What's the importance and Value of the Project environment?

[Neville D]

QUOTE (Matthew Zaleski @ Apr 8 2009, 07:53 AM)

That's unfortunate.

And can NI-MAX itself be driven by a LabVIEW app to do all of the necessary driver updates of a cRIO target?

I need a way of automating this. My users don't know, nor do they want to know, how to configure the gobs of settings needed to support a cRIO target. And as I mentioned before, these units are now deploying worldwide; I can't walk up to them to update the software.

Yes, we have exactly the same concerns with our PXI-RT installs at customer sites. I would contact JR.Andrews AT ni.com. He and his team have been working on the System Replication tool to work out these issues (duplicating MAX functionality programmatically). They have plans for improvements, but emailing him your concerns will sure get the ball rolling faster.

N.

[crelf]

QUOTE (Matthew Zaleski @ Apr 8 2009, 10:53 AM)

Does anyone know if the NI-MAX CD/DVD installer can be fully scripted to only install the drivers I know are needed and not ask the user any questions?

I'm not in front of my system at the moment, so this might be a little rusty: when you're in the build installer dialog, and you select DAQ as one of the things to install, there is an option in the top right where you can select between 5 types. From http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5434' target="_blank">NI's website:

QUOTE

Q: Can I make NI-DAQmx smaller so that it doesn't take up so much disk space?

A: You can select different runtimes of the NI-DAQmx driver to decrease the disk space by more than 70 percent. This allows you to repackage NI-DAQmx so that you can install it with your deployed applications.

NI-DAQmx installs much more than just the basic .dll driver. NI-DAQmx is a componentized, extensible driver software package featuring necessary components required to simplify configuration, device management, development, and cross-device functionality. In addition, NI-DAQmx includes a set of measurement services which go far beyond a basic API to make device function calls. NI-DAQmx includes LabVIEW SignalExpress LE, Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX), documentation, examples, and the DAQ Assistant.

The NI-DAQmx installer extracts the installation files to your hard disk in the C:\National Instruments Downloads\NI-DAQmx folder. After the installation of NI-DAQmx is complete, the installation files remain on the hard disk and take up close to 1 GB of disk space. If you ever need to free up disk space on your hard disk, you can delete these files without affecting the functionality of NI-DAQmx. However, in the future, if you wish to install additional features of NI-DAQmx or include NI-DAQmx in an installer created in LabVIEW, you must extract these files back onto your hard disk or place them on a CD-ROM.

There's a table on ni.com somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

[Neville D]

QUOTE (crelf @ Apr 8 2009, 10:16 AM)

I'm not in front of my system at the moment, so this might be a little rusty: when you're in the build installer dialog, and you select DAQ as one of the things to install, there is an option in the top right where you can select between 5 types. From http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5434' target="_blank">NI's website:

There's a table on ni.com somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

True Chris, but it doesn't address his question of how to install software updates on remote targets like cRIO's. Currently it can only be done through NI-MAX>Remote Targets>Software> and then selecting the software version to update.

N.

[Matthew Zaleski]

QUOTE (Neville D @ Apr 8 2009, 12:53 PM)

Yes, we have exactly the same concerns with our PXI-RT installs at customer sites. I would contact JR.Andrews AT ni.com. He and his team have been working on the System Replication tool to work out these issues (duplicating MAX functionality programmatically). They have plans for improvements, but emailing him your concerns will sure get the ball rolling faster.

N.

Thanks for the tip. I've sent an email his way.

QUOTE (crelf @ Apr 8 2009, 01:16 PM)

I'm not in front of my system at the moment, so this might be a little rusty: when you're in the build installer dialog, and you select DAQ as one of the things to install, there is an option in the top right where you can select between 5 types. From

NI's website

:

There's a table on ni.com somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

Thanks Chris. I've bookmarked that NI page for further review. I think that will at least let me get the right drivers on the laptops accessing the cRIOs without the user wading through that massive list of choices.

[crelf]

QUOTE (Neville D @ Apr 8 2009, 01:27 PM)

True Chris, but it doesn't address his question of how to install software updates on remote targets like cRIO's.

Oh, yes, you're right - sorry - I was thinking of something else.

QUOTE (Matthew Zaleski @ Apr 8 2009, 01:46 PM)

Thanks Chris. I've bookmarked that NI page for further review.

Anytime. I discovered it recently when an end-user's PC just needed some DAQ goodness on it, and I didn't want them to have access to anything through MAX. Sure enough, using this method it doesn't even install MAX :thumbup:

[Matthew Zaleski]

QUOTE (crelf @ Apr 8 2009, 02:28 PM)

Anytime. I discovered it recently when an end-user's PC just needed some DAQ goodness on it, and I didn't want them to have access to anything through MAX. Sure enough, using this method it doesn't even install MAX :thumbup:

I think the underlined should read "optionally doesn't even install MAX". It looks like you are able to create a custom installer with exactly the components you want.