Internet connection needed?

[mburnskaurin]

If LabVIEW is installed and activated on a computer, does that computer need to have internet connection later to run LabVIEW, e.g. to check license?

[santo_13]

No, once activated, you don't need an internet connection to use LV. Even for license activation, there is offline method.

[Bob_Schor]

Once you have connected to the License Manager to activate LabVIEW and the packages you installed, you should be "good to go" as long as your license is valid.  In addition, you will need an Internet connection if you want to run the Update Service (to get patches/fixes to LabVIEW components you installed).

Bob Schor

[billko]

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@Bob_Schor wrote:

Once you have connected to the License Manager to activate LabVIEW and the packages you installed, you should be "good to go" as long as your license is valid.  In addition, you will need an Internet connection if you want to run the Update Service (to get patches/fixes to LabVIEW components you installed).

Bob Schor

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Does LV install local help by default?  I think you'll need a connection for online help.

[softball]

Hi

LabVIEW itself has used a License Manager since version 8.0. Some 20 years ago.

First it used the network card MAC address for verification. You could change that to the disk signature. I never tried.

A common problem then was that if the network card had a power-down ( ~sleep ) enabled and if the network cable was not inserted then the license check would fail.

Now, I have had SSP for 25 years and I have never experienced this network problem with any LabVIEW version.

With subscription enforced since 2023+ NI of course must check up against the server. Again I have never experienced any problem. The mighty Google AI states this about the situation :

National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW subscription licenses are typically checked periodically and when the software is launched to ensure they are valid and within the authorized user and computer limits. While there isn't a single, fixed interval, NI's licensing system validates access to ensure continued access to the software. 

How the check works: 

• Initial Launch:

  The license is checked when you first launch LabVIEW to verify a valid subscription is active.
• Periodic Checks:

  The online license server will perform checks at intervals to ensure the license remains valid and that no unauthorized use has occurred.
• Feature Access:

  Specific features within LabVIEW that require the subscription or a particular module might also trigger a license check.

What happens if the license is invalid: 

• If a valid license cannot be found or verified, you may receive an error message.
• You might be prompted to log in to your NI account to re-verify your subscription or purchase a new one.

 Now, AI is guessing based on rumors as we all do. So, it may be wrong.

The NI License Manager changed in version 20 and on-wards. It got stricter about Date checking. So, maybe NI changed the core functionality.

One may hope for NI to step in and write an updated knowledge article.

Regards  

[Yamaeda]

I'll just add that newer LVs has as default Online Help which you need to turn off. There's a small program to change that (NI Help Preferences)

[aeastet]

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@mburnskaurin wrote:

If LabVIEW is installed and activated on a computer, does that computer need to have internet connection later to run LabVIEW, e.g. to check license?

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If your company is using a network license model than you will need internet access to your network licenses server. I the case where you do not have access to the server you will have the chance to use LabVIEW in eval mode until you connect to the server again. There is a limitation on how long you can do this without reconnecting to the license server.