January 2022
This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-RFSA.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
Product Security and Critical Updates
IVI Compliance Package Functionality
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
This software installation provides support for customers using vector signal analyzer or vector signal transceiver hardware, as specified in the Supported Hardware section. To program your device, use the NI-RFSA instrument driver or NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel (SFP).
The getting started guide for your device provides information about how to install, configure, test, and begin using your hardware.
NI-RFSA 21.5 includes the following new features:
NI-RFSA 21.0 includes the following new features:
NI-RFSA 20.7 includes peer-to-peer support for the PXIe-5668
The following table shows which hardware products are supported in the NI-RFSA instrument driver and the NI-RFSA SFP. The following hardware products are supported in all operating systems listed in the Supported Operating Systems section.
| Hardware Product | Hardware Model | NI-RFSA | NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| RF Signal Downconverter | PXI-5600 | √ | — |
| PXIe-5601 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5603 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5605 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5606 | √ | — | |
| Vector Signal Analyzer | PXI-5661 | √ | √ |
| PXIe-5663/5663E | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5665 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5667 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5668 | √ | √ | |
| Vector Signal Transceiver | PXIe-5644 | √ | √ |
| PXIe-5645 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5646 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5820 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5830 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5831 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5832 | √ | — | |
| PXIe-5840 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5841 | √ | √ | |
| PXIe-5841 with PXIe-5655 RF Analog Signal Generator | √ | √ | |
| RF Preselector Module | PXIe-5693 | √ | — |
| IF Conditioning Module | PXIe-5694 | √ | — |
| RF Amplifier | PXIe-5698 | √ | — |
MXI Express and MXI-4 are supported on Windows 10.
Note You must install the same version of the NI-RFSA/NI-RFSG Runtime for PXIe-5644/5645/5646 and NI-RFSA/NI-RFSG Runtime for PXIe-5820/5830/5831/5832/5840/5841 if you choose to install the runtimes independently.
Note For best memory performance on the PXIe-5831/5832, NI recommends using only 64-bit applications.
NI-RFSA has the following requirements:
*Depending on the amount of data acquired and/or processed, a larger amount of memory may be required.
Note Guest accounts are not supported under any OS.
NI-RFSA 21.5 and NI-RFSA SFP 21.5 support the following operating systems:
Note Refer to Unsupported Windows Operating Systems for more information about support for Microsoft Windows OSes.
For more information about the changes to our OS support, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
NI-RFSA supports the following application software versions, including service packs. You should install application software, such as LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-RFSA. To add support for application software installed after installing NI-RFSA, modify your NI-RFSA installation or launch the NI-RFSA installer again. If you are not using NI application software, refer to Microsoft Visual Studio Support.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by NI-RFSA |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2018 SP1, 2019, 2020, or 2021 |
| LabWindows/CVI | 2018 to current |
Note Install any toolkits or add-on software you intend to use with the NI-RFSA instrument driver after NI-RFSA installation is complete. Refer to the getting started guide for your device for more information about software and hardware installation.
Note MXI users must install the software included with the MXI hardware.
If you are using the NI-RFSA .NET Class Library, .NET Framework 4.0 (minimum) is required. The NI-RFSA .NET Class Library can be used with Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET in any Visual Studio version that can target .NET Framework 4.0 or .NET Framework 4.5. For more information on .NET development using NI .NET drivers, visit ni.com/info and enter Info Code NETAPIdriversupport.
To install the NI-RFSA .NET Class Library, ensure that you select .NET Framework 4.5 Languages Support or .NET Framework 4.0 Languages Support in the NI-RFSA installer.
Download the NI-RFSA installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Manual for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using NI Package Manager.
NI-RFSA VIs are available in LabVIEW from the Functions»Measurement I/O»NI-RFSA palette.
To access the LabVIEW sample projects and templates from the New Project dialog, select Sample Projects in the left pane and navigate to the project that best matches your application requirements.
NI-RFSA functions are available in LabWindows/CVI from the Instrument menu. To load the NI–RFSA function panel (.fp), select Instrument»Load, and navigate to IVI\Drivers\niRFSA\niRFSA.fp.
You can use the NI-RFSA .NET Class library by adding a reference to NationalInstruments.ModularInstruments.NIRfsa.Fx40 or NationalInstruments.ModularInstruments.NIRfsa.Fx45 and any dependent class libraries from within the Solution Explorer in Visual Studio.
You can use the NI-RFSA C dynamically linked library by adding a reference to: Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niRFSA.dll for 32-bit development or Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Bin\niRFSA_64.dll for 64-bit development.
To launch the NI-RFSA SFP, navigate to the following location: Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSA»NI-RFSA Soft Front Panel
Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW or LabWindows/CVI to launch the NI Example Finder and navigate to Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NI-RFSA. You can also select the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword.
You can access all the installed NI-RFSA examples at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSA»NI-RFSA Examples.
Documentation for NI-RFSA is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFSA»NI-RFSA Documentation. This documentation set is composed of the following documents.
| Document | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NI RF Vector Signal Analyzers Help | HTML/Windows Help | Contains primary help content for NI-RFSA products. The help is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:
|
| NI RF Signal Analyzers Readme | HTML (this document) | Contains information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, and legal notices. |
Few other documentation for NI-RFSA is located at Program Files\IVI Foundation\IVI\Drivers\niRFSA\documentation. This documentation set is composed of the following documents.
| Document | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to NI-RFSA | HTML | Contains information about driver documentation, examples, connecting to your instrument, configuring instrument settings, and known issues. |
| NI-RFSA IVI Compliance Document | TXT | Contains information about IVI compliance. |
For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. For information about critical updates from NI, refer to Available Critical and Security Updates for NI Software.
NI-RFSA no longer installs IVI Compliance Package (ICP). NI-RFSA supports IVI configuration and runtime, but no longer installs the following IVI components:
To use these features, you must install ICP separately. ICP is included in the Software Platform Bundle media. A stand-alone web distribution is available from ni.com/downloads.
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 4.6.2, 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 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager manual.
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, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.
NI-RFSA no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit http://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
Copyright
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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:
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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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.
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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