NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 Readme
June 2018
This file contains important information about NI-RFmx SpecAn and is organized into the following sections:
New Features
Installation Instructions
Activation Instructions for NI-RFmx Noise Figure License
Supported Hardware
System Requirements
Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples
Executable
Documentation
Accessing VIs and Functions
Finding Examples
Product Security and Critical Updates
Behavior Changes
Known Issues
Bug Fixes
Increasing Available Memory For Your Application
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
Legal Information
New Features
NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 includes the following new features:
Addition of Phase vs Time trace in AMPM measurement
Addition of Reference Power Type attribute in AMPM measurement
Addition of APIs to perform self-calibration and partial self-calibration
Addition of NI-RFmx Debug Configuration Utility to configure debug settings
Support for monitoring a RFmx application in NI-RFmx Soft Front Panel
Support for LabVIEW 2018 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Support for querying configuration attributes without calling RFmxSpecAn Commit API
NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.4 includes the following new features:
Support for crest factor reduction for pre-DPD and post-DPD signal processing when operating under high compression
Improvement in performance and stability in Iterative Memory DPD
Addition of the NMSE result property to DPD measurement
Speed performance improvements with Noise Figure measurement
NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3.1 includes the following new feature:
NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3 includes the following new features:
Addition of Phase Noise measurement
Addition of Max Timing Error property in DPD and AMPM
Addition of functions to query signal configuration names and result names
Addition of a sequential FFT measurement method in the ACP measurement
Support for LabVIEW 2017 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Support for VBW in Spectrum, Spur, TxP and Zero Span measurements
Support for Detectors in Spectrum, Spur and Zero Span measurements
Support for frequency-dependent external attenuation tables
Support for frequency-dependent amplitude correction on measured power spectrum data
Support for monitoring API calls in the NI IO Trace
Installation Instructions
Caution Before you install NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5, ensure that you have uninstalled all related NI-RFmx 1.0 products.
Caution If you are using only RFmx LabVIEW Runtime products, NI recommends uninstalling all the RFmx Runtime products before installing a newer version of RFmx Runtime products.
NI-RFmx drivers requires that all the installed driver versions remain the same for proper functionality. This requirement is because NI-RFmx drivers share components. If driver incompatibilities exist, they are reported through a dialog box after installation. You can also use the Version Compatibility Checker utility to manually check for version incompatibilities. Refer to the Installed Software, Documentation, and Examples section for more information about the installed location of the Version Compatibility Checker utility.
Note Some of the installed NI-RFmx SpecAn .NET examples require NI-RFSA .NET Class Libraries or NI-RFSG .NET Class Libraries. For these examples to build and run successfully, install NI-RFSA .NET Class Libraries or NI-RFSG .NET Class Libraries before or after installing NI-RFmx SpecAn.
Activation Instructions for NI-RFmx Noise Figure License
The Noise Figure measurement requires license activation. To evaluate or activate the Noise Figure license, you must install the Noise Figure license, which is a separate installer from the RFmx SpecAn installer. If you install the Noise Figure license but do not activate it, you will have 30 days from the first time you use the measurement to evaluate it.
Supported HardwareVector Signal Analyzers
Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Vector Signal Analyzers Help.
Vector Signal Transceivers
NI PXIe-5644R
NI PXIe-5645R
NI PXIe-5646R
NI PXIe-5840
Device-specific information about these modules is included in the NI RF Vector Signal Transceivers Help.
System RequirementsSupported Operating Systems
NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 supports the following operating systems:
Windows 10/8.11/7 SP12 (32-bit and 64-bit)
Windows Server 2012 R21 (64-bit)
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP12 (64-bit)
Note In 2016, NI-RFmx SpecAn dropped support for Microsoft Windows 7 RTM (with no service pack), Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2016, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?.
1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.
2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.
Note NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 does not support Windows Server non-R2 editions.
NI recommends that you have the most recent service pack for your operating system installed.
Minimum Requirements
Processor—1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
RAM—4 GB*
A screen resolution of 1,024 x 768
Windows 10/8.1/7, with all available critical updates and service packs
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2
*Depending on the amount of data acquired and/or processed, a larger amount of memory may be required.
Note For better responsiveness of the NI-RFmx Soft Front Panel on a remote desktop, National Instruments recommends changing the remote desktop connection colors setting to be 16-bit color depth.
Application Development Environments (ADEs)
Note You should install ADEs, such as NI LabVIEW, NI LabWindows/CVI, or Microsoft Visual Studio®, before installing NI-RFmx SpecAn. To add support for ADEs installed after installing NI-RFmx SpecAn, modify your NI-RFmx SpecAn installation or launch the NI-RFmx SpecAn installer again.
NI LabVIEW 2015 SP1 f5 patch, 2016, 2017, or 2018
NI LabWindows/CVI 2010 or later
Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 SP1 or later
Note NI-RFmx SpecAn does not operate correctly without the service packs and patches previously mentioned installed.
Other Required Software
Installed Software, Documentation, and ExamplesInstalled Software
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
<NIDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location:
<NIDocDir> is an alias for the following National Instruments file folder location: UsersPublicPublic DocumentsNational Instruments
<SYSDIR> is an alias for the following file folder location:
File Locations
Item | Installed Location |
| Version Compatibility Checker | <NIDir>RFmx
iRFmxCompatibility_Checker.exe |
| Debug Configuration Utility | <NIDir>RFmx
iRFmxDebugConfigurationUtility.exe |
| DLLs | <SYSDIR> |
| Function Panels | <NIDir>SharedCVIBin
iRFmxSpecAn.lfp
<NIDir>SharedCVIBin
iRFmxInstr.lfp
|
| Header files | <NIDir>SharedExternalCompilerSupportCinclude
|
| Import Library files (32-bit) | <NIDir>SharedExternalCompilerSupportClib32msvc
|
| Import Library files (64-bit) | |
| C, .NET, NI TestStand |
| Examples | <NIDocDir>NI-RFmxSpecAnexamples |
| LabWindows/CVI |
| Examples | <NIDocDir>CVIsamplesRFmxSpecAn |
| LabVIEW |
| Examples | <NIDir>LabVIEW<version>examplesRFmxSpecAn |
| .NET Class Libraries |
| Assemblies | <MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>DotNETAssembliesCurrentNationalInstruments.RFmx.SpecAnMX.Fx40.dll
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>DotNETAssembliesCurrentNationalInstruments.RFmx.InstrMX.Fx40.dll
<MSTUDIOVS2010DIR>DotNETAssembliesCurrentNationalInstruments.Common.dll |
Executable
For 32-bit OS, select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx SpecAn»NI-RFmx SpecAn Measurement Interactive Panel to launch the NI-RFmx SpecAn Measurement Interactive Panel (32-bit).
Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx SpecAn»NI-RFmx Soft Front Panel to launch the NI-RFmx Soft Front Panel (64-bit).
Note NI-RFmx Soft Front Panel does not support the FCnt Measurement. However, this measurement is supported in the NI-RFmx SpecAn Measurement Interactive Panel.
Documentation
Documentation for NI-RFmx SpecAn is located at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx SpecAn»NI-RFmx SpecAn Documentation. The documentation set is composed of the following documents.
Document | Format | Description |
| NI-RFmx SpecAn Help | HTML/Windows Help | Information about NI-RFmx SpecAn. This help file is an HTML version of a traditional user manual that includes the following information:An introduction to NI-RFmx SpecAn How to get started with application development A complete reference for all NI-RFmx SpecAn programming functions and VIs
|
| NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 Readme | HTML (this document) | Information about supported hardware and operating systems, new features, fixed issues, and legal notices. |
For the most recent revisions of documentation and for newly released documentation, visit ni.com/manuals.
Accessing VIs and Functions
NI-RFmx SpecAn palette VIs are available from the Functions»Measurement I/O»NI-RFmx palette.
NI-RFmx SpecAn functions are available in LabWindows/CVI from the Library»RFmx SpecAn Library menu.
Finding Examples
In LabVIEW, you can use the NI Example Finder to search or browse examples. NI-RFmx SpecAn examples are classified by keyword, so you can search for a particular device or measurement function. In LabVIEW, select Help»Find Examples to launch the NI Example Finder. The NI Example Finder offers two ways to access all installed LabVIEW example VIs (including NI–RFSG and Modulation Toolkit examples) and their descriptions:
Click the Browse tab to locate modulation examples by task at Hardware Input and Output»Modular Instruments»NI–RFmx»SpecAn or by directory structure at RFmx»SpecAn.
Click the Search tab to search all installed examples by keyword. For example, search for "SpecAn" to locate all NI-RFmx SpecAn examples.
The NI Example Finder is also available in LabWindows/CVI by selecting Help»Find Examples.
You can also access all the installed NI-RFmx SpecAn examples for LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI at Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-RFmx SpecAn»NI-RFmx SpecAn Examples.
Refer to ni.com/examples for these examples and for more information.
Product Security and Critical Updates
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.
Behavior Changes
The following items are the behavior changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.4.
The following items are the behavior changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3.1 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3.
Changed the default value of the IQ Power Edge Source property to ""(empty string).
The alias 'default@SpecAn' for the default signal name is accepted as a valid signal name in a selector string parameter.
LabVIEW built binaries using RFmx version older than 2.2 are no longer supported.
The following items are the behavior changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.2.
The following VIs are no longer accessible from the LabVIEW palette. RFmx SpecAn continues to support VI functionality, but users are encouraged to use replacement VIs.
Deprecated VI | Replacement VI |
| RFmxSpecAn DPD Configure Apply DPD Headroom VI | RFmxSpecAn DPD Apply Digital Predistortion VI |
| RFmxSpecAn DPD Apply DPD VI |
The Sync Tuned -4 and Sync Tuned -5 enums of RBW filter types are no longer supported in SpecAn.
Known Issues
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 Known Issues at ni.com for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5.
Bug Fixes
The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in NI-RFmx SpecAn. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the NI-RFmx SpecAn. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.
The following items are changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.5 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.4
ID | Fixed Issue |
| 693345 | Fixed an issue with the behavior of Auto Sweep Time in Zero Span Mode. The Zero Spam Mode of spectrum measurement now uses Auto RBW and Auto Sweep Time as 10 MHz and 1 ms respectively. |
| 695688 | Fixed an issue with IQ data measurement, where querying IQ Bandwidth property always returned 1 MHz when auto-bandwidth was enabled. |
The following items are changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.4 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3.1
ID | Fixed Issue |
| 628854 | Fixed an issue where burst detection failed for some RU locations in 802.11ax MU PPDU. |
| 645675 | Fixed an issue where the user mode of Apply DPD required configuration of reference waveform and commit as a workaround. |
| 675609 | Fixed an issue with double array properties in Phase Noise and Noise Figure measurements when used with LV 64-bit. |
| 640495 | Fixed an issue where switching between measurements from an NI-RFmx cellular personality to Demod, resulted in higher EVM on 5668R. |
| 671078 | Fixed an issue where the .NET methods, RFmxSpecAnMXIQResults.FetchData() and RFmxSpecAnMXDpdApplyDpd.ApplyDigitalPredistortion(), threw exception when used with a named result. |
The following items are changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3.1 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3.
ID | Fixed Issue |
| 650095 | Fixed an issue where the RFmxInstr Close API did not abort a measurement in progress, but instead waited for the measurement to finish before closing. |
| 650083 | Fixed an issue with RFmxInstr Save All Configurations API to save the attribute configurations depending on the corresponding number of channels configured by user. |
| 648703 | Fixed an issue where passing NULL as selector string in a few C functions, caused the function to crash. |
| 647237 | Fixed an issue with retrieving the properties specific to Spur range measurements when you set the Spur Num Ranges property to n, modify to 'less than n' and then set it back to n. |
| 643208 | Fixed an issue with CHP trace when RRC filtering is disabled. |
The following items are changes in NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.3 from NI-RFmx SpecAn 2.2.
ID | Fixed Issue |
| 631432 | Fixed an issue where incorrect values were returned on reading RF Attenuation and Mechanical Attenuation properties. |
| 631477 | Fixed an issue with retrieving the results in CHP measurement through property node with a named result. |
| 623301 | Fixed an issue with retrieving the calibration data in Noise Figure measurement when using the 26.5 GHz NI PXIe-5668R with 26.5 GHz RF Preamplifier (NI PXIe-5698). |
Increasing Available Memory For Your Application
When developing memory intensive applications, you may encounter memory limits as 32-bit Windows applications only utilize 2 GB of memory by default. To expand the amount of memory an application can utilize, you can configure the executable to be large address aware to gain access to up to 3 GB of memory on a 32-bit Windows operating system and up to 4 GB of memory on a 64-bit Windows operating system.
For more information, refer to Memory Limits for Windows and Windows Server Releases on the Microsoft website.
| Note LabVIEW 8.5 and later are large address aware. For more information, refer to How Much Memory can LabVIEW 32-bit or 64-bit Use?. |
In TestStand 2013 and later, the Large Address Aware flag is enabled by default for the TestStand Sequence Editor and TestStand User Interfaces. For more information, refer to Using the Large Address Aware Flag With TestStand Applications.
Automating the Installation of NI Products
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.0, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.0 separately before you install NI software.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
For more information about silent installations of individual NI products, refer to KB 4CJDP38M, Automating the Installation of a Single Installer.
For more information about silent installations of NI products in a suite, such as NI Developer Suite, refer to KB 4GGGDQH0, How Do I Automate the Installation of a Suited Installer?.
To determine what version of NI Installers your product contains, refer to KB 4CJDR18M, How Can I Determine the Type and Version of My NI Installer?.
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
Legal Information
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End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices
You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:
Notices are located in the <National Instruments>_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>SharedMDFLegallicense directory.
Review <National Instruments>_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.
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Patents
For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.
374847J-01
