TDM Server 2018 SP1 Release Notes

January 2019


TDM Server is a Big Analog Data™ solution for automated preparation and analysis of large amounts of data in various formats and structures from different geographic locations. TDM Server combines various server components for the automated management of these data volumes and consists of Data Preprocessor, DataFinder, Analysis Server, and Federation, in which you combine several DataFinder servers. These components process data in the background of a server. Configure the server components over a web interface.


Data Navigator is a web application which you use for browsing the DataFinder servers of TDM Server without having to install the program on the client computer. You can run quick searches and advanced searches, evaluate the properties of the search results, and save search results in the original or in the TDM format on your hard disk.


The following Release Notes contain information on TDM Server.


System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems

Clients

Notes on TDM Server and Data Navigator

New Features

Bug Fixes

Known Issues

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Discontinuing Support for Logos

Legal Information


System Requirements

The following system requirements are estimated system requirements for TDM Server. If your computer has less than the minimum system requirements, you cannot run the product correctly. The system requirements vary depending on your system configuration, the number of clients which access the server, the number of data to be indexed, and the number of server instances.


Minimum System Requirements

CPU x64 compatible processors, 4 processor kernels, clock frequency 1.4 GHz
Amount of memory 8 GB
Hard disks for software and index The software installation needs approximately 4 GB storage space. TDM Server needs at least 1 GB free disk space during operations.

Recommended System Requirements

CPU x64 compatible processors, 8 processor kernels or more, clock frequency 2.5 GHz or more
Amount of memory 16 GB or more
Hard disks for software and index 15,000 rpm SAS drives or SSD drives;
The software installation needs approximately 4 GB storage space. However, depending on the size of the DataFinder index, considerably more storage space might be necessary. TDM Server needs at least 1 GB free disk space during operations. National Instruments recommends you store the DataFinder index on a separate drive.

Supported Browser

  • TDM Server Manager:
    - Internet Explorer from Version 11 with the KB3021952 security update
    - Mozilla Firefox
    - Google Chrome
    - Microsoft Edge


  • Data Navigator:
    - Mozilla Firefox
    - Google Chrome
    - Microsoft Edge


Miscellaneous

  • Internet Explorer from Version 11 with the KB3021952 security update


  • National Instruments Volume License Server 3.1 or later


NoteFrom version 2019, TDM Server no longer supports Internet Explorer.

Supported Operating Systems

  • Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12
  • Windows Server 2012 R21
  • Windows Server 2016
NoteTDM Server does not support server versions from the Microsoft Semi-Annual Channel. In addition, TDM Server does not support Windows Server Core mode.

1 NI software installs VC2015 runtime and .NET 4.6.2. 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 an 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.


NoteDataFinder Server, LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit, and DIAdem Version 10.0 and later versions install and use a common software component (DataFinder client), which is refreshed through the installation of DataFinder Server. When you uninstall DataFinder Server, the current version of the shared component remains. This is intentional and has been tested extensively.
DataFinder Server 1.0, LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit 2009, DIAdem 9.0, LabWindows/CVI 8.1, and LabVIEW 7.1 and later versions install and use a common software component (USI), which is refreshed through the installation of DataFinder Server. When you uninstall DataFinder Server, the current version of the shared component remains. This is intentional and has been tested extensively.

TDM Server 2018 Clients

Some of the new features and improvements of DataFinder Server and Analysis Server can only be used with the respective National Instruments client software products.


National Instruments recommends the use of the following products for the implementation of DataFinder Server 2018 SP1:


  • DIAdem 2018 SP1


  • LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit 2018


To operate Analysis Server 2018, National Instruments recommends using the following product:


  • DIAdem 2018 SP1


If you are a member of a DataFinder Server 2018 Federation, you can use DataFinder Server Edition 2014 or higher. Every program that supports the ASAM ODS CORBA interface, can connect to a DataFinder ASAM ODS server.


Notes on TDM Server and Data Navigator

  • Following the setup, reboot the operating system to complete the TDM Server installation. DataFinders and TDM Server that are already installed are stopped before the installation or before an upgrade. This also applies to other NI products based on the NI Skyline Framework. It is not possible to simultaneously install several TDM Server versions on the same operating system. Following the upgrade of an existing TDM Server, you can update the individual instances and then continue using TDM Server.
  • You can configure a maximum total of 15 server instances (DataFinder Server, Federation Server, Data Preprocessor, and Analysis Server) in TDM Server Manager.
  • TDM Server is shipped together with an embedded database. To operate TDM Server over this database does not require special knowledge or administrative database operations. The administrative steps are either automated or can be executed manually over the TDM Server Control Panel. As an alternative to the embedded database, you can use Microsoft SQL Server as the database. In this case the database must be created and maintained by a Microsoft SQL Server administrator. TDM Server supports the Microsoft SQL Server versions 2005, 2008, 2008R2, and 2012.
    If a Microsoft SQL Server is used as the database backend in DataFinder Server Edition, you can only use the “Use Optimized Background Processes” feature if the partitioning feature of SQL Server is available. Partitioning in SQL Server is only available for Enterprise Edition. Since SQL Server 2016 SP1, partitioning is also available for all editions.
    Note: Once DataFinder Server Edition uses a SQL Server with partitioning support, it is not possible to migrate or recover the DataFinder Server on a SQL Server that does not support partitioning.
  • In Data Navigator you can export a maximum of 200 search results to a zip file. Exported zip files must not be larger than 2 GB.
  • The TDM Web Server REST APIs replace the previously used DataFinder Manager Script API.
  • During installation, you can no longer change the path in which the index of a DataFinder is stored. To specify a different path, open the Index/Cache settings in the TDM Server Control Panel after the installation.

New Features

New Features in TDM Server 2018 SP1

  • Analysis Server scripts provide new properties and methods for , using the SystemLink File Viewer and SystemLink Tag Viewer.
  • A channel preview is now available in the Data Navigator Properties Display.

New Features in TDM Server 2018

  • New application "Data Navigator". Data Navigator is a web application which you use for browsing the DataFinder servers of TDM Server without having to install the program on the client computer. You can execute quick searches and
    advanced searches, evaluate the properties of the search results, and save search results in the original or in the TDM format on your hard disk.
  • Create and restore backups of an analysis server.
  • Optimize the background processes of DataFinder, for example when deleting DataPlugins or search areas, so that the DataFinder can react faster to requests from the client.
  • Exclusive editing of a server instance to accept several changes in one step. Simultaneous changes to the server configuration through different users are also prevented by this.
  • Improved workflow in the Server Manager web interface. Instead of superordinate menus, the web interface offers a context-specific configuration icon with logical next steps.
  • Display status information of all server instances in the Server Manager.
  • REST API for server configuration of DataFinders, Data Preprocessors, and Federations.
  • REST API for searching, browsing, and converting files in the DataFinder index
  • ASAM ODS 6.0 compatible Web-API for accessing the DataFinder index
  • Python scripting support as an alternative for VBS for Analysis Server procedures.
  • Developer support for all REST interfaces through the integrated SwaggerUI.
  • Simplified TDM Server web server setup for evaluation.

Bug Fixes

The following section lists some of the issues fixed in DataFinder Server. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.


Fixed Bugs in TDM Server 2018 SP1

CAR IDDescription
708431Accessing the “Advanced Statistics” of a DataFinder or Data Preprocessor from computers in certain time zones results in the message "Invalid date".
708395TDM Server does not apply security settings defined for a search area.
719134The Python environment and imported Python libraries are not unloaded after executing a Python analysis procedure.
718549A high Analysis Server HTTP API call frequency leads to an increase in memory consumption.
722576Analysis Server may no longer be able to send search queries to a DataFinder.
725664When you create a DataFinder or Data Preprocessor, regular backup is enabled.

Fixed Bugs in TDM Server 2018

CAR IDDescription
647223The DataFinder does not tell you how long it takes to optimize the index.
673469The REST interface of the TDM Server might not return the value String.Empty instead of null for unoccupied values.
678588DIAdem does not replace the channel names of CSV files in a Data Preprocessor configuration via “Replace property values” when these files use a DataPlugin that supports row-based reading of the data.
684835The Analysis Server uses a concurrent-connection license when executing a search query deposited in an Analysis procedure.
685338A misleading error message appears when a DataFinder backup is being created in a shared network folder.
687364The National Instruments license manager might sometimes count the number of licenses in use incorrectly.
687371 Analysis Server does not support the ExportToPowerPoint for Sheets method.
687366If the path to a search area is very long, the DataFinder may crash.
687367Folder names that contain Japanese characters might lead to problems on the "Search Areas" page of a DataFinder server.
687368When optimizing a very large number of custom properties, a timeout may occur.
687369The trigger on file changes might not receive change messages if the connection to a search area on the network drive is temporarily interrupted.
687371The Analysis Server does not support the ExportToPowerPoint for Sheets method.
691729Analysis Server processes tasks although the associated data source is not released.
696575The input fields in the dialog boxes for creating tasks are too small.

Known Issues

  • You cannot use the DataFinder with a Microsoft SQL adaptor if the DataFinder is running on a computer with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, or an earlier version. Install Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 to solve this error. Microsoft describes this problem on the Microsoft website in the KnowledgeBase entry 2640696. A hotfix for this issue is on the Microsoft website in the KnowledgeBase entry 983246.
  • If you stop the Analysis Server and specify that the processing of open tasks is to be continued, the overview displays the current tasks as 'Canceled' after the Analysis Server restarts, even if these tasks are still being processed.
  • The Analysis Server does not support the method Report.Sheets(x).Objects(y).Select.
  • Using TDM Server on an operating system that is not a server operating system may lead to issues. In particular, TDM server does not support the Windows Standby mode or the Windows Hibernate mode.
  • The operation of the TDM Server requires a user profile for the TDM Server account. The resources to be used in the operation (for example a printer) can then be assigned to this user profile. Windows creates the user profile automatically as soon as you log on to the server machine with the respective TDM Server account. The user profile of the TDM Server account is also required for the output of PDF documents.
  • If you have a parallel installation of TDM Server 2018 and DIAdem 2017, you cannot use the DataFinder hierarchy preview, which you open in DIAdem SCRIPT through “Settings»TDM Server»DataFinder Hierarchy”.
  • You cannot delete or upgrade DataFinder instances of DataFinder Server Edition 2015 in TDM Server 2018. Instead, create a backup of the DataFinder instance and restore this instance in TDM Server 2018 from the backup. Nor can you upgrade a Federation of DataFinder Server Edition 2015 in TDM Server 2018. You must delete the Federation in DataFinder Server Edition2015 and re-create it in TDM Server 2018. Then you must reconnect the Federation members with the Federation you created.
  • Analysis Server configurations (*.ANP) must not exceed a file size of 1 GB.
  • If you switch to a TDM Server account in the TDM Server Control Panel that does not have administrator permissions on the server, SystemLink JupyterLab crashes.
  • When you uninstall TDM Server, server instances are not deleted. Delete the servers manually so that the servers do not remain on the system.
  • If you uninstall the entire National Instruments software in NI Package Manager in a single step, you may receive the error message "A plugin returned one or more errors at the end of the transaction. You can ignore these error messages and confirm with OK as they are not relevant for the uninstallation.
  • From Windows 10 1803 onwards, the Edge Browser prevents live updates coming from the server when an unsecured connection is used. This affects the CPU load display, server status updates, and other incoming notifications.

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 dialog boxes.


For more information, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:


Discontinuing Support for Logos

The Logos communication protocol (communication via UDP) used by DIAdem versions before DIAdem 2012 SP2 will no longer be supported as of version 2019. This means that earlier clients can no longer communicate with DataFinder Server 2019 or My DataFinder 2019. In future, you can only use Logos XT (communication via TCP) for communication with DataFinder. This applies to the DIAdem and LabVIEW DataFinder Toolkit clients.



Legal Information

Copyright


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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:


  • Legal notices: <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs: <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products:

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