Print
PDFOverview
National Instruments Applications Engineers provide technical assistance for all NI hardware and software supported with Linux®. This tutorial explains how to contact National Instruments for support, outlines additional community support venues, and provides answers to some frequently asked questions.
Table of Contents
- Requesting Assistance from NI Applications Engineers
- Community Support
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Requesting Assistance from NI Applications Engineers
Customers with an active service contract can contact National Instruments Applications Engineers via phone (during normal business hours) or email. A service contract, Standard Service Program (SSP) or Premier Service Program (PSP), is included with the purchase of most National Instruments software products. For customers using National Instruments hardware only, support can also be purchased separately. For additional information on NI service contracts, visit the Software Maintenance and Support reference.
You can visit ni.com/support to create a service request online or view your support options. You can also use the Contact NI section above to obtain contact information for your nearest National Instruments support facility. For any non-support questions or concerns regarding your order or any National Instruments products, you can always contact an NI customer service representative free of charge.
Community Support
Online Discussion Forums
You can also ask a question or assist other customers with their questions free of charge on the NI Discussion Forums at ni.com/forums. These forums are monitored closely by thousands of customers and many National Instruments engineers as well.
Developer Community for Linux
As part of the National Instruments developer community, a Linux Users group has been created to help customers discuss technical issues and share best practices collaboratively. This group not officially supported by NI, hosts discussions on using National Instruments products with Linux on both supported and unsupported distributions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Linux distributions does National Instruments support?
NI generally supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux. Refer to the following document for detailed information regarding distribution support for specific National Instruments products: KnowledgeBase 5CNEG20S: What Linux Distributions Do National Instruments Drivers and Software Support?
Why does National Instruments support only specific distributions of Linux?
Because each distribution is custom-configured to provide software extensions that optimize performance or functionality in a specific situation, there is a significant amount of variability in behavior between distributions. The effect of this variability is that drivers that work properly on one distribution may not work on others. In order to ensure that each distribution is adequately tested and supported, National Instruments focuses its efforts on the distributions specified in KnowledgeBase 5CNEG20S above.
Will National Instruments support other Linux distributions?
Currently, NI has no plans to support any other distributions than those listed. If there is a distribution that you would like to request support for (with a specific product or group of products), please contact your local sales engineer to provide that feedback. National Instruments also has no plan to support GNU C Library (glibc) versions prior to 2.2.4.
Will National Instruments products function on other versions of a supported distribution?
While it is possible that National Instruments products may function on other versions of the supported distributions, National Instruments neither tests these distribution/version combinations nor provides support for them. Support of or compatibility with any other distribution or version is neither expressed nor implied, nor should it be inferred. National Instruments makes no warranties or guarantees of any kind with respect to the proper operation of its products on distributions or versions other than those specified in KnowledgeBase 5CNEG20S above.
The system requirements for LabVIEW indicate that it supports other distribution/version combinations than those specified above. What does this imply?
National Instruments supports only the distribution/version combinations specified above. All versions of LabVIEW released after July 1, 2005 require GNU C Library (glibc) version 2.2.4 or later and have been or will be tested only on the combinations specified in KnowledgeBase 5CNEG20S above.
If you are currently running LabVIEW on a distribution that is listed in the system requirements for your version of LabVIEW, National Instruments will continue to provide support for issues related specifically to LabVIEW. However, National Instruments will no longer provide support for hardware drivers on any distribution/version combination except those specified in KnowledgeBase 5CNEG20S above.
Will National Instruments products function on other distributions that support the 2.6 kernel?
While it is possible that National Instruments products may function on other distributions that support the 2.6 kernel, National Instruments neither tests these distributions nor provides support for them. Support of or compatibility with any other distribution or version is neither expressed nor implied, nor should it be inferred. National Instruments makes no warranties or guarantees of any kind with respect to the proper operation of its products on distributions or versions other than those specified in KnowledgeBase 5CNEG20S above.
What is NI-KAL?
NI-KAL is a low-level driver that is compiled when you install it on your machine. NI-KAL provides an interface layer between your Linux kernel and other National Instruments software. A version of NI-KAL is included in every National Instruments Linux driver.
I have found and repaired a bug in NI-KAL. What should I do?
National Instruments is interested in helping you successfully use National Instruments products on Linux. If you believe you have found a bug in NI-KAL, please contact National Instruments using the information in the Contact NI section above. When you contact National Instruments, please reference NI-KAL so that the appropriate escalation will occur to the R&D group.
Can I port existing LabVIEW programs (VIs) to LabVIEW for Linux?
Yes, as long as the ported VIs use only the functionality that is available for Linux. You can view information on the functions included with LabVIEW for Linux on the ni.com product page.
>> Return to the National Instruments Linux Portal
Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
Reader Comments | Submit a comment »
Legal
This tutorial (this "tutorial") was developed by National Instruments ("NI"). Although technical support of this tutorial may be made available by National Instruments, the content in this tutorial may not be completely tested and verified, and NI does not guarantee its quality in any way or that NI will continue to support this content with each new revision of related products and drivers. THIS TUTORIAL IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND AND SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS AS MORE SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH IN NI.COM'S TERMS OF USE (http://ni.com/legal/termsofuse/unitedstates/us/).