Vision License problem

[Cabman]

We use TestStand 3.1, LabVIEW 7.1, and Vision Development Module V7.1.1 for Machine Vision test applications. It all works well, until we need to deploy the system.

When we deploy a non vision application there are no issues, i.e. We use the TestStand Base Deployment, which uses the LabVIEW run-time Engine and all is good. However, if Vision is used, the LabVIEW vi's still use the Vision Development Module instead of a Vision Run-time license. My understanding is that Vision Run-time licenses only work if the LabVIEW VI is compilied into an executable. I've confirmed this in that we also use LabVIEW executables for Vision applications without TestStand, and we don't need the Development Module on the system. It checks out a license from our Volume License Manager.

Anyone know a way around this? Installing a Development Module on each system is terribly expensive. We have 6 systems now. I have purchased Vision run-time licenses for each.

Note: We are also looking at upgrading to TS 4.0, LV8.5, VD 8.5.

[Andrey_Dmitriev]

Hi, Cabman,

I haven't experience with TestStand, but its not true "...that Vision Run-time licenses only work if the LabVIEW VI is compilied into an executable...". Technically almost all Vision VIs perform the DLL calls to NIVision.dll/NiVisSvc.dll. Vision Runtime will deploy these DLLs and the license. Do you have installed Vision Run-Time (vision71rte.exe in your case) on the target machine?

[Cabman]

Ok, maybe I'm mistaken. It's been a while since I tried this.

I think I remember now the problem was that the un-compiled vi would not check out a run-time license from our VLM server. I had to have the Vision development system installed and activated for it to work.

[Michelle_N]

Cabman,

You are correct. Vision RTE ONLY supports executables containing Vision Development Module VIs. It does not support VIs containing VDM VIs.

You cannot write a VI in LabVIEW containing VDM VIs on a PC that has VDM installed then run the VI on a different PC with only LabVIEW support. You need VDM to support the VIs and Vision RTE to support Vision executables.

Does this make sense?

The Run-Time Engine is specifically to support executables at run time.

[Cabman]

Michelle,

So how can I use Vison with TestStand and LabVIEW without requiring an expensive VDM for each Vision system I develop?

Do I compile my LabVIEW Vis into ActiveX servers then communicate with them with the ActiveX Adapters to pass and receive parameters? The server will then check out a Runtime License and I won't need the VDM. That's the only way I can think of off hand, but it doesn't seem to be a very practical method.

Do other companies use Vision with TestStand? How do they do it?

Thanks

[Michelle_N]

Cabman,

You could write an executable to access the Vision VIs.

Here is a KnowledgeBase that does a better job of explaining this: Software Requirements to Run a TestStand Sequence that Includes NI-Vision

Does this make sense?