This document contains important information about using the FieldPoint software, including system requirements, installation instructions, new features and changes, and known issues.
System Requirements
Installation Instructions
Product Security and Critical Updates
New Features and Changes
Driver Version Naming Changes
Known Issues
Upgrading FieldPoint RT Controllers to LabVIEW Real-Time Module 2012 SP1, 2013 SP1, 2014 SP1 and 2015 SP1
Automating the Installation of NI Products
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x
NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016
Legal Information
System RequirementsSupported Operating Systems
You can install and run this version of the FieldPoint software on the following operating systems:
Windows 8.0/7/Vista (32-bit and 64-bit)*
Windows XP SP3 (32-bit)
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)*
Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit)
Note The FieldPoint installer does not support Windows 2000/NT/Me/98/95 or Windows XP x64. Operating system versions marked with an asterisk (*) run within the 32-bit emulation layer, Windows on Windows (WOW64).
Caution If you upgrade your system from a previous version of Microsoft Windows to Microsoft Windows Vista, you must uninstall all National Instruments software prior to performing the upgrade. After the upgrade is complete, you can reinstall your National Instruments software.
Installation InstructionsSupported Software
The following table lists major versions of LabVIEW that each version of FieldPoint supports.
FieldPoint
LabVIEW Versions
6.0
7.1/8.0/8.2/8.5
6.0.1
7.1/8.0/8.2/8.5
6.0.2
7.1/8.2/8.5/8.6
6.0.3
7.1/8.2/8.5/8.6
6.0.4
7.1/8.2/8.5/8.6
6.0.5
8.2/8.5/8.6/2009
6.0.6
8.2/8.5/8.6/2009
6.0.7
8.5/8.6/2009/2010
6.0.8
8.5/8.6/2009/2010
6.0.9
8.6/2009/2010/2011
6.0.10
8.6/2009/2010/2011
6.0.11
2009/2010/2011/2012
6.0.12
2009/2010/2011/2012
6.1
2010/2011/2012/2013
13.1
2010/2011/2012/2013 SP1
14.5
2011/2012/2013/2014 SP1
15.0
2012/2013/2014/2015
15.5
2012/2013/2014/2015 SP1
Note 15.5 is the last release for FieldPoint software.
FieldPoint IAK Configuration File Included in Application
In FieldPoint 6.0.2 or later, you can include FieldPoint configuration files in the data directory of a LabVIEW application. Select Include hardware configuration files on the Advanced tab in the Application Properties dialog box to include the files. The built executable uses the IAK configuration file in the data directory instead of the IAK file registered with the system.
Which IAK file LabVIEW uses for a VI depends on the VI itself and the VI location. The following table shows the IAK file to use in each case.
VI Name
VI in a LabVIEW Project
VI not in a LabVIEW Project
VI in an EXE File
Polymorphic FP Read, FP Write and FP Write/Read
IAK file associated with the Project
Most recently opened IAK file
IAK file distributed with EXE
FP Get Configuration
IAK file associated with the LabVIEW Project
Most recently opened IAK file
IAK file distributed with EXE
Legacy VIs (FP Open, FP Create Tag, FP Close)
Most recently opened IAK file
Most recently opened IAK file
Most recently opened IAK file
How to Delete Disconnected Remote Systems Using Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) 4.5 or Later
To delete a disconnected remote system, right-click Remote Systems in MAX and select Delete Disconnected Systems. This operation do not delete offline FieldPoint systems with saved configurations.
Creating a FieldPoint Distribution Kit
If you are deploying a FieldPoint executable built with LabVIEW 8.0 or later, you can include FieldPoint 5.0 or later in the installer. Ensure that you copy the .iak file associated with the project to your application.
To create a FieldPoint executable using LabWindows/CVI, include FPCVIMgr.DLL in the distribution kit. By default this file is installed in the \WINNT\system32 folder for Windows 7/VISTA/XP.
You must also include .iak file created in MAX with the FieldPoint distribution kit.
FieldPoint OPC Server
The latest FieldPoint OPC server supports the OPC Interface Specifications 2.04.
Note The values returned by tags of type VT_BOOL have been changed from +1 to -1 (0xFFFF - VARIANT_TRUE) to comply with the OPC specifications. All discrete input and output items, except the "All" item, for FieldPoint channels are defined to be of type VT_BOOL. If you have an OPC application that checks for data values equal to +1 for discrete items, change the application to check for -1 or for a non-zero value (recommended).
Product Security and Critical Updates
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.
New Features and Changes
Added support for LabVIEW 2015 SP1
Driver Version Naming Changes
FieldPoint versions are now aligned with the versions of major NI application software products. This alignment gives you information about the year the driver was released and the most recent software version the driver was designed to work with. Driver versions now start with a two-digit year indicator: . For example, FieldPoint 15.5 is the version released with LabVIEW 2015 SP1. The last version released under the old numbering scheme is FieldPoint 6.1. The first version released under the new numbering scheme is FieldPoint 13.1.
Known Issues
FieldPoint 15.5 has the following known issues:
cFP-180x User LED Is Inaccessible through Serial Port
The cFP-180x User LED channel is accessible only through an Ethernet connection. You cannot read or control the User LED through a serial connection.
Remote I/O Error Reporting May Not Match Host VI Error Reporting
A VI running on an RT controller may report errors for remote I/O. These errors do not match the errors reported by the same VI running on a host computer. For example, if an AI channel is out of range, the FP Read VI running on a host computer reports an Out of Range error. The same VI running on an RT controller returns channel-specific error A or B. Refer to the Attributes, Ranges, and Commands topic of the FieldPoint LabVIEW Interface Help for more information about channel status error messages. Doing remote I/O over serial may result in an Unknown Tag error (32812) if initialization with the module fails.
Upgrading FieldPoint RT Controllers to LabVIEW Real-Time Module 2012 SP1, 2013 SP1, 2014 SP1 and 2015 SP1.
The cFP-22xx controllers require LabVIEW Real-Time Module 8.5.1 or later. The cFP-21xx controllers require LabVIEW Real-Time Module 8.0 or later. National Instruments recommends LabVIEW Real-Time Module 7.1.1 for use on the [c]FP-20xx controllers. The [c]FP-20xx controllers do not support LabVIEW Real-Time Module 8.6 or later. Some features of LabVIEW Real-Time Module 8.x require more than 16 MB RAM, and the [c]FP-2000 and some other [c]FP-20xx controllers have only 16 MB RAM. Use the Remote Systems Install Software Wizard in MAX to install LabVIEW and FieldPoint software on FieldPoint controllers. For more information about memory and storage requirements of different LabVIEW versions, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code rdlrmf.
For more information about which versions of the LabVIEW Real-Time Module and FieldPoint software components on the FieldPoint RT controller are compatible with each other, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code fpswlist.
Automating the Installation of NI Products
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
For more information about silent installations of individual NI products, refer to KB 4CJDP38M, Automating the Installation of a Single Installer.
For more information about silent installations of NI products in a suite, such as NI Developer Suite, refer to KB 4GGGDQH0, How Do I Automate the Installation of a Suited Installer?.
To determine what version of NI Installers your product contains, refer to KB 4CJDR18M, How Can I Determine the Type and Version of My National Instruments Installer?.
How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x
When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.x, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher.
Using NI Launcher
NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.
Note NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.x. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher.
Pinning Frequently Used Applications
For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:
Current Application
Icon Location
Pin to Action
Windows 8.x Desktop
Desktop Taskbar
Right-click application and select Pin to Taskbar
Windows 8.x Desktop
Start screen
Right-click application and select Pin to Start
Windows 8.x Start screen
Desktop Taskbar
Right-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen
Finding All Programs
If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select All apps (Windows 8.0) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).
For more information about NI support for Windows 8.x, visit ni.com/windows8.
Note The FieldPoint installer does not support Windows 2000/NT/Me/98/95 or Windows XP x64. Operating system versions marked with an asterisk (*) run within the 32-bit emulation layer, Windows on Windows (WOW64).
LabVIEW 2015 SP1 is the last version of LabVIEW supported by the NI-FieldPoint driver.
LabVIEW 2015 SP1 is the last version of LabVIEW supported by the NI-FieldPoint driver. This means that you will not be able to use Compact FieldPoint hardware with any LabVIEW version newer than 2015 SP1. Versions of FieldPoint that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:
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End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
Notices are located in the \_Legal Information and directories.
EULAs are located in the \Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
Review \_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.
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Patents
For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.