NI Linux Device Drivers 2021 Q4 Readme

October 2021

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI Linux Device Drivers 2021 Q4.

You can find more release information, such as known issues, bugs fixed since the last release, and other notes about this release, in the NI Linux Device Drivers Release Notes. For more general NI Linux information, refer to the NI Linux Users Community on ni.com.

Overview

Installation Instructions

Package Repositories

Supported Drivers

Product Security and Critical Updates

Legal Information

Overview

NI Linux Device Drivers software provides Linux Desktop support for a variety of NI test and measurement hardware. It offers repository registration packages for each supported Linux distribution. Once the appropriate driver software repository is registered for the system, use the Linux distribution's native package manager to install NI driver software packages.

Installation Instructions

Refer to Download and Install NI Driver Software on Linux Desktop.

Package Repositories

NI Linux Device Drivers are installed from one of the following two options.

• Static repository registration packages are labeled with a date-based suffix, such as ni-RHEL7CENTOS7-drivers-2021Q4. Software from this repository is not intended to change, and it is updated only for critical patches. Use this kind of repository when you need to reproduce a specific software stack.
• Stream repository registration packages are labeled with a -stream suffix, for example: ni-RHEL7CENTOS7-drivers-stream. Software in this repository is updated regularly with the latest versions of each driver package as it is released. Running an update/upgrade command with a package manager will update installed NI packages to their latest released version for systems that have registered a stream repository. This kind of repository is the simplest way to keep NI driver software up to date.

"Firstlook" is present in repository registration package names, for example ni-ubuntu2004firstlook-drivers-2021Q3.deb, to identify a repository that does not contain one or more of the drivers present in the other feeds. This commonly occurs when NI adds support for a new Linux OS distribution and there is a transition period while individual drivers are gradually added or validated on that distribution.

If you plan to upgrade to a new distribution and you see "firstlook" in its NI repository registration package name, refer to the Supported Drivers table to ensure that the NI products you need support the new distribution.

Supported Drivers

For details about a specific driver's system requirements, supported hardware, limitations, and so on, refer to the readme for the individual driver.

The following table shows driver support for several Linux distributions. Use your Linux distribution's package manager to install the specified add-on files for an NI driver.

Product Security and Critical Updates

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.

Legal Information

Copyright

© 2018–2021 National Instruments Corporation. 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.

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:

• Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
• EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
• Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

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.

Trademarks

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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