Components of a System with Linux Desktop Support

You can use the NI Platform on Linux Desktop to create a test system that requires hardware, drivers, and software. Use the following list of typical components as a starting point for building your test system.

Application Software—Allows users to develop code using the driver APIs

Desktop with Linux OS—Provides the operating system functionality on which other software is built

Driver APIs—Allows users to develop test and measurement code that performs I/O on NI hardware

Linux Kernel—The basis of any Linux distribution. The kernel provides support for some PC hardware and it can load modules that provide support for additional hardware.

NI Driver—Provides support for hardware. Hardware support includes the following:

• Configuration utilities and API libraries that build on the Linux desktop environment and libraries
• Kernel modules that plug into the Linux kernel

NI Hardware—Equipment, such as PXI modules, that the Linux desktop interacts with through drivers