December 2014
This file contains important information about the LabVIEW FPGA Module, including installation instructions, known issues, and a partial list of bugs fixed for the LabVIEW 2014 SP1 FPGA Module.
FPGA Module System Requirements
FPGA Compile Farm Server System Requirements
Supported FPGA Targets for FPGA IP Builder
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
The LabVIEW FPGA Module extends the LabVIEW graphical development platform to target FPGAs on NI reconfigurable I/O (RIO) hardware. The FPGA Module helps you design complex systems by providing a highly-integrated development environment, a large ecosystem of IP libraries, a high-fidelity simulator, and debugging features. The FPGA Module also includes the FPGA IP Builder and the FPGA Compile Farm Server. You can use FPGA IP Builder to efficiently implement your LabVIEW algorithms for FPGA targets and to generate FPGA code that meets specific performance requirements. You can use the FGPA Compile Farm Server to offload compiles to dedicated computers.
The development computer is a PC or NI PXI/PXI Express system on which you install LabVIEW and the FPGA Module. You can also install the Xilinx compilation tools on your development computer to compile LabVIEW FPGA VIs locally. However, if the FPGA design or target requires more than 2 GB of memory, National Instruments recommends installing the Xilinx compilation tools on a separate computer. This computer is referred to as the remote compile worker.
Refer to the support document at ni.com for more information about the NI hardware supported by each Xilinx compilation tool.
Note:
Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW 2014 SP1.
If you install the FPGA Compile Farm Server on a separate computer, you can configure that computer to be a remote compile server. If you install the Xilinx Compilation Tools on a separate computer, you can configure that computer to be a remote compile worker.
Refer to the Setting Up a Remote Compile Server or Compile Worker section of the LabVIEW FPGA Module Release and Upgrade Notes for information about setting up and using a local or remote compile server or compile worker. Refer to the support document at ni.com for more information about the NI hardware supported by each Xilinx compilation tool.
The remote compile server must meet the following minimum system requirements:
Each computer that you want to use as a compile worker must meet the following minimum system requirements:
Note: National Instruments recommends a 64-bit OS for the computer on which you install the Xilinx Compilation Tools.
Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW 2014 SP1.
You can install all of your LabVIEW products—including the FPGA Module, FPGA Compile Farm Server, and FPGA IP Builder—using the LabVIEW 2014 SP1 Platform media. You can find installation instructions for the FPGA Module along with activation instructions in the following locations:
To request additional LabVIEW Platform media, refer to the National Instruments website.
Note If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.
FPGA IP Builder supports only a subset of FPGA targets. Refer to the National Instruments website for a list of supported targets.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments website for an up-to-date list of known issues in the FPGA Module.
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in the FPGA Module. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the FPGA Module. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate the issue has been fixed.
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 472896 | VHDL with syntax error using third-party simulation on Vivado target returns error: No Error or xsim.dir Not Found. |
| 475397 | ERROR:HDLCompiler:192 appears when compiling code that contains a re-interpret number function. |
| 491208 | Xilinx FIR Filter: LabVIEW 2014 FPGA IP generation process loads wrong defaults while regenerating IP for a LabVIEW 2013 FPGA generated node. |
Refer to the LabVIEW Help, accessible by selecting Help»LabVIEW Help from LabVIEW, for information about the FPGA Module.
Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.
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 about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
The NI LabVIEW FPGA Module will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of the FPGA Module that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or 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 |
Copyright
© 2003–2014 National Instruments. All rights reserved.
Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.
National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.
Third-Party Copyright Notices
The SharpZipLib_Notice.pdf file contains a third-party copyright notice for third-party components used by certain FPGA Module features. The following directory is the default installation location for the file, but the location might vary depending on the configuration of the local computer:
<National Instruments>\LabVIEW\FPGA\Legal
The Python_2.5_notice.pdf file contains a third-party copyright notice for third-party components used by certain FPGA Module features. The following directory is the default installation location for the file, but the location might vary depending on the configuration of the local computer:
<National Instruments>\LabVIEW\FPGA\Legal
End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.
IVI Foundation Copyright Notice
Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.
The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Trademarks
Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on National Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
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.
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