6.1 to 7.1 exe

[Redwolf4]

Currently we use LabView to work as a operator interface, HMI, with our custom machines.  Do to recent changes at our company, I find myself now involved with making changes / upgrades to past programs.  Some older programs are compiled and run using  the 6.1 runtime.  As we currently use 7.1, what is involved with upgrading these systems to 7.1 as needed.  Is it just a matter to load the old VI's into 7.1, recompile and creating an installer allowing the customer to install over the 6.1 exe?  Or would there be less headaches with making the changes and staying with 6.1 as I still have 6.1 aviable.

[JÞB]

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Redwolf4 wrote:

Currently we use LabView to work as a operator interface, HMI, with our custom machines.  Do to recent changes at our company, I find myself now involved with making changes / upgrades to past programs.  Some older programs are compiled and run using  the 6.1 runtime.  As we currently use 7.1, what is involved with upgrading these systems to 7.1 as needed.  Is it just a matter to load the old VI's into 7.1, recompile and creating an installer allowing the customer to install over the 6.1 exe?  Or would there be less headaches with making the changes and staying with 6.1 as I still have 6.1 aviable.

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This might hurt a bit but.

why not just write your applications in COBOL?  to paraphrase Dijkstra "The use of COBOL (Outdated LabVIEW Versions like 7.1) cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense."

your customers may want to use the power of more advanced NI drivers on the same systems.  Driver support for 6.1 has all but vanished and 7.1 support is getting pretty thin.  

If your going to sell these apps you really need to consider how supportable they will be if your customers want to use the same machine for other experiments. 

[Andrey_Dmitriev]

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Redwolf4 wrote:

Currently we use LabView to work as a operator interface, HMI, with our custom machines.  Do to recent changes at our company, I find myself now involved with making changes / upgrades to past programs.  Some older programs are compiled and run using  the 6.1 runtime.  As we currently use 7.1, what is involved with upgrading these systems to 7.1 as needed.  Is it just a matter to load the old VI's into 7.1, recompile and creating an installer allowing the customer to install over the 6.1 exe?  Or would there be less headaches with making the changes and staying with 6.1 as I still have 6.1 aviable.

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This can be painful.

I'll give you one example. One year ago I've got request for relative massive changed in old LabVIEW 6.1 written software due to changing in the production process. Current version was 8.6 at this moment. So, for me was much more comfortably to work with LabVIEW 8.6 (because projects, libraries, quick drop feature, shared variables, etc, etc.)

In the given application was used: LabVIEW 6.1, DSC 6.1, Vision 7 and Report Generation Toolkit (1.0 I guess).

DSC was used pretty intensive - communication with Siemens OPC, internal DSC-based OPC Server, HMI, Sequrity and Alarm Display.

First the application was opened with lot of broken VIs (due to completely other DSC). In the manual it was described how to convert old scf file to the latest Shared Variables. The conversion was failed, so I have to create all thinks manually. Alarm Display logic was changed completely, and not working any longer as before (items colorizing and acknowledge logic was broken). After that I was unable to get communication between DSC and OPC. Additional problems was with licenses - the old DSC and Vision RunTime Licenses cannot be used for activation latest versions. Spoken with NI support, but they told me that we should purchase new licenses, because too long distance between 6.1 and 8.6, but how can we explain these additional cost to our customer?

So, spended nearby whole work week with attempt to get this monster running with 8.6, I have put this time into the trash box, and finished all necessary changes with LabVIEW 6.1 (not so comfortably as 8.6, but work pretty fast on modern PC) 😉

Also - think twice - do you really needed this?

Andrey.

[Ben]

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Andrey Dmitriev wrote:

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Redwolf4 wrote:

Currently we use LabView to work as a operator interface, HMI, with our custom machines.  Do to recent changes at our company, I find myself now involved with making changes / upgrades to past programs.  Some older programs are compiled and run using  the 6.1 runtime.  As we currently use 7.1, what is involved with upgrading these systems to 7.1 as needed.  Is it just a matter to load the old VI's into 7.1, recompile and creating an installer allowing the customer to install over the 6.1 exe?  Or would there be less headaches with making the changes and staying with 6.1 as I still have 6.1 aviable.

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This can be painful.

I'll give you one example. One year ago I've got request for relative massive changed in old LabVIEW 6.1 written software due to changing in the production process. Current version was 8.6 at this moment. So, for me was much more comfortably to work with LabVIEW 8.6 (because projects, libraries, quick drop feature, shared variables, etc, etc.)

In the given application was used: LabVIEW 6.1, DSC 6.1, Vision 7 and Report Generation Toolkit (1.0 I guess).

DSC was used pretty intensive - communication with Siemens OPC, internal DSC-based OPC Server, HMI, Sequrity and Alarm Display.

First the application was opened with lot of broken VIs (due to completely other DSC). In the manual it was described how to convert old scf file to the latest Shared Variables. The conversion was failed, so I have to create all thinks manually. Alarm Display logic was changed completely, and not working any longer as before (items colorizing and acknowledge logic was broken). After that I was unable to get communication between DSC and OPC. Additional problems was with licenses - the old DSC and Vision RunTime Licenses cannot be used for activation latest versions. Spoken with NI support, but they told me that we should purchase new licenses, because too long distance between 6.1 and 8.6, but how can we explain these additional cost to our customer?

So, spended nearby whole work week with attempt to get this monster running with 8.6, I have put this time into the trash box, and finished all necessary changes with LabVIEW 6.1 (not so comfortably as 8.6, but work pretty fast on modern PC) 😉

Also - think twice - do you really needed this?

Andrey.

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It cost one of my customer $30K to upgrade an LV 6.1 DSC app to LV 8.2 DSC in my serviece alone!

THe core LV stuff should just load and go.

It is the add-ons (like DSC) taht get complicated.

Ben