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Calibration Executive 6.0 Readme

July 2020

This file contains important information about Calibration Executive, including installation instructions, new features, and known issues.

Overview

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Calibration Executive Drops Support for Windows 7, 64-Bit Operating System in 2021

Installation Instructions

Upgrade Considerations

Product Security and Critical Updates

Driver Information

New Features, Procedures, and Behavior Changes

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Device Support in Calibration Executive

Accessing the Help

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1

Legal Information


Overview

Calibration Executive provides product calibration support on Windows 64-bit operating systems. Note that support is dependent upon device driver support. Refer to the Windows Support topic in the Calibration Executive Help for information about exceptions.

Calibration Executive 3.6 and later does not support legacy procedures that require the NI Traditional DAQ driver. Calibration support for these devices is available using Calibration Executive for Traditional DAQ Version 3.5.2.

System Requirements

Calibration Executive has the following requirements:

  • 1 GHz, 64-bit (x64) processor
  • 8 GB of RAM (procedures with a large number of test points might require more memory)
  • 1024 x 768 pixels screen resolution
  • The user must have administrator privileges

Supported Operating Systems

Calibration Executive supports the following operating systems (64-bit OSes only):

  • Windows 10
  • Windows 8.11
  • Windows 7 SP12

Calibration Executive Drops Support for Windows 7, 64-Bit Operating System in 2021

Calibration Executive will drop support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit) and all 32-bit Windows operating systems starting in 2021. 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 ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

Note  In 2016, National Instruments dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. Calibration Executive will not install or run on an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing this version of Calibration Executive, 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, NI Installer Fails on Windows XP/Vista and Windows Server 2003.

1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 requires 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 requires Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 and KB3125574 for more information about how to install these updates.

Installation Instructions

Ensure that your system meets the prerequisites listed in the System Requirements and Supported Operating Systems sections. In addition, all instrument drivers must be installed prior to installing Calibration Executive; see Driver Information for more information.

Before you begin, log onto your system as an administrator or as a user with administrator privileges. Be sure to exit all National Instruments applications.

To install Calibration Executive, follow these steps:

  1. Download Calibration Executive software from ni.com/downloads/products.

    Note  You must save the installer to your local drive. Do not attempt to open the file from its current location or to run the file from a temporary location.
  2. Launch the installer and follow the prompts.
  3. Use NI License Manager to confirm that software has been activated or to activate the software.

    Note  If you are unable to locate your activated serial number for Calibration Executive, check the following file on your system: C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Calibration Executive\CalExecLicenseInfo.ini.
  4. Launch Calibration Executive, and confirm that the installation completed successfully and that the correct version is installed (Help > About Calibration Executive).

Note  To conserve disk space, you can delete the extracted files. It is recommended that you keep the extracted installation files in case you need to add features from this distribution in the future.

Note  Calibration Executive requires Java SE 8 Update 51 or greater, which is available from www.oracle.com.

Upgrade Considerations

Calibration Executive 6.0 has a new installation path, and it no longer launches as an administrator application. These changes can render some application database paths invalid after the upgrade. After an upgrade, you might need to manually move some files.

Upgrading Calibration Executive 5.x to 6.0

If your Report and Uncertainty databases are in their default locations, the setup program will automatically move the databases to the new default location and no action is required.

If databases were moved from their default locations in Calibration Executive 5.x, then Calibration Executive 6.0 attempts to reference the current location. If Calibration Executive cannot write to the files in this location, a warning message will be displayed when you first launch Calibration Executive. In this case, you will need to move the files manually to a writeable location. After you move the database files, follow the instructions in Selecting Database Locations to configure the paths for Calibration Executive 6.0.

Upgrading Calibration Executive 4.x to 6.0

The setup program for Calibration Executive 6.0 does not automatically move your Report and Uncertainty databases, even if they are in their default locations. Instead, you will need to move the databases manually to a writeable location. After you move the database files, follow the instructions in Selecting Database Locations to configure the paths for Calibration Executive 6.0.

Selecting Database Locations

To select the location of your Report database:

  1. In the menu bar, select Configure»Database options.
  2. Click the folder icon in the Calibration Executive Configure Report Database dialog, and browse to find the database file.
  3. Select the file and click OK.
  4. Click OK to close the dialog box.

To select the location of your Uncertainty database:

  1. In the menu bar, select Configure»Calibration Reports.
  2. In the Calibration Reports window, click Manage Uncertainty. The Uncertainty Export/Import window opens.
  3. Select Database Options»Select Database Location
  4. Use controls in the Select Uncertainty Database File explorer window to locate your uncertainty database file.
  5. Select the file, and click OK.
  6. In the Uncertainty Export/Import window, click Done.
  7. Click Close to close the Calibration Reports window.

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.

Driver Information

The following driver is required for specific product support in Calibration Executive. Download NI drivers from ni.com/downloads/ and install them manually.

  • VirtualBench Software 19.0 (required for all supported VirtualBench products). If VirtualBench Version 19.0 is not available from NI Driver Downloads, contact NI support for access to the VirtualBench 19.0b3 beta version installer.

The following instruments require specific drivers that are not installed by Calibration Executive. To install these drivers, you must download them directly from the manufacturer's website; you can find links to third party instrument drivers at ni.com/idnet.

Driver versions listed are those tested during development; later versions might be available and should be compatible.

InstrumentRequired Driver(s)
Rohde & Schwarz NRP-Z power meter NRP-Toolkit 4.16

NRP-NI-VISA Passport 2.7.1

NRP-Z VXI Plug & Play x64 Driver 3.6.0.0

Rohde & Schwarz SMA100A signal generator VXIplug&play x64 driver rssma version 2.21.0
Rohde & Schwarz ZNB20 vector network analyzerVXIplug&play x64 driver rsvna version 2.50.0

Note  This release does not include an NI-VNA driver. To run the PXI-5691 and PXIe-5632 procedures, download NI-VNA 18.0 and install the driver manually after you install Calibration Executive.

New Features, Procedures, and Behavior Changes

New Features

The Calibration Executive 6.0 release adds the following features:

  • Uncertainty and guard band options in custom report configurations

New Product Support

PXIe-6349 USB-6349 NI 9202 NI 9252  

Behavior Changes

The Calibration Executive 6.0 release changes the following:

  • Added adjustment support for NI 9203.
  • Modified audio notifications can only be enabled or disabled; there are no additional options to be configured.
  • Removed support for 32-bit OS calibration procedures.

Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Visit Calibration Executive 6.0 Known Issues for an up-to-date list of known issues.

Bug Fixes

You can access a list of a subset of issues fixed in Calibration Executive 6.0 online at Calibration Executive 6.0 Bug Fixes.

Device Support in Calibration Executive

Refer to Calibration Executive Help for a list of devices, including traditional DAQ and legacy devices, that are supported in previous versions of Calibration Executive.

Accessing the Help

Refer to the Calibration Executive Help, accessible from Help»Calibration Executive Help, for information about Calibration Executive.

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 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.


Legal Information

Copyright

© 2005–2020 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.

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.

Trademarks

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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