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NI-Serial 21.3 Readme

October 2021

Thank you for using NI-Serial 21.3.

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-Serial for Windows and LabVIEW Real-Time.

You can find more release information on ni.com.

Parts of this document are relevant to only a full installation and do not apply to a runtime-only installation.



Supported Operating Systems

NI-Serial 21.3 supports the following operating systems:

  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2019

NI-Serial 21.3 supports the following versions of the LabVIEW Real-Time Module:

  • LabVIEW Real-Time 2021
  • LabVIEW Real-Time 2020
  • LabVIEW Real-Time 2019
  • LabVIEW Real-Time 2018

To download previous versions of NI-Serial drivers, refer to ni.com/updates and search for NI-Serial.

Note  Refer to Unsupported Windows Operating Systems for more information about support for Microsoft Windows OSes.

Note  NI-Serial no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. NI-Serial will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-Serial to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-Serial 21.3, 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, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

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Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.

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Changes and Fixed Issues

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 21.3

Added support for Windows Server 2019

Removed support for Windows 7/8, Windows Server 2008/2012, any 32-bit Windows operating systems.

ID 1283473: Prevent a possible hang if the LabVIEW Real-Time process is restarted while a NI 987x serial port is in use.

Restarting the LabVIEW Real-Time process while a NI 987x port is in use could have caused the controller to hang, preventing remote access to the controller. This is now avoided, although restarting the controller will likely be necessary to restore the port to proper operation.

ID 1621094: USB serial devices may stop working after installing Windows Updates

Some Windows updates prevented NI-Serial USB drivers from loading properly. This required an NI-Serial re-installation to repair. This has been fixed.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 20.0

Added LabVIEW NXG 5.0 Support

NI-Serial 20.0 adds support for LabVIEW NXG 5.0.

Dropped CompactRIO Targets Running VxWorks and Phar Lap Support

NI-Serial 20.0 removes support for all CompactRIO targets running VxWorks and Phar Lap.

ID 959174: NI-Serial Device Name is Appended with Serial Number Which is Inconsistent with Standard NI Module Name

NI-Serial 20.0 fixes PXI and PXI Express Serial interface module card name displayed in NI-MAX device tree.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 19.5

Added LabVIEW NXG 4.0 Support

NI-Serial 19.5 adds support for LabVIEW NXG 4.0.

ID 743440: Timeout error occurs when sending data on serial port in Linux Real-Time OS

NI-Serial 19.5 fixes a known issue when running NI Linux Real-Time OS, where NI-Serial causes the I/O write and read operation malfunction in PXIe-8840, PXIe-8861, and PXIe-8880 system.

ID 204675: NI-Serial Configuration is not installed via LabVIEW-Built Installer in Windows 64-bit Operating System

NI-Serial 19.5 fixes a known issue when adding NI-Serial Configuration into LabVIEW-built installer and then deployed and installed into Windows 64-bit Operating System.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 19.0

Added LabVIEW NXG 3.1 Support

NI-Serial 19.0 adds support for LabVIEW NXG 3.1.

Removed Support for WinXP OS

NI-Serial 19.0 removes support for WinXP OS.

Added Support for PCI Express Serial Hardware on Controllers Running 64-Bit NI Linux Real-Time OS

NI-Serial 19.0 adds support for National Instruments PCI Express serial interfaces for controllers, such as the PXIe-8840, PXIe-8861, and PXIe-8880, that run 64-bit NI Linux Real-Time OS.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 18.5

Added LabVIEW NXG 3.0 Support

NI-Serial 18.5 adds support for LabVIEW NXG 3.0.

Added Support for PCI Express Serial Hardware

NI-Serial 18.5 adds support for National Instruments PCI Express serial interfaces. Refer to Supported Interfaces.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 17.5

Added LabVIEW NXG 2.0 Support and New Features in MAX and SystemDesigner

NI-Serial 17.5 adds support for LabVIEW NXG 2.0. It also adds support for the Recover Ports utility, Basic Serial Port Settings view and configuration, and Advanced Serial Port Settings view in SystemDesigner. In addition, it adds Self-Test support in MAX and SystemDesigner.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 17.0

Removed Support for Various PCI and PXI Interfaces

NI-Serial 17.0 removes support for the PCI-232, PCI-232I, PCI-485, PCI-485I, PXI-8420, PXI-8421, PXI-8422, and PXI-8423 interfaces.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 15.0

Added Support for CVS-1458

NI-Serial 15.0 adds support for the serial port on the CVS-1458 controller.

Added support for NI 9870 and NI 9871 C Series modules on sbRIO-9607 and sbRIO-9627

NI-Serial 15.0 adds serial module (NI 9870 and NI 9871) support for the sbRIO-9607 and sbRIO-9627 controllers.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 14.0

Runtime Installer

Starting with version 14.0, NI-Serial is available as a runtime installer. NI-Serial Runtime is a minimal installer which does not include utilities, documentation, or Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX). When building an installer using National Instruments application development environments (ADEs) such as LabVIEW, have the option of including this subset of NI-Serial in your distribution.

ENET-232 and ENET-485

NI-Serial 14.0 removes support for all NI Serial ENET Interfaces (ENET-232/2, ENET-232/4, ENET-485/2 and ENET-485/4).

Added support for NI 9870 and NI 9871 C Series modules on controllers running 64-bit NI Linux Real-time OS

NI-Serial 14.0 adds serial module (NI 9870 and NI 9871) support for controllers, such as the NI cRIO-9038, which run 64-bit NI Linux Real-time OS.

ID 445885: RS-232 ports on NI 9870 modules are incorrectly detected as RS-485 ports

NI-Serial 14.0 fixes a known issue when running NI Linux Real-time OS, where NI-Serial incorrectly causes NI-VISA to detect RS-232 ports on NI 9870 modules as RS-485 configured for 4-wire mode.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 4.1

Added support for NI 9870 and NI 9871 C series modules on the cRIO-9068.

NI-Serial 4.1 adds serial module (NI 9870 and NI 9871) support for the cRIO-9068 controller.

ID 356028: NI 9870 and NI 9871 C series modules do not detect errors in all cases.

NI-Serial 4.1 fixes an issue where some parity and framing errors received by NI 9870 and NI 9871 modules are not detected by the firmware. This can result in the driver not reporting the errors, leading to data corruption.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 4.0

Added support for NI CVS-1457RT Compact Vision System

Improved Support for NI System Configuration API

NI-Serial 4.0 adds the discovery of USB and ENET hardware, NI 9870 and NI 9871 modules through the NI System Configuration API.

NI System Configuration Expert Name Change

The NI System Configuration expert for NI-Serial has been renamed from "ni-serial" to "serial". This change allows for system configuration and MAX import/export operations to be accessed in a consistent manner. Existing applications using the old name must be updated.

Improved Appearance in MAX

NI-Serial 4.0 improves the way serial hardware is displayed in MAX. PXI and PXIe hardware are now displayed under their respective chassis in the tree, and ENET interfaces are now found under Network Devices. The port items which were previously shown in MAX have been removed, and VISA ASRL resources are now placed directly beneath the serial interface.

NI 9870 and NI 9871 modules will also now appear in MAX when configured for use with NI-Serial. When using a host system with NI-Serial 4.0 installed to view LabVIEW Real-Time controllers running older versions of NI-Serial, the NI-Serial boards will no longer appear in MAX. All ports will still be accessible as VISA ASRL resources.

Removal of NI-Serial Communicator

NI-Serial Communicator has been obsoleted, and is no longer installed. Similar functionality can be found using NI-VISA Interactive Control, which can be opened by selecting a VISA ASRL resource in MAX, and clicking the Open VISA Test Panel button in the toolbar.

ID 387524: Incorrect Slot and Chassis Identification

When using the NI System Configuration API to query information about NI-Serial PCI or PCIe hardware in a Desktop RT system, it would incorrectly specify that the board was in slot 255 of chassis PXI255. This has been resolved, and now reports that the chassis and slot are unavailable.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.9.1

Update shortcuts installed on Windows 8

When installing on Windows 8, NI-Serial no longer pins shortcuts to the Start screen. Shortcuts which are available from the start menu on earlier versions of Windows may be accessed through the NI Launcher utility, or by searching from the Start screen.

ID 383662: Configuring ENET serial port to COM256 causes crash

NI-Serial 3.9.1 resolves an issue where a system crash could occur after renaming an ENET-232 or ENET-485 serial port to COM256. This crash could occur either when opening the port, or immediately upon booting Windows.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.9

Added support for updated Smart Cameras

Adds support for Windows 8

NI-Serial 3.9 adds support for Windows 8. Known issues exist regarding the accessibility of items which were previously accessible via the Windows Start Menu. This will be addressed in a future release of NI-Serial.

Support for NI System Configuration API

NI-Serial 3.9 supports the discovery of PCI-based (PCI, PCIe, PXI, and PXIe) hardware through the NI System Configuration API.

ID 359904: System Instability every 49.7 days

NI-Serial 3.9 fixes an issue where various errors could be manifested if a serial transfer is in progress when the 32-bit system tick count rolls over, which happens once every 49.7 days. Symptoms included failed serial transfers, FIFO overruns, failure of serial transfers to timeout, and system hangs.

ID 325477: Possible system crash after removing hardware during hibernation

NI-Serial 3.9 resolves an issue where a system could crash after removing PCI-based hardware from a hibernated system. Depending on the system configuration, the crash could occur immediately upon resume, or at a later time.

ID 317971: Cannot use baud rates higher than 131072 from .NET and possibly other applications

NI-Serial 3.9 resolves an issue which limited the usable baud rate from the .NET Serial Port interface to 131072 baud. This error occurred because NI-Serial improperly reported the maximum baud rate as BAUD_128K (The maximum constant supported by the API) when the port actually supported higher baud rates. This has been changed to report BAUD_USER, indicating that custom baud rates are supported. Other applications querying the maximum baud rate may have been impacted as well.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.8.2

ID 347232: System could hang during reboot

A system could hang during reboot if it was transmitting data from a 843x series serial port when the reboot command was sent. This has been fixed.

ID 337167: Possible crash with cRIO-9075, cRIO-9076, sbRIO-9605, or sbRIO-9606 controllers

A system crash or instability could occur when detecting serial ports on any of the mentioned controllers. Some examples when this could occur are expanding Devices & Interfaces in Measurement & Automation Explorer, installing VISA Server on the target, or attempting to use a serial port. This has been fixed.

ID 328853: Serial ports not functioning on cFP-2100 and cFP-2110 controllers

The serial ports on cFP-2100 and cFP-2110 controllers were not properly detected. This did not impact cFP-2120 controllers. This has been fixed.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.8.1

Support for New Controllers

NI-Serial 3.8.1 adds support for serial ports on RIO Mezzanine Cards.

SecondaryInterrupts option in niserial.dbs has been replaced

The SecondaryInterrupts option used in the niserial.dbs file has been replaced, and will no longer function. Refer to the Performance on LabVIEW Real-Time topic in the NI-Serial Help for more information.

ID 305387: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL caused by NI-Serial ENET driver

NI-Serial 3.8.1 has resolved issues which occasionally resulted in DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL system crashes when using ENET-232 or ENET-485 ports.

ID 299891: IRQL_GT_ZERO_AT_SYSTEM_SERVICE caused by NI-Serial ENET driver

NI-Serial 3.8.1 has resolved an issue which could result in a IRQL_GT_ZERO_AT_SYSTEM_SERVICE system crash when closing an ENET-232 or ENET-485 port.

ID 132892: Incorrect behavior when using NI-VISA VI_EVENT_ASRL_RI event

When using the VI_EVENT_ASRL_RI event with some cRIO, sbRIO, and cFP controllers, the event was incorrectly signaled on both rising and falling edges of the RI line. This behavior has now been fixed, and the event is signaled only on the falling edge.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.8

Added support for New Controllers

NI-Serial 3.8 adds support for the RS-485 port of the cRIO-908x controllers running Windows.

NI-Serial 3.8 also adds support for additional cRIO, sbRIO, and Smart Camera controllers.

NI-Spy replaced by NI I/O Trace

NI-Spy has been replaced by NI I/O Trace. All functionality previously found in NI-Spy is now found in NI I/O Trace.

Performance Optimizations for Small Transfers

Several enhancements have been made to improve performance and decrease CPU overhead when performing small writes on all interfaces, and small reads on NI 843x series hardware.

Port numbering change for some systems

NI-Serial now reserves port numbers for two built-in serial ports on all PXI, Industrial Controller, Desktop RT, and cRIO-908x controllers. On these systems, PnP hardware will now be assigned port numbers starting with COM3, when they may have previously been assigned COM2.

NI-Serial settings no longer persist after uninstall

The niserial.dbs file is replaced each time NI-Serial is uninstalled or reinstalled. This has the effect that any customized settings will be removed. This matches the behavior of NI-Serial 3.6 and earlier.

Removed support for FP-20xx and cFP-20xx controllers.

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.8, requires LabVIEW Real-Time 8.6 or later. It is not possible to install on FP-20xx or cFP-20xx controllers. These controllers will continue to work with previous versions of NI-Serial.

ID 298769: Incorrect Parity Setting

Mark and space parity were not properly configured on some cRIO, sbRIO, and cFP controllers. This has been fixed.

ID 288089: Flow control may not disengage

When using multiple forms of flow control simultaneously on a single port, it was possible for flow control to fail to disengage, preventing data transmission. This has been fixed.

ID 288079: Possible crash when rebooting cRIO while using NI 987x modules

It was possible for a cRIO controller to crash during reboot when using serial ports on a C Series module. This has been fixed.

ID 287461: Possible loss of data preceding serial error

Several bytes of valid data could be discarded immediately prior to the reception of a serial error, such as a parity or overrun error. This valid data is now properly received prior to handling the error condition.

ID 286317: Data reception could halt

When the RX FIFO became completely full on some cRIO, sbRIO, and cFP controllers, the port could stop receiving data. This has been fixed.

ID 277876: Controller may hang on reboot

In some rare circumstances, the process of shutting down serial ports for a reboot could cause the controller to hang. This has been fixed.

ID 219314: Incorrect timeout behavior

The special case where the Timeout Byte Interval and Timeout Multiplier are both -1 was handled incorrectly, resulting in serial calls failing to time out. This was most easily seen when using NI-Serial from .NET applications. This issue has been fixed.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.7.1

Add support for the NI cRIO-9075/6 Controller

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.7.1, adds support for the NI cRIO-9075 and cRIO-9076 Controllers.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.7

NI 9870 and NI 9871 Modules

NI-Serial 3.7 allows users to access the NI 9870 and 9871 modules directly from LabVIEW Real-Time 2010 without using the LabVIEW FPGA interface.

To enable this support, install NI-Serial 3.7 and NI-VISA for LabVIEW Real-Time on a Compact RIO Target that supports RIO Scan Interface (RSI). When detecting the modules, users will have the option to add the module directly to the chassis in the LabVIEW project.

If using NI-RIO 3.5.x and lower, you may see warning pop-ups indicating that the NI 987x modules are not supported on RSI. These warnings can be ignored. For more information go to ni.com/kb and search for 5DTFTOL1.

Port Numbering Behavior

NI-Serial 3.7 changes the way that ports are numbered when detecting boards. Under some circumstances inserting new boards into a system may cause port numbers to change. For more information go to ni.com/kb and search for 5D2G85G2.

Serial Settings Persist after Uninstall

The behavior of settings on uninstall was reverted in NI-Serial 3.8. Please refer to Changes and Fixed Issues in NI-Serial 3.8 for more information.

Serial settings stored in the niserial.dbs file, including port numbers, will persist after uninstalling NI-Serial 3.7 from a Real-Time target. The modifications to the niserial.dbs file will also persist through reinstalls of the NI-Serial driver. To reset these settings to default, delete the niserial.dbs file from the Real-Time target.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.6

Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) and Windows Server 2008 R2 Support

NI-Serial 3.6 adds support for Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit) and Windows Server 2008 R2. Note that only the R2 versions are supported. Refer to Supported Interfaces for a list of supported hardware.

Add support for PXI Express serial hardware

NI-Serial and NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time Version 3.6 adds support for National Instruments PXI Express serial interfaces. Refer to Supported Interfaces for detailed model information.

PXIe-8431 hardware adds support for higher baud rates

For some applications, it may be possible to use a PXIe-8431 interface for communicating at up to 10 MBaud. For more information go to ni.com/kb and search for 58KEI82F.

PXI chassis and slot information

When upgrading to NI-Serial 3.6 on some configurations, port assignments may change. For best results, please identify all PXI chassis through Measurement & Automation Explorer.

ID 201827: Incorrect RS-485 wire mode setting could be used when opening port

Changing the RS-485 wire mode for PCI, PXI, and PCIe devices in Measurement& Automation Explorer and Device Manager had no effect. This has been fixed.

Issues resolved in NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time Version 3.6

ID 193240: A hang could occur when using Asynchronous IO in a Timed Loop on LabVIEW Real-Time.

Windows 2000

Support for Windows 2000 is discontinued in this release.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.5.2

Add support for PCI Express serial hardware

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.5.2, adds support for National Instruments PCI Express serial interfaces. Refer to the chart of Supported Interfaces for detailed model information.

Add support for cRIO-9024 and cRIO-9073 controllers

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.5.2, adds support for the cRIO-9024 and cRIO-9073 controllers.

Add support for NI 9792

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.5.2, adds support for the NI 9792 controller.

On-chip flow control

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.5.2, adds support for on-chip flow control. Previous driver versions implemented flow control in the driver, which in some circumstances could allow data loss. All PCI, PXI, and PCI Express interfaces now utilize on-chip RTS/CTS flow control. 8430-series hardware also supports on-chip DTR/DSR and XON/XOFF flow control.

Performance changes for some cRIO, cFP, and sbRIO controllers:

NI-Serial 3.5.2 includes performance changes that impact cRIO-901x, cRIO-907x, sbRIO-96xx, and cFP-22xx controller families. This change greatly reduces the CPU overhead of reading data from the serial port at high speed. An impact of this change is that increased latency may be seen when reading small numbers of bytes from the serial port. For more information about this change and possible solutions if you have issues with the increased latency, visit ni.com/kb and search for Knowledgebase 55597DG2.

Issues resolved in NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time Version 3.5.2

  • ID 111717: When viewing threads through the Execution Trace Toolkit, some NI-Serial threads were unnamed.
  • ID 200568: When entering custom settings in the niserial.dbs file, it was possible for them to be deleted from the file upon reboot instead of being applied to the driver.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.5.1

Windows 7 Support

NI-Serial 3.5.1 adds support for Windows 7. Refer to Supported Interfaces for a list of supported hardware.

Add support for PCI Express serial hardware

NI-Serial 3.5.1 adds support for National Instruments PCI Express serial interfaces. Refer to Supported Interfaces for detailed model information.

PCMCIA-232 and PCMCIA-485

Support for PCMCIA-232 and PCMCIA-485 interfaces is discontinued in this release.

ID 34931: Timeouts when reading from ENET Serial ports

On some systems, every read attempt from an ENET Serial port would result ina timeout. This has been fixed.

ID 167613: Incorrect RS-485 wire mode setting could be used when opening aport

Changing the RS-485 wire mode for PCI, PXI, and PCIe devices in Measurement& Automation Explorer and the Device Manager had no effect on the port until the system was rebooted. This has been fixed.

ID 163281: Baud rates for PCIe ports cannot be set to a non-standard baud rate

It was not possible to set a PCIe serial port to a non-standard baud rate in Measurement & Automation Explorer and the Device Manager when using NI-Serial 3.5.0. This has been fixed.

ID 189256: Renumbered COM ports not available until after reboot

Renumbered COM ports could not be used until after a reboot on systems with Microsoft User Account Control (UAC) enabled. This has been fixed. Renumbering ports on an ENET interface still requires a reboot.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.5

Added support for PCI Express serial hardware

NI-Serial 3.5 adds support for National Instrument PCI Express serial interfaces. Refer to Supported Interfaces for detailed model information.

On-Chip Flow Control

NI-Serial 3.5 adds support for on-chip flow control. Previous driver versions implemented flow control in the driver, which in some circumstances could allow data loss. All PCI, PXI, and PCI Express interfaces now utilize on-chip RTS/CTS and XON/XOFF flow control. 8430-series hardware also supports on-chip DTR/DSR flow control.

ID 139396: Windows Direct Cable Connection

Previous versions of NI-Serial could cause a system hang when initiating a Windows Direct Cable Connection. This issue has been resolved for PCI, PXI, and PCI Express interfaces. Issues may still exist when using Windows Direct Cable Connection with other interface types.

Serial IO CTL Availability

NI-Serial no longer supports the following seldom-used Device I/O Control Codes:
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_SET_MODEM_CONTROL
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_GET_MODEM_CONTROL
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_SET_FIFO_CONTROL
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_XOFF_COUNTER
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_LSRMST_INSERT
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_GET_STATS
  • IOCTL_SERIAL_CLEAR_STATS

Windows Management Instrumentation

NI-Serial for Windows no longer provides support for Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.4

USB and ExpressCard Hardware

NI-Serial 3.4 introduces improved functionality and performance for USB-232, USB-485, and NI ExpressCard-842x interfaces. This release also introduces support for all USB and ExpressCard interfaces on 64-bit Windows Vista.

Measurement & Automation Explorer Fixed Issues

The following issues for the Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) interface for serial devices have been fixed:
  • ID 56439—Users could not save changes for more than 9 ports using Save All Ports in MAX.
  • ID 56514—Under some circumstances, the serial port advanced tab did not appear in MAX.
  • ID 57115Recover Unused COM Ports did not take effect until MAX was restarted.

Windows 64-bit XP and Windows 64-bit Server 2003

Support for Windows 64-bit XP and Windows 64-bit Server 2003 is discontinued in this release.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.3.4

Add support for NI 31xx and EVS-146x controllers

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.3.4, adds support for the NI 3100, NI 3110, and EVS-146x controllers.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.3.3

Add support for the NI cRIO-9022 Controller

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.3.3, adds support for the NI cRIO-9022 Controller.

Issues resolved in NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time Version 3.3.3

ID 112229: Using Restore Defaults through Measurement & Automation Explorer restored incorrect FIFO settings for some ports on PXI and Desktop RT controllers.

Changes and Fixed Issues in Version 3.3.2

Add support for NI sbRIO Controllers

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.3.2, adds support for NI sbRIO controllers.

Add support for NI Smart Camera Controllers

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.3.2, adds support for NI 17xx Smart Cameras.

Issues resolved in NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time Version 3.3.2

  • ID 93992: Use of modem line change events could result in system hang on various controllers.
  • ID 94261: cFP or cRIO controllers could fail to detect modem line changes or properly time out an I/O request.
  • ID 55220: System could hang if a UART error occurred while reading data from the FIFO.
  • ID 73422: Use of modem line change events could result in system hang on some cRIO and cFP controllers.
  • ID 73002: Repeated Open/Close operations could cause system instability on some cRIO, cFP, and Smart Camera controllers.

Changes in Version 3.3

Add support for LabVIEW Real-Time 8.5 with SMP Extensions

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.3, adds support for multi-core real-time targets.

Add support for new National Instruments Real-Time Controllers

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.3, adds support for the cRIO-9072, and cRIO-9074 controllers.

Issues resolved in NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time Version 3.3

  • Incoming data could sometimes fail to be read if the port of a cRIO-9002/9004 was opened with data streaming to the port.
  • Some controllers could have experienced a system hang if a line error were received while the port was in the process of closing.
  • Under some conditions the serial driver could fail to properly time out an I/O Request.

Changes in Version 3.2

Add Support for Windows Vista

NI-Serial 3.2 adds support for Windows Vista. Refer to Supported Interfaces for a list of supported hardware.

ISA-232 and ISA-485

Support for the obsolete ISA-232 and ISA-485 interfaces is discontinued in this release.

Add support for report generation in Measurement & Automation Explorer

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.2, adds support for report generation in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX). Report generation allows you to take a snapshot of what hardware is installed and configured on your system.

Changes in Version 3.1

Add support for built-in ports on cRIO, FieldPoint, and Compact Vision controllers

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.1, adds support for cRIO, FieldPoint, and Compact Vision controllers running LabVIEW Real-Time.

Changes in Version 3.0

Add support PCI/PXI-843x hardware

NI-Serial for LabVIEW Real-Time, Version 3.0, adds support for the new PCI/PXI-843x family of hardware.

Changes in Version 1.8

Windows XP x64 and Windows Server 2003 x64

NI-Serial 1.8 adds support for Microsoft Windows XP x64 and Windows Server 2003 x64 for all PCI, PXI, and PCMCIA interfaces.

Baud Rates up to 3 Megabaud

NI-Serial 1.8 adds support for custom baud rates up to 3 Mbaud on PCI/PXI-8431/8433 hardware. The two-wire auto control mode for RS-485 transceiver control has a maximum baud rate of 2 Mbaud.

Communication Utility

NI-Serial 1.8 includes a new serial communication utility. You can use the Serial Communicator to test serial hardware configuration and communication. The Serial Communicator is available in Measurement & Automation Explorer.

Deprecated Serial I/O Requests

The following Serial I/O requests were deprecated in NI-Serial 1.8:
  • Device I/O Control Request: SERIAL_IOCTL_SET_TRANSCEIVER_MODE
  • Major I/O Request: IRP_MJ_INTERNAL_DEVICE_CONTROL

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Supported Interfaces

PCI Interfaces Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
PCI-8430/2 RS-232 2 No 1000.0
PCI-8430/4 RS-232 4 No 1000.0
PCI-8430/8 RS-232 8 No 1000.0
PCI-8430/16 RS-232 16 No 1000.0
PCI-8431/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 No 3000.01
PCI-8431/4 RS-485/RS-422 4 No 3000.01
PCI-8431/8 RS-485/RS-422 8 No 3000.01
PCI-8432/2 RS-232 2 Yes 1000.0
PCI-8432/4 RS-232 4 Yes 1000.0
PCI-8433/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 Yes 3000.01
PCI-8433/4 RS-485/RS-422 4 Yes 3000.01


PCI Express Interfaces Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
NI PCIe-8430/2 RS-232 2 No 1000.0
NI PCIe-8430/8 RS-232 8 No 1000.0
NI PCIe-8430/16 RS-232 16 No 1000.0
NI PCIe-8431/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 No 3000.01
NI PCIe-8431/8 RS-485/RS-422 8 No 3000.01
NI PCIe-8431/16 RS-485/RS-422 16 No 3000.01
NI PCIe-8432/2 RS-232 2 Yes 1000.01
NI PCIe-8433/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 Yes 1000.01


PXI Interfaces Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
PXI-8430/2 RS-232 2 No 1000.0
PXI-8430/4 RS-232 4 No 1000.0
PXI-8430/8 RS-232 8 No 1000.0
PXI-8430/16 RS-232 16 No 1000.0
PXI-8431/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 No 3000.01
PXI-8431/4 RS-485/RS-422 4 No 3000.01
PXI-8431/8 RS-485/RS-422 8 No 3000.01
PXI-8432/2 RS-232 2 Yes 1000.0
PXI-8432/4 RS-232 4 Yes 1000.0
PXI-8433/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 Yes 3000.01
PXI-8433/4 RS-485/RS-422 4 Yes 3000.01


PXI Express Interfaces Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
NI PXIe-8430/8 RS-232 8 No 1000.0
NI PXIe-8430/16 RS-232 16 No 1000.0
NI PXIe-8431/8 RS-485/RS-422 8 No 3000.01, 2
NI PXIe-8431/16 RS-485/RS-422 16 No 3000.01, 2


USB Interfaces Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
USB-232 RS-232 1 No 230.4
USB-232/2 RS-232 2 No 230.4
USB-232/4 RS-232 4 No 230.4
USB-485 RS-485/RS-422 1 No 460.8
USB-485/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 No 460.8
USB-485/4 RS-485/RS-422 4 No 460.8


ExpressCard Interfaces Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
NI ExpressCard-8420/2 RS-232 2 No 230.4
NI ExpressCard-8421/2 RS-485/RS-422 2 No 460.8


Windows Embedded Controllers # RS-485/422 Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
NI-Serial software is required to use any RS-485/422 ports on the following controllers. Any RS-232 ports are supported by Microsoft's serial driver and do not require NI-Serial to be installed.
cDAQ-913x 13 Yes 230.4
cRIO-908x 13 Yes 230.4
CVS-1458 13 No 115.2


Real-Time Controllers Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
Desktop RT RS-232 1/2 No 115.2
PXI Controllers RS-232 1/2 No 115.2


Serial C Series Modules4 Standard # Ports Isolated Max Baud (kbaud)
NI 9870 RS-232 4 Yes 115.2
NI 9871 RS-485 4 Yes 115.2

1The two-wire auto control mode for RS-485 transceiver control has a maximum baud rate of 2 Mbaud.

2For possible use with higher baud rates, refer to ni.com/kb and search for KnowledgeBase 58KEI82F.

3This port supplies connections only for transmit, receive, and ground.

4Serial C Series Modules may be used through NI-Serial and NI-VISA on backplanes configured to use NI-RIO IO Scan. To enable this support, NI-Serial 9870 and 9871 Scan Engine Support must be installed on the controller. For assistance with configuring a controller and backplane to use NI-RIO IO Scan, please refer to the NI-RIO documentation.

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LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

The following sections detail considerations for using LabVIEW NXG 5.0 with NI-Serial.

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 Interfaces section for a list of hardware supported in LabVIEW NXG.

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.

LabVIEW lessons are located in the Lessons tab, and LabVIEW Examples are located in the Examples tab. Follow the instructions in the lessons and examples.

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Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

NI-Serial no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. 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 https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

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Legal Information

Copyright

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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.

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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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