January 2021
This file contains important information about VeriStand 2020 R4, including system requirements and installation instructions.
VeriStand Drops Support for Windows 7 (32- and 64-Bit) Operating Systems in 2021
Product Security and Critical Updates
Upgrade and Compatibility Issues
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
VeriStand is configuration-based testing software, allowing you to develop, prototype, and test control systems using hardware I/O and your simulation models. The VeriStand software framework enables you to perform real-time or PC-based test configuration and execution that can be customized and extended with LabVIEW, NI TestStand, and other software tools.
VeriStand includes a run-time editable user interface and a test manager you can use to configure and implement triggered multi-file data logging, stimulus generation and playback, and real-time test sequencing.
VeriStand has the following requirements:
| Windows 64-bit Operating System | Real-Time Targets | |
|---|---|---|
| RAM/Processor |
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| Required Software |
| VeriStand software, which you can install from NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) |
| 1 You can achieve higher Primary Control Loop rates by using targets with higher-performance specifications. 2 Using custom devices, such as the Scan Engine Custom Device, will require at least 512MB of RAM. | ||
Note The following sections describe system requirements that apply if you use models, LabVIEW functionality, and .NET APIs in your system.
To configure and run a simulation using your existing compiled model, you need only VeriStand installed. You need additional software to perform other tasks with models, as the following list describes:
If you use other modeling environments, contact your model vendor for requirements for developing a model and converting it into a compiled model.
To create custom devices, menu items, workspace controls and indicators, or timing and sync devices, you must have LabVIEW 2020. The LabVIEW functionality in VeriStand always requires like-numbered versions.
The VeriStand .NET APIs require the following Microsoft software:
VeriStand supports the following operating systems:
| Windows Systems | Real-Time Targets |
|---|---|
|
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| Note In 2016, VeriStand dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. VeriStand 2020 R4 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use VeriStand 2020 R4 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing VeriStand 2020, 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 2020, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?. 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 requires Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update. | |
When formatting a disk with a PXI Linux RT system image for VeriStand 2020 R4, select Linux RT System Image 20.6 and enable support for the LabVIEW 2020 programming environment. This feed contains the same driver versions included with the VeriStand 2020 R4 installer and avoids driver version conflicts while deploying XNET to a real-time target.
VeriStand will drop support for the Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit) operating system starting in 2021. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, will not install or run on Windows 7. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.
To install VeriStand, you must log on as an administrator or as a user with administrator privileges. You can activate VeriStand when prompted by the installer or activate later using NI License Manager. To use LabVIEW with VeriStand, install the like-numbered version of LabVIEW on the host computer.
You should also disable any automatic virus detection programs before you install. Some virus detection programs interfere with the installer. Be sure to check your computer for viruses and enable your virus detection programs after installing VeriStand.
You can install VeriStand with either NI Package Manager or installation media.
Download the VeriStand 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.
If you purchased this product with media, insert the VeriStand installation media and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
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.
The following sections describe issues to be aware of when you upgrade to VeriStand 2020 R4.
Note NI recommends that you also review the Upgrade and Compatibility Issues in the readme files for each VeriStand version between the version from which you are upgrading and VeriStand 2020 R4. To access the documents, refer to the NI website at ni.com/info and enter the Info Code for the appropriate VeriStand version from the following list:
VeriStand 2020 R4 does not support communication with uncompiled models.
Models compiled from LabVIEW VIs (.lvmodel or .lvmodelso files) using earlier versions of LabVIEW must be recompiled using LabVIEW 2020. The LabVIEW functionality in VeriStand requires like-numbered versions.
The VeriStand Model Framework contains changes to the files you use to develop and compile models in C/C++ and third-party modeling environments. If your system contains models compiled with previous versions of the Model Framework, choose from the following options to continue to use the models in VeriStand 2020 R4:
VeriStand 2020 R4 can open projects from VeriStand 2010 to 2018 SP1 using the Open Legacy Project option in the Welcome tab.
In VeriStand 2020 and later, built-in Custom Devices, including the Embedded Data Logger, are no longer included when installing from offline media. Use NI Package Manager to include all supported Custom Devices during installation. To install Custom Devices separately, see the release page for each Custom Device on the VeriStand Add-ons support page
You cannot add new instances of the Lambda Genesys and Pickering custom devices. Refer to the NI website for details on how to access the source code for the Lambda Genesys and Pickering custom devices.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. See VeriStand 2020 R4 Known Issues for an up-to-date list.
To run the VeriStand editor, the .NET Framework 4.6.2 must be installed. However, installing the .NET Framework 4.6.2 can break the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 compilers, which are used to compile models for PharLap VeriStand targets. Using broken compilers results in error LNK1123. To resolve this Microsoft compiler issue, apply all service packs and updates for your version of Microsoft Visual Studio or Windows SDK. Refer to Microsoft Support Article 2757355 for more information.
For a complete list of the IDs and titles of the issues fixed in VeriStand 2020 R4, see VeriStand 2020 R4 Bug Fixes. If you have a Bug or Legacy ID, you can search the list to validate that the issue has been fixed.
VeriStand includes the following documentation resources:
| Resource | Contents | Access Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| VeriStand Help | Conceptual, how-to, and reference information for using VeriStand. | In software: Help»Show VeriStand Help... OR Windows Start menu: All Programs»National Instruments»VeriStand 2020 R4 Help |
| VeriStand .NET API Help | Reference information for the .NET APIs included with VeriStand. You can access these assemblies from any .NET-compatible programming language or environment, including NI LabVIEW™ and NI TestStand™. | Windows Start menu: All Programs»National Instruments»VeriStand 2020 R4 .NET API Help. |
| VeriStand Model Framework Introduction | Information about how to use the VeriStand Model Framework to compile your existing C and C++ model code so you can load your models in VeriStand. | You can access this guide from the <RootDrive>\VeriStand\<xxxx>\ModelInterface\custom directory, where RootDrive is the drive where NI software installs and xxxx is the VeriStand version number. Note You must explicitly select VeriStand Model Framework when you run the VeriStand installer. |
Note If you install VeriStand with the compatible version of LabVIEW, you also can access a subset of the VeriStand Help, including information about the VeriStand VIs and extending VeriStand functionality with LabVIEW, from the LabVIEW Help. From LabVIEW, select Help»LabVIEW Help.
VeriStand includes the following types of examples:
Note On the Windows OS, the default location of the <Public Documents> directory is C:\Users\Public\Public Documents.
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.
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