Labview 4 and the UNIX test stand

[gap]

This month I have been tasked with testing a new custom ASIC. We are using an old IMS Logic Master XL 60 to automate the testing. The thing uses UNIX and Labview 4. The driver will not be updated for any newer versions of LABView.

Any ideas on how to roll back LabView 7 code back to Labview 4? There is no "undo" for pete sake.

[Louis Manfredi]

Hi Greg:

LabView 4?? Talk to your boss-- My bet is that it will be FAR LESS EXPENSIVE to upgrade to a current version of LabView than to try and work with the antique version. Not just no undo (for Pete's sake) but also "insane objects" with a depressing regularity, and many missing features that we've all come to depend on.

Not that I have anything in particular against LV4-- It looked pretty good going to it from LV2.1, but looking back on it from LV7/8, it seems rather primitive. We engineers sometimes get carried away with spending money on the latest greatest tool, even when what we've got would work-- but this seems like an extreme case in the opposite direction-- A boss that places no value your time, and is unwilling to give you the tools you need to do the job with minimal efficiency.

To answer your question, in recent versions, you can "save as" the next earlier vesion, so going at least some distance into the past you should be able to save the LV7 version as LV6, open that in LV6, repair it, than from LV6, "Save As" LV5, etc. At each step you'll probably have to replace some code that uses features that hadn't been invented in the earlier version. If you really must work with LV4, best to start from scratch there, writing a program that's designed around the limitations of LV4.

Just my opinion, but bet others here will substantially agree.

Good luck & best Regards, Louis

[gap]

Hi Greg:

LabView 4?? Talk to your boss-- My bet is that it will be FAR LESS EXPENSIVE to upgrade to a current version of LabView than to try and work with the antique version. Not just no undo (for Pete's sake) but also "insane objects" with a depressing regularity, and many missing features that we've all come to depend on.

Not that I have anything in particular against LV4-- It looked pretty good going to it from LV2.1, but looking back on it from LV7/8, it seems rather primitive. We engineers sometimes get carried away with spending money on the latest greatest tool, even when what we've got would work-- but this seems like an extreme case in the opposite direction-- A boss that places no value your time, and is unwilling to give you the tools you need to do the job with minimal efficiency.

To answer your question, in recent versions, you can "save as" the next earlier vesion, so going at least some distance into the past you should be able to save the LV7 version as LV6, open that in LV6, repair it, than from LV6, "Save As" LV5, etc. At each step you'll probably have to replace some code that uses features that hadn't been invented in the earlier version. If you really must work with LV4, best to start from scratch there, writing a program that's designed around the limitations of LV4.

Just my opinion, but bet others here will substantially agree.

Good luck & best Regards, Louis

Everything you mention sounds true. It makes sense. I am stuck using LV4. Thanks for the comments.

[Neville D]

Everything you mention sounds true. It makes sense. I am stuck using LV4. Thanks for the comments.

Talk to your local NI Rep. They should be able to give you old versions of LV (assuming you have a current LV 7 licence) so that you can go all the way back to LV 4.

Alternately, they might be able to transfer it for you if there aren't too many VI's.

Sorry, did you say "UNIX"? Are you trying to get to LV 4 UNIX version? that might be impossible unless your code has no platform specific VI's (DAQ?/toolkits etc etc). I don't think NI support HP-UX any longer. Now its only Windows, Mac and Linux.

Neville.

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

Everything you mention sounds true. It makes sense. I am stuck using LV4. Thanks for the comments.

I'm not 100% sure but I thought the earliest version that had Save with Options->Save for previous version was 5.1. So there would be a problem to go back to 4 with this feature.

On the other hand the only reason not to upgrade to a newer version would be that your driver is in compiled form without diagram. In that case and I'm sorry to say it, but you are in deep shit.

Rolf Kalbermatter

[gap]

Part of the problem with upgrading would be that the test stand is a UNIX SUN station. I have very limited or no support to upgrade the UNIX station. It took several weeks to get a new monitor (special connector) for it. Upgrading may just cause a problem that our very limited It group could not fix. Then testing would not be able to start. Labview 4 may not be so

bad to use afterall. "If it is not broken do not fix it." So like I said before, I agree that the best solution at this time is to work in the native LV4 and just live with it.