NI System Configuration 15.0 Readme for Windows

August 2015


This file contains important information about NI System Configuration 15.0 and the following included products:


  • NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) 15.0 is a configuration utility that provides access to your National Instruments devices.
  • NI I/O Trace 15.0 is an application that monitors, records, and displays NI API calls made by applications.
  • NI Device Monitor 15.0 is a utility for launching applications when a system detects an NI device.

Contents

Installing System Configuration

Supported Platforms

Using NI System Configuration

Supported Development Environments

Product Security and Critical Updates

Known Issues and Bug Fixes

Automating the Installation of NI Products

How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x

NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Legal Information


Installing System Configuration

To install NI System Configuration and included components, run setup.exe on your Windows host machine. To install onto a Real-Time OS, use the LabVIEW Real-Time Software Wizard in Measurement & Automation Explorer from your local system. Visit ni.com/support for the latest version of NI System Configuration.


Supported Platforms

NI System Configuration 15.0 and components support the following platforms:


  • Windows XP Service Pack 3
  • Windows Vista x86, x64
  • Windows 7 x86, x64
  • Windows 8.1 x86, x64
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 (x86) 1,2
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64) 1,3
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (x64) 1,3
  • NI Real-Time VxWorks 6.3
  • NI Real-Time Phar Lap ETS 13.1
  • NI Linux® Real-Time 3.2.35
  • NI Linux® Real-Time 3.10.31

1 System Configuration does not support non-R2 versions of Windows Server.


2 Support for Windows Server 2003 R2 may require disabling physical address extensions (PAE). To learn how this might affect your use of Windows Server 2003 and what actions you might have to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.


3Support for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 requires disabling Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (IE ESC). To learn how this affects your use of Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2 and what actions you must take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code MAXSupportIEESC.


Using NI System Configuration

NI System Configuration 15.0 contains an application programming interface (API) that can be used to programmatically control various National Instruments devices in a system. The following sections describe this API.


Supported Development Environments

NI System Configuration 15.0 supports the following development environments, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.


NI Application Software Versions Supported by NI System Configuration
NI LabVIEW 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
NI LabWindows™/CVI™ 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015

Microsoft Visual Studio Support

The following table lists the programming languages and Microsoft Visual Studio versions supported by this version of NI System Configuration.


Programming Language Visual Studio Versions Support by NI System Configuration Location of Visual Studio Examples on Windows 8/7/Vista
.NET Framework 4.0 Languages
(Visual C#)
2010 C:\Users\Public\Documents\National Instruments\MStudioVS2010\DotNET\Examples
.NET Framework 4.5 Languages
(Visual C#)
2012 C:\Users\Public\Documents\National Instruments\MStudioVS2012\DotNET\Examples

Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security for security information about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.


Known Issues and Bug Fixes

For a listing of Known Issues of NI System Configuration and Measurement & Automation Explorer, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code SysCfgKnownIssues.


For a listing of Bug Fixes for NI System Configuration and Measurement & Automation Explorer, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code SysCfgFixList.


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. 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:


How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x

When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.x, 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.


Using 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 in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.


Note  NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.x. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher.

Pinning Frequently Used Applications

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 ApplicationIcon LocationPin to Action
Windows 8.x DesktopDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to Taskbar
Windows 8.xDesktop Start screenRight-click application and select Pin to Start
Windows 8.x Start screenDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen

Finding All Programs

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 from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select All apps (Windows 8.0) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).


For more information about NI support for Windows 8.x, visit ni.com/windows8.


NI System Configuration Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016

National Instruments NI System Configuration will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI System Configuration 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
LabVIEWlifecycle
LabWindows™/CVI™cvi_lifecycle
Measurement Studiomstudiolifecycle
TestStandtslcp
DIAdemddlcp
SignalExpressselcp
VeriStandnivslifecycle

Legal Information

Copyright


© 2010—2015 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.


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 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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