PXI Platform Services 21.5 for Linux Readme

January 2022

This file contains the latest information about PXI Platform Services and supersedes any information found in other documentation included in the distribution.

Refer to NI Linux Technology for the most recent information about Linux support at National Instruments.

Refer to PXI Platform Services release notes for known issues, bugs fixed since the last release, and other release details.


System Requirements

Installation Instructions

Supported Hardware

Device Configuration

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

Linux Limitations

Legal Information


System Requirements

PXI Platform Services software for the Linux/x86 64-bit architecture has been tested on the following distributions:

  • openSUSE Leap 15.2
  • openSUSE Leap 15.1
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • CentOS 7
  • Ubuntu 20.04
  • Ubuntu 18.04

PXI Platform Services requires a 64-bit distribution and does not support 32-bit applications.

Installation Instructions

NI provides a repository add-on for all supported drivers that you can install using your Linux distribution's native package manager.

  1. Visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code LinuxRepository.
  2. Download the installer for the repository add-on for your Linux distribution.
  3. Run the command (e.g., rpm, apt, etc.) to install the repository add-on.
  4. Select and install the following PXI Platform Services driver packages through your Linux distribution's package manager:
    • ni-pxiplatformservices
    • ni-pxiplatformservices-labview-<version>-support (LabVIEW support)
    • ni-pxiplatformservices-devel (C and C++ support)

After the driver package(s) are installed, you must rebuild the new packages for the system kernel. NI recommends that you run the command 'dkms autoinstall' after installation, and before rebooting the system, to install the latest revision of all modules that have been installed for other kernel revisions. After doing so, the installed device drivers will function immediately on the next system start.

Supported Hardware

PXI Platform Services supports NI PXI and PXI Express Chassis, Embedded Controllers, and Remote Controllers.

Refer to NI Hardware and Operating System Compatibility to verify that your hardware is compatible with PXI Platform Services.

Device Configuration

PXI Platform Services is configured via the nipxiconfig utility installed by the installation script into /usr/bin/nipxiconfig. For a list of commands and other relevant information about the utility, consult the man page: man nipxiconfig.

Starting with PXI Platform Services 18.1, the format of the alias for all PXI Chassis in the NI System Configuration API has changed. Previously the alias of PXI Chassis 1 would be Chassis 1. Beginning with PXI Platform Services 18.1, the alias is PXIChassis1.

Accessing the Help

Use a web browser to view PXI Platform Services documentation in the /usr/share/doc/ni-pxiplatformservices directory.

Linux Limitations

Some features discussed in PXI Platform Services documentation are unavailable on Linux.

  • PXI Platform Services supports two application development environments:
    • LabVIEW 2019, 2020, and 2021
    • C and C++ (gcc)
  • PXI Platform Services does not provide the Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) graphical configuration utility that is available for other operating systems.
  • External calibration functions are not supported. Refer to your hardware documentation for information about external calibration, and refer to ni.com/calibration. If your PXI Platform Services requires external calibration, either perform the calibration on a Windows system, or hire NI or an independent calibration laboratory to perform the calibration.

Legal Information

Copyright

© 1998–2022 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved.

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

Notices are located in the /usr/share/doc/ni-pxiplatformservices/NOTICES directory. EULAs are located in the /usr/share/ni/licenses directory.

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 NI Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.

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