NI-Sync 2023 Q1 for Linux/x86 64-bit Architecture Readme

January 2023

This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for NI-Sync 2023 Q1.

You can find more release information on ni.com.

System Requirements

Installation Instructions

Supported Hardware

Finding Examples

Accessing the Documentation

Linux Limitations

System Requirements

NI-Sync software for Linux 64-bit architecture has been tested on the following distributions:

  • openSUSE Leap 15.4
  • openSUSE Leap 15.3
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Ubuntu 22.04
  • Ubuntu 20.04

NI-Sync for Linux 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 NI-Sync driver packages through your Linux distribution's package manager:
    • ni-sync
    • ni-sync-devel: This package is intended for C support and includes C examples.
    • ni-sync-labview-[year]-support: This package is intended for LabVIEW support and includes LabVIEW examples.

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.

Updated LabVIEW Compatibility Policy

When installing NI-Sync, the "NI-Sync Support for LabVIEW" package will be recommended if you have already installed LabVIEW 2022 or later and installs to the LVAddons directory. This package supports applications using NI-Sync with LabVIEW 2022 or later.

LVAddons directory location: /usr/local/natinst/share/lvaddons

Supported Hardware

Visit NI Hardware and Operating System Compatibility to view driver, desktop operating system, and real-time operating system support for individual hardware devices.

To view information for your device:

  • Select your hardware model in the dropdown list on the page to view compatibility information for your device.
  • Type your hardware model number in the dropdown list on the web page to filter the list of available devices.

Note: Some compatibility information may only be available in the archive attached to the NI Hardware and Operating System Compatibility page. For historic driver and OS support information, refer to the readme for the relevant driver version.

Finding Examples

This release includes examples showing the use of NI-Sync in C and LabVIEW.

C examples are located in /usr/share/doc/libnisync1/examples/ansi_c. A makefile is provided that links to the necessary libraries.

The LabVIEW examples are located in the LabVIEW examples directory and are integrated into NI Example Finder within the LabVIEW ADE.

Accessing the Documentation

Use a web browser to view the NI-Sync documentation at ni.com.

Linux Limitations

Some features discussed in the NI-Sync documentation are unavailable on Linux.

  • NI-Sync for Linux supports two application development environments:
    • LabVIEW (64-bit): 2020 and later for rpm and 2021 and later for debian
    • C and C++ (gcc)
  • NI-Sync for Linux does not support other ADEs, such as the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, LabWindows/CVI, Microsoft Visual C/C++, or Microsoft Visual Basic.
  • NI-Sync for Linux does not provide the following graphical configurations or debug utilities that are available for other operating systems:
    • Test Panels
    • NI I/O Trace
    • NI Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) graphical configuration utility
      • The NI Hardware Configuration Utility is an alternative to discover and rename PXIe-6674T and PXI-6683H devices and is available with the ni-hwcfg-utility package
      • Additionally, all supported NI-Sync hardware (PXIe-6674T and PXI-6683H) can be discovered and renamed through the NI System Configuration (NI-SysCfg) API.
        • Install the following:
          • ni-syscfg-runtime
          • ni-syscfg-devel (for C/C++ development)
          • ni-syscfg-labview-support (for LabVIEW development)
        • Run the ./local/natinst/share/lvaddons/nisyscfg/1/examples/nisyscfg/Rename Aliases.vi example to change aliases in LabVIEW
    • To read device aliases and general device properties directly from the command line, use the lsni -v or the lsni -u command.

Refer to NI-Sync Limitations on Linux Desktop and NI Linux Real-Time for more information about target support and functionality.