Solution
The serial number that you receive when you purchase NI software is attached to a particular version of the software. This serial number can be used to activate that version and any previous version. In order to activate future versions with automatic upgrades as soon as software is released, keep your contract active. Refer to
Standard Service Program for Software for more information.
For example, you can purchase LabVIEW 2017 and use the serial number to activate LabVIEW 2012, but could not use the serial number to activate LabVIEW 2018.