NI-KAL 2.0 / VISA RTE 5.0 Beta available

[Justin_E]

Hi everyone,

We just put up a public Beta version of NI-VISA Run-Time Engine 5.0 for Linux. This package includes NI-KAL 2.0, which adds support for openSUSE 11.1, openSUSE 11.2, and Scientific Linux 5.x. You can find the beta here :

http://joule.ni.com/nidu/cds/view/p/id/2044

Note that because this is beta software, NI cannot officially claim support for these distributions just yet. Feel free to download and install the beta, and provide feedback. Thanks!

Regards,

Justin E

[anshuljain]

Many thanks for releasing this!! I tried installing it under openSUSE 11.2, kernel 2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop (do I need the -default flavor?). I guess I would need kernel-source and kernel-syms too, so installed it as well. The installation went through fine and I was prompted for a reboot. However after reboot, I do not see the nikal modules actually loaded:-

sagarika:/lib/modules/2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop/kernel/natinst/nikal # lsmod | grep ni

sagarika:/lib/modules/2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop/kernel/natinst/nikal #

I can see the modules under /lib/modules/2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop/kernel/natinst/nikal, but cannot load nikal or anything else through insmod or modprobe:-

sagarika:/lib/modules/2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop/kernel/natinst/nikal # modprobe nikal

FATAL: Error inserting nikal (/lib/modules/2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop/kernel/natinst/nikal/nikal.ko): Invalid module format

sagarika:/lib/modules/2.6.31.12-0.2-desktop/kernel/natinst/nikal # insmod nikal.ko

insmod: error inserting 'nikal.ko': -1 Invalid module format

Can you suggest if I'm doing something incorrect?

Regards

Anshul

[anshuljain]

I did some tinkering and managed to get it working I'd suggest that the README file be more comprehensive on how to install NI-KAL for openSUSE as it was in the earlier releases. The steps that I performed are the same as that for NI-KAL 1.10 for openSUSE 11.1. Repeating them here verbatim:-

1. Ensure you have installed kernel-source and kernel-syms packages
   corresponding to the version of the currently running kernel. The version of
   the currently running kernel can be determined by issuing the command
   "uname -r".
2. Change the directory to the /usr/src/linux-<version> directory, where
   <version> corresponds to the currently running kernel version.
3. Run "zcat /boot/symvers-<version>.gz > Module.symvers" as root to prepare
   modversion support.
4. Run "make cloneconfig" as root to configure the sources for the currently
   running kernel.
5. Run "make modules_prepare" as root to prepare the headers for compilation.
6. Run the NI-KAL INSTALL script.

I then install NI-VISA 4.5.1 and it installed successfully. It did throw up some warning messages about niorb etc installed and also some messages from scripting errors. But there was no problem installing. I then rebooted the system and performed an updateNIdrivers just to be sure. The output from lsmod:-

anshul@sagarika:~/Desktop> lsmod | grep ni

nipxirmk              119304  1

nidimk                335520  2 nipxirmk

niorbk                108788  2 nipxirmk,nidimk

nipalk               1295316  5 nipxirmk,nidimk,niorbk

nikal                  78712  1 nipalk

anshul@sagarika:~/Desktop> su -

Password:

sagarika:~ #

A screenshot of visaconf running on the -desktop kernel of openSUSE is attached.

Edit: For some reason NI-KAL doesn't install on Mandriva 2010.0. The error is a lot more basic, i.e. the kernel installed and kernel-source do not match. I've installed the kernel-desktop and the matching kernel-desktop-devel RPMs, but no luck. Any suggestions?

[AKHuettel]

While testing the installation of nikal-2.0 beta 1 with Gentoo, kernel 2.6.33-gentoo-r1, I found the following issues (which might at the moment not be relevant for "supported distros" but will be at some point for sure):

installerUtility.sh:

line 290 and follwing
the test checks for $headersDir/include/asm and files in there but this directory is not generated anymore
during kernel build (not sure since when, maybe 2.6.31) -> please check e.g. for $headersDir/include/generated instead

line 315 and following
please use <generated/utsrelease.h> since now all generated header files are collected in that directory

nikal.c

line 44

please use for same reason as above

#include <generated/autoconf.h>

With these changes the module compiles and installs fine. No further functionality tests done so far...

[anshuljain]

Can you suggest on how to apply this patch? Thanks!

[Bryan]

I have several USB devices that I am using with LabVIEW and have to keep an older kernel for the drivers to work.  I didn't see any mention in the release notes if this version of NI-KAL allows the use of USB devices or if that restriction is in one of the other driver modules.  Is anyone aware if this will improve the use of USB devices?

Thanks.

[AKHuettel]

Sorry, that patch is not really very useful for "end users", I mostly attached that as a help for the NI team.

What you'd have to do is

• unpack the .tar.gz in the iso file,
• then unpack the nikali rpm file,
  
• edit within the unpacked files usr/local/natinst/nikal/src/nikal/nikal.c and usr/local/natinst/nikal/bin/installerUtility.sh
• and then re-pack the nikali rpm file, being very careful that the pre/postinstall scripts remain intact

Definitely not an easy procedure.

The necessary edits can be seen in the patch file: delete the lines starting with "-", and insert the lines starting with "+"...

PS. The patch is only a "concept solution"; for shipping the scripts would have to test for the exact kernel version and apply the changes only if necessary. I dont know yet when exactly the changes to the include files were made.

[anshuljain]

AKHuettel,

Your tip worked great on Mandriva 2010.0 with a 2.6.33 kernel. Thanks! Interestingly, I'm able to get NI-KAL & NI-VISA working on Ubuntu Karmic with 2.6.31 kernel This quite surprising as I never managed to get it working under Hardy. Maybe I'l give it a shot on Ubuntu Lucid as well. If I'm able to get it working....I'm all set for 3 years.

Output from Ubuntu Karmic, lsmod:-

anshulj@sagarika:/tmp$ lsmod | grep ni

nipxirmk              118948  0

nidimk                335200  1 nipxirmk

niorbk                108468  2 nipxirmk,nidimk

nipalk               1294996  5 NiViPciK,nipxirmk,nidimk,niorbk

nikal                  67160  1 nipalk

anshulj@sagarika:/tmp$

Attached is a screenshot, I'm hoping everything is OK as far as the kernel modules are concerned and the fact that visaconf works. I'll be performing functionality tests tomorrow at work.

[marvin24]

Many thanks for this!

nikal compiles here (kernel 2.6.34, opensuse 11.2), but fails on niorbk. Will there be a 64bit version?

     - marvin

[mhoogend]

marvin24 wrote:

Many thanks for this!

nikal compiles here (kernel 2.6.34, opensuse 11.2), but fails on niorbk. Will there be a 64bit version?

     - marvin

niorbk will not have a 64-bit version in this release.  This is expected behavior and a known issue that we aren't handling the installation in the most graceful manner.

You should still be able to successfully use your VISA supported USB devices (DAQmx Base, or other USB, but NOT 488.2), and PCI devices.  We will follow up with more exact details on anything that won't work due to orbk not being available.  I don't personally have that information.