NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016 Readme

February 2016


This document contains the following important information about NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016:



Installing NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016

Note  This installation requires at least 2 GB of RAM in addition to the requirements for LabVIEW, the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, and the LabVIEW FPGA Module.


Complete the following steps to install NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016 for use with LabVIEW.


  1. Install one of the following supported versions of LabVIEW:
    • LabVIEW 2015 SP1
    • LabVIEW 2014 SP1
    • LabVIEW 2013 SP1
    • LabVIEW 2012 SP1
  2. Install the LabVIEW Real-Time Module.
  3. Install the LabVIEW FPGA Module.
  4. Install NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016.

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What's New in NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016

  • Software support for the following new CompactRIO controllers:
    • cRIO-9032
    • cRIO-9037
  • FPGA Interface mode support for the following new C Series modules:
    • NI 9436
  • Scan Interface mode support for the following existing C Series modules:
    • NI 9209
    • NI 9216
    • NI 9226
  • Support for Microsoft Windows 10.
  • Ability to detect the active power source for a cRIO-903x controller from a LabVIEW property. Right-click the System Hardware property node and select CompactRIO»Active Power Source. You can use this property to detect whether the controller has reverted to battery backup and handle that change programmatically.

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Preserving Device Aliases when Upgrading to NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016

Ensure that you back up any aliases for local RIO devices before you upgrade the software on your system, or ensure that the devices remain connected to the system during the upgrade. Any local aliases that are not associated with a connected device might be removed during the upgrade.


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Driver Version Naming Changes

NI CompactRIO versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with.


Driver versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: <ProductName><Year-BasedVersion>. For example, NI CompactRIO 15.0 is the version released with LabVIEW 2015.


The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI CompactRIO 4.1. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI CompactRIO 13.0.


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Bug Fixes

Refer to the List of Known Issues and Bug Fixes for NI-RIO Device Drivers on ni.com for a list of bug fixes in this release.


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Known Issues

Refer to the List of Known Issues and Bug Fixes for NI-RIO Device Drivers on ni.com for a current list of all known issues in this release.


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Accessing the Help

In the LabVIEW Help, click the Contents tab and select NI CompactRIO Device Drivers to access the software help for your NI CompactRIO device.


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Supported Platforms

Use the following Microsoft Windows operating systems and service packs with NI CompactRIO Device Drivers February 2016.


Operating System 64-bit 32-bit Comments
Windows 10
Refer to the Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10 section of this document for more information about NI CompactRIO on Windows 10.
Windows 8.1
Refer to the Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1 section of this document for more information about NI CompactRIO on Windows 8.1.
Windows 7 Professional
Windows Vista Business SP1
Refer to the NI CompactRIO Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016 section of this document for more information about NI CompactRIO support for those versions.
Windows XP Professional SP3
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2003 R2
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.

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Supported Hardware and Software

Refer to the Software Support for CompactRIO, CompactDAQ, Single-Board RIO, R Series, FlexRIO, and EtherCAT support document on ni.com for a complete list of the hardware and LabVIEW software versions supported by each version of NI CompactRIO.


Visit to ni.com/compactrio for additional NI CompactRIO product support and information.

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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.


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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:


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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.


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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.


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 8.1. 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 8.1 DesktopDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to Taskbar
Windows 8.1 Desktop Start screenRight-click application and select Pin to Start
Windows 8.1 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 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.


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

NI CompactRIO will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI CompactRIO 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

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Legal Information

Copyright


© 2004–2016 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.


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 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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