Archived: NI-RFSA 2.7 and 2.7.5 Known Issues

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Overview



This document contains the NI-RFSA 2.7 and 2.7.5 known issues that were discovered before and since the release of NI-RFSA 2.7 and 2.7.5. Not every issue known to NI appears on this list; it is intended to show the most severe and common issues that can be encountered.

Each issue appears as a row in the table and includes the following fields:

  • Issue ID - The number in at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles.  "N/A" indicates that there is no ID assigned to the issue.
  • Issue Title (in italics) - Describes the issue in one sentence or less.
  • Problem Description - A few sentences which describe the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you may want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue, contact NI and reference the ID number given in the document.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter the KnowledgeBase number in the search field to locate the specific document.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version of NI-RFSG in which the issue was reported. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of NI-RFSG than is reported in this field, report the discrepancy to NI to have the field updated.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).

Known Issues by Severity

456000Installer built with LabVIEW Application Builder and NI-RFSA 2.7.5 fails
224755Low-power signals may appear at fixed intervals in power spectrum data
258630Using NI-RFSA with NI-TClk to synchronize multiple devices acquiring at different I/Q rates results in misaligned data
401891Upgrading from NI-RFSA 2.6 to NI-RFSA 2.7 causes Express VIs to no longer launch
387728NI-P2P reports error -308030 when attempting to create a peer-to-peer stream if the devices that need to be linked are in different bus segments
395826Scaling coefficients returned can differ by up to 1e-10
375859Setting an IQ Power Edge Trigger with an invalid minimum quiet time on the NI PXI-5661 produces a persistent error
346251Unsupported property or attribute error for the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute in NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel or missing extended error information
258323Routing signals across segment boundaries on the NI PXIe-1075 chassis can intermittently fail
251423Using NI-RFSA with NI-TClk to synchronize the PXIe-5663E with the PXIe-5665 or the PXIe-5667 results in misaligned data
391719VST devices are not included in the support devices list when the Supported Instrument Models property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_SUPPORTED_INSTRUMENT_MODELS attribute are called
375643Changing from an IQ Power Edge Trigger to None on the NI PXI-5661 results in a persistent error from the digitizer
370013NI-IO Trace log shows incorrect data for the waveform buffer when the niRFSA Read IQ (Complex WDT 1Rec 1Chan) VI is called from LabVIEW
344383Setting the Mixer Level Offset property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL_OFFSET attribute to >0dBm and not setting the Mixer Level property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL attribute causes an error
383089NI-RFSA may cause deadlocks on PharLAP when a new NI-RFSA session is initialized in parallel while closing a previously opened NI-RFSA session
389207Committing a configuration list with the Number of Records Is Finite property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute set to false and the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute set to enabled will freeze NI-RFSA
376981MAX collapses the Vector Signal Analyzer (VSA) device sub-tree after associating the downconverter with other modules
391305When the Number of Records is Finite propertry or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute is set to false and the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute is set to enabled, querying a property, an attribute or calling a commit take a long time
294969NI-TClk synchronization on a distributed chassis setup may show higher jitter than a single chassis setup
400235The Test Panels for NI-RFSG devices fail to load from MAX under certain installation scenarios
392126The niVST Calibration.lvlib:Self-Calibrate.vi leaks memory when loading and unloading
387196NI PXIe-5644R and NI PXIe-5645R devices do not appear in the resource name control of the Initialize VIs and functions
386372NI PXIe-5644R and NI PXIe-5645R devices do not appear in the device control of NI-RFSA Express VI dialog boxes
363009NI PXIe-5644R or NI PXIe-5645R device may occasionally appear outside the chassis in MAX when the device is installed for the first time
389317The niRFSA Self Calibrate Range VI execution time is greater than expected
385430niVST Self-Calibrate.vi cannot be found
364860A deadlock can occur when creating two peer-to-peer streams between two devices in opposite directions concurrently
467770When using a vector signal transceiver device, changing the reference clock source from PXI_CLK to OnBoardClk requires a ten second delay for stability.
IDKnown Issue
456000
Installer built with LabVIEW Application Builder and NI-RFSA 2.7.5 fails
An installer build with LabVIEW Application Builder fails when NI-RFSA 2.7.5 Full is included. The system presents an error about "Missing NI-RFSA_SFP" dependency.

Workaround: Include RFSA full and Runtime as well as an NI-RFSA example in the installer.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: 17.1  Added: 03/24/2014
224755
Low-power signals may appear at fixed intervals in power spectrum data.
Low-power signals may appear at fixed intervals when performing a power spectrum acquisition. When performing an acquisition narrower than the hardware instantaneous bandwidth, the signals can appear in the lower frequency bins and upper frequency bins of the acquisition. When performing a multispan acquisition, the signals can appear at the boundary of each single span spectral acquisition that makes up the total acquisition. See corresponding article for more details. http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/12818

Workaround: The low power signals represent the dither signal on the digitizer. Although the dither signal is at a frequency that is outside the bandwidth of the equalized response, the power of the dither signal can leak into the equalized response, depending on the resolution bandwidth and the FFT window type. You can remove the dither signal from the power spectrum data through one of the following methods: - Using a narrower resolution bandwidth. - Disabling the dither signal. - Choosing a different FFT window type. This solution may be less effective than the previous solutions, depending on the resolution bandwidth.

Reported Version: 2.3  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/17/2011
258630
Using NI-RFSA with NI-TClk to synchronize multiple devices acquiring at different I/Q rates results in misaligned data.
When using TClk synchronization where two or more NI RF vector signal anayzers acquire at different I/Q rates, it is possible for the acquired data to be misaligned. The misalignment manifests itself as a skew where the data from one device appears to be leading/lagging the data from the other device. The time delay between the data acquired by the master and a slave is constant for the combination of the hardware settings configured on the two devices. This skew is repeatable and does not vary with time.

Workaround: Since the skew does not vary with time, users can empirically determine the expected misalignment and correct the acquired data manually.

Reported Version: 2.3  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/17/2011
401891
Upgrading from NI-RFSA 2.6 to NI-RFSA 2.7 causes Express VI to no longer launch.


Workaround: Repair NI-RFSA after upgrading to NI-RFSA 2.7.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 04/08/2013
387728
NI-P2P reports error -308030 when attempting to create a peer-to-peer stream if the devices that need to be linked are in different bus segments.
NI-P2P may report error -308030 if the devices that need to be linked via a peer-to-peer stream are in different bus segments. The following error text may be seen: "NI-P2P: The endpoints cannot be linked because a physical communication path does not exist between them. This can be caused by certain bus routing topologies within some systems that do not offer streaming capabilities between particular slots. Please ensure that your devices are inserted into slots that support peer-to-peer streaming."

Workaround: Install the latest version of PXI Platform Services available at ni.com/drivers.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: 2.9  Added: 03/28/2013
395826
Scaling coefficients returned can differ by up to 1e-10.
For a single record IQ acquisition scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Get Scaling Coefficients VI or the niRFSA_GetScalingCoefficients function could be different from the scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Fetch IQ (1D I16) VI or the niRFSA_FetchIQSingleRecordComplexI16 function. Similarly, for a multi-record IQ acquisition scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Get Scaling Coefficients VI or the niRFSA_GetScalingCoefficients function could be different from the scaling coefficients obtained from the niRFSA Fetch IQ (2D I16) VI or the niRFSA_FetchIQMultiRecordComplexI16 function. The difference in the scaling coefficients can be up to 1e-10.

Workaround: There is no workaround for this issue. However, since the difference in coefficients is rather small, this difference does not affect amplitude accuracy for any of the devices supported by NI-RFSA.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/13/2013
375859
Setting an IQ Power Edge Trigger with an invalid minimum quiet time on the NI PXI-5661 produces a persistent error.
Setting an invalid minimum quiet time on the NI PXI-5661 will produce an error reporting that the quiet time is invalid. This error will persist even after setting the minimum quiet time to a valid value.

Workaround: Use the niRFSA Reset VI or the niRFSA_reset function to restore all properties or attributes to their default values and re-apply the desired settings.

Reported Version: 2.3  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 11/15/2012
346251
Unsupported property or attribute error for the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute in NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel or missing extended error information.
When using the NI PXI-5661 through the NI-RFSA Soft Panel it is possible for invalid configurations to produce an error message that reports that the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute is not supported. Once the error condition is reported, the NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel acquisition will stop. At this point, the value change that caused the error can be changed to another invalid setting and back to the original to receive the correct error message. Correcting the invalid setting will allow the acquisition to continue.

Workaround: When using the NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel, revert the changes that caused the error and re-apply those same changes to get the correct error message. For LabVIEW and C clients of NI-RFSA, place the niRFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_Commit function after configuration changes that come before a fetch. This will cause the correct error report to be produced. For C NI-RFSA clients, calls to niRFSA_GetError after a fetch call may still report an unsupported attribute error when the return code from fetch is VI_SUCCESS.

Reported Version: 2.5.5  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 11/15/2012
258323
Routing signals across segment boundaries on the NI PXIe-1075 chassis can intermittently fail.
The NI PXIe-1075 chassis backplane has the following three trigger buses (segments) that you can use to route digital signals: Trigger Bus 1: PXI Slots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 Trigger Bus 2: PXI Slots 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 Trigger Bus 3: PXI Slots 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 Backplane signal route requests may sometimes fail if the source and destination devices lie in different segments of the chassis. In that scenario, error -26981 ("A protocol violation was detected.") is returned. This error is intermittent, and its frequency depends on the embedded controller or MXI interface device used in the chassis.

Workaround: There are two possible workarounds for this issue: Change the location of the source and destination devices for the hardware route such that both of them lie in the same trigger bus. Since this error is intermittent, first retry the same route because it may succeed. In LabVIEW, you can retry by conditionally detecting error -26981, clearing the error, and attempting to reserve the same route again.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 01/17/2011
251423
Using NI-RFSA with NI-TClk to synchronize the PXIe-5663E with the PXIe-5665 or the PXIe-5667 results in misaligned data.
When using TClk synchronization with the PXIe-5663E and the PXIe-5665 or the PXIe-5667, it is possible for the acquired data to be misaligned. The misalignment manifests itself as a skew where the data from one device appears to be leading/lagging the data from the other device. The time delay between the data acquired by the master and a slave is constant for the combination of the hardware settings configured on the two devices. This skew is repeatable and does not vary with time.

Workaround: Since the skew does not vary with time, users can empirically determine the expected misalignment and correct the acquired data manually.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 12/05/2012
391719
VST devices are not included in the support devices list when the Supported Instrument Models property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_SUPPORTED_INSTRUMENT_MODELS attribute are called.
VST devices are not included in the support devices list when the Supported Instrument Models property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_SUPPORTED_INSTRUMENT_MODELS attribute are called.

Workaround: Refer to the NI RF Vector Signal Analyzers help to find out how to receive a list of supported devices.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/28/2013
375643
Changing from an IQ Power Edge Trigger to None on the NI PXI-5661 results in a persistent error from the digitizer.
On the NI PXI-5661, applying an IQ Power Edge Trigger configuration and then reconfiguring it by applying a configuration that does not use a trigger will produce a digitizer error indicating that the trigger source is invalid.

Workaround: Use the niRFSA Reset VI or the niRFSA_reset function to restore all properties or attributes to their default values and re-apply the desired settings.

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: 2.9  Added: 11/15/2012
370013
NI-IO Trace log shows incorrect data for the waveform buffer when the niRFSA Read IQ (Complex WDT 1Rec 1Chan) VI is called from LabVIEW.
When niRFSA Read IQ (Complex WDT 1Rec 1Chan) VI is called from LabVIEW, the waveform data displayed in NI-IO Trace is not correct.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 11/15/2012
344383
Setting the Mixer Level Offset property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL_OFFSET attribute to >0dBm and not setting the Mixer Level property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL attribute causes an error.
If your application sets the Mixer Level Offset property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL_OFFSET attribute to a value >0 dBm, and does not set the Mixer Level property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL attribute, the NI-RFSA driver will report an error.

Workaround: Set Mixer Level property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_MIXER_LEVEL attribute to its default -20 dBm value.

Reported Version: 2.4  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 11/19/2012
383089
NI-RFSA may cause deadlocks on PharLAP when a new NI-RFSA session is initialized in parallel while closing a previously opened NI-RFSA session.
When the niRFSA Initialize VI and the niRFSA Close VI execute in parallel on a PharLAP system, the NI-RFSA driver can cause the OS to deadlock. The system will have to be physically rebooted to be used again.

Workaround: Sequence the niRFSA Initialize VI and the niRFSA Close VI so that they are not executed in parallel. One way to do this is to chain the error out coming out of the niRFSA Close VI into the error in terminal of the niRFSA Initialize VI.

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 12/13/2012
389207
Committing a configuration list with the Number of Records Is Finite property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute set to false and the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute set to enabled will freeze NI-RFSA.
Committing a configuration list with the Number of Records Is Finite property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute set to false and the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute set to enabled will freeze NI-RFSA when calling niRFSAGetAttribute methods, reading an NI-RFSA property in LabVIEW, or calling the niRFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_commit function. During the freeze, NI-RFSA will be unresponsive and may throw an internal error after an indeterminate amount of time.

Workaround: Set the Number of Records Is Finite property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute set to true. The Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute is not supported with the Number of Records Is Finite property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute set to false.

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/28/2013
376981
MAX collapses the Vector Signal Analyzer (VSA) device sub-tree after associating the downconverter with other modules.
MAX will show a sub-tree for each VSA device, which lists the downconverter along with the other modules that make up the VSA (digitizer, LO, RF conditioning (if applicable) and IF conditioning (if applicable) ). After associating the downconverter with the other devices in order to have a working VSA, MAX will collapse the device sub-tree.

Workaround: Manually expand the device sub-tree in order to see the modules that make up the VSA.

Reported Version: 2.6  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 11/15/2012
391305
When the Number of Records is Finite propertry or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute is set to false and the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute is set to enabled, querying a property, an attribute or calling a commit take a long time.
When the Number of Records is Finite propertry or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute is set to false and the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute is set to enabled then calling niRFSAGetAttribute methods, reading an NI-RFSA property in LabVIEW, calling the niRFSA Commit VI or the niRFSA_commit function take a long time before returning an error. The same behavior above is observed when the Allow More Records Than Memory property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_ALLOW_MORE_RECORDS_THAN_MEMORY attribute is set to true instead of setting the Number of Records is Finite propertry or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute to false.

Workaround: Enabling the Contiguous Multirecord property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_CONTIGUOUS_MULTIRECORD attribute along with the Number of Records is Finite propertry or the NIRFSA_ATTR_NUMBER_OF_RECORDS_IS_FINITE attribute set to false or with the Allow More Records Than Memory property or the NIRFSA_ATTR_ALLOW_MORE_RECORDS_THAN_MEMORY attribute set to true is currently not support by NI-RFSA.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/28/2013
294969
NI-TClk synchronization on a distributed chassis setup may show higher jitter than a single chassis setup.
When using NI-TClk synchronization on two or more NI-RFSA devices that are in separate chassis, it is possible for the run to run synchronization jitter to be higher than a single chassis setup

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2.5  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 12/18/2012
400235
The Test Panels for NI-RFSG devices fail to load from MAX under certain installation scenarios.
Installing NI-RFSA 2.7 Runtime or higher after installing NI-RFSA 2.6 or lower causes the Test Panels for NI-RFSG devices to stop loading from MAX.

Workaround: Perform a full install of NI-RFSA 2.7 or higher when upgrading from NI-RFSA 2.6 or lower.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/28/2013
387196
NI PXIe-5644R and NI PXIe-5645R devices do not appear in the resource name control of the Initialize VIs and functions.
When you click the resource name control in LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI, the NI PXIe-5644R and NI PXIe-5645R device names are not present in the list of available devices.

Workaround: Manually enter the device name or alias for the NI PXIe-5644R or NI PXIe-5645R device in the I/O control. Obtain the device name or alias from MAX.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: 2.9  Added: 01/22/2013
386372
NI PXIe-5644R and NI PXIe-5645R devices do not appear in the device control of NI-RFSA Express VI dialog boxes.
NI-RFSA Express VIs are not currently supported for vector signal transceiver devices (NI 5644R, NI 5645R).

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: 2.9  Added: 04/05/2013
363009
NI PXIe-5644R or NI PXIe-5645R device may occasionally appear outside the chassis in MAX when the device is installed for the first time.
NI PXIe-5644R or NI PXIe-5645R device may occasionally appear outside the chassis in MAX when the hardware/software is installed for the first time. The device should still function properly.

Workaround: Restart the machine to get the device to appear in MAX properly.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/28/2012
389317
The niRFSA Self Calibrate Range VI execution time is greater than expected.
In some instances, calling the niRFSA Self Calibrate Range VI or the niRFSA_SelfCalibrateRange function takes much longer than expected because of device settling, which can occur each time the device is reconfigured. When the VI or function executes, the RF IN and RF OUT connectors are configured twice. The connectors are configured once before and after execution where RF IN and RF OUT are reconfigured to their original states. Extended execution time is most noticeable when you repeatedly call the Self Calibrate Range VI or function for a single point, varying the frequency slightly for each call.

Workaround: Perform either of the following options as a workaround.
  • Call the Self Calibrate Range VI or function only once for the entire frequency range so that device settling is minimized.
  • Configure and commit the NI-RFSA session to the desired frequency prior to calling the Self Calibrate Range VI or function to minimize the call time.
Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/18/2013
385430
niVST Self-Calibrate.vi cannot be found.
When using the NI PXIe-5644R or NI PXIe-5645R and upgrading to this version of the driver, niVST Self-Calibrate.vi is missing because it has been moved and renamed. Replace the missing VI with the Self-Calibrate VI located on the NI VST Calibration palette or at <LabVIEW>\instr.lib\niVST\Calibration\SelfCal\Self-Calibrate.vi for your device.

Workaround: Replace existing calls to niVST Self-Calibrate.vi with a call to Self-Calibrate.vi.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: 2.9  Added: 04/05/2013
364860
A deadlock can occur when creating two peer-to-peer streams between two devices in opposite directions concurrently.

Workaround: To avoid the deadlock, serialize the calls to the niP2P Create Peer to Peer Stream VIs.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/28/2012
467770

When using a vector signal transceiver device, changing the reference clock source from PXI_CLK to OnBoardClk requires a ten second delay for stability.
When using a vector signal transceiver device (NI 5644R/5645R/5646R), changing the reference clock source from PXI_CLK to OnBoardClk requires the hardware to disable and then re-enable the onboard reference clock. Disabling and re-enabling the onboard reference clock is necessary to provide the PXIClk route enough isolation from the onboard clock. After being re-enabled, the clock requires ten seconds to reach stability.

Workaround: N/A.

Reported Version: 2.7  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 05/12/2014

Related Topics:

Contacting NI

Contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you contact NI in regards to a specific issue, reference the ID number given in the document. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting NI). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also contact us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document.

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).