January 2016
This file contains important information about the NI OPC Servers, including system requirements, installation and activation instructions, and a list of new drivers.
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003
NI OPC Servers provides a single consistent interface to communicate with multiple devices, saving you from learning new communication protocols and spending time understanding new applications. The combination of NI OPC Servers and other NI products, such as LabVIEW, the LabVIEW Datalogging and Supervisory Control (DSC) Module, Lookout, Measurement Studio, and LabWindows™/CVI™, provides a single platform for delivering high-performance measurements and control to new and existing industrial systems.
NI OPC Servers has both software and hardware minimum system requirements. This application supports the following operating systems:
Note NI OPC Servers does not support Windows NT/Me/2000/98/95 or the Windows Server non-R2 editions.
NI OPC Servers has the following minimum hardware requirements:
The following table lists the application software versions, including service packs, supported by NI OPC Servers.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by NI OPC Servers 2016 |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| DSC Module | 2013, 2014, 2015 |
| Lookout | 6.6 |
Note The DSC Module must be the same version as LabVIEW.
NI OPC Servers connects through the OPC client in the DSC Module to enable you to develop a full-fledged Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable automation controllers (PACs), and smart sensors.
Note By default, NI OPC Servers installs with the DSC Module for a two-hour evaluation period and with Lookout fully-licensed.
Complete the following steps to install NI OPC Servers if you purchased NI OPC Servers separately from the DSC Module or Lookout.
Note Some virus detection programs interfere with the installer. Disable any automatic virus detection programs before the installation. After installation, check your computer for viruses and enable any virus detection programs you disabled.
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 OPC Servers installed with Lookout is licensed. NI OPC Servers installed with the DSC Module provides a temporary license for a two-hour evaluation period. You must activate a valid license to continue using NI OPC Servers after the evaluation period expires.
Use the NI License Manager, available by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI License Manager, to activate NI products.
NI OPC Servers supports numerous drivers for communication to third-party devices. You can connect to one driver at a time or an unlimited number of drivers simultaneously. To learn about driver usage in NI OPC Servers and to determine the number of drivers you can simultaneously connect to, visit ni.com/info and enter the info code opcdriverusage.
NI OPC Servers 2016 supports the following new drivers:
For a complete list of drivers that NI OPC Servers supports, visit ni.com/info and enter the info code opcdriverlist.
Refer to the NI website at ni.com/opc or the NI OPC Servers Help, available by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»OPC Servers 2016»OPC Servers Help, for more information about NI OPC Servers.
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 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.
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
Note NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.1. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher.
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:
| Current Application | Icon Location | Pin to Action |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.1 Desktop | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar |
| Windows 8.1 Desktop | Start screen | Right-click application and select Pin to Start |
| Windows 8.1 Start screen | Desktop Taskbar | Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen |
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen.
For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
NI OPC Servers will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of NI OPC Servers 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 |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | lifecycle |
| LabWindows™/CVI™ | cvi_lifecycle |
| Measurement Studio | mstudiolifecycle |
| TestStand | tslcp |
| DIAdem | ddlcp |
| SignalExpress | selcp |
| VeriStand | nivslifecycle |
Copyright
© 2007–2016 National Instruments. All rights reserved.
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.
NI 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.
For copyright notices, conditions, and disclaimers, including information regarding certain third-party components used in NI OPC Servers, refer to the NI_OPC_Servers_notice.pdf file located in the National Instruments\Shared\NI OPC Servers\V5 directory.
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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