With the latest version of Windows 7 for Windows, LabVIEW users can apply new technologies.
Microsoft added a new addition to the different functions in Windows7, also improved many of the features introduced in WindowsVista, the improved availability of housing and increase the responsiveness and performance of the system. These changes combined with hardware and software compatibility concerns have made Windows 7 an excellent choice for the latest test and measurement applications. This article describes how applications written in the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment can take advantage of Windows 7 and the latest computing platforms to increase data throughput, improve performance, and leverage technologies such as 64-bit, USB data acquisition (DAQ), and PCI Express.
use NIUSB data acquisition and Windows7 improve throughput
commercial vendors are already shipping computers with Windows7 of. These computers offer an overall performance boost as well as multi-core, state-of-the-art bus technology, including multiple PCI Express and high-speed USB slots.
Microsoft Windows7 on USB improvements in a lot of investment. These improvements include the elimination of unnecessary timers, optional hub suspension, and low enumeration times for USB flash devices, improving the performance of USB test and measurement equipment. In recent benchmarks, the new NI CompactDAQ chassis achieved a 10% increase in the total reachable bandwidth of Windows 7 compared to the same hardware running on Windows XP. Improved hardware performance combined with the multi-core optimization of the Windows 7 operating system and LabVIEW software enables performance gains of 10% to 20% in high-speed or multi-function I/O measurements. Since
Windows7 operating system having a plurality of improved properties, it is a reliable platform for running LabVIEW software written by the measurement applications.
using multi-core high-performance measurement and PXIExpress
the Microsoft Windows7 recombinant many more members of the task parallel processing system, in order to benefit from the increasingly common multi-core processor. An important example is Microsoft's redesign of the Graphics Device Interface (GDI), which is designed to increase the responsiveness of multiple applications running at the same time. The redesign reduces the number of sequential execution barriers and provides better overall system performance for faster response user interfaces and multi-threaded measurement applications.
multithreaded software will be independent asynchronous process assigned to other threads, which can be executed in parallel on different computer core. Computer processor clock speed increases are limited; therefore, processor manufacturers integrate more cores onto a single chip. For LabVIEW programmers, it is common to create multiple compute-intensive tasks in parallel in the same application; this only requires two cycles to be drawn on the block diagram. LabVIEW and NI drivers such as NI-DAQmx are multi-threaded, which helps test engineers easily create high-performance acquisition and analysis applications without the need to manually create and manage separate threads. Data acquisition applications written in LabVIEW and NI hardware used on multi-core computers can benefit from improvements in Windows 7, designed to further optimize the use of multi-core processors.
require high throughput and performance tests require engineers to use new technologies, such as multi-core processors and PXIExpress, in order to meet the increasing speed requirements. The new NIX series of data acquisition devices natively support PCI Express and PXIExpress, providing up to 250MB/s of bidirectional dedicated bandwidth. NI also offers a number of additional PXIExpress module instruments for high precision, high frequency measurements. Engineers can use these technologies under Windows 7, which take advantage of the latest buses and improve support for multi-core processing, removing constraints and increasing the data throughput of measurement applications.
use NICompactDAQ completed benchmarks show on Windows7 can get up to a 20% increase data throughput.
difference between
understanding Windows7 32-bit and 64-bit versions of 64-bit processor support Windows7 is the third Microsoft operating system. Although the 32-bit version of Windows is still the most popular and offers the best application local compatibility, 64-bit hardware and software are available. When upgrading to Windows 7, it's important to understand the potential benefits between 64-bit and 32-bit, so you can choose the right platform.
new 64-bit version of LabVIEW2009 can be downloaded from ni.com, and it is the first to provide a 64-bit operating system (only WindowsVista and Windows7) LabVIEW local version compatibility. Measurement applications running locally on 64-bit hardware and software can use more physical memory than 32-bit systems, which is good for applications that process large amounts of continuous data. Being able to access more memory can easily improve system performance by avoiding the need to swap out programs to swap out page files stored on the hard disk (much slower than physical memory and cache). In addition to adding physical memory, more registers on 64-bit processors can be written up to 20% faster depending on how the code is written. However, only LabVIEW core software, the NI Machine Vision Development Module, and the latest NI drivers provide direct support for 64-bit Windows versions. Indirect support for 32-bit versions of applications is made possible by Windows (WoW) emulation on Windows; however, this reduces execution speed and performance. Create
test and measurement applications is used to analyze large data sets, which means a high channel count systems and fast acquisition rates, they benefit from replacing the 64-bit version of Windows7. However, most LabVIEW applications do not benefit directly from the replacement to the 64-bit version.
use Windows7, LabVIEW applications running in a loop comprising four parallel 4 cores compared WindowsXP, it can be up to 10 percent performance increase.
Microsoft operating system support life cycle
Because Microsoft in June 2008 officially ended sales of WindowsXP, Windows7 introduction of special significance. WindowsXP has been the most popular operating system on the market since its release nine years ago. A recent survey of NI customers shows that more than 80% said their test and measurement applications are still running on Windows XP, and less than 10% have already used Windows Vista. With the advent of Windows 7, customers have the opportunity to upgrade their old PC measurement hardware, leveraging the latest multi-core processors and bus technology including PCI Express for higher throughput and improved overall system performance.
ensure that the hardware and software compatibility
Microsoft WindowsVista clear that the correct device driver can work in Windows7, and will not introduce any new compatibility requirements to the driver model. This policy is designed to avoid compatibility issues faced by users who first came out of Windows Vista. (Many generic driver does not work or can not be installed.)
addition to compatibility mode option (let the application think they are running older versions of Windows), Microsoft use Windows7 Professional Edition and Ultimate Edition New virtualization technology to avoid the risk of software not running in Windows 7. Using the new Windows 7 mode (called Windows XP mode), users can emulate the popular Windows XP operating system. This gives LabVIEW programmers the easiest way to run old applications, ensuring compatibility with legacy applications.
NI product compatibility
since earlier use Windows7, NI has ensured that most of the NI application software, including LabVIEW2009, LabVIEWSignalExpress2009, DIAdem11.1SP1 and November version of the NI Device Drivers The DVD is already capable of supporting Windows 7. In addition, NI is committed to providing Windows 7 release support for NILabWindows®/CVI, MeasurementStudio, and NITestStand by the end of 2009. Customers who are interested in moving their measurement and automation systems to Windows 7 to take advantage of new efficiencies and higher performance can now upgrade.