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NI-SWITCH Readme

Version 16.0


Thank you for using NI-SWITCH. This file contains important information about NI-SWITCH and is organized into the following sections:

New Features

Supported Hardware

System Requirements

Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples

Documentation

Finding Examples

NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Product Security and Critical Updates

Driver Version Naming Changes

Uninstalling/Modifying NI-SWITCH

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

New Features

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

NI-SWITCH 15.1.1 fixes bugs in NI-SWITCH 15.1.0.


  • See Bug Fixes.

NI-SWITCH 15.1.0 includes the following new features:


  • Support for LabVIEW 2015 (32-bit) and LabVIEW 2015 (64-bit).
  • Support for the NI PXIe-2524, NI PXIe-2525, NI PXIe-2526, NI PXIe-2737, NI PXIe-2738, NI PXIe-2739, NI PXIe-2746, NI PXIe-2747, and NI PXIe-2748. For more information about driver differences between NI-SWITCH and NI-DAQmx, refer to the Knowledge Base document at ni.com/info using info code switchdriverconsiderations. For more information about hardware differences between NI-SWITCH and NI-DAQmx-based devices, refer to the Knowledge Base document at info code exmfnf.
  • The Integrated Relay Resistance Test feature in the NI Switch Health Center

Notes

  • Behavioral changes when accessing NI-SWITCH devices through the NI-ModInst API:
    • When accessing the serial number attribute, NI-ModInst pads the serial number with leading zeros up to eight digits.
    • When accessing the device model attribute, NI-ModInst returns the full model name. For example, NI-ModInst returns "NI PXI-2501" instead of "PXI-2501."


NI-SWITCH 15.0.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2015 (32- and 64-bit).


NI-SWITCH 14.0.0 adds support for LabVIEW 2014 (32-bit) and LabVIEW 2014 (64-bit).


NI-SWITCH 4.8 includes the following new features:


  • Support for the NI 2865A device.
  • Support for the NI PXI/PXIe-2542 and NI PXI/PXIe-2544 modules.
  • Device pinouts in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) for NI switch modules.
  • Connect multiple channels using the niSwitch Connect Channels VI, and disconnect multiple channels using the niSwitch Disconnect Channels VI.
  • Support for NI-SWITCH run-time custom installers built using National Instruments application development environments (ADEs). This installer contains instrument driver run-time components required to deploy applications using NI switches.

Notes:

  • The run-time installer does not contain support for interactively configuring or testing hardware using MAX.
  • The run-time installer does not support upgrading from the full NI-SWITCH 4.6.5 or earlier or NI-DAQmx 8.9.x or earlier, to a run-time only installer. You must uninstall these products prior to installing the NI-SWITCH Run-Time installer.


NI-SWITCH 4.6.5 adds support for LabVIEW 2013 (32-bit)and LabVIEW 2013 (64-bit).


NI-SWITCH 4.6.1 includes the following new features:


  • Support for the NI PXI/PXIe-2540 and NI PXI/PXIe-2541 modules.
  • Improved the schematic display in Switch Soft Front Panel for some RF multiplexer topologies.

NI-SWITCH 4.6 adds support for the NI PXI-2520, NI PXI-2521, NI PXI-2522, NI PXI-2523, and NI PXIe-2790 modules.


NI-SWITCH 4.5.5 adds support for LabVIEW 2012 (32-bit) and LabVIEW 2012 (64-bit).


NI-SWITCH 4.5 adds support for the NI 2833, NI 2834, NI PXI/PXIe-2532B, NI PXI-2720, NI PXI-2722, NI PXIe-2725, NI PXIe-2727, NI PXI-2796, NI PXI-2797, NI PXI-2798, and NI PXI-2799 modules.


NI-SWITCH 4.4 includes the following new features:


  • Support for the NI 2812, NI 2813, NI 2814, NI 2817, and NI PXI/PXIe-2543 modules.
  • Support for one new NI PXI/PXIe-2532 topology and the NI TB-2646 terminal block.

NI-SWITCH 4.3.5 adds support for LabVIEW 2011 (32-bit) and LabVIEW 2011 (64-bit).


NI-SWITCH 4.3 includes the following new features:


  • Support for the NI PXI-2530B and NI PXI-2571 modules.
  • Dynamic power budget for NI SwitchBlock cards and carriers.

Supported Hardware

NI-SWITCH 16.0 and later supports the following National Instruments switch products:

  • NI 2810
  • NI 2811
  • NI 2812
  • NI 2813
  • NI 2814
  • NI 2815
  • NI 2816
  • NI 2817
  • NI 2833
  • NI 2834
  • NI 2865A
  • NI PXI-2501
  • NI PXI-2503
  • NI PXI-2510
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2512
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2514
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2515
  • NI PXI-2520
  • NI PXI-2521
  • NI PXI-2522
  • NI PXI-2523
  • NI PXIe-2524
  • NI PXIe-2525
  • NI PXIe-2526
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2527
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2529
  • NI PXI-2530
  • NI PXI-2530B
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2531
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2532
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2532B
  • NI PXI-2533
  • NI PXI-2534
  • NI PXI-2535
  • NI PXI-2536
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2540
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2541
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2542
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2543
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2544
  • NI PXI-2545
  • NI PXI-2546
  • NI PXI-2547
  • NI PXI-2548
  • NI PXI-2549
  • NI PXI-2554
  • NI PXI-2555
  • NI PXI-2556
  • NI PXI-2557
  • NI PXI-2558
  • NI PXI-2559
  • NI PXI-2564
  • NI PXI-2565
  • NI PXI-2566
  • NI PXI-2567
  • NI PXI-2568
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2569
  • NI PXI-2570
  • NI PXI-2571
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2575
  • NI PXI-2576
  • NI PXI-2584
  • NI PXI-2585
  • NI PXI-2586
  • NI PXI-2590
  • NI PXI-2591
  • NI PXI/PXIe-2593
  • NI PXI-2594
  • NI PXI-2595
  • NI PXI-2596
  • NI PXI-2597
  • NI PXI-2598
  • NI PXI-2599
  • NI PXI-2720
  • NI PXI-2722
  • NI PXIe-2725
  • NI PXIe-2727
  • NI PXIe-2737
  • NI PXIe-2738
  • NI PXIe-2739
  • NI PXIe-2746
  • NI PXIe-2747
  • NI PXIe-2748
  • NI PXIe-2790
  • NI PXI-2796
  • NI PXI-2797
  • NI PXI-2798
  • NI PXI-2799
  • NI PXI-2800
  • NI SCXI-1127
  • NI SCXI-1128
  • NI SCXI-1129
  • NI SCXI-1130
  • NI SCXI-1160
  • NI SCXI-1161
  • NI SCXI-1163R
  • NI SCXI-1166
  • NI SCXI-1167
  • NI SCXI-1169
  • NI SCXI-1175
  • NI SCXI-1190
  • NI SCXI-1191
  • NI SCXI-1192
  • NI SCXI-1193
  • NI SCXI-1194
  • NI SCXI-1195

Notes:  NI-SWITCH does not support legacy resource descriptors (SCXI:: and PXI::) under Windows 8/7/Vista.

NI-SWITCH supports the NI USB-1359 under the 32-bit versions of the supported operating systems. NI-SWITCH does not support the NI USB-1359 under the 64-bit versions of the supported operating systems.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

NI-SWITCH 16.0 and later support the following operating systems:


  • Windows 10/8.11/7 SP12 (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 R21 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12 (64-bit)

1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.1. 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:  NI-SWITCH 16.0 and later does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.


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


Supported Real-Time Operating Environments

NI-SWITCH 16.0 and later support the following real-time operating environments:


Minimum 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

Application Development Environments (ADEs)

Note:  You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows/CVI or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-SWITCH. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI-SWITCH, modify your NI-SWITCH installation or launch the NI-SWITCH installer again.


  • LabVIEW 2013 SP1, 2014 SP1, 2015 SP1, or 2016
  • LabVIEW Real-Time Module 2013 SP1, 2014 SP1, 2015 SP1, or 2016
  • LabWindows/CVI 2013 or later
  • LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module 2013 or later
  • Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) 6.0 or later

Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples

Installed Software

  • <NIDocDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location: Users\Public\Public Documents\National Instruments
  • <IVIROOTDIR32> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • (32-bit) Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\
    • (64-bit) Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\IVI\
      Note $(IVIROOTDIR32) is configured as an environment variable on the target system.
      If you upgraded an installation of IVI, your files may be located in the following location:
      • (32-bit) Program Files\IVI\
      • (64-bit) Program Files (x86)\IVI\
  • <IVIROOTDIR64> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
    • (64-bit) Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\
      NOTE:<IVIROOTDIR64> is configured as an environment variable on the target system.

File Locations

ItemInstalled Location
NI-SWITCH<IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niSwitch
NI-SWITCH Function Panel<IVIROOTDIR32>\Drivers\niSwitch\niSwitch.fp
NI-SWITCH Examples<NIDocDir>\NI-SWITCH\examples
NI-SWITCH Header files<IVIROOTDIR32>\Include
NI-SWITCH Import Library files (32-bit)<IVIROOTDIR32>\Lib
NI-SWITCH Import Library files (64-bit)<IVIROOTDIR32>\Lib_x64
NI-SWITCH DLL (32-bit)<IVIROOTDIR32>\Bin


Additional File Locations for 64-bit Operating Systems

ItemInstalled Location
NI-SWITCH Function Panel<IVIROOTDIR64>\Drivers\niSwitch\niSwitch.fp
NI-SWITCH Header files<IVIROOTDIR64>\Include
NI-SWITCH Import Library files (64-bit)<IVIROOTDIR64>\Lib_x64
NI-SWITCH DLL (64-bit)<IVIROOTDIR64>\Bin


Documentation

Documentation for NI Switches is available at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-SWITCH»Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents:

Document Format Description
NI Switches Help HTML/Windows Help Contains primary help content for NI Switches. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
  • Switches Fundamentals
  • Hardware device information
  • How to get starting with an application development
  • A complete reference for all Switches programming functions and VIs
Getting Started Guide for your device Printed and PDF Contains software and hardware installation, MAX configuration, signal connection, and troubleshooting information for your device.
Specifications for your device Printed and PDF Lists technical specifications for your device.
Calibration Procedures for your device PDF Contains calibration instructions for your device.
Maintain Forced-Air Cooling Note to Users Printed Contains important cooling information for your device.
Introduction to NI-SWITCH HTML Contains information about driver documentation, examples, connecting to your instrument, configuring instrument settings, and known issues.
NI-SWITCH Readme HTML (this document) Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, and legal notices.
NI-SWITCH IVI Compliance Document TXT Contains information about IVI compliance.

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


To use the .NET API, you must install the the .NET class libraries or the .NET Wrapper in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to the National Instruments .NET Driver Support document at ni.com/info and enter Info Code NETAPIdriversupport.


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


Finding Examples

In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI-SWITCH examples are classified by keyword, so you can search for a particular device or measurement function. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs and their descriptions:


  • Click the Browse tab to locate examples by task at Hardware Input and Ouput»Modular Instruments»NI-SWITCH or by directory structure at instr»niSwitch.
  • Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "SWITCH" to locate all NI Switch examples.

You can also access all the installed NI-SWITCH examples for LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-SWITCH»Examples.


NI-SWITCH Drops Support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

With this release, NI-SWITCH drops support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. NI-SWITCH 16.0 and later will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-SWITCH 16.0 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-SWITCH 16.0, 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 LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?.


Product Security and Critical Updates

National Instruments posts information about critical updates and security notifications on ni.com. Visit ni.com/info, and enter the info code updates to access this information.


Driver Version Naming Changes

NI-SWITCH 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-SWITCH 14.0.0> is the version released with LabVIEW 2014. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is NI-SWITCH 4.8. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is NI-SWITCH 14.0.0.

Uninstalling/Modifying NI-SWITCH

For Windows 7, complete the following steps:


  1. Launch the Control Panel by selecting Start»Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Programs and Features.
  3. Select National Instruments Software.
  4. Click the Uninstall/Change button.
  5. Select NI-SWITCH 16.0 from the dialog box that appears.
  6. Click Remove to uninstall the product; click Modify to change the components that are installed.

For Windows 10/8.1, complete the following steps:


  1. Right-click on the Start button.
  2. Select Control Panel.
  3. Select Programs»Programs and Features.
  4. Select National Instruments Software.
  5. Click the Uninstall button.
  6. Select NI-SWITCH 16.0 from the dialog box that appears.
  7. Click Remove to uninstall the product; click Modify to change the components that are installed.

As part of the NI-SWITCH installation, the following software is installed. To completely remove the NI-SWITCH installation from your system, you must also remove all of the following packages:


  • NI-SWITCH Runtime 16.0
  • NI IVI Compliance Package 16.0
  • NI Measurement & Automation Explorer 15.0
  • NI-DAQmx Runtime 15.1
  • NI-VISA 15.0
  • NI IO Trace 15.0

Caution  Several of the software packages listed above are shared with other NI software packages. If you attempt to remove a piece of software that something else is dependent on, a message launches to warn you about the software dependencies. You can choose to either uninstall all of the software or to leave the shared software installed. If you choose to uninstall the shared software, some of your other NI software may no longer function correctly.


Note  Do not attempt to uninstall by manually deleting files.


Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI-SWITCH 16.0 Known Issues at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code exanit for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-SWITCH 16.0


Bug Fixes

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 15.1.1 from NI-SWITCH 15.1.0.


IDFixed Issue
530716 Fixed issue that caused MAX with NI Switch Executive to hang when users configured RouteGroups with more connections than are normally allowed by the relay drive limit.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.8 from NI-SWITCH 4.6.5.


IDFixed Issue
412074Fixed an issue in which the DAQmx Disconnect All VI returned an error when closing or opening multiple relays.
338542Fixed an issue where the DAQmx Stop Task VI would time out.
410401Fixed an issue where the NI switch software scanning examples did not work on an RT target.
363694Fixed an issue with the Multi-Module Scan List that caused scanning to be incomplete.
410717Fixed an issue where relay commands did not execute while using the USB-1359 with SCXI switch modules.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.6.5 from NI-SWITCH 4.6.1.


IDFixed Issue
408193Fixed an issue where calling DAQmx Disconnect (Multiple) on the NI PXI/PXIe-2540 or the NI PXI/PXIe-2541 left one or more relays powered.
393334Fixed an issue where resetting the same switch in two or more parallel threads resulted in an error.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.6.1 from NI-SWITCH 4.6.


IDFixed Issue
372998Fixed an issue where the NI 2833/2834 power consumption was not accounted for in the carrier power budget.
373015Removed hyphens from the SwitchBlock model strings in the NISWITCH_SUPPORTED_INSTRUMENT_MODELS constant.
373073Fixed an issue where the default channel state of the NI PXIe-2790 did not represent the hardware state correctly.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.5 from NI-SWITCH 4.4.


IDFixed Issue
328251Fixed an issue where the NI PXI-2571 did not honor user-defined settling times.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.4 from NI-SWITCH 4.3.


IDFixed Issue
256580Improved Windows 7 performance.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.1 from NI-SWITCH 4.0.2.


IDFixed Issue
209501Fixed an issue that disabled legacy scanning of multiple modules with NI-SWITCH.

The following items are changes in NI-SWITCH 4.0.1 from NI-SWITCH 4.0.


IDFixed Issue
181045Fixed power budget issue for the PXI/PXIe-2515.
181067Fixed an issue where calling Device Reset on certain PXI/PXIe devices (NI-PXI/PXIe-2512/2514/2564/2585/2586) incorrectly updated relay count.

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:


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 National Instruments 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


© 1998–2016 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.


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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