NI License

[Moxel]

Hello we are a small Company with more location. We have location in RO, US, CN;DE. We use LabView Professional, Real Time, FPGA and Vision Products. We have nearly 15 Programmers but nobody works full time with programming. We make software only for us.  Actuall we have a EA License but is still very expensive. One of the most points are the cost for debug for every year. We have many systems with different Hardware and Labview versions which we must sometimes debug but mostly for a short time. Our NI contact person told us it is not possible to have floating debug license ! Has everyone experiance with license ? If it is a cheaper way to debug possible ? 

[GerdW]

Hi Moxel,

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@Moxel wrote:

We have many systems with different Hardware and Labview versions which we must sometimes debug but mostly for a short time. Our NI contact person told us it is not possible to have floating debug license ! 

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We also use LabVIEW/TestStand for ~30 developers in our company - and we do use floating debug licenses:

There are debug licenses dedicated to computers ("Computerbasiert"), and there are floating licenses ("Parallel pro Computer") available (in our EA agreement). Additionally we use user-account based licenses ("Benutzerbasiert")…

[Moxel]

Thanks for the answer. For DIADEM it was still possible to buy floating license. The developer it will  be also possible but it counts five times more. Only for debugging he told us it is not possible to buy floating. That where the perfect solution for us. 

[rolfk]

Debug Licenses are not meant for development work, only for debugging and/or running applications in source code (if you can't or don't want to build an executable). If you modify VIs beyond minor debug fixes under a Debug License you are basically violating that license. Debug licenses always have been computer based and perpetual.

Development licenses can be either perpetual or annual, and under a volume license agreement also floating, but I think the minimum amount for that are 5 licenses.

[Moxel]

Hello 

Yes i know. That is clear with Debug License. But we have many Optical inspection systems. In there you must sometimes change a value in variabel or other small things. Who it change is allways a developer with a full license. But one developer has in our company many systems to overview. 

A parallel devoloper license cost five time more as a normal one. Here we have the next problem our production lines has the same production User for more san 20 PCs. But for one developer i can only use 3 PCs.

That was the reason why we search a solution which is practicable and helpfull for us.

[GerdW]

Hi Moxel,

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@Moxel wrote:

But we have many Optical inspection systems. In there you must sometimes change a value in variabel or other small things.

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• "Variables" (aka parameters) in production machines should be provided from your production planning system, not by editing a program and compiling a new executable.
• When those "variables" are related to the machine itself (like timing parameters, movement/position values) they should be held in a machine-readable document: no need to edit a program.

I don't see the need for debug licenses here…

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@Moxel wrote:

Here we have the next problem our production lines has the same production User for more san 20 PCs. But for one developer i can only use 3 PCs.

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The production line should be based on executables, so you only need runtime licenses (like for Vision/IMAQ or TestStand).

The developer only needs one computer (or VM) to edit the source code and create executables…

[Moxel]

Hello Gerd this is theoretical absolut right. But we have system which running over 15 years and more. So we have from Labview 8.5 up to 2025. Do you know many drivers are not compatible with new systems and if you install all versions on the developer PC than crashed old versions. That is not possible with VISION.

For one developer are 3 PCs possible but we have in production 3 Windows versions ( XP, Win7, Win10 ) and for every WIN System more than two LabView versions. That makes more complicated.

Do you have other Idears ? 

[Moxel]

Ah and about parameter changes. The Basic are load from a Parameter File. But at Optical inspection Systems you need often changes very deep in the program where are to much variables. Additional the old systems are not made for runtimes. 

[GerdW]

Hi Moxel,

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@Moxel wrote:

Additional the old systems are not made for runtimes. 

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When you need to support so many different (and old) systems then I recommend to use a lot of VMs and to buy a lot of licenses.

It's the decision of your company to support such a wide range of systems: each decision has consequences…

[Moxel]

Hello 

VMs are not allways possible. The Hardware Singel Core and dual Core work much different as new quad core. Sometimes you work not at the CPU and more at the Grafik Card to be fast enough. More complicated as it sounds at first.