, and they can be found in the NI-FBUS Interface Configuration utility advanced settings for a port, under the "DLME Master Info" section. The following diagram shows how the LAS determines the list:

        PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPPPPPPPPPP

        |               |<--NumOfUnpolledNodes-->|        |

      0x10 (16)     FirstUnpolledNode                      0xf7 (247)

        P = address that is probed for new devices

        X = address that is never probed for new devices

    To summarize, FirstUnpolledNode tells the LAS the starting address of a section of addresses to skip, and NumOfUnpolledNodes tells the LAS the length of that region. So if FirstUnpolledNode was 0x25 and NumOfUnpolledNodes was 0xba, then none of the addresses from 0x25 to 0xdf would be probed. That means that if a device with an address of 0x25 was placed on this bus, the LAS would not probe it and it would never be able to send or receive packets on the bus.

    The main reason to have a NumOfUnpolledNodes with a nonzero value is this: The LAS probes every address in the list, and then starts over again at the beginning. Remember that a device cannot become active on the bus until its address is probed. If the LAS is probing all 255-16+1=240 possible addresses and each probe node request goes out every T millisecond, it might take 240T milliseconds for a device to come online. If, however, the LAS probed only the first 16 addresses and the last 16 addresses, it might take 32T milliseconds for the device to come online; this results in the new device being recognized almost 8 times faster. These parameters also affect the Set Address protocol, because recognizing a device at a new address is really the same as recognizing a completely new device, since the new address must be probed for the device to come online. In this way, the NumOfUnpolledNodes parameter can affect the value of the Set Address protocol parameter "T3", which is described in the section above. Increasing the NumOfUnpolledNodes parameter might fix a SetAddress T3 problem because it takes the device less time to be recognized at the new address.

Known Issues

  • For devices with a third-party stack, the NI-FBUS Configurator might take a long time to update device information such as Function Block list, MIB parameters, and so on. The reason is that when a device with a Softing stack has a higher address, like 0xE0 or 0xF6, the NI-FBUS Communications Manager is hard to obtain a valid VCR connection to the MIB of the devices. You can solve the problem by changing the address of the device to a lower one when the Configurator finishes updating the device.
  • The following table contains the ID and title of the known issues for NI-FBUS.
    Issue ID Known Issue
    445148 Issue - NI-FBUS or Vision Acquisition Software does not work on cRIO-9068 if you uninstall either of them.

    Description - Both NI-FBUS and Vision Acquisition Software depend on NI-LIBUSB. Uninstalling either of them removes NI-LIBUSB. You cannot use NI-FBUS or Vision Acquisition Software on cRIO-9068 when NI-LIBUSB is missing.

    Workaround - Re-install NI-FBUS or Vision Acquisition Software.
    431096 Issue - NI-FBUS PCI/FBUS card not shown in ICU after reinstalling the FBUS without reboot.

    Description - When you use the PCI/FBUS card on Windows XP and reinstall or upgrade NI-FBUS, the Fieldbus hardware is plugged. After the installation, the card won't show in ICU.

    This issue only occurs on Windows Vista or above system.

    Workaround - Launch the Windows Device Manager, uninstall the card, click Scan for the changed hardware, and reinstall the software for the hardware.
    219594 Issue - Only one USB-8486 is left in Configurator when the system with multiple USB-8486 connected is recovered from hibernation (Windows Vista or above)

    Description - When the system with multiple USB-8486 connected is recovered from hibernation, the log in Communications Manager shows that all the interfaces are reinitialized automatically. But when you use Take Online in Configurator, only one USB-8486 is left in the list.
    This issue only occurs on Windows Vista or systems above.

    Workaround - Restart Communications Manager and Configurator after the system is recovered from hibernation.
    171893 Issue - NI-FBUS does not support the dynamic image display feature in EDDL

    Description - The dynamic attribute of the image in EDDL is not supported. Configurator shows these images statically.

    Workaround - N/A
    89744 Issue - Communications Manager can not initialize the HSE/H1 linking device if one of the link IDs is equal to or greater than 0xF0FF

    Description - If one of the link IDs on the HSE/H1 linking device is equal to or greater than 0xF0FF, Communications Manager can not start successfully. Error occurs when initializing the HSE/H1 linking device.

    Workaround - Use the default ID. Do not set the ID to the value which is equal to or greater than 0xF0FF.

Resources

Refer to the Fieldbus Foundation website for more information about FOUNDATION Fieldbus. Refer to the National Instruments website for more information about National Instruments FOUNDATION Fieldbus products. If any problem persists, send an email to fieldbus.support@ni.com for support to National Instruments FOUNDATION Fieldbus products.


Credits

This product includes components that use eCos. In regards to the eCos, the following notice applies: No modification is made by National Instruments Corporation to the version of the eCos used in this product.


Accessing the Help

The NI-FBUS software provides two help files. Refer to the NI-FBUS VI Help, accessible from LabVIEW, for information about the FBUS VIs and properties. Refer to the NI-FBUS Utilities Help, available by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-FBUS»Documentation»NI-FBUS Utilities Help or (Windows 8) by clicking NI Launcher and selecting NI-FBUS»Documentation»NI-FBUS Utilities Help in the window that appears, for information about the NI-FBUS utilities.


Finding Examples

Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. LabVIEW examples for NI-FBUS are located in the labview\examples\NI-FBUS 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) 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.


NI-FBUS Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016

National Instruments NI-FBUS will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI-FBUS 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 LabVIEWlifecycle
NI LabWindows™/CVI™cvi_lifecycle
NI Measurement Studiomstudiolifecycle
NI TestStandtslcp
NI DIAdemddlcp
NI SignalExpressselcp
NI VeriStandnivslifecycle

Legal Information

Copyright


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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.


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