NI SystemLink 2021 R2 Readme

July 2021

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for SystemLink.

You can find more release information on ni.com.

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


Overview

System Requirements

Application Software Support

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

Automating the Installation of NI Products

Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10

Unsupported Windows Operating Systems

Legal Information


Overview

Use SystemLink to discover and manage systems on a server. Create and deploy packages to all your managed systems. Leverage SystemLink data services to visualize data, trigger alarms, monitor tests, manage assets, and transfer files to a server. SystemLink TDM is a Big Analog Data™ solution for automated preparation and analysis of large amounts of data in various formats and structures.

System Requirements

SystemLink has the following minimum system requirements:

Server Requirements

Windows, less than 50 nodes

Windows, 50+ nodes, SystemLink TDM

OS (64-bit only)

Windows Server 2019 R2

Windows Server 2016

Windows 10 or higher

Windows Server 2019 R2

Windows Server 2016

Windows 10 or higher

Processor

4-core recommended or higher

8-core recommended or higher

RAM

16 GB minimum

32+ GB recommended

32 GB minimum

64+ GB recommended

Disk

6 GB minimum

8+ GB recommended

16+ GB recommended

Note:  SystemLink TDM does not support server versions from the Microsoft Semi-Annual Channel. In addition, SystemLink TDM does not support Windows Server Core mode.

Target Requirements (Managed Nodes)

Windows

NI Linux Real-Time

OS

Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit) or higher

Windows 7 SP1 (32-bit) or higher

NI Linux Real-Time 2019, 2020

(Supports LabVIEW RT 2019, 2020, and NXG 5.0 and later)

Processor

Pentium 4 G1 (or equivalent) or later

All Intel and ARM models supported

RAM

2 GB minimum

4 GB recommended

512 MB minimum

1+ GB recommended

Disk

1 GB minimum

2+ GB recommended

512 MB

Note: VxWorks and Phar Lap OS are not supported.

Additional Requirements for Servers and Targets

  • .NET Framework 4.6.2
  • Latest version of one of the following browsers:
    • Chrome
    • Firefox
    • Edge (Chromium)
    • Safari

Note: SystemLink 2021 R2 does not support Microsoft Edge Legacy versions (version 44 and below).

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

For more information about the changes to our OS support, visit http://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.

Application Software Support

SystemLink 2021 R2 supports the following application software versions, including service packs.

Application SoftwareVersions Supported by SystemLink
LabVIEW 2018 and later
LabVIEW RT2018 and later
LabVIEW NXG5.0 and later
TestStand2014 and later
DIAdem2015 and later (2021 recommended)
NI SystemLink Python SDK3.8

Installation Instructions

Download the SystemLink 2021 R2 installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.

Notes

  • 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.
  • Use the serial number that is included with your software to activate SystemLink. For more information on SystemLink activation, refer to NI Software Activation.

Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/r/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.

Accessing the Help

Refer to the SystemLink Help, accessible from ni.com, for information about SystemLink.

Finding Examples

Refer to the following SystemLink repositories on GitHub for SystemLink code examples:

LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations

The following sections detail considerations for using LabVIEW NXG 5.0 and later with SystemLink 2021 R2.

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.

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.

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 4.6.2, 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 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.

For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.

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

SystemLink 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 http://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.


Legal Information

Copyright

© 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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