NI Developer Suite 8.2 / LV Runtime Engine 8.2 vs 7.1.1

[lgk]

I have NI Developer Suite 8.2 and have installed LabVIEW v8.2 from it onto my development computer.  I have converted a LabVIEW 6.1 application to 8.2 and am now setting up an installer build for the application.

When setting up installer build properties, I find NI LabVIEW 7.1.1 Runtime Engine, NI LabVIEW Run-Time Engine 8.0.1, and NI LabVIEW Run-Time Engine 8.2 listed as additional installers that can be included in the build.

Wanting to use the latest and greatest for my application, I have selected Run-Time Engine 8.2 for inclusion in the installer.

Upon testing the installer, I find Runtime Engine 7.1.1 installed, not 8.2.

I checked the development computer (Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs->National Instruments Software) and found only Runtime Engine 7.1.1 installed. I then uninstalled LabVIEW 8.2 and reinstalled it, hoping to be able to specify which runtime engine to install, but there is no option in the installation process for runtime engines.

My question is: what happened to runtime engine 8.2? Why can't I get it installed on my development computer? If it doesn't exist, why is it listed in the installer build properties as an installer that can be included? Is it vaporware?

[TCPlomp]

The best thing to test this is looking MAX (measurement and automation explorer).

Maybe you have a 'National Instruments' item in the installed software? Try looking inside this and maybe you find RTE 8.2 there.

Probably NI has merged the installers under one item National Instruments since LV 8

Ton

[NIJanell]

Hello Igk,

In MAX, the RTE should be showing up like this:

The LabVIEW 8.2 RTE definitely does exist and if it shows up as an option to add to your installers, but it isn't showing up in MAX, something fishy is definitely happening.  You said you already tried uninstalling and reinstalling?  Could you let me know exactly where it is and where it isn't showing up?

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Janell R | Applications Engineer

Message Edited by NIJanell on 12-11-2006 10:21 AM

[lgk]

Janell R:

Thank you for your response. I apologise for the delay in getting back to you, but I have been out of town (and then there was Christmas).

I used MAX, as you suggested, and found runtime v8.2 (see attached screen shot).

So, the software is on the computer, but it doesn't get included in the installer, even though I have selected it for inclusion.

If I were to uninstall the older runtime engines, do you think that would force LabVIEW to include v8.2? Or would it just break the whole thing?

[NIJanell]

Hello Igk,

One interesting thing to note is the difference  between our MAX screenshots.  Your LabVIEW doesn't have a version number beside it and multiple of your RTEs have the old icon.  What OS are you running?

You may want to try either repairing LabVIEW or mass compiling.  For some reason, versions just aren't being correctly associated.  Mass compiling does take an extended period of time (multiple hours), so I would start it as you leave for the day.  You may need to mass compile all of LabVIEW.

Let me know how it goes,

Janell R | Applications Engineer

[lgk]

Janell R:

I have mass compiled my application previously, with no effect on the problem. When you say "mass compile all of LabVIEW", do you mean to let it loose on the c:\program files\national instruments\labview 8.2 folder?

[Spex]

Hi Igk,

On your development machine, the LabVIEW RTE 8.x will not appear in Add/Remove Programs because it is an invisible MSI Installer.  The installer is invisible because other applications (LabVIEW Development environment, for example) are dependent on the RTE.  Uninstalling the RTE would cause problems for all the other programs with dependencies, so the option to remove it is not there.  If you uninstall all the programs that depend on the RTE, the RTE will be uninstalled with the last program.  You can see in the attached image that I don't have LV RTE 8.0, or 8.0.1, or 8.2 in Add/Remove Programs, but it is listed in MAX Software.

If you run this LV installer on a clean PC(without the LV development environment), I havn't tested for sure, but because the application installed depends on the RTE, the RTE still probably won't show up in Add/Remove Programs (but your application will).  You can verify the RTE's existance by checking the <Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\LabVIEW Run-Time\8.2> directory and verifying the lvrt.dll version is 8.20.x.xxxx.  Also, when the application runs, you will know the RTE exists.  Also as TonP mentioned, you can use MAX to verify its installation. 

As a side note, I would generally avoid running LV built installers on a development machine that already has LV.  Installing the RTE (or any other NI installer) from a LV custom installer will change its installation source stored in the registry from the LV CD where it was originally installed from to the installer that you built.  Future repairs of the RTE will then look for this custom installer rather than the original source.  If that installer disappears or changes, repairs or uninstalls become more difficult.  I usually set up a test machine to test my LV built installers. 

Cheers,