How Can I Build a Custom Installer for Multiple NI Products?

This article describes how to create a customized installer to install a specific list of NI software versions 2019 or newer, which can be run non-interactively or silently. If you want to automate the installation of an individual NI software consider using NI Package Manager feeds instead. Using the NI Batch Installer Builder no longer works with newer software, following this article using NI Package Builder is the recommended replacement.  

Create the Installer

NI Package Builder (available on the NI Package Builder Download Page) can be used to bundle multiple NI product installers into a single package installer. Follow these steps to create an installer, which will contain your chosen software and all dependencies.

1. Open NI Package Builder and access the Installers and Repositories pane.

2. Select New Installer or Repository, then select either:
   • New Package Installer to create a package installer that allows a user to install packages without NI Package Manager installed by double-clicking on the Install.exe file. This installer only has a single version of a given package.
   • New Local Repository to create a repository that can be consumed by NI Package Manager. A local repository requires the user installing the files in the repository to already have NI Package Manager installed. Package Builder currently can only create a new repository and not add to an existing repository.

3. Select Add Packages to add packages to the repository or installer.

• For packages local to the solution, select the checkboxes for the packages to include.
• For external packages, select Show Additional Sources. Package Builder can add external packages that have been installed to your PC, as shown in Installed Packages, or downloaded to your PC as a package installer, shown in Installer Products.

4. After adding the packages, they will be visible under the Installer. If needed change Include recommended and suggested packages, and modify the Installation Behavior from Optionally Install to Always Install

5. If this is a new solution, then select File»Save Solution to save the solution. This is necessary because build outputs are placed in subdirectories relative to the solution, by default.
6. Build the installer or repository. Use the Errors and Warnings pane to address errors as needed.
   • If the installer or repository requires solution packages to be built for the first time or built again, select Build»Build Solution in the application-wide toolbar.
   • If the installer or repository requires solution packages that have already been successfully built with your most recent version of the files, then select Build»Build Installers and Repositories in the application-wide toolbar to skip rebuilding the packages.

The installer directory NI Package Builder creates can now be moved to another computer or a network drive for deployment.

Run the Installer

To run the installer non-interactively without any user input use the following in the command prompt, or in a batch file (see Automating an Online or Offline Installer).
start /wait Install.exe --passive --accept-eulas --prevent-reboot

With NIPM 20.7 or later, you can use the following command instead to run the installer fully silently.
start /wait Install.exe --quiet --accept-eulas --prevent-reboot

Additional Information

If you would also like the installer to point clients to a Volume License Server see How Can I Build a Volume License Installer Using Multiple NI Installers?. If you want to mix 2019 software with pre-2019 software, you will need to create two separate installers.