FlexRIO™ 20.1 Readme

July 2020

This file contains important information about FlexRIO, including installation instructions, new features, a partial list of bugs fixed for FlexRIO 20.1, and known issues.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

IVI Compliance Package Functionality

New Features

Supported Hardware

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

FlexRIO Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021

Legal Information


System Requirements

  • Processor—1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
  • 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

Supported Operating Systems

FlexRIO 20.1 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
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1/7.6
  • CentOS 8/7.6
  • openSUSE Leap 15.1/15.0

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 and KB3125574 for more information about how to install these security updates.

Note: In 2016, FlexRIO dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. FlexRIO 20.1 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use FlexRIO 20.1 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing FlexRIO 20.1, 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, visit ni.com/r/OSSupport2016.

Note: FlexRIO 20.1 does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.

Note: Refer to FlexRIO Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021 for information about future OS support.

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/r/PAESupport.

NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.

Application Software Support

FlexRIO 20.1 supports the following application software versions, including service packs.

Application SoftwareVersions Supported by FlexRIO 20.1
LabVIEW 2017 SP1, 2018, 2019, and 2020
LabVIEW Real-Time2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020
LabVIEW FPGA2017 SP1, 2018, 2019, and 2020
LabVIEW NXG5.0
LabVIEW NXG FPGA5.0

Note: Applications that run on an RT target require 128 MB of memory or more.

Installation Instructions

NI installs FlexRIO 20.1 using NI Package Manager. If you do not already have NI software installed, FlexRIO 20.1 installs NI Package Manager to handle the installation of your NI software. Visit ni.com/r/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.

Notes:

  • 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/r/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.

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.

IVI Compliance Package Functionality

FlexRIO no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. FlexRIO supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer supports the following features:

  • LabVIEW and CVI IVI class driver APIs for developing IVI interchangeable applications
  • IVI Class Simulation drivers
  • IVI-COM Adapters

If you want to use the above features, you must install IVI Compliance Package separately from ni.com/downloads.

New Features

FlexRIO 20.1 includes the following new features.

  • LabVIEW 2020 support for PXIe-6594
  • CableSense™ support for PXIe-5774

FlexRIO 20.0 includes the following new features.

  • Support for LabVIEW 2020
  • Support for LabVIEW NXG 5.0

FlexRIO 19.7 includes the following new features.

  • LabVIEW 2019 support for accessing Management Interfaces on QSFP+ cables

FlexRIO 19.6 includes the following new features.

  • LabVIEW 2019 support for the PXIe-6593

FlexRIO 19.5 includes the following new features.

  • FlexRIO with Modular I/O support for LabVIEW NXG 4.0
  • FlexRIO with Integrated I/O support for Linux RT

Supported Hardware and Related LabVIEW and LabVIEW NXG Support

The tables below list the hardware supported by FlexRIO 20.1 and specify any LabVIEW and LabVIEW NXG requisites for that hardware.

FlexRIO with Integrated I/OLabVIEW Version RequisitesSupported in LabVIEW NXG?
FlexRIO with High Speed Serial Modules
PXIe-6594LabVIEW 2020No
PXIe-6593LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
FlexRIO Coprocessor Modules
PXIe-7911NoneNo
PXIe-7912None
PXIe-7915None
FlexRIO Digitizer Modules
PXIe-5763NoneNo
PXIe-5764NoneNo
PXIe-5775LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
PXIe-5774LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
PCIe-5774LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
PCIe-5763LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
PCIe-5764LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
PCIe-5775LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
FlexRIO Signal Generator Modules
PXIe-5745LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
FlexRIO IF Transceiver Modules
PXIe-5785LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No
PCIe-5785LabVIEW 2018, 2019, or 2020No

FlexRIO with Modular I/OLabVIEW Version RequisitesSupported in LabVIEW NXG?
Controllers for FlexRIO
NI-7931RNoneYes
NI-7932RNoneYes
NI-7935RNoneYes
FlexRIO FPGA Modules
PXI-7951RNoneNo
PXI-7952RNoneNo
PXI-7953RNoneNo
PXI-7954RNoneNo
PXIe-7961RNoneNo
PXIe-7962RNoneNo
PXIe-7965RNoneNo
PXIe-7966RNoneNo
PXIe-7971RNoneYes
PXIe-7972RNoneYes
PXIe-7975RNoneYes
PXIe-7976RNoneYes
FlexRIO Adapter Modules
NI 5731LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5732LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5733LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5734LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5741LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5742LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5751/5751BLabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5752/5752BLabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5753LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5761LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5762LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5771LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5772LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5781LabVIEW 2019 or 2020No
NI 5782LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5783LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5791LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5792LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 5793LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 6581/6581BLabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 6583LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 6584LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 6585/6585BLabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 6587LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes
NI 6589LabVIEW 2019 or 2020Yes

Known Issues

You can access the FlexRIO 20.1 known issues list online at FlexRIO 20.1 Known Issues.

Bug Fixes

You can access the FlexRIO 20.1 bug fix list online at FlexRIO 20.1 Bug Fixes. This list describes a subset of issues fixed in FlexRIO 20.1. If you have a Bug ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.

Accessing the Help

For detailed information about LabVIEW capabilites for FlexRIO hardware, access the FlexRIO Help from Start>>All Programs>>National Instruments>>FlexRIO Help.

Finding Examples

In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. Use one of the following two methods to locate FlexRIO examples:

  • Click the Browse tab, select the Task radio button, then open Hardware Input and Output»FlexRIO.
  • Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search "FlexRIO" to locate all FlexRIO examples.

Note: FlexRIO examples are classified by keyword, so you can also use the Search tab to search for a particular device or measurement function.

To access more FlexRIO examples and the join the FlexRIO community, visit ni.com/examples and search by category for "FlexRIO."

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

The following sections detail considerations for using LabVIEW NXG 5.0 with FlexRIO 20.1.

LabVIEW NXG Operating Systems and System Requirements

Software support for LabVIEW NXG differs in the following ways:

  • System requirements—Only 64-bit (x64) processors are supported.
  • Operating system—Only 64-bit operating systems are supported. Refer to the Supported Operating Systems section for more information.

LabVIEW NXG Hardware Support

Refer to the Supported Hardware and Related LabVIEW and LabVIEW NXG Support section to determine which FlexRIO devices LabVIEW NXG supports.

LabVIEW NXG Help

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

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

Additional documentation is available online at ni.com/manuals.

LabVIEW NXG Examples

Launch LabVIEW and click the Learning tab.

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 4.6.2, 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 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.

For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.

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.

FlexRIO Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and All 32-Bit Windows Operating Systems in 2021

FlexRIO will drop support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and all 32-bit Windows operating systems starting in 2021. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.


Legal Information

Copyright

©2008–2020 National Instruments Corporation. 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.

NI 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.

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.

Trademarks

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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