NI-RFSA 21.0 Linux/x86 64-bit Architecture Readme

August 2021

This file contains late breaking news about NI-RFSA and supersedes any information found in other documentation included in the distribution.

Refer to NI Linux Technology for the most recent information about Linux support at NI.

Refer to NI-RFSA Release Notes for known issues, bugs fixed since the last release, and other release details.


System Requirements

Installation Instructions

Supported Hardware

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

FAQ

Linux Limitations

Legal Information


System Requirements

NI-RFSA software for the Linux has been tested on the following distributions:

  • openSUSE Leap 15.2
  • openSUSE Leap 15.1
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • CentOS 8
  • CentOS 7

NI-RFSA requires a 64-bit distribution and does not support 32-bit applications.

Supported Hardware

NI-RFSA 21.0 for Linux supports the following hardware models:

Vector Signal Transceiver

  • PXIe-5820
  • PXIe-5830
  • PXIe-5831
  • PXIe-5831 with PXIe-5653 as LO
  • PXIe-5832
  • PXIe-5832 with PXIe-5653 as LO
  • PXIe-5841
  • PXIe-5841 with PXIe-5655 as LO

Vector Signal Analyzers

  • PXIe-5668
  • PXIe-5668 with PXIe-5698 as RF Amplifier

Installation Instructions

NI provides a repository add-on for all supported drivers that you can install using your Linux distribution's native package manager.

  1. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code LinuxRepository.
  2. Download the installer for the repository add-on for your Linux distribution.
  3. Install the repository add-on using the rpm command.
  4. Select and install the following NI-RFSA driver packages through your Linux distribution's package manager:
    • ni-rfsa
    • ni-rfsa-daqmx
    • ni-rfsa-labview-20xy-support

After the driver packages are installed, you must rebuild the new packages for the system kernel. NI recommends that you run the command 'dkms autoinstall' after installation, and before rebooting the system, to install the latest revision of all modules that have been installed for other kernel revisions. After doing so, the installed device drivers will function immediately on the next system start.

Loading a custom FPGA Bitfile

The custom bitfile should be added inside the device specific folders: $HOME/natinst/fpgaextensionsbitfiles

For example, for NI PXIe-5820, place the custom bitfile(s) inside $HOME/natinst/fpgaextensionsbitfiles/NI PXIe-5820

Accessing the Help

Use a web browser to view the NI-RFSA documentation at ni.com/manuals.

Finding Examples

This release includes examples showing the use of NI-RFSA in C and LabVIEW.

C examples are located in /usr/share/ni-rfsa/examples. Make files are provided that link to the necessary libraries.

The LabVIEW examples are located in the LabVIEW examples directory.

Be sure to run the device configuration utility (described in the Installation section) before running examples.

FAQ

Question: During installation, I get an error message - "Error downloading packages."

Answer: It is likely that you do not have an active internet connection. We request you to connect to the internet. If not, use Linux Distribution media to install the dependencies before installing the packages.

Linux Limitations

Some features discussed in the NI-RFSA documentation are unavailable on Linux.

NI-RFSA 21.0 for Linux does not support 32-bit versions of LabVIEW.

  • NI-RFSA supports two application development environments:
    • LabVIEW xxxx
    • C and C++ (gcc)
  • NI-RFSA does not support other ADEs, such as Microsoft Visual C/C++, or Microsoft Visual Basic.
  • While NI-RFSA includes LabVIEW VIs, it does not provide other graphical utilities that are available for other operating systems:
    • The Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) graphical configuration utility. Refer to DEVICE CONFIGURATION in the Installation section for information about configuring your device in Linux.
    • Soft front panels.
  • External calibration functions are not supported. Refer to your hardware documentation for information about external calibration, and refer to ni.com/calibration. If your NI-RFSA requires external calibration, either perform the calibration on a Windows system, or hire NI or an independent calibration laboratory to perform the calibration.

Legal Information

Copyright

© 2021 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

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

Notices are located in the /usr/share/doc/ni-rfsa/NOTICES directory. EULAs are located in the /usr/share/ni/licenses directory.

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.

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Patents

For patents covering the NI products/technology, refer to the NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.

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