NI-SWITCH 17.0 Readme

May 2017


This file contains important information about NI-SWITCH, including installation instructions, new features, a partial list of bugs fixed for NI-SWITCH 17.0, and known issues.


If you plan to use LabVIEW NXG, refer to LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations.



Overview

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

IVI Compliance Package Functionality

Product Security and Critical Updates

New Features

Supported Hardware

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Documentation

Finding Examples

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

Legal Information


Overview

The NI-SWITCH driver provides driver support and documentation for all of NI's PXI, PXIe, and SCXI Switch products. NI-SWITCH is an IVI-compliant driver that allows NI Switch modules to be used with standard IVI Class commands.


The NI-SWITCH driver contains both LabVIEW and text-based APIs for programming NI Switches.


System Requirements

NI-SWITCH 17.0 has the following requirements:


  • Processor—1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
  • RAM—1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
  • Windows 10/8.1/7, with all available critical updates and service packs

Supported Operating Systems

NI-SWITCH 17.0 supports the following operating systems:


  • Windows 10/8.11/7 SP12 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 R21 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12 (64-bit)

1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. 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.


2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.


Note  NI-SWITCH 17.0 and later does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.


Note  In 2016 NI dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. NI-SWITCH 17.0 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-SWITCH 17.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-SWITCH 17.0, 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?.


Note  Support for Windows 32-bit operating systems may require disabling physical address extension (PAE). To learn how this might affect your system and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.


NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.


Supported Real-Time Operating Environments

NI-SWITCH 17.0 and later support the following real-time operating environments:


Application Software Support

Note:  You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows/CVI or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-SWITCH. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI-SWITCH, modify your NI-SWITCH installation or launch the NI-SWITCH installer again.


  • LabVIEW 2014 SP1, 2015 SP1, 2016, or 2017
  • LabVIEW Real-Time Module 2014 SP1, 2015 SP1, 2016, or 2017
  • LabWindows/CVI 2013 or later
  • LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module 2013 or later
  • Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) 6.0 or later

Microsoft Visual Studio Support

If you are using the NI-SWITCH .NET Class Library, the .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-SWITCH .NET Class Library can be used with the Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET programming languages in any Visual Studio version that can target the .NET Framework 4.0 or the .NET Framework 4.5.


Installation Instructions

Installing NI-SWITCH 17.0 for LabVIEW

Complete the following steps to install NI-SWITCH 17.0 for use with LabVIEW:


  1. Install LabVIEW.
  2. (Optional) Install LabVIEW Real-Time.
  3. Install NI-SWITCH 17.0.

Uninstalling/Modifying NI-SWITCH 17.0

For Windows 7, complete the following steps:


  1. Launch the Control Panel by selecting Start»Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Programs and Features.
  3. Select National Instruments Software.
  4. Click the Uninstall/Change button.
  5. Select NI-SWITCH 17.0 from the dialog box that appears.
  6. Click Remove to uninstall the product; click Modify to change the components that are installed.

For Windows 10/8.1, complete the following steps:


  1. Right-click on the Start button.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. Select Programs»Programs and Features.
  4. Select National Instruments Software.
  5. Click the Uninstall button.
  6. Select NI-SWITCH 17.0 from the dialog box that appears.
  7. Click Remove to uninstall the product; click Modify to change the components that are installed.

As part of the NI-SWITCH installation, the following software is installed. To completely remove the NI-SWITCH installation from your system, you must also remove all of the following packages:


  • NI-SWITCH Runtime
  • NI IVI Compliance Package
  • NI Measurement & Automation Explorer
  • NI-DAQmx Runtime
  • NI-VISA
  • NI IO Trace

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.


IVI Compliance Package Functionality

NI-SWITCH no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. NI-SWITCH supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer supports the following features:


  • LabVIEW and CVI IVI class driver APIs for developing IVI interchangeable applications
  • IVI Class Simulation drivers
  • IVI-COM Adapters

If you want to use the above features, you must install IVI Compliance Package separately, either from ni.com/downloads or from the NI Device Drivers 2017 DVD.


Product Security and Critical Updates

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


New Features

  • Added support for LabVIEW 2017

Supported Hardware

The following list details the hardware models supported in NI-SWITCH 17.0.


Matrix Module for SwitchBlock


  • SWB-2810
  • SWB-2811
  • SWB-2812
  • SWB-2813
  • SWB-2814
  • SWB-2815
  • SWB-2816
  • SWB-2817
  • SWB-2833
  • SWB-2834
  • SWB-2865A

PXI Carrier Module for SwitchBlock


  • PXI-2800

PXI Matrix Switch Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2529
  • PXI-2530
  • PXI-2530B
  • PXI/PXIe-2531
  • PXI/PXIe-2532
  • PXI/PXIe-2532B
  • PXI-2533
  • PXI-2534
  • PXI-2535
  • PXI-2536
  • PXIe-2737
  • PXIe-2738
  • PXIe-2739

PXI Multiplexer Switch Modules


  • PXI-2501
  • PXI-2503
  • PXIe-2524
  • PXIe-2525
  • PXIe-2526
  • PXI/PXIe-2527
  • PXI/PXIe-2575
  • PXI-2576
  • PXI-2584
  • PXI-2585
  • PXIe-2746
  • PXIe-2747
  • PXIe-2748

PXI Programmable Resistor Module


  • PXI-2720
  • PXI-2722
  • PXIe-2725
  • PXIe-2727

PXI Relay Driver Module


  • PXI-2567

PXI Relay Module


  • PXI-2520
  • PXI-2521
  • PXI-2522
  • PXI-2523
  • PXI-2564
  • PXI-2565
  • PXI-2566
  • PXI-2568
  • PXI/PXIe-2569
  • PXI-2570
  • PXI-2571
  • PXI-2586

PXI RF Matrix Switch Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2540
  • PXI/PXIe-2541

PXI RF Multiplexer Switch Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2543
  • PXI/PXIe-2544
  • PXI-2545
  • PXI-2546
  • PXI-2547
  • PXI-2554
  • PXI-2555
  • PXI-2556
  • PXI-2557
  • PXI-2590
  • PXI-2591
  • PXI/PXIe-2593
  • PXI-2594
  • PXI-2595
  • PXI-2596
  • PXI-2597
  • PXI-2796
  • PXI-2797

PXI RF Relay Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2542
  • PXI-2548
  • PXI-2549
  • PXI-2558
  • PXI-2559
  • PXI-2599
  • PXI-2799

PXI Signal Insertion Switch Module


  • PXI-2510
  • PXI/PXIe-2512
  • PXI/PXIe-2514
  • PXI/PXIe-2515

PXI Transfer Switch Modules


  • PXI-2598
  • PXI-2798
  • PXIe-2790

General-Purpose Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1160
  • SCXI-1161
  • SCXI-1166
  • SCXI-1169

Matrix/Multiplexer Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1127
  • SCXI-1128
  • SCXI-1129
  • SCXI-1130
  • SCXI-1175
  • SCXI-1191

Relay Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1163R
  • SCXI-1167
  • SCXI-1192

RF Multiplexer Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1190
  • SCXI-1193
  • SCXI-1194
  • SCXI-1195

Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI-SWITCH Known Issues at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code expn65 for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-SWITCH 17.0.


Bug Fixes

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 15.1.1 from NI-SWITCH 15.1.0.


IDFixed Issue
530716 Fixed issue that caused MAX with NI Switch Executive to hang when users configured RouteGroups with more connections than are normally allowed by the relay drive limit.

Documentation

Documentation for NI Switches is available at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-SWITCH»Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents:

Document Format Description
NI Switches Help HTML/Windows Help Contains primary help content for NI Switches. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
  • Switches Fundamentals
  • Hardware device information
  • How to get starting with an application development
  • A complete reference for all Switches programming functions and VIs
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 Printed and PDF Lists technical specifications for your device.
Calibration Procedures for your device PDF Contains calibration instructions for your device.
Maintain Forced-Air Cooling Note to Users Printed Contains important cooling information for your device.
Introduction to NI-SWITCH HTML Contains information about driver documentation, examples, connecting to your instrument, configuring instrument settings, and known issues.
NI-SWITCH Readme HTML (this document) Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, and legal notices.
NI-SWITCH 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 the specifications, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/reader.


Finding Examples

In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI-SWITCH 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:


  • Click the Browse tab to locate examples by task at Hardware Input and Ouput»Modular Instruments»NI-SWITCH or by directory structure at instr»niSwitch.
  • Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "SWITCH" to locate all NI Switch examples.

You can also access all the installed NI-SWITCH examples for LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-SWITCH»Examples.


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.


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:


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

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.


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

When you install NI 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.


LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

The following sections detail considerations for using LabVIEW NXG with NI-SWITCH 17.0.


LabVIEW NXG Operating Systems and System Requirements

Software support for LabVIEW NXG differs in the following ways:


  • System requirements—Only 64-bit (x64) processors are supported.
  • Operating system—Only 64-bit operating systems are supported. Refer to the Supported Operating Systems section for more information.

LabVIEW NXG Hardware Support

The following list details the hardware models supported in NI-SWITCH 17.0 for LabVIEW NXG.


Matrix Module for SwitchBlock


  • SWB-2810
  • SWB-2811
  • SWB-2812
  • SWB-2813
  • SWB-2814
  • SWB-2815
  • SWB-2816
  • SWB-2817
  • SWB-2833
  • SWB-2834
  • SWB-2865A

PXI Carrier Module for SwitchBlock


  • PXI-2800

PXI Matrix Switch Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2529
  • PXI-2530
  • PXI-2530B
  • PXI/PXIe-2531
  • PXI/PXIe-2532
  • PXI/PXIe-2532B
  • PXI-2533
  • PXI-2534
  • PXI-2535
  • PXI-2536
  • PXIe-2737
  • PXIe-2738
  • PXIe-2739

PXI Multiplexer Switch Module


  • PXI-2501
  • PXI-2503
  • PXIe-2524
  • PXIe-2525
  • PXIe-2526
  • PXI/PXIe-2527
  • PXI/PXIe-2575
  • PXI-2576
  • PXI-2584
  • PXI-2585
  • PXIe-2746
  • PXIe-2747
  • PXIe-2748

PXI Programmable Resistor Module


  • PXI-2720
  • PXI-2722
  • PXIe-2725
  • PXIe-2727

PXI Relay Driver Module


  • PXI-2567

PXI Relay Module


  • PXI-2520
  • PXI-2521
  • PXI-2522
  • PXI-2523
  • PXI-2564
  • PXI-2565
  • PXI-2566
  • PXI-2568
  • PXI/PXIe-2569
  • PXI-2570
  • PXI-2571
  • PXI-2586

PXI RF Matrix Switch Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2540
  • PXI/PXIe-2541

PXI RF Multiplexer Switch Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2543
  • PXI/PXIe-2544
  • PXI-2545
  • PXI-2546
  • PXI-2547
  • PXI-2554
  • PXI-2555
  • PXI-2556
  • PXI-2557
  • PXI-2590
  • PXI-2591
  • PXI/PXIe-2593
  • PXI-2594
  • PXI-2595
  • PXI-2596
  • PXI-2597
  • PXI-2796
  • PXI-2797

PXI RF Relay Module


  • PXI/PXIe-2542
  • PXI-2548
  • PXI-2549
  • PXI-2558
  • PXI-2559
  • PXI-2599
  • PXI-2799

PXI Signal Insertion Switch Module


  • PXI-2510
  • PXI/PXIe-2512
  • PXI/PXIe-2514
  • PXI/PXIe-2515

PXI Transfer Switch Modules


  • PXI-2598
  • PXI-2798
  • PXIe-2790

General-Purpose Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1160
  • SCXI-1161
  • SCXI-1166
  • SCXI-1169

Matrix/Multiplexer Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1127
  • SCXI-1128
  • SCXI-1129
  • SCXI-1130
  • SCXI-1175
  • SCXI-1191

Relay Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1163R
  • SCXI-1167
  • SCXI-1192

RF Multiplexer Switch Module for SCXI


  • SCXI-1190
  • SCXI-1193
  • SCXI-1194
  • SCXI-1195

Installing NI-SWITCH 17.0 for LabVIEW NXG

NI automates LabVIEW NXG installation using a package manager. Complete the following steps to install NI-SWITCH 17.0 for LabVIEW NXG.


  1. Visit ni.com/info and enter the info code NXGDownload to access the LabVIEW NXG download page.
  2. Click Download LabVIEW NXG 1.0.
  3. NI Package Manager installs, then automatically opens a download window.
  4. Select LabVIEW NXG Suite and click the green Install button.
  5. Select LabVIEW NXG 1.0 and NI-SWITCH 17.0, as well as any other items you need.
  6. Complete the installer instructions to download LabVIEW NXG 1.0 and NI-SWITCH 17.0.

LabVIEW NXG Help

View context help in LabVIEW by pressing <Ctrl-H> and hovering over an object.


Search for items using the search bar in the upper right corner of the LabVIEW window. You can also view context help for the search results.


Additional documentation is available online at ni.com/manuals.


LabVIEW NXG Examples

Launch LabVIEW and click the Learning tab.


LabVIEW lessons are located in the Lessons tab, and LabVIEW Examples are located in the Examples tab. Follow the instructions in the lessons and examples.



Legal Information

Copyright


© 1998–2017 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.


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:


  • 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 NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.


Members of the NI Alliance Partner Program are business entities independent from NI and have no agency, partnership, or joint-venture relationship with NI.


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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