Bug in LabVIEW 2013 RTETT Download

[Bob_Schor]

I've called this in to NI, but am posting it here in case you've downloaded LabVIEW 2013 before they fix the problem.

Downloading the toolkits from ni.com/trylabview usually is a three-step process.  First, you download a "downloader", a small program (154 KB) that manages the download of the Installer.  When you run the Downloader, it downloads the Installer, usually as an executable ZIP file.  The final step is to run the Installer, which first unzips itself into a folder (by default, C:\National Instruments Downloads), then executes the unzipped Setup.exe contained therein.

There is a (usually) consistent naming convention to these various files.  For example, the files for LabVIEW Real Time are 2013RealTime-Eng_Downloader, 2013RealTime-Eng (the Installer), and LabVIEW RT (the name of the folder that the Installer "unzips" into).  I've downloaded 8 modules, and (with the exception below) they all follow a similar pattern.

The "bug" is in the Real Time Execution Trace Toolkit (RTETT).  The Downloader is 2013RTETT_downloader, and it brings in 2013RTETT as the Installer.  However, the Installer is set to unzip into LabVIEW RT, the same folder that is used for LabVIEW Real Time.  The "fix" is to change the name of the UnZip folder to LabVIEW Real Time Trace Execution Toolkit (this name is analogous to the LabVIEW Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit name for 2013DETT).  Alternatively, you can run one installer, rename the folder, run the other, and adjust the folder names to your liking.

Bob Schor

[Whit-E_Wall-E]

Hello Bob,

What operating system are you using?

Have you completed the full install with the installers being saved in the default settings?  If so does that allow you to run and use RTETT as expected?

[Bob_Schor]

I am using Windows 7 (x64), fully patched.  As I understand it, the purpose of the Installers is two-fold -- to extract themselves to individual folders (by default in C:\National Instruments Downloads) and then to run their respective Setup executable to actually install themselves.

I have not (yet) installed RTETT, but I have installed LabVIEW RealTime.  However, in the interest of time-efficiency, I first did downloads of all of the elements I wanted to install (which included both RealTime and RTETT), ran the Installer, but only the "extractor", then planned to run the actual installations from the folders in the Downloads folder.  That's when I discovered that the folder labelled LabVIEW RT did not contain LabVIEW Real Time, but LabVIEW Real Time Execution Trace Toolkit.  Thinking I'd forgotten to extract Real-Time, I tried extracting it again, and discovered that it and RTETT "shared" the same folder in NI Downloads.  I fixed the problem for myself by manually relabelling the folders so one was LabVIEW RT (for LabVIEW Real Time) and one was LabVIEW Real Time Execution Trace Toolkit.  With these distinctive names, I'm much less likely to install "the wrong thing".

I consider this a "bug", as NI clearly (and logically) intended for the different Toolkits to be downloaded into their own folders.  I mentioned it here in case others faced a similar confusion of "Where did my download folder go?".  Note that if you only download Real Time or only download RTETT, the "reuse" of the folder name won't matter to you.

BS

[Whit-E_Wall-E]

Hello Bob,

We were able to reproduce the same behavior and apologize for the inconvenience it has caused.  We have created a Corrective Action Request for this behavior as it is not ideal for an easy install.

[billko]

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@Whit-E_Wall-E wrote:

Hello Bob,

We were able to reproduce the same behavior and apologize for the inconvenience it has caused.  We have created a Corrective Action Request for this behavior as it is not ideal for an easy install.

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Whew - I'm glad I'm not the only one that releases software with faulty install options.  😉