NI-USRP 18.1 Readme

July 2018


This file contains important information about NI-USRP, including installation instructions, new features, a partial list of bugs fixed for NI-USRP 18.1, and known issues.



Overview

New Features

Supported Hardware

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Accessing the API

Finding Examples, Lessons, and Sample Projects

Accessing the Documentation

Installed Software

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

Legal Information


Overview

This software installation provides support for customers using software defined radio (USRP) devices, software defined radio reconfigurable (USRP RIO) devices, and software defined radio stand-alone (USRP Stand-Alone) devices, as specified in the Supported Hardware section. To program your USRP, USRP RIO, or USRP Stand-Alone device, use the NI-USRP API or USRP RIO Instrument Design Library (IDL) included in the NI-USRP instrument driver.


The getting started guide for your device provides information about how to install, configure, test, and begin using a USRP, USRP RIO, or USRP Stand-Alone device.


New Features

NI-USRP 18.1 adds support for LabVIEW NXG 2.1 and LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.1.


NI-USRP 18.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2018 (32- and 64-bit).


NI-USRP 17.2 adds support for the USRP-2974 device with LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.0.


NI-USRP 17.1 adds support for several bug fixes.


NI-USRP 17.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2017 (32- and 64-bit).


NI-USRP 16.1 includes the following new features:


  • Support for USRP-2945 and USRP-2955 devices with LabVIEW 2016
  • Support for USRP-2900 and USRP-2901 devices with LabVIEW 2016

NI-USRP 16.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2016 (32- and 64-bit).


Supported Hardware

The following hardware products are supported in all operating systems listed in the Supported Operating Systems section. Refer to the Application Software Support section for information regarding supported application software versions.


  • USRP-2900
  • USRP-2901
  • USRP-2920
  • USRP-2921
  • USRP-2922
  • USRP-2930
  • USRP-2932
  • USRP-2940 40 MHz
  • USRP-2940 120 MHz
  • USRP-2942 40 MHz
  • USRP-2942 120 MHz
  • USRP-2943 40 MHz
  • USRP-2943 120 MHz
  • USRP-2944
  • USRP-2945
  • USRP-2950 40 MHz
  • USRP-2950 120 MHz
  • USRP-2952 40 MHz
  • USRP-2952 120 MHz
  • USRP-2953 40 MHz
  • USRP-2953 120 MHz
  • USRP-2954
  • USRP-2955
  • USRP-2974
  • Ettus Research USRP2*
  • Ettus Research N200*
  • Ettus Research N210*
  • Ettus Research X300*
  • Ettus Research X310*

*The NI-USRP instrument driver supports TwinRX, UBX, CBX, CBX-120, WBX, WBX-120, SBX, SBX-120, XCVR2450
daughterboards. Other daughterboards may also be compatible, but they have not been tested.


Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI-USRP Help.


System Requirements

NI-USRP 18.1 has the following requirements:


  • Processor——1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
    Note  LabVIEW NXG and LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite support only 64-bit (x64) processors.
  • RAM—1 GB RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
  • Windows 10/8.1/7, with all available critical updates and service packs
  • Connector requirements shown in the following table
Device USB 2.0 or Higher Gigabit Ethernet PCI/MXI Express x4
USRP-2900/2901    
USRP-2920/2921/2922    
USRP-2930/3932    
USRP-2940/2942/2943/2944/2945  
USRP-2950/2952/2953/2954/2955  
USRP-2974    

Ethernet Support on USRP RIO Devices

USRP RIO devices support both 1G Ethernet and 10G Ethernet using the connectors on the device back panel. With the default FPGA image, port 0 is designated for 1G, and port 1 is designated for 10G.


The USRP-2974 is only supported through Ethernet using 1 GbE through RJ45 and 10 GbE through SFP+ connections.


Note  The FPGA cannot be modified when the USRP RIO device is connected through Ethernet.

Supported Operating Systems

NI-USRP 18.1 supports the following operating systems:


  • Windows 10/8.11/7 SP12
  • Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP12
  • Windows Server 2012 R21
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12

1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.


2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.


Note  LabVIEW NXG and LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite support only 64-bit operating systems.


Note  NI-USRP 18.1 does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.


Note  In 2016, NI-USRP dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. NI-USRP 18.1 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-USRP 18.1 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-USRP 18.1, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.


For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2016, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my ADE Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Windows Server 2003?.


Note  Support for Windows 32-bit operating systems may require disabling physical address extension (PAE). To learn how this might affect your system and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.


Application Software Support

NI-USRP 18.1 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are using LabVIEW, you should install it before installing NI-USRP. To add support for application software installed after installing NI-USRP, modify your NI-USRP installation or launch the NI-USRP installer again.


Device LabVIEW 2015 SP1, 2016, 2017, or 2018 LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.0 or 2.1 LabVIEW NXG 2.1
USRP-2900/2901
USRP-2920/2921/2922
USRP-2930/2932
USRP-2940/2942/2943/2944 √‡
USRP-2950/2952/2953/2954 √‡
USRP-2945/2955 √†    
USRP-2974   √**  

† The USRP-2945/2955 is not supported in LabVIEW 2015 SP1.


‡ Support for the USRP RIO API and modifying the LV FPGA bitfile is only supported in LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite.


** NI-USRP 18.1 does not include support for the USRP-2974 in LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.1.


Note  NI-USRP is not supported in LabVIEW NXG 2.0 or earlier.


Accessing the API

NI-USRP and USRP RIO palette VIs and nodes are available in the following palette locations.


API LabVIEW LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.0 LabVIEW NXG or LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.1
NI-USRP Functions»Instrument I/O»Instrument Drivers»NI-USRP Hardware Interfaces»NI-USRP Hardware Interfaces>>Wireless Design and Test>>NI-USRP
USRP RIO Functions»Instrument I/O»Instrument Drivers»USRP RIO Hardware Interfaces»USRP RIO Hardware Interfaces>>Wireless Design and Test>>USRP RIO

Finding Examples, Lessons, and Sample Projects

NI-USRP examples, lessons, and sample projects are available in the following locations.


Content Type Description LabVIEW LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.0 LabVIEW NXG or LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.1
Examples

NI-USRP includes several example applications that serve as interactive tools, programming models, and building blocks in your own applications. NI-USRP includes examples for getting started and other software-defined radio (SDR) functionality.


Note  You can access additional examples from the Code Sharing Community at ni.com/usrp.


  • From the Start menu at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-USRP»Examples.
  • From the LabVIEW Functions palette at Instrument I/O»Instrument Drivers»NI-USRP»Examples.
  • From the Learning tab, select Examples»Hardware Input and Output»NI USRP Host.
  • From the Learning tab, select Examples»Hardware Input and Output»NI USRP RIO.
  • From the Learning tab, select Examples»Hardware Input and Output»NI-USRP.
  • From the Learning tab, select Examples»Hardware Input and Output»USRP RIO.
Lessons NI-USRP includes lessons that guide you through the process of identifying and demodulating an FM signal with your device. N/A From the Learning tab, select Getting Started»Demodulating FM Signals with the NI... and choose a task to accomplish. From the Learning tab, select Getting Started»Demodulating FM Signals with the NI... and choose a task to accomplish.
Sample Projects USRP RIO includes several sample projects that serve as starting points to build a USRP RIO streaming application. From the Create Project dialog, select Sample Projects in the left pane and navigate to the NI-USRP Simple Streaming project. From the Projects tab, choose the applicable sample project for your device and setup. From the Projects tab, select USRP RIO and choose the applicable sample project for your device and setup.

Accessing the Documentation

Documentation for NI-USRP is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-USRP»Documentation and online at ni.com/manuals. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.


Document Format Description Location
NI-USRP 18.1 Readme HTML (this document) Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-USRP»NI-USRP Documentation and online at ni.com/manuals
NI-USRP Manual Online Help Contains a complete programming reference for all NI-USRP nodes. Online at ni.com/manuals
NI-USRP Help HTML/Windows Help The primary document for most NI USRP products. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
  • An introduction to NI USRP
  • How to get started with application development
  • A complete reference for all NI-USRP programming functions and VIs
Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-USRP»NI-USRP Documentation and online at ni.com/manuals
Basic Elements (NI-USRP and NI-579x) Manual Online Help Contains a complete programming reference for all Basic Elements nodes on the USRP RIO palette. Online at ni.com/manuals
Getting started guide for your device Printed and PDF Contains software and hardware installation, configuration, signal connection, and troubleshooting information for your device. Online at ni.com/manuals
Specifications for your device PDF Lists technical specifications for your device. Online at ni.com/manuals
Manual for your device Online Help Contains information about supported hardware, including pinouts, block diagrams, and specifications. Online at ni.com/manuals

To access the LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.0 Manual, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code commsmanual. This manual includes the following information:


  • An introduction to LabVIEW Comms
  • Hardware device overviews
  • Information about how to get started with application development
  • A complete programming reference for all NI-USRP nodes

For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.


Note  To view PDFs, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. You can install the viewer from www.adobe.com/reader.


LabVIEW NXG and LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite Help

View context help by pressing <Ctrl-H> and hovering over an object.


Search for items using the search bar in the upper right corner of the window. You can also view context help for the search results.


Installed Software

  • <NIDocDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location: Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments
  • <SystemDir64> is an alias for the following file folder location: (64-bit) Windows\system32
  • <NIDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • (32-bit OS) Program Files\National Instruments
    • (64-bit OS) Program Files (x86)\National Instruments for 32-bit programs and Program Files\National Instruments for 64-bit programs

File Locations

Item Installed Location
NI-USRP <NIDir32>\NI-USRP\
NI-USRP Utilities <NIDir32>\NI-USRP\utilities\
NI-USRP Examples <NIDir32>\LabVIEW<version>\examples\instr\niUSRP\
NI-USRP Header files <NIDir32>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\include
NI-USRP Import Library files <NIDir32>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\lib32\msvc
NI-USRP Firmware and FPGA images <NIDir32>\NI-USRP\images\

Additional File Locations for Windows (64-bit)

Item Installed Location
NI-USRP <NIDir64>\NI-USRP\
NI-USRP Header files <NIDir32>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\include
NI-USRP Import Library files <NIDir32>\Shared\ExternalCompilerSupport\C\lib64\msvc
NI-USRP Examples <NIDir64>\LabVIEW<version>\examples\instr\niUSRP\

Installation Instructions

Installing NI-USRP for LabVIEW or LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.0

You must be an Administrator to install NI software on your computer. Install application software support before installing NI-USRP.


  1. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code usrpdriver to access the download page for the latest NI-USRP software.
  2. Download the NI-USRP driver software.
  3. Follow the instructions in the installation prompts.
    Note: Windows users may see access and security messages during installation. Accept the prompts to complete the installation.
  4. When the installer completes, select Restart in the dialog box that prompts you to restart, shut down, or restart later.

Note


  • If Windows Update is enabled, the installation process might hang if Windows Update interferes with the installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Run-Time. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code exjq43 for more information and steps to resolve this issue.
  • 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.

Installing NI-USRP for LabVIEW NXG or LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite 2.1

NI automates LabVIEW NXG and LabVIEW Communications System Design Suite installation using NI Package Manager. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code NIPMDownload to download NI Package Manager. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.


Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.


Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI website for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-USRP 18.1.


Bug Fixes

There are no changes in NI-USRP 18.1 from NI-USRP 18.0.


There are no changes in NI-USRP 18.0 from NI-USRP 17.2.


There are no changes in NI-USRP 17.2 from NI-USRP 17.1.


The following items are changes in NI-USRP 17.1 from NI-USRP 17.0.


ID Fixed Issue
679121 Fixed an issue that caused digital data values in the NI-USRP Simple Streaming with USRP-2945/2955 Sample Project to be scaled to half of the correct value.
681935 Fixed an issue that caused aliases to appear in the data path after the frequency shift occurred on the FPGA.

The following items are changes in NI-USRP 17.0 from NI-USRP 16.1.


ID Fixed Issue
641880 Fixed an issue that caused the RF frequency to be inaccurate due to LO sharing when using the USRP-2945/2955 and the USRP RIO sample project.
624459 Fixed an issue that caused the building of a bitfile to fail using DRAM in LabVIEW Communications 2.0 after installing NI-USRP.
617872 Fixed an issue that caused the streaming performance of USRP RIO devices to degrade when connected over PCIe and using NI-USRP API.

The following items are changes in NI-USRP 16.1 from NI-USRP 16.0.


ID Fixed Issue
597196 Fixed an issue that caused errors to appear when launching the NI-USRP Configuration Utility from LabVIEW Communications 2.0.
494050 Fixed an issue that caused the USRP-2950/2952/2953/2954 devices not to set the GPS time by default.

Automating the Installation of NI Products

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.


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:


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.


Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.



Legal Information

Copyright


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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:


  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

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.


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Refer to the NI Trademarks and Logo Guidelines at ni.com/trademarks for information on NI trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.


Patents


For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.


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