Version 14.0.0
June 2014
This file contains important information about the LabVIEW FPGA Module, including installation instructions, known issues, and a partial list of bugs fixed for LabVIEW 2014 FPGA Module.
FPGA Module System Requirements
FPGA Compile Farm Server System Requirements
Supported FPGA Targets for FPGA IP Builder
Product Security and Critical Updates
Automating the Installation of NI Products
The development computer is a PC or NI PXI/PXI Express system on which you install LabVIEW and the LabVIEW FPGA Module. You also can install the Xilinx compilation tools on your development computer to compile LabVIEW FPGA VIs locally. However, if the FPGA design or target requires more than 2 GB of memory, National Instruments recommends installing the Xilinx compilation tools on a separate computer. This computer is referred to as the remote compile worker.
Refer to the support document at ni.com for more information about the NI hardware supported by each Xilinx compilation tool.
1Memory requirements vary according to both the FPGA target and the FPGA VI you create for that target. To determine your memory needs, monitor the memory usage of the xst.exe process in the Windows Task Manager.
2You must use a 64-bit OS to address 4 GB of RAM.
3The LabVIEW FPGA Module does not support the Windows Server non-R2 editions.
If you install the FPGA Compile Farm Server on a separate computer, you can configure that computer to be a remote compile server. If you install the Xilinx Compilation Tools on a separate computer, you can configure that computer to be a remote compile worker.
Refer to the Setting Up a Remote Compile Server or Compile Worker section of the LabVIEW FPGA Module Release and Upgrade Notes for information about setting up and using a local or remote compile server or compile worker. Refer to the support document at ni.com for more information about the NI hardware supported by each Xilinx compilation tool.
The remote compile server must meet the following minimum system requirements:
Each computer that you want to use as a compile worker must meet the following minimum system requirements:
You can install all of your LabVIEW products—including the FPGA Module, FPGA Compile Farm Server, and FPGA IP Builder—using the LabVIEW 2014 Platform media. You can find installation instructions for the FPGA Module along with activation instructions in the following locations:
To request additional LabVIEW 2014 Platform media, refer to the National Instruments website.
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.
FPGA IP Builder supports only a subset of FPGA targets. Refer to the National Instruments website for a list of supported targets.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments website for an up-to-date list of known issues in the FPGA Module.
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in the LabVIEW 2014 FPGA Module. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the LabVIEW 2014 FPGA Module. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate the issue has been fixed.
| ID | Fixed Issue |
|---|---|
| 467926 | ERROR:Place:1136 - This design contains a global buffer instance driving a non-clock load (Not a recommended design for Spartan-6 targets). |
| 461748 | 579x Streaming Tx example Code Generation Errors for 5793 with 7975R. |
| 442452 | Clock Selection Window doesn't allow me to choose a clock. |
| 441704 | Built-in FIFOs Error in LabVIEW FPGA Co-simulation. |
| 440269 | FPGA Bitfile causes filename error, throws LabVIEW into unrecoverable state. |
| 438611 | Open Dynamic Bitfile Reference (ODBR) yields a bad reference but no error when inside a loop. |
| 438368 | [Sampling Probes] Multiple reruns of a VI quickly cause errors and hang of sampling probe watch window. |
| 436905 | "Bind FPGA host reference to type definition" overwrites ctl file without any warning. |
| 432892 | Regeneration of support files for Xilinx CoreGen fails when LabVIEW version is changed. |
| 428544 | FPGA Compile translation step in 2013 adds over 2 hours to compilation time from 2011. |
| 412592 | Cannot run FPGA VI in interactive mode (run button doesn't do anything) if LabVIEW Default Directory has been modified. |
| 412467 | Handshake Primitives won't simulate in Dynamic Dispatch VIs. |
| 411611 | DSP48E Slices cec does not behave correctly in simulation. |
| 401588 | Unsupported Control Type in a diagram disable structure causes internal compilation error. |
| 393669 | Switching input order on FPGA Timed Loop causes compile error. |
| 389331 | Spartan-6 BRAM items use more resources than necessary. |
| 381497 | Simulation behavior doesn't match hardware with indicator and local Read inside SCTL. |
| 380249 | Access violation crash when compiling converted 1D LUT FPGA express VI. |
| 367915 | Incorrect DMA Write node behavior with implicit enable removal. |
Refer to the LabVIEW Help, accessible by selecting Help»LabVIEW Help from LabVIEW, for information about the LabVIEW 2014 FPGA Module.
Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.
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 about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following articles on ni.com:
The National Instruments LabVIEW FPGA Module will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of the LabVIEW FPGA Module 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 |
Copyright
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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.
National Instruments 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.
Third-Party Copyright Notices
The SharpZipLib_Notice.pdf file contains a third-party copyright notice for third-party components used by certain FPGA Module features. The following directory is the default installation location for the file, but the location might vary depending on the configuration of the local computer:
\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2014\FPGA\Legal\
The Python_2.5_notice.pdf file contains a third-party copyright notice for third-party components used by certain FPGA Module features. The following directory is the default installation location for the file, but the location might vary depending on the configuration of the local computer:
\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2014\FPGA\Legal\
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:
U.S. Government Restricted Rights
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Patents
For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.