PAtools System Requirements

Your system must meet the following minimum requirements to run PAtools:

  • Processor—i5 or i7 with 4 cores.
  • Disk space—10 GB. You must have an additional 20 GB when you use a locally installed SQL Server.
  • RAM—8 GB. You must have 16 GB RAM when you use a locally installed SQL Server.
  • Screen resolution—1,000 x 800 pixels (minimum), 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (recommended).

Ensure your system meets the following minimum requirements to run a SQL server database.

Tip For large test fields, you can host the PAtools Microsoft SQL database on the Amazon Web Service (AWS) cloud or the Microsoft Azure cloud.
Table 4. SQL Server Database Requirements
Category Single Test Station Small Test Field (2-5 Test Stations) Medium-sized Test Station (6-20 Test Stations) Large Test Field (> 20 Test Stations)
Installation site User PC or server Server Server Server
Operating system Windows 10 or later Windows Server 2016 or later Windows Server 2016 or later Windows Server 2016 or later
SQL Server editions SQL Server 2017 Express Edition or later SQL Server 2017 Standard (Express) Edition or later SQL Server 2017 Standard Edition or later SQL Server 2017 Standard Edition or later
Processor Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 Intel Core i7 or Intel Xeon Intel Xeon Quad Core Intel Xeon 8 Core or higher
Memory 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB
Hard disk SSD (at least 50 GB for data) SSD, RAID 0, or RAID 10 (at least 100 GB for data)

RAID 10 (at least 200 GB for data).

Separate hard disks for the OS, data, log files, and temp db.

RAID 10, SAS, or SAS-SSD (at least 250 GB for data).

Separate hard disks for the OS, data, log files, and temp db.
Backup strategies Simple recovery model. One daily full backup depending on the requirements.
  • Simple recovery model and at least one daily full backup.
  • Full recovery model with daily full backup and multiple backups of the transaction files.
 Full recovery model with daily full backup and multiple backups of the transaction files. Full recovery model with daily full backup and multiple backups of the transaction files.

Real-Time System Requirements

Determine which versions of the Real-Time components are compatible with PAtools.

Table 5. Compatibility Information for PAtools and Real-Time Components
PAtools Version Supported Linux RT Component Supported LabVIEW Component
2025 Q2 2025 Q2 2025
2024 Q4 2024 Q4 2023 or 2024
2024 Q2 2024 Q2 2023
Note For the best performance, NI recommends using a PXIe-8862 or PXIe-8881 as the PXI controller.