August 2013
This document contains information about NI TestStand 2013. Refer to the NI TestStand Version 2013 Release Notes for information about getting started with TestStand, such as system requirements, installation instructions, and descriptions of the TestStand licenses. If you do not activate a TestStand license, TestStand operates in Evaluation Mode.
Refer to the What's New in TestStand topics for TestStand 2013 in the NI TestStand Help for detailed information about new features and other changes since TestStand 2012 SP1. Refer to the What's New in TestStand topics for previous versions of TestStand in the NI TestStand Help for information about new features, compatibility and known issues, and bug fixes for those versions.
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Use the following guidelines when you upgrade to TestStand 2013:
Refer to the Migrating to the Current Version of TestStand section in the NI TestStand Version 2013 Release Notes for more information about upgrading to TestStand 2013.
If you are upgrading from TestStand 2010 or later, you can use the TestStand Migration Utility to migrate customizations and configuration settings from the earlier version of TestStand. You can also upgrade manually. Visit ni.com and enter the Info Code tsmigrate for more information about migrating to the current version of TestStand, including information about tasks you need to perform to upgrade manually from TestStand 4.2.1 or earlier.
After you install TestStand, you must use the NI Activation Wizard to activate the software or initiate the evaluation period for the software. You must have the serial number and the name of the software kit to activate TestStand. You can find both of these items on the Certificate of Ownership card included in your software kit.
Refer to the NI TestStand Version 2013 Release Notes for more information about licensing in TestStand. Refer to the Activating Your Software topic in the NI TestStand Help for more information about how to activate TestStand.
National Instruments posts information about critical updates and security notifications on ni.com. Visit ni.com/info and enter Info Code updates to access this information.
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. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
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, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
You can install deployments for TestStand 2012 SP1 and TestStand 2013 on the same computer. Use the TestStand Version Selector to select the active version of TestStand before you launch the deployed TestStand application. National Instruments does not support running applications that use two different versions of TestStand at the same time.
Use the following Microsoft Windows operating systems and service packs with TestStand 2013:
| Operating System | Recommended Service Pack | Required Service Pack | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8 (32- and 64-bit) | — |
— |
Refer to the How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8 section of this document for more information about using TestStand on Windows 8. |
| Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit) Starter, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate | Service Pack 1 | — |
Refer to the TestStand and Windows 7/Vista section of the NI TestStand Version 2012 Release Notes for more information about using TestStand on Windows 7/Vista. |
| Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit) Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate | Service Pack 2 | Service Pack 1 | |
| Windows XP (32-bit) Professional | — |
Service Pack 3 | — |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) | — |
Service Pack 2 | TestStand supports only R2 editions of Windows Server. |
| Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) | — |
Service Pack 2 |
Notes:
Refer to the List of Known Issues in TestStand 2013 on the National Instruments website for a list of known issues in TestStand 2013. You can also view this list by date.
TestStand generates XML reports that validate against the approved version of the ATML Test Results and Session Information 6.01 schema. The <TestStand>\Components\Models\TestStandModels\ATML\Schemas directory contains a copy of the 6.01 version of the schema.
Refer to the List of Bug Fixes in TestStand 2013 on the National Instruments website for a list of bugs that existed in TestStand 2012 SP1 or earlier and have been fixed in TestStand 2013.
This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in TestStand 2013. If you reported an issue to National Instruments and were given a CAR ID to track the issue, you can search for the CAR ID in the ID or Legacy ID column to determine whether the issue has been fixed.
When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8, you will notice a few additional tiles on the Start screen, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), and the new NI Launcher.
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile on the Start screen. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
Note MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Windows 8. You can launch MAX either from the Start screen or from within NI Launcher.
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:
| Current Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
| Windows 8 Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
| Windows 8 Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
| Windows 8 Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files by right-clicking anywhere on the Start screen and selecting All apps. A list of all installed software and related files appears, in alphabetical order by creator or type.
For more information about NI support for Windows 8, visit ni.com/windows8.
TestStand will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of TestStand that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:
| Product | Info Code |
| NI LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| NI LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
| NI Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| NI TestStand | tslcp |
| NI DIAdem | ddlcp |
| NI SignalExpress | selcp |
| NI VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
Refer to the Technical Support page at ni.com/support and search for TestStand to access the TestStand Support website, which contains online documentation, KnowledgeBase articles, tutorials, example code, discussion forums, and other resources.
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Patents
For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.