August 2014
This file contains important information about NI VeriStand 2014, including system requirements and installation instructions.
Upgrade and Compatibility Issues
Automating the Installation of NI Products
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8
NI VeriStand is configuration-based testing software, allowing you to develop, prototype, and test control systems using hardware I/O and your simulation models. The NI VeriStand software framework enables you to perform real-time or PC-based test configuration and execution that can be easily customized and extended with LabVIEW, NI TestStand, and other software tools.
NI VeriStand includes a run-time editable user interface as well as a test manager you can use to configure and implement triggered multi-file data logging, real-time test sequencing, stimulus generation and playback, and model calibration.
The following sections describe support considerations for using NI VeriStand in various types of systems.
| Windows Systems1 | Real-Time Targets | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System |
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| RAM/Processor |
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| Required Software |
| NI VeriStand software (install from NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)) |
1 The following considerations apply to using NI VeriStand on Windows:
2 You can achieve higher Primary Control Loop rates by using targets with higher-performance specifications. | ||
Note The following sections describe system requirements that apply if you use models, LabVIEW functionality, and .NET APIs in your system.
To configure and run a simulation using your existing compiled model, you need only NI VeriStand installed. You need additional software to perform other tasks with models, as the following list describes:
If you use other modeling environments, contact your model vendor for requirements for developing a model and converting it into a compiled model.
To create custom devices, menu items, workspace controls and indicators, or timing and sync devices, you must have LabVIEW 2014. The LabVIEW functionality in NI VeriStand always requires like-numbered versions.
The NI VeriStand .NET APIs require the following Microsoft software:
Complete the following steps to install NI VeriStand.
Note 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.
The NI VeriStand 2014 media kit includes an evaluation version of NI DIAdem. NI DIAdem is a software tool you can use to locate, load, visualize, analyze, and report measurement data from real-time tests. You can use NI VeriStand with DIAdem to automate the post-processing of data collected in NI VeriStand, view trend data across multiple files and file types, and generate custom reports.
For a list of new features in NI VeriStand 2014, refer to the following topic in the NI VeriStand 2014 Help posted on ni.com or installed on disk: What's New in NI VeriStand 2014.
The following sections describe issues to be aware of when you upgrade to NI VeriStand 2014.
Note National Instruments recommends that you also review the Upgrade and Compatibility Issues in the readme files for each NI VeriStand version between the version from which you are upgrading and NI VeriStand 2014. To access the documents, refer to the National Instruments website at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code for the appropriate NI VeriStand version from the following list:
Models compiled from LabVIEW VIs (.lvmodel files) using LabVIEW 2013 or earlier must be recompiled using LabVIEW 2014. The LabVIEW functionality in NI VeriStand always requires like-numbered versions.
National Instruments posts information about critical updates and security notifications on ni.com. Visit ni.com/info and enter Info Code updates to access this information.
NI VeriStand includes the following documentation resources:
| Resource | Contents | Access Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| NI Veristand Help | Conceptual, how-to, and reference information for using NI VeriStand. | In software: Help»Search the NI VeriStand Help OR Windows Start menu: All Programs»National Instruments»NI VeriStand»VeriStand Help |
| NI VeriStand .NET API Help | Reference information for the .NET APIs included with NI VeriStand. You can access these assemblies from any .NET-compatible programming language or environment, including NI LabVIEW™ and NI TestStand™. | Windows Start menu: All Programs»National Instruments»NI VeriStand»VeriStand .NET API Help. |
| NI VeriStand Model Framework Introduction | Information about how to use the NI VeriStand Model Framework to compile your existing C and C++ model code so you can load your models in NI VeriStand. | You can access this guide from the RootDrive:\VeriStand\xxxx\ModelInterface\custom directory, where RootDrive is the drive where NI software installs and xxxx is the NI VeriStand version number. Note You must explicitly select NI VeriStand Model Framework when you run the NI VeriStand installer. |
Note If you install NI VeriStand with the compatible version of LabVIEW, you also can access a subset of the NI VeriStand Help, including information about the NI VeriStand VIs and extending NI VeriStand functionality with LabVIEW, from the LabVIEW Help. From the pull-down menu in LabVIEW, select Help»LabVIEW Help.
NI VeriStand includes several types of examples:
Tip On Windows 7/Vista, the default location of the <Public Documents> directory is C:\Users\Public\Public Documents.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code NIVeriStand2014KI for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI VeriStand 2014.
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in NI VeriStand 2014. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of NI VeriStand. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate the issue has been fixed.
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 477085 | When you add a service for a custom VI and set the Execution Mode to Wait for This Item to Synchronize, NI VeriStand ignores the timeout condition |
| 477079 | If an NI VeriStand project contains a service for a custom VI and you click the Run button, the workspace launches immediately instead of waiting for the service to complete or synchronize |
| 473131 | Compilation of a The MathWorks, Inc. Simulink® model fails when using the Reusable function with an Integrator block |
| 461119 | When you use the RemoveNode method, channel mappings are not affected until you save the system definition file |
| 459404 | In the Channel Fault Manager tool, you cannot add a fault using the Add Fault button when viewing channels in list view |
| 458455 | Compilation of a The MathWorks, Inc. Simulink® model fails when using fixed-point data types |
| 455667 | Deleted XNET signals are not properly removed after refreshing a system definition file |
| 436569 | If two inlined XNET ports have two successive frames with the same signal values, the second frame will not always be written to the bus |
| 435683 | Error -307730 is incorrectly thrown when undeploying a system definition with an asynchronous custom device |
| 433376 | The VeriStand Engine does not properly reserve PXI TTL 0 when using single-point DAQ |
| 432811 | NI VeriStand returns fatal errors when mapping a large number of channels by folder |
| 431615 | Hardware Discovery Wizard does not return all DAQ devices if some invalid devices also exist in the system definition |
| 431553 | Multirate models with timing offset throw an error on deployment |
| 412719 | Counter output DAQ channels do not work with NI CompactDAQ and the NI 9401 module |
| 408582 | The ResolvedErrorMessage property for an error object does not resolve an error code to a message |
| 405872 | Running a host-side log session with the NI VeriStand Data Logging VIs or .NET Client API that logs data from multiple targets throws error 1556 when stopping the log session |
| 393231 | Stimulus Profile Editor crashes when calling large CSV files |
| 377336 | The NI VeriStand XNET Bus Monitor does not work in common network configurations |
| 316028 | Error -1 when adding FPGA files for PCIe-7853R and PCIe-7854 |
| 241320 | When deploying a .lvmodel file to a target without LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module the model fails to initialize with error 1003 |
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. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
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, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8, you will notice a few additional tiles on the Start screen, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), and the new NI Launcher.
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
| Note NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.x. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher. |
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:
| Current Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.x Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
| Windows 8.x Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
| Windows 8.x Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files by right-clicking anywhere on the Start screen and selecting All apps. A list of all installed software and related files appears, in alphabetical order by creator or type.
For more information about NI support for Windows 8, visit ni.com/windows8.
National Instruments NI VeriStand will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI VeriStand that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:
| Product | Info Code |
|---|---|
| NI LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| NI LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
| NI Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| NI TestStand | tslcp |
| NI DIAdem | ddlcp |
| NI SignalExpress | selcp |
| NI VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
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