NI-DMM 21.3 Readme

October 2021

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-DMM 21.3.

You can find more release information on ni.com.

  • NI-DMM Release Notes: Known issues, bugs fixed since the last release, and other notes about this release
  • NI-DMM Manuals: New features, behavior changes, and other documentation

If you plan to use LabVIEW NXG, refer to LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations.


Overview

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Supported Hardware

Behavior Changes

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

IVI Compliance Package Functionality

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

NI Software Drops Support for Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System in 2022

Legal Information


Overview

NI-DMM is an NI instrument driver that communicates with all NI programmable digital multimeters (DMMs). NI-DMM is an interchangeable virtual instrument (IVI)–compliant instrument driver, and it features a set of operations and properties that exercise the functionality of the DMM and includes examples.

System Requirements

NI-DMM 21.3 has the following requirements:

Minimum System Requirements

  • Processor—2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor or equivalent
  • RAM—1 GB, 800 MHz DDR2 RAM
  • A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768

Recommended System

  • Processor—2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 or equivalent
  • RAM—4 GB, dual-channel 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM

Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW.

Supported Operating Systems

NI-DMM 21.3 supports the following operating systems:

  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2016
  • NI Real-Time Phar Lap ETS
  • NI Linux® Real-Time

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

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

Application Software Support

NI-DMM 21.3 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.

Application SoftwareVersions Supported by NI-DMM
LabVIEW 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
LabVIEW Real-Time Module 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
LabVIEW NXG 5.1
LabWindows™/CVI™ 2015 and later
LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module 2015 and later

Microsoft Visual Studio Support

If you are using the NI-DMM .NET Class Library, the .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-DMM .NET Class Library can be used with the Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET programming languages in any Visual Studio version that can target the .NET Framework 4.0 or the .NET Framework 4.5.

To use the .NET API, you must select the .NET Framework 4.0 Languages Support or the .NET Framework 4.5 Languages Support packages in the NI-DMM installer to install the .NET class libraries 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 .NET Resources for NI Hardware and Software.

Installation Instructions

NI installs NI-DMM using NI Package Manager. If you do not already have NI software installed, NI-DMM installs NI Package Manager to handle the installation of your NI software. Visit ni.com/r/NIPMDownload to download NI Package Manager. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.

  1. Install an ADE, such as LabVIEW or LabWindows™/CVI™.
  2. Visit ni.com/downloads/drivers and search for NI-DMM.
  3. Click NI-DMM 21.3 and then the download link and run the executable (.exe) file.
  4. Follow the instructions in the installation prompts. You may see access and security prompts during installation. Accept the prompts to complete the installation.
  5. When the installer completes, select Restart in the dialog box that prompts you to restart, shut down, or restart later.

Note

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.

Behavior Changes

NI-DMM 21.3: The NI-DMM Soft Front Panel has been replaced by InstrumentStudio, which is automatically installed when you install the NI-DMM driver. You can access InstrumentStudio in one of the following ways:

  • From the Windows start menu, select National Instruments»InstrumentStudio [year]. This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel populated with devices detected on your system.
  • From Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), select a device and then click Test Panels.... This launches InstrumentStudio and runs a soft front panel for the device you selected.

The deprecated NI-DMM Soft Front Panel remains available for download. Visit Download and Install Legacy NI-DMM Soft Front Panels for more information.

NI-DMM 21.3: The NI-DMM Waveform Demo application is no longer included with NI-DMM. It remains available for download as a LabVIEW example.

Supported Hardware

The following list details the hardware models supported in NI-DMM 21.3.

PXI Amplifier Module

  • PXI-4022

PXI Digital Multimeter

  • PXIe-4080
  • PXIe-4081
  • PXIe-4082
  • PXI-4072
  • PXI-4071
  • PXI-4070
  • PXI-4065

Digital Multimeter Device

  • PCI-4070
  • PCIe-4065
  • PCI-4065
  • USB-4065

Accessing the Help

Refer to the NI Digital Multimeters Help, accessible from Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DMM»NI-DMM Documentation, for information about NI-DMM.

Finding Examples

You can access all the installed NI-DMM examples at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DMM»NI-DMM Examples and online at ni.com/examples.

Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI to launch the NI Example Finder. LabVIEW examples for NI-DMM are located in the LabVIEW XXXX\examples\instr\niDMM directory. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.

The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs and their descriptions:

  • Click the Browse tab to locate modulation examples by task at Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NI–DMM or by directory structure at instr»niDMM.
  • Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "DMM" to locate all NI-DMM examples.

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

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

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

407x and 406x DMMs

  • PCI-4065
  • PCI-4070
  • PCIe-4065
  • PXI-4065
  • PXI-4070
  • PXI-4071
  • PXI-4072
  • USB-4065

408x DMMs

  • PXIe-4080
  • PXIe-4081
  • PXIe-4082

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.

IVI Compliance Package Functionality

NI-DMM no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. NI-DMM supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer installs the following IVI components:

  • LabVIEW and CVI IVI class driver APIs for developing IVI interchangeable applications
  • IVI Class Simulation drivers
  • IVI-COM Adapters

To use these features, you must install ICP separately. ICP is included in the Software Platform Bundle media. A stand-alone web distribution is available from ni.com/downloads.

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.

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.

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

NI-DMM 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.

NI Software Drops Support for Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System in 2022

NI Software will drop support for Phar Lap ETS Real-Time Operating System starting in 2022. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2022, may not install or execute correctly on this operating system. For high-level information on the support roadmap for Phar Lap and its replacement, NI Linux Real-Time, please visit ni.com/r/xf35k1. To find out what hardware is supported on PXI controllers running NI Linux Real-Time, please visit ni.com/r/b7g5wi.


Legal Information

Copyright

© 2007–2021 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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