NI-XNET Device Support for Linux Desktop Operating System

Issue Details

• I am utilizing a Linux OS based desktop and would like to utilize NI-XNET hardware for my application. 
• Can I program NI-XNET in a Linux machine?

Solution

Users can utilize NI-XNET with a Linux OS based desktop, however their is a separate driver distribution for Linux based operating systems. 
 

Obtaining the driver: 
When users select the NI-XNET driver on NI.com users can select the operating system to be Windows or Linux. 
Once the zip file is downloaded users can follow the instructions in the link below for their respective Linux distribution: 

Installing NI Drivers and Software on Linux Desktop

Supported Hardware: 
For a list of supported hardware, users can review the respective release notes for the NI-XNET for Linux/x86 architecture. Example: NI-XNET 2023 Q2 for Linux/x86 Architecture - Supported Hardware

Hardware Configuration: 
This distribution includes the NI-XNET Hardware Configuration Utility, nixnetconfig, a command line interface configuration utility for Linux desktop distributions. This utility provides functionality similar to the Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) graphical configuration utility, which is not supported on Linux. Run nixnetconfig to start the utility and configure supported NI-XNET interfaces and devices.

Additional Information

Finding Examples:
This release includes examples showing the use of NI-XNET in C and LabVIEW.

C examples are located in /usr/share/doc/ni-xnet/examples (From LabVIEW 2023 Q1 and later the examples can be found under LVAddons directory /usr/local/natinst/share/lvaddons/ni-xnet/examples). Make files are provided that link to the necessary libraries.

LabVIEW examples are located in the LabVIEW examples directory.

Be sure to run the device configuration utility (described in Device Configuration) before running examples.

Linux Limitations:

Some features discussed in the NI-XNET documentation are unavailable on Linux.

• NI-XNET supports two application development environments:
  • LabVIEW: LabVIEW 2020 SP1, LabVIEW 2021 SP1, LabVIEW 2022 and LabVIEW 2023
  • C and C++ (gcc)
• NI-XNET does not support other ADEs, such as the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, LabWindows/CVI, Microsoft Visual C/C++, or Microsoft Visual Basic.
• While NI-XNET includes LabVIEW VIs, it does not provide other graphical utilities that are available for other operating systems:
  • LabVIEW Express VIs
  • Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) graphical configuration utility. Refer to Device Configuration in the Installation section for information about configuring your device in Linux.
  • Soft front panels.
• When using NI-XNET in a PXI system, several restrictions apply:
  • Control through MXI-4 is supported
  • Control through MXI-3 is not supported
• External calibration functions are not supported. Refer to your hardware documentation for information about external calibration, and refer to ni.com/calibration. If your NI-XNET requires external calibration, either perform the calibration on a Windows system, or hire NI or an independent calibration laboratory to perform the calibration.