September 2019
This file contains important information about NI-SWITCH, including installation instructions, new features, a partial list of bugs fixed, and known issues.
If you plan to use LabVIEW NXG, refer to LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations.
IVI Compliance Package Functionality
Product Security and Critical Updates
LabVIEW NXG Support and Considerations
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
NI-SWITCH is an NI instrument driver that you can use to control and configure NI switches. NI-SWITCH is an interchangeable virtual instrument (IVI)–compliant instrument driver, and it features a set of operations and properties that exercise the functionality of the switch module and includes an interactive soft front panel and examples.
NI-SWITCH 19.5 has the following requirements:
Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW.
NI-SWITCH 19.5 supports the following operating systems:
Note NI-SWITCH 17.0 and later does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.
Note In 2016 NI dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. NI-SWITCH 19.5 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-SWITCH 19.5 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-SWITCH 19.5, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2016, refer to Why Does My NI ADE Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Windows Server 2003?.
Note Support for Windows 32-bit operating systems may require disabling physical address extension (PAE). To learn how this might affect your system and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/r/PAESupport.
1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.
2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.
NI-SWITCH 19.5 supports the following application software versions, including service packs. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by NI-SWITCH |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| LabVIEW Real-Time Module | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| LabVIEW NXG | 4.0 |
| LabWindows™/CVI™ | 2013 and later |
| LabWindows™/CVI™ Real-Time Module | 2013 and later |
If you are using the NI-SWITCH .NET Class Library, the .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-SWITCH .NET Class Library can be used with the Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET programming languages in any Visual Studio version that can target the .NET Framework 4.0 or the .NET Framework 4.5.
To use the .NET API, you must install the .NET class libraries or the .NET wrapper in addition to the NI device driver. For information about versions of the .NET Framework and the drivers each supports, as well as the download location of the installer files, refer to National Instruments .NET Driver Support.
NI installs NI-SWITCH 19.5 using NI Package Manager. If you do not already have NI software installed, NI-SWITCH 19.5 installs NI Package Manager to handle the installation of your NI software. Visit ni.com/r/NIPMDownload to download NI Package Manager. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.
Caution Several of the software packages listed above are shared with other NI software packages. If you attempt to remove a piece of software that something else is dependent on, a message launches to warn you about the software dependencies. You can choose to either uninstall all of the software or to leave the shared software installed. If you choose to uninstall the shared software, some of your other NI software may no longer function correctly.
NI-SWITCH no longer installs IVI Compliance Package. NI-SWITCH supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer supports the following features:
If you want to use the above features, you must install IVI Compliance Package separately, either from ni.com/downloads or from the NI Device Drivers 2019 DVD.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.
NI-SWITCH 19.5 includes the following new features.
The following list details the hardware models supported in NI-SWITCH 19.5.
Matrix Module for SwitchBlock
PXI Carrier Module for SwitchBlock
PXI Matrix Switch Module
PXI Multiplexer Switch Modules
PXI Programmable Resistor Module
PXI Relay Driver Module
PXI Relay Module
PXI RF Matrix Switch Module
PXI RF Multiplexer Switch Module
PXI RF Relay Module
PXI Signal Insertion Switch Module
PXI Transfer Switch Modules
NI-SWITCH 19.1 drops support for SCXI Switch Modules.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI-SWITCH Known Issues at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code niswitch195ki for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-SWITCH 19.5.
Refer to the NI Switches Help, accessible from Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-SWITCH»NI-SWITCH Documentation, for information about NI-SWITCH.
You can access all the installed NI-SWITCH examples at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-SWITCH»NI-SWITCH Examples.
Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. LabVIEW examples for NI-SWITCH are located in the LabVIEW XXXX\examples\instr\niSwitch directory. 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.
The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs and their descriptions:
The following sections detail considerations for using LabVIEW NXG with NI-SWITCH 19.5.
Software support for LabVIEW NXG differs in the following ways:
The following list details the hardware models supported in NI-SWITCH 19.5 for LabVIEW NXG.
Matrix Module for SwitchBlock
PXI Carrier Module for SwitchBlock
PXI Matrix Switch Module
PXI Multiplexer Switch Module
PXI Programmable Resistor Module
PXI Relay Driver Module
PXI Relay Module
PXI RF Matrix Switch Module
PXI RF Multiplexer Switch Module
PXI RF Relay Module
PXI Signal Insertion Switch Module
PXI Transfer Switch Modules
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.
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.
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 4.0, 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 KnowledgeBase articles:
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.
When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
NI-SWITCH will drop support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2, and all 32-bit Windows operating systems starting in 2021. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, will not install or run on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
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 |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| LabWindows/CVI | cvi_lifecycle |
| Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| TestStand | tslcp |
| DIAdem | ddlcp |
| SignalExpress | selcp |
| VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
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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:
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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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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.
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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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