NI-DAQmx installation failed (Mac OS X 10.6)

[richdun]

Interesting idea... I tried creating a file in /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ called "LV82NPlugin", then monitored the directory while installing NI-DAQmx Base 3.3.0. At some point during the installation, my file replaced by another file - presumably from the installer, as the created date was somewhere in 2007. However, near the end of installation, the file (and another, LV82NPlugin.rsrc) disappeared, and the installation failed (at about the same time).

Method number two (editing the postinstall and postupgrade files hidden deep inside the installer package), however, resulted in "Installation Successful." To make sure this wasn't another "rm" error, I also changed the line:

rm /Library/Frameworks/LabVIEW\ 8.2\ Runtime.framework/Support/setTypeCreator

just below the if statement to:

rm -f /Library/Frameworks/LabVIEW\ 8.2\ Runtime.framework/Support/setTypeCreator

to be safe. Now to restart and see if this was actually a "successful" install.

EDIT: Yep, all is well, at least at first glance. The three utilities load up and run just fine, as far as I can tell, detecting the USB-6211 I have hooked up to this computer in lsdaq, and acquiring a jumpered AI signal (noise) in nidatalogger. Haven't tried LabVIEW yet, but this is encouraging.

Thanks to sth for poking around in those package scripts. Really scary how many packages inside of packages with out-dated scripts and such are in there.

Message Edited by richdun on 09-21-2009 01:56 PM

[ned_konz]

I changed both "rm " instances to "rm -rf ".

And then installation succeeded, and the utilities seem to work.

However, my Ruby plugin to access NI-DAQmxbase doesn't work; I'm having problems with compilation vs. libraries (that is, my Makefile maker is generating "-arch x86_64" flags, and then  the plugin can't find the proper  symbol in the library).

Will see if the example C code can be made to work (it may require CFLAGS="-arch i386" or something similar).

[sth]

@RIch, glad it worked!

If you look at the post installer code, it is having a bit of fun with resource forks.  It creates the resource fork in a separate file, and then as the post install it moves the resource fork file into the actual resource fork and sets the type/creators.  My guess is that the install of both NI-DAQmx base and NI-Visa at the same time try to install the files and then remove them twice.

But if it is not a PPC then it just deletes both the plugin and the resource fork.  So for Snow Leopard, which is Intel only, the "else" clause is the only thing that executes.

As I said, this appears that it will fail on install for Mac OS X 10.5 (or even 10.4) on *Intel* hardware.

@ned, the libraries for NIDAQmx base are all 32 bit since they are generated by the LV compiler.  Thus linking a 64 bit application against them will fail.  AFAIK there is no solution other than making LV itself a 64 bit application (on and OS other than VISTA) and that is a long way in the future if ever.  Submit a request as to why you need this functionality and how important it is to your use of NI hardware.

[ned_konz]

I can try to link against a 32-bit version of Ruby; just not sure how to force this to happen with the Universal binaries (like the Ruby distributed with Mac OS 10.6.1; it's got both 32-bit and 64-bit versions in the binary). Of course, then I have to make sure that the other libs I need also have 32-bit versions...

[sth]

As I said, ask for a 64 bit version of the library.  Use the NI Product Suggestion Center.  Explain your requirements and the fact that 32 bit libraries will be very hard to find in the next release Mac OS X Feral Cat.  You will have to make it work with the 32 bit libraries for the foreseeable future but to have a path forward you will need a 64 bit version.

[_Chris]

One more success with sth work around 🙂  Thanks a lot

I used BBEdit to edit the files 

Now we start waiting for the 64bits version of DAQmx base and LV 😉

ch 

[sth]

---

_Chris wrote:

One more success with sth work around 🙂  Thanks a lot

---

Alright!   Glad it worked as a virtual debugging without testing!  If anyone from NI is monitoring this thread.... (That would be you Brandon or Sara!!).  Please file a CAR with this fix mentioned so that it will be tweaked and fixed in NI-VISA 4.5.2! 

[JoeFriedchicken]

Hi fellow Mac users 🙂

There's a much simpler method you can use to help DAQmx Base install onto Snow Leopard without reporting an error. The executive summary is:

When navigating through the Installer dialogs, choose 'Customize' and deselect the LabVIEW 8.2 Run-Time Engine from the VISA Development tree. Your installation should complete just fine 🙂

Now, for those interested in the details (I imagine Scott would be among them), here they are...

The problem is in the installer, as you all have determined, but the problem is not the phantom LV82NPlugin file. That file is a symptom of the problem 🙂 So why does DAQmx Base install correctly on 10.5? (Yes, it installs without error on both PPC and Intel architectures.)

Well, OS X 10.6 raised the bar on installer quality; namely, you can't install the same package twice in the same session. Before 10.6, it was perfectly fine for an installer to install a package twice in the same session. The LabVIEW 8.2 Run-Time Engine shows up twice, once for VISA and once for NI-Spy. DAQmx Base was asking Installer to install that package twice, and OS X 10.6 wouldn't have any of it.

And what's even more ironic: the 'Installation Failed' message at the end is misleading. The driver is fully installed and you can make calls to it. But the misdirection continues even further: regardless of how you get the driver on the system, 'installed' does not mean 'functional'... See my reply in the other OS X 10.6 thread [1], where the theme there is compatibility and not installation.

[1] NI-DAQmx Base 3.3.0 is not compatible with Mac OS X 10.6
http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=250&view=by_date_ascending&message.id=52270#M52270

Message Edited by Joe Friedchicken on 09-23-2009 06:47 PM

[_Chris]

Nice, I was looking for such an option, but since the "NI-VISA" item was grayed out I did not press the triangle to see the options!

Odd interface, to me a grayed out option means that you cannot edit it, the same goes for sub-options.

Anyway I'm glad it works without patching the installer.

Ch 

[sth]

Joe,

Nice solution and good detective work!  I also looked at NISpy as a problem and couldn't remove it from the installation.  This is a *much* better workaround than editing postflight scripts inside an installer package!!