Archived: NI-VNA 1.0 Known Issues

NI does not actively maintain this document.

This content provides support for older products and technology, so you may notice outdated links or obsolete information about operating systems or other relevant products.

Overview



This document contains the NI-VNA 1.0 known issues that were discovered before and since the release of NI-VNA 1.0. Not every issue known to NI appears on this list; it is intended to show the most severe and common issues that can be encountered.

Each issue appears as a row in the table and includes the following fields:

  • Issue ID - The number in at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles.  "N/A" indicates that there is no ID assigned to the issue.
  • Issue Title (in italics) - Describes the issue in one sentence or less.
  • Problem Description - A few sentences which describe the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you may want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue, contact NI and reference the ID number given in the document.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter the KnowledgeBase number in the search field to locate the specific document.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version of NI-VNA in which the issue was reported. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of NI-VNA than is reported in this field, report the discrepancy to NI to have the field updated.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).

Known Issues by Date

408875Launching the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel fails when using the NI RMC-8354.
197158NI-VNA does not support device rename in MAX.
200090NI-VNA Soft Front Panel cannot load when using Remote Desktop on Windows XP.
219010NI-VNA close session leaks memory.
221451NI-VNA Soft Front Panel disappears on standby.
245461NI-VNA Soft Front Panel consumes all the video memory.
246949NI-VNA returns "Device in Use" error when device is unavailable.
247260Send Software Edge Trigger does not override a digital trigger.
247790The NI-VNA Soft Front Panel autoscale trace does not always auto-scale correctly.
250239Users can receive a misleading error message when loading an AutoCal characterization file.
250347NI-VNA Type library is missing some attribute, value, and error constants.
250875NI-VNA returns a nondescriptive error during some AutoCal operations.
252208NI-VNA returns a nondescriptive error message when a non-NI-VNA resource name is used.
252837Changing the trigger source results in multiple triggers being enabled.
252892Saved SnP file format is incorrect on European Windows operating systems.
253011Printing from the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel does not work.
253198Start Trigger Source property can incorrectly impact the Start trigger state.
255057S21 measurement is incorrect with AutoCal calibration and per sweep averaging.
258471NI-VNA Soft Front Panel does not sweep after loading a calibration file.
291352NI-VNA device doesn't show up in MAX after a driver or LabVIEW upgrade.
293714Repeatedly launching the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel from MAX may cause the Soft Front Panel to hang.



IDKnown Issue
408875Launching the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel fails when using the NI RMC-8354.
When launching the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel (SFP) on the NI RMC-8354 rack-mount controller, the NI-VNA SFP fails to launch.

Workaround: Use NI-VNA examples through the LabVIEW application programming interface.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 05/20/2013
197158NI-VNA does not support device rename in MAX.
You cannot rename the NI-VNA device in MAX using the standard method of right-clicking and selecting rename.

Workaround: You can create an IVI Logical name in MAX to use with the NI-VNA driver. To create an IVI logical name in MAX, follow the instructions in MAX under IVI drivers to create an NI-VNA logical driver session. You can rename the IVI logical name to whatever you want.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 2.0  Added: 10/25/2010
200090NI-VNA Soft Front Panel cannot load when using Remote Desktop on Windows XP.
The NI-VNA Soft Front Panel does not load in a remote desktop environment on Windows XP. The splash screen shows "Application Initialization Failed!" This error only occurs when the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel is running on Windows XP. Remote Desktop works successfully on Windows Vista and Windows 7. You can use any supported OS on the client; you will only see this problem if you use Windows XP as the server (the system with the hardware) operating system.

Workaround: Install Windows Vista or Windows 7 on the NI-VNA system.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/25/2010
219010NI-VNA close session leaks memory on Windows XP.
The NI-VNA session leaks about 2 KB of memory.

Workaround: Close the process to reclaim the leaked memory. Alternatively, reuse the same session and avoid creating unnecessary sessions.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
221451NI-VNA Soft Front Panel disappears on standby.
The NI-VNA Soft Front Panel exits silently when the system goes into standby/sleep mode.

Workaround: Disable sleep/standby mode on the system if you need the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel to continue to run. Alternatively, you can restart the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel manually after the system wakes up.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
245461NI-VNA Soft Front Panel consumes all the video memory.
The NI-VNA Soft Front Panel can use up the available video memory, resulting in it either loading with all traces blank or closing with an error. This situation typically happens with multiple VNAs in the system and happens intermittently.

Workaround: Close NI-VNA Soft Front Panel and reopen it.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/25/2010
246949NI-VNA returns "Device in Use" error when device is unavailable.
If you use NI-VNA to open a session to a device that has recently been powered off or disconnected, the Initialize VI or function returns a "Device in Use" error instead of a "Invalid Device" error.

Workaround: Open a session to a valid device.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/25/2010
247260Send Software Edge Trigger does not override a digital trigger.
If you configure a digital edge Start trigger, the Send Software Edge Trigger VI or function does not have an effect.

Workaround: N/A

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
247790The NI-VNA Soft Front Panel autoscale trace does not always auto-scale correctly.
Sometimes the auto-scale functionality cuts off the top of the trace.

Workaround: Manually scale the trace.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
250239Users can receive a misleading error message when loading an AutoCal characterization file.
The NI-VNA instrument driver and Soft Front Panel return a misleading error message if you attempt to load the AutoCal characterization file either without having the AutoCal module connected or if the file is read-only on your system. If you call the niVNA Load AutoCal Characterization Data From File VI or function with no AutoCal module connected or if the file has been set to read-only, the VI or function fails with a "File not found" error. In the Soft Front Panel, the error returned is "Failed to read. You might have a corrupted file." The error should instead indicate that no AutoCal box was found, or the file is read-only.

Workaround: Connect AutoCal box before calling this VI or function. Change the AutoCal characterization file to not be read-only.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/25/2010
250347NI-VNA Type library is missing some attribute, value, and error constants.
The NI-VNA type library inside nivna.dll does not contain attribute, value, and error constants.

Workaround: Use the actual numerical values instead of the names in your Visual Basic code.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
250875NI-VNA returns a nondescriptive error during some AutoCal operations.
If you perform an AutoCal without loading the AutoCal characterization file, the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel and NI-VNA instrument driver return an error message of "Other Error."

Workaround: Load the Autocal characterization data before performing AutoCal.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 10/25/2010
252208NI-VNA returns a nondescriptive error message when a non-NI-VNA resource name is used.
If you pass a resource description to the niVNA Initialize VI or function that represents a device in your system other than an NI-VNA device, the error message returned in "Unknown status code."

Workaround: Use the correct resource name associated with the NI-VNA device.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
252837Changing the trigger source results in multiple triggers being enabled.
If you set up triggering from one trigger source (such as PXI_Trig0) and then change it in the same session to a different trigger source (such as PXI_Trig3), the device actually triggers on either trigger line. It fails to clear the trigger conditions when a new trigger source is set.

Workaround: Close the session and reopen it if you need to change the trigger source, or call niVNA Reset VI or function, which resets all the trigger conditions as well as the rest of the driver state.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
252892Saved SnP file format is incorrect on European Windows operating systems.
The NI-VNA SFP and NI-VNA instrument driver incorrectly format decimal points on European Windows operating systems when saving to a SnP file format. On European systems, the SnP file is saved with commas in the floating point numbers, but the SnP specification states that it should use decimal points instead. The NI-VNA SFP also incorrectly expects commas instead of decimal points when loading an SnP file on a European Windows operating system.

Workaround: After the SnP file is saved, use a word processing program to find and replace all commas with decimal points. This step allows the SnP file to be used by other programs and be read by the NI-VNA SFP on non-European Windows systems. Note that on European systems you will need to do a find and replace operation to allow the NI-VNA SFP to load SnP files generated by other applications.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
253011Printing from the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel does not work.
From the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel, selecting File >> Print does not work.

Workaround: Use Save Data >> Save to save the view as either a BMP or PNG image and then print the image.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
253198Start Trigger Source property can incorrectly impact the Start trigger state
There are two problems with the trigger source property: 1) Start Trigger Source incorrectly maps "None" to PXI_Trig0, so NI-VNA sets the Start trigger source to be the chassis backplane rather than an internal software trigger. 2) If you first set the Start Trigger Type to either None or Software Edge then set the Start Trigger Source to None (or anything else), your trigger source is set to the backplane (or PFI0).

Workaround: Use NI-VNA Configure Trigger VI or function instead of the property nodes or attributes. Alternatively, you can set the Start Trigger Type property after setting the Start Trigger Source property.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
255057S21 measurement is incorrect with AutoCal calibration and per sweep averaging.
The error correction terms from a calibration session using the AutoCal module and per sweep averaging are incorrect for the S21 measurement. Applying this correction to the measurement results in an invalid S21 measurement.

Workaround: Use per point averaging with the AutoCal module. If per sweep averaging is required, calibrate using a manual calibration standard.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 10/25/2010
258471NI-VNA Soft Front Panel does not sweep after loading a calibration file.
Loading a calibration file that was saved using the NI-VNA API results in the soft front panel (SFP) being in HOLD mode. The SFP is not sweeping at this time. This behavior is different from loading a calibration file saved using the SFP, which starts sweeping after the calibration file loads.

Workaround: Change the Sweep Mode to Sweep by launching the SFP, then selecting Channel»Sweep»Sweep Setup»Hold Functions, then clicking the Sweep button.

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 11/30/2010
291352NI-VNA device doesn't show up in MAX after a driver or LabVIEW upgrade.
When installing a new version of a driver or LabVIEW, the NI PXIe-5630 disappears from MAX. The Soft Front Panel still loads the device correctly.

Workaround: Install NI-VNA 1.1

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.1  Added: 05/04/2011
293714Repeatedly launching the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel from MAX may cause the Soft Front Panel to hang.
Repeatedly launching the NI-VNA Soft Front Panel from MAX may cause the Soft Front Panel to hang. Closing the Soft Front Panel and trying to relaunch the SFP does not fix the problem.

Workaround: Restart your computer

Reported Version: 1.0  Resolved Version: 1.2  Added: 05/04/2011

Contacting NI

Contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you contact NI in regards to a specific issue, reference the ID number given in the document. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting NI). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also contact us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document.

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).