April 2016
This file contains important information about NI VeriStand 2015 SP1, including system requirements and installation instructions.
Upgrade and Compatibility Issues
Automating the Installation of NI Products
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8
NI VeriStand is configuration-based testing software, allowing you to develop, prototype, and test control systems using hardware I/O and your simulation models. The VeriStand software framework enables you to perform real-time or PC-based test configuration and execution that can be easily customized and extended with LabVIEW, NI TestStand, and other software tools.
VeriStand includes a run-time editable user interface as well as a test manager you can use to configure and implement triggered multi-file data logging, real-time test sequencing, stimulus generation and playback, and model calibration.
The following sections describe support considerations for using VeriStand in various types of systems.
| Windows Systems1 | Real-Time Targets | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System |
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| RAM/Processor |
|
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| Required Software |
| VeriStand software, which you can install from NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) |
1 The following considerations apply to using VeriStand on Windows:
2 You can achieve higher Primary Control Loop rates by using targets with higher-performance specifications. | ||
Note The following sections describe system requirements that apply if you use models, LabVIEW functionality, and .NET APIs in your system.
To configure and run a simulation using your existing compiled model, you need only VeriStand installed. You need additional software to perform other tasks with models, as the following list describes:
If you use other modeling environments, contact your model vendor for requirements for developing a model and converting it into a compiled model.
To create custom devices, menu items, workspace controls and indicators, or timing and sync devices, you must have LabVIEW 2015 or later. The LabVIEW functionality in VeriStand always requires like-numbered versions.
The VeriStand .NET APIs require the following Microsoft software:
Complete the following steps to install VeriStand.
Note 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.
The VeriStand 2015 SP1 media kit includes an evaluation version of NI DIAdem. NI DIAdem is a software tool you can use to locate, load, visualize, analyze, and report measurement data from real-time tests. You can use VeriStand with DIAdem to automate the post-processing of data collected in VeriStand, view trend data across multiple files and file types, and generate custom reports.
For a list of new features in VeriStand 2015 SP1, refer to the following topic in the NI VeriStand 2015 SP1 Help posted on ni.com or installed on disk: What's New in NI VeriStand 2015 SP1.
The following sections describe issues to be aware of when you upgrade to VeriStand 2015 SP1.
Note NI recommends that you also review the Upgrade and Compatibility Issues in the readme files for each VeriStand version between the version from which you are upgrading and VeriStand 2015 SP1. To access the documents, refer to the NI website at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code for the appropriate VeriStand version from the following list:
VeriStand 2015 SP1 does not support communication with uncompiled models.
Models compiled from LabVIEW VIs (.lvmodel files) using LabVIEW 2014 or earlier must be recompiled using LabVIEW 2015. The LabVIEW functionality in VeriStand always requires like-numbered versions.
The VeriStand Model Framework contains changes to the files you use to develop and compile models in C/C++ and third-party modeling environments. If your system contains models compiled with previous versions of the Model Framework, choose from the following options for to continue to use the models in VeriStand 2015 SP1:
The example models included with the Model Framework are located at RootDrive:\VeriStand\version\ModelInterface\custom\examples.
The mutation tool is not available in VeriStand 2015 SP1. All rig files and in4 files must be migrated using VeriStand 2014 or earlier.
In VeriStand 2015 SP1, you cannot add new instances of the Lambda Genesys and Pickering custom devices. Systems that already contain these custom devices can continue to use them.
Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code exjpt3 to access a page that details how to access the source code for the Lambda Genesys and Pickering custom devices.
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.
VeriStand includes the following documentation resources:
| Resource | Contents | Access Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| NI Veristand Help | Conceptual, how-to, and reference information for using VeriStand. | In software: Help»Search the NI VeriStand Help OR Windows Start menu: All Programs»National Instruments»NI VeriStand»VeriStand Help |
| NI VeriStand .NET API Help | Reference information for the .NET APIs included with VeriStand. You can access these assemblies from any .NET-compatible programming language or environment, including NI LabVIEW™ and NI TestStand™. | Windows Start menu: All Programs»National Instruments»NI VeriStand»VeriStand .NET API Help. |
| NI VeriStand Model Framework Introduction | Information about how to use the VeriStand Model Framework to compile your existing C and C++ model code so you can load your models in VeriStand. | You can access this guide from the RootDrive:\VeriStand\xxxx\ModelInterface\custom directory, where RootDrive is the drive where NI software installs and xxxx is the VeriStand version number. Note You must explicitly select NI VeriStand Model Framework when you run the VeriStand installer. |
Note If you install VeriStand with the compatible version of LabVIEW, you also can access a subset of the NI VeriStand Help, including information about the VeriStand VIs and extending VeriStand functionality with LabVIEW, from the LabVIEW Help. From LabVIEW, select Help»LabVIEW Help.
VeriStand includes several types of examples:
Tip On Windows 7/Vista, the default location of the <Public Documents> directory is C:\Users\Public\Public Documents.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Codes NIVeriStand2015SP1KI and NIVeriStand2015KI for an up-to-date list of known issues in VeriStand 2015 and VeriStand 2015 SP1.
To run the NI VeriStand UI Manager, the .NET Framework 4.5 must be installed. However, installing the .NET Framework 4.5 can break the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 compilers, which are used to compile models for Windows and PharLap VeriStand targets. Using broken compilers results in error LNK1123. To resolve this Microsoft compiler issue, apply all service packs and updates for your version of Microsoft Visual Studio or Windows SDK. Refer to Microsoft Support Article 2757355 for more information.
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in VeriStand 2015 SP1. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of VeriStand. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate the issue has been fixed.
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 574824 | Passing the Model Interface Toolkit's Unload Model.vi an empty model constant breaks other MIT sessions. |
| 573162 | VeriStand 2015 systems using DAQ devices exhibited lower maximum PCL rates due to a CPU assignment bug |
| 572529 | Refreshing modified models in a system definition does not correctly update the model's inports and outports |
| 571818 | The Primary Control Loop only runs on CPU 0, regardless of manual assignment |
| 571779 | Users are not notified when alarms are triggered due to a channel initializing outside of an alarm's range |
| 571468 | The VeriStand engine can error after deployment due to setting the NumOfWarmUpIters DAQmx RT property for uneligible DAQ tasks |
| 567397 | The last signal value for a decimated model does not update at run time |
| 562245 | Exceptionally large XNET databases fail to deploy unless their corresponding frames are run inline with the PCL |
| 553945 | VeriStand projects with DAQ devices in Slow Background Conversion mode can fail to deploy |
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, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
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.
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.
NI VeriStand will drop support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI VeriStand that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), 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 |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
| Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| TestStand | tslcp |
| DIAdem | ddlcp |
| SignalExpress | selcp |
| VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
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