National Instruments LabWindows(TM)/CVI 8.1 Boosts Cross-Platform Communication.

New Network Variables Simplify Communication to Distributed Windows and Real-Time Targets

AUSTIN, Texas -- National Instruments (Nasdaq:NATI) today announced NI LabWindows/CVI 8.1, the latest version of the proven ANSI C integrated development environment for test, measurement and control applications. LabWindows/CVI 8.1 builds on nearly 20 years of reliability and innovation and delivers new technology that gives engineers a simplified interface for communicating between local or distributed LabWindows/CVI applications as well as a single toolchain to easily control and communicate with real-time targets.

LabWindows/CVI 8.1 features new, easy-to-use distributed communication and control tools to help engineers maximize their productivity. Using the new Network Variable Library, engineers can publish and share live measurement data between test systems located on the factory floor and remote supervisory machines without the complexity of low-level TCP programming, making it easy for them to design and manage large applications that publish measurement data. The network variables in LabWindows/CVI 8.1 also give engineers the option to remotely monitor and control applications developed in National Instruments LabVIEW or Microsoft Visual Studio. In addition, engineers can use LabWindows/CVI to deploy their test and control applications to multiple operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Linux([R]) and select real-time operating systems.

"As a test engineer, and not a software engineer, NI LabWindows/CVI gives me the tools to be extremely productive, while still allowing me to develop powerful, professional test and measurement applications," said Eric Furst, test design engineer at Northrop Grumman. "The user-friendly features save more than 75 percent of my development time by abstracting low-level details that other environments unnecessarily expose."

The latest version of LabWindows/CVI introduces enhanced mechanisms to store and visualize acquired Windows and real-time data. One new feature, the Technical Data Management (TDM) Streaming Library, gives engineers an efficient method of storing measurement data and descriptors for quick post analysis and high-speed data streaming. LabWindows/CVI 8.1 also provides enhancements such as native Windows style controls, which help engineers create professional applications that are similar in appearance to Windows theme-based controls, and editable graphs that make it easy for engineers to customize their user experience to better visualize and inspect their test and control data.

"For nearly 20 years, LabWindows/CVI has given ANSI C programmers an intuitive development environment for creating powerful test and measurement applications," said John Pasquarette, director of software marketing at National Instruments. "With the release of LabWindows/CVI 8.1, National Instruments is extending the platform even further, giving engineers new tools to streamline their application development processes and shorten their time to deployment."

National Instruments offers engineers essential technologies for test, which combine high-performance hardware, flexible software and innovative timing and synchronization technology for test and design applications. LabWindows/CVI 8.1 seamlessly integrates with a wide variety of I/O, including the latest NI hardware such as the NI PXIe-6259, one of the industry's first data acquisition (DAQ) modules for PXI Express. In addition, engineers can use the LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module to create and deploy reliable and deterministic applications on PC and PXI dedicated real-time targets.

About National Instruments

For 30 years, National Instruments (www.ni.com) has been a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation - a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Leveraging PCs and commercial technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs for test, control and design applications through easy-to-integrate software, such as NI LabVIEW, and modular measurement and control hardware for PXI, PXI Express, PCI, PCI Express, USB and Ethernet. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,000 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past seven years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company's investor relations department by calling 512-683-5090, e-mailing [e-mail] or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

Pricing and Contact Information

NI LabWindows/CVI 8.1
Priced from $1,199; [euro]1,249; N167,000
Web: www.ni.com/cvi

11500 N Mopac Expwy, Austin, Texas 78759-3504
Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

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