NIPM – Installation of packages can’t proceed because EULAs are missing

[LabBard]

NIPM – Installation of packages can’t proceed because EULAs are missing - I've resolved this.  I posted to provide information to others and to get comments or alternative solutions.

Environment/Software:  Windows 10, NIPM 23.0, LabVIEW 23.0and add-on NIPM API v3.2.1.9

Background/Application:  To control and standardize  the software installed on remote test systems, I created a feed for installing and updating automation software and drivers.  After installing NI Package Manager on a target computer, I added the feed I had created.  This feed contained packages built using LabVIEW and included all necessary dependencies like the LabVIEW run-time engine.  The feed also contained packages from standalone installation of drivers and utilities like NI-488.2, IMAQdx etc.  It was necessary to install these packages to get utilities like NI-MAX installed, which I use for driver configuration and troubleshooting.

Problem: The installation of the test automation software and drivers went without error.  However, when I attempted to install the utility packages, NIPM generated an error:

. 

I didn’t find any feeds containing these packages.

Resolution: There is a local feed, “C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\eulas”, where these EULAs are stored.  I copied this feed from my development computer to network storage.  Then I added a link to the feed, which I had just created, to the list in the target computer’s NI Package Manager.  Then the EULAs were found by NIPM and the installation competed without any errors.

[Scott_Richardson]

LabBard, thanks for posting. Curious, how were you building the feed, where you using nipkg.exe?

If yes, note that when using a command like nipkg.exe get-dependencies, the command only returns a list of package dependencies, and not any EULA packages, which are treated as required dependencies when installing.

Note that when building feeds with LabVIEW, NI Package Builder, or TestStand Deployment Utility, all required EULAs will be included in the destination feed.

[LabBard]

Scott,

I programmed several applications in LabVIEW for test system automation.  Using LabVIEW, I built executable files and then built the packages, which include all necessary dependencies.  Using an option in the package build, I chose to add the packages to a feed, which I had already created.

As you know, these packages built in LabVIEW don't include utilities from NI-488.2, NI-VISA, NI-DCPower ... like Instrument Studio, NI-MAX, etc.  To get packages for these into my feed, I run a program I wrote using the add-on, NIPM API, which can be found from the VI package manager.  First, I install all the NI software I want using installers from NI on a "template" computer.  Once I have the template computer set up completely, I run my NIPM API program, which finds all of the installed packages, downloads these packages from NI, adds the packages, which aren't already in the feed, to the feed, which I previously created containing the LabVIEW built packages. 

Then I take the additional step of creating a feed for the EULAs.

You may ask "why not include packages for the NI utility software, when building LabVIEW generated packages?".  I've found that the utility software like NI-MAX invariably is missing functionality, when I use that method.

Using NIPM on a target computer, I can install all of the packages including my automation applications and NI utilities.

Regards.

[Scott_Richardson]

LabBard, thanks for explaining your build workflow.

Curious, is there a reason that you do not have your NIPM API program that you wrote to include the EULAs in the same feeds as the software packages, which is what NI does with its feeds? I am less familiar with that API and it might be that the API does not support listing the EULA packages.

[LabBard]

In NIPM, the EULAs are listed in the "Packages" tab, but not in the "Installed" tab. So, "nipkg list-installed" doesn't list EULAs.

There is a VI in the NIPM API that runs the command "nipkg.exe get-dependencies".  If you include the switch " --include-eulas" to that command, it will list the EULA packages. I could use this to find and add EULA packages to my feed. 

I often see a package called "eula-depot"; what is this?

[LabBard]

ni-euladepot, not eula-depot, is the correct name of the package.  What is the EULA depot?

[Scott_Richardson]

The EULA packages are for visible EULAs that must be displayed during installation. Visible EULAs are a subset of all the EULAs that might apply to NI software. By design only one package should install a file, so to prevent all packages from installing the many EULA files that apply to NI software, all NI software install a single package ni-euladepot that contains all EULA files, and they are installed to C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory. Then individual packages then install notice files under the C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\_Legal Information directory to declare what notices must be installed with a package and their text can reference specific EULAs. 

This file documents where files are place on disk:

C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\_Legal Information.txt