Running LabVIEW app on CDROM without run-time engine installed

[Jim Kring]

I've got a customer who can't install the run-time engine, due to this known issue and their IT dept is unable to resolve the problem. So, we have to find a solution that lets us run our application without having the run-time engine installed (for example, by including the run-time engine DLLs along with the built EXE).

I recall that several years back there was an NIWeek presentation by Kennon Cotton that documented how one could distribute a LabVIEW app on a CDROM and include the run-time engine DLLs on the CDROM (in a subdirectory beneath the EXE). Does anyone know if this is still feasible in LabVIEW 2009 or 2010? Does anyone happen to have a link to (or copy of) the documentation or presentation about this?

I'm going to keep digging for more info and will post whatever I find. I figured it would be useful to post here to see if anyone knows, off hand.

Thanks!

[update 2010-09-28: I just found the "Runtimeless Installer and LabVIEW applications" thread started by Jack Hamilton where he posted his presentation and example files, including Kennon's NIWeek presentation.]

[update 2010-10-01: We were able to successfully install the LabVIEW 2010 Run-Time Engine (it's not affected by the known issue) and decided to just build our application in LabVIEW 2010.]

[ShaunR]

I remember that article too. I also remember creating a distribution with just the lvrte.exe and the advanalys.dll (the latter was required for a lot of the trig/maths functions). And, if I remember correctly, if you were using other features you had to include those (like the VISA, DAQ and IMAQ dlls).

[crelf]

This is all really old info, but if might work.

Try http://forums.lavag....tions-t122.html and http://forums.ni.com...p/469196/page/2 and the following from The Engineering Handbook:

Application Building (Creating executables)

Often left to the last minute in application development, building stand-alone executable code may not be as straightforward as one might expect. External code libraries, target operating systems, engines, and licenses must be considered before attempting to build an application.

The Run Time Engine (RTE)

Built executables require elements of the LabVIEW RTE to execute. The RTE should be distributed with your applications, as the target PC may not have it installed, and your applications will therefore fail to execute. The location of the RTE installed on a LabVIEW development PC is:

..\National Instruments\Shared\LabVIEW Run-Time\Version\

and a re-distributable version is located on the LabVIEW installation CD-ROM:

..\LVRunTimeEng\

Although manual distribution of the RTE is possible, it can be automated when distributing your built software, using an installer as detailed below. In some cases, the installation of the RTE is not necessary[1]. If an executable is a simple one, it may not need the RTE to be installed on the target machine at all - all one needs to do is include some of the engine's files with the exe for it to work. To test if this method will work with a particular built executable, copy the following files & folders into the folder containing the exe:

..\National Instruments\shared\nicontdt.dll

..\National Instruments\shared\nicont.dll

..\National Instruments\shared\LabVIEW Run-Time\ver\* (including all sub-directories)

Using the LabVIEW 6.1 development system as an example, the exe's directory would look something like:

..\AppDirectory\MyApp.exe

..\AppDirectory\MyApp.ini

..\AppDirectory\My_Apps_DLLs (if_any)

..\AppDirectory\nicontdt.dll

..\AppDirectory\nicont.dll

..\AppDirectory\lvapp.rsc

..\AppDirectory\lvjpeg.dll

..\AppDirectory\lvpng.dll

..\AppDirectory\lvrt.dll

..\AppDirectory\mesa.dll

..\AppDirectory\serpdrv

..\AppDirectory\models\*

..\AppDirectory\errors\*

..\AppDirectory\script\*

When the executable is launched on a PC without the RTE installed, it should find all of the RTE files it requires in the application’s root directory, and execute normally. This method can be particularly useful when distributing autorun presentations on CD-ROMs.

As built executables have a similar structure to VI libraries, it is possible to extract and use the diagramless VIs within. Simply change the extension of the executable file to llb, and open the library within LabVIEW. One should be careful when designing the architecture of a commercial application, as this G executable characteristic can allow users to reverse engineer an executable, effectively accessing the functionality of the SubVIs within the executable.

[1] This method is not authorised or supported by NI and does not support DataSocket, NI-Reports, or 3D Graphs.

[vugie]

I made once runtimeless and installerless application with LV 8.2. "Runtime" part consisted of following files:

DNCInterface.dll [.]  mesa.dll [script] lvpng.dll [models] lvjpeg.dll [errors] OpenThreadsWin32.dll [English] copyright.txt metrics.bak  mkl_lapack64.dll   libguide40.dll niMetaUtils.msm  IgnoreProperties.dat lvrt.dll libxml2.dll logosbrw.dll nbfifo.dll iconv.dll lvanlys.dll  niini32.dll nicont.dll NationalInstruments.LabVIEW.dll

I didn't use any VISA nor DAQmx stuff.

[hooovahh]

I haven't got a run-timeless engine to work in anything after 7.1 (one more reason 7.1 is my favorite) but I heard some people getting it to work with 8.2. If anyone has had any experience with getting it to work on any version I'd be interested in hearing the process.

[Black Pearl]

There are tools around to make an app running from an usb memory stick, that cheat things like the M$win registry. They could be useful for the last parts we don't make be removing the rubbish from our installations. I've never worked with them, though; sorry.

Felix

[Jim Kring]

I got excited when I found VIPM VMWare ThinApp as a possible solution (it allows you to "record" an app installation and then package it up as a single file EXE), but then I looked at the price tag (~$6K).

[update: VIPM ThinApp -- haha! ]

[jgcode]

....I got excited when I found VIPM ThinApp as a possible solution...

Got VIPM on the brain much?

VMware ThinApp

[ShaunR]

Got VIPM on the brain much?

VMware ThinApp

Smart advertising

[Jim Kring]

Got VIPM on the brain much?

VMware ThinApp

Ya, just a little bit. I think my fingers were on autopilot

[hooovahh]

I got excited when I found VIPM VMWare ThinApp as a possible solution (it allows you to "record" an app installation and then package it up as a single file EXE), but then I looked at the price tag (~$6K).

[update: VIPM ThinApp -- haha! ]

Yeah I actually made a ThinApp of an entire LabVIEW development environment. It made a 500MB EXE for LabVIEW 7.1 but I had this single EXE that had LabVIEW on it. I had some issues when trying to use it on Windows 7 when made in XP. I also made one for LabVIEW 8.6 and it was like 1.4GB EXE file. It works but crazy expensive, and there can be alot of tweaking involved.