Set Up LabVIEW, LabVIEW DSC, and Lookout to Work with the Windows Firewall

Primary Software: LabVIEW Development Systems>>Base Package

Primary Software Version: N/A
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: Lookout, LabVIEW Modules>>DSC Module, LabVIEW Development Systems>>Full Development System, LabVIEW
Development Systems>>Professional Development System

Problem: I'm using the Windows Firewall in Windows XP/Vista, and I want to make sure that LabVIEW, LabVIEW DSC, Shared Variables,
and Lookout will not be blocked by the firewall. What settings do I need to modify?

Solution: Windows Vista and Windows XP Service Pack 2 provide a firewall which can be enabled for additional network security. If the
Windows Firewall is enabled and a program attempts to access and open a network port, Windows will prompt the user to ask if they want to
unblock the program. However, Windows does not prompt to ask about services on the system which attempt to access the network and they
are blocked by default if the firewall is enabled. Some of the networking functionality built into National Instruments software relies on services
which will be blocked unless specific exceptions are made in the firewall configuration. This will cause errors such as -1950679035 in Shared
Variables when hosted on the local machine. Disabling the Windows Firewall temporarily would be a quick way to verify if this is the cause of
your issue. If you want to keep the firewall enabled, follow these steps below to unblock NI's Shared Variable/Tag software:

1. Open the Windows Control Panel by going to StartControl Panel

2. Open Windows Firewall. If you do not see Windows Firewall, click Security in Windows Vista and click Security Center in
Windows XP
3. If you're using Windows Vista, you'll need to click the Change Settings link near the right of the screen and login as Administrator.
Skip this step if you're using Windows XP

4. Click on the General tab

5. In Windows Vista, ensure that Block all incoming connections is unchecked. In Windows XP, ensure that Don't allow
exceptions is unchecked
6. Switch to the Exceptions tab
7. Click Add Program...
8. Click Browse...

9. Navigate to and select C:\Windows\System32\lkads.exe. Click Open, then OK

If you are using Windows Vista or Windows XP with LabVIEW 8.x, LabVIEW Real-Time 8.x (with Network-Published Shared
Variables) or LabVIEW DSC 8.x, make sure that you follow this step for
o C:\Windows\system32\lkads.exe
o C:\Windows\system32\lktsrv.exe
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\Tagger\tagsrv.exe
o C:\Windows\system32\nicitdl5.exe (if you are using LabVIEW DSC)
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\DataSocket\cwdss.exe (if you are using DataSocket in LabVIEW)

If you are using Windows XP with LabVIEW DSC 7.x or Lookout 6.0, make sure that you follow this step for

o C:\Windows\system32\lkads.exe
o C:\Windows\system32\lktsrv.exe
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\DataSocket\cwdss.exe (if you are using DataSocket in LabVIEW)
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW x.x\dscengine.exe (if using LabVIEW DSC)
o C:\Windows\system32\nicitdl5.exe (if you are using LabVIEW DSC)
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Lookout x.x\lookout.exe (if using Lookout)

If you are using Windows XP with LabVIEW DSC 6.x or below, or Lookout 5.1 or below, make sure that you follow this step for:

o C:\Windows\system32\lkads.exe
o C:\Windows\system32\lkcitdl.exe
o C:\Windows\system32\lktsrv.exe
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\DataSocket\cwdss (if using DataSocket in LabVIEW)
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW x.x\dscengine.exe (if using LabVIEW DSC)
o C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Lookout x.x\lookout.exe (if using Lookout)

10. All the applications from the previous step should appear in the list of programs on the Exceptions tab of the Windows Firewall
window and should have a checked box next to them.
 11. In addition to the above items, make sure the appropriate LabVIEW x.x Development System item is checked in the Programs and
Services list.
12. Click OK and close the Windows Firewall window.
13. Reboot your computer.

After rebooting, LabVIEW, LabVIEW DSC, and Lookout networking functions will work correctly.

Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 37AEQJVI: Security Alert Dialog Box Appears When Launching LabVIEW on Windows XP SP2
KnowledgeBase 2GD9CL6Q: What Ports Do I Need to Open on My Firewall for National Instruments Software Products?
Developer Zone Tutorial: Networking Lookout or the LabVIEW DSC Module Across Firewalls

Shared Variable Error Explanations

Primary Software: LabVIEW Modules>>DSC Module
Primary Software Version: 8.0
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: LabVIEW Development Systems>>Base Package

Problem:
What do I do when I get an error when using a shared variable?

Solution:
LabVIEW shared variables are classified into several types. Single-process shared variables are similar to LabVIEW global variables and
generally do not return errors. Network-published shared variables are more complex due to the networking involved and what source they
may be bound to and thus return more errors. This KnowledgeBase document focuses on the errors returned by network-published shared
variables.

How to interpret shared variable errors:

When you use shared variable reference nodes on a block diagram, the shared variable may return an error. In almost all cases the error
cluster will contain the error source:

ni_tagger_lv_Read
or

ni_tagger_lv_Write
This does not necessarily mean the error occurred in these nodes. Any error noted below that has an associated quality (see notes under
Other Representations) was actually returned by the Shared Variable Engine and passed through the error returned by ni_tagger_lv_Read
or ni_tagger_lv_Write.

If you use front panel binding to connect to shared variables you will see a transparent, green, or red triangle next to the front panel control. A
transparent triangle indicates that the front panel control is not connected to the variable or the VI is idle. A green triangle indicates good
connection status to the source. A red triangle indicates an error. Hover the mouse over the triangle and you should see a more detailed
description of the error.

How to interpret shared variable deployment errors:

You may encounter an error while trying to deploy a library. You can categorize most deployment errors into two classes. First, you may
receive an error indicating a configuration problem with a shared variable in the library. In this case, scroll up in the Deployment Status text
field in the Deploy window until you can find the first error.

Concentrate your efforts on resolving the first error. The second class of deployment errors are higher-level errors (such as -1967362038). In
this case, use the Variable Manager utility or similar tool to verify that the Shared Variable Engine is running; try restarting the Shared Variable
Engine using the Variable Manager utility then redeploy the library.

General tips for handling shared variable errors:

Before running a VI that uses shared variables, open the Variable Manager or Published Variable Monitor and verify that your
shared variables are working properly
Expect that network-published shared variables will return errors at some point during execution of your code. Your code should
handle all shared variable errors.
If automatic error handling is enabled and any shared variable returns an error, your VI will stop and you will be prompted to handle
the error. If you don't need to handle shared variable errors you can disable automatic error handling for the VI by unchecking this option in
the Execution category of the VI Properties dialog box.

Most Common Shared Variable Errors:

Error/Warning Description and Recommendations

-1950679034 (0x8BBB0006) (Warning) General Description:
LabVIEW: The shared variable has no value.

Other Representations:
Quality: IAQ_NO_KNOWN_VALUE (Quality bit 7)

Typical Sources:
LabVIEW: ni_tagger_lv_Read
Shared Variable Monitor: variable quality

Recommendations:
This warning will occur if the shared variable is bound to a source, but the variable has not
received a value from the source. This is only a problem if the variable never receives an
update from the source, even if you are sure the source is generating updated values. In
most cases you can ignore this warning.

Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 3T4FDLS9: What Happens When my Shared Variable Engine Goes Down
Unexpectedly?
-1950679035 (0x8BBB0005) General Description:
LabVIEW: Unable to locate variable in the Shared Variable Engine. Deployment of this
variable may have failed.

Other Representations:
Quality: IAQ_NONEXISTANT (Quality bit 6)

Typical Sources:
LabVIEW: ni_tagger_lv_Read
Shared Variable Monitor: variable quality

Recommendations:
This error indicates that the read or write could not be completed because the variable could
not be found in the Shared Variable Engine. This error most often occurs if the library
containing the variable was just deployed and the read or write operation took place before
the variable became available in the system. Thus, when your VI first starts up you can
ignore this error.

If this error is returned during normal VI operation it could mean one of the following:

1) The shared variable was undeployed

2) The shared variable engine is no longer running

Related Links:

KnowledgeBase 416GPN4B: Deploying Shared Variable: Error -1967362041 or

-1950679035

KnowledgeBase 3U5G88Y3: "Error -1950679035: Shared Variable Does Not Exist" when
Changing Shared Variable Properties Programmatically

KnowledgeBase 3HUD6PUW: Setup LabVIEW, LabVIEW DSC, and Lookout to Work with
the Windows Firewall
-1950679036 (0x8BBB0004) General Description:
LabVIEW: General communications failure.

Other Representations:
Quality: IAQ_NETWORK_FAILURE (Quality bit 5)

Typical Sources:
LabVIEW: ni_tagger_lv_Read
Shared Variable Monitor: variable quality

Recommendations:
This error is equivalent to error -1950679038
-1950679037 (0x8BBB0003) General Description:
LabVIEW: Server failure.

Other Representations:
Quality: IAQ_SERVER_FAILURE (Quality bit 4)

Typical Sources:
LabVIEW: ni_tagger_lv_Read
Shared Variable Monitor: variable quality
 Recommendations:
This error indicates that the IO server the variable is bound to encountered an error during
initialization. For instance, if the variable is bound to an OPC IO server and you receive this
error, the OPC IO server most likely could not connect to the OPC server. If youre using the
Modbus IO server, then there is most likely a configuration problem with the Modbus IO
server.

To further diagnose the problem follow these steps:

1) Undeploy the library containing the IO server and variable youre attempting to read from.
2) Open the Published Variable Monitor (ToolsDSC ModuleMonitor Variables), or the
Variable Manager utility.
3) Redeploy the library. You should see an error indicated in the Alarms and Events
summary of these tools. This alarm/event entry will contain more specific information about
the problem.
-1950679038 (0x8BBB0002) General Description:
LabVIEW: General device error response.

Other Representations:
Quality: IAQ_DEVICE_FAILURE (Quality bit 3)

Typical Sources:
LabVIEW: ni_tagger_lv_Read
Shared Variable Monitor: variable quality

Recommendations:
This error indicates that the IO server (Modbus, OPC, etc.) to which the shared variable is
bound encountered an error. Use the Published Variable Monitor (ToolsDSC
ModuleMonitor Variables...) to diagnose the issue. Check your hardware configuration and
make sure all cables are connected.
-1967362038 (0x8ABC700A) General Description:
LabVIEW: Not Found
IAK_SHARED: Not Found

Other Representations:
-Variable Engine Class Not Found

Typical Sources:
LabVIEW Deploy Dialog: Deployment of shared variables failed

Recommendations:
This error could occur if you launched LabVIEW and tried to deploy Shared Variables before
rebooting after installing LabVIEW; in this case, rebooting the system should resolve the
issue.
In other cases, this error means that the Shared Variable Engine configuration can't be
found or can't be loaded, and is likely related to a problem with MAX. Contact a National
Instruments Support Engineer for further assistance.

Related Links

KnowledgeBase 42OIBDCW: Error -1967362038 When Using NI Security Interactive User

Info in LabVIEW 8.0

Related Links:
LabVIEW 8.2 Help: Shared Variable Error Codes
KnowledgeBase 42UIDM8J: Shared Variable Quality Codes
KnowledgeBase 3S8AETIH: Troubleshooting Network-Published Shared Variables

Qu Puertos Necesito Abrir en mi Firewall para que Funcione el Software de National

Instruments?
Software Primario: LabVIEW Development Systems
Versin de Software Primario: N/A
Versin de Software Primario Corregido: N/A
Software Secundario: Measurement Studio, Lookout, LabVIEW Modules>>Real-Time Module, LabVIEW Modules>>DSC Module
Hardware: FieldPoint>>Controllers/Network Modules, Compact FieldPoint>>Controllers, CompactRIO>>Controllers, GPIB>>External
Controllers/Convertors>>GPIB-ENET, GPIB>>External Controllers/Convertors>>GPIB-ENET/100, Instrument Connectivity
Other>>Ethernet>>ENET-485/2, Instrument Connectivity Other>>Ethernet>>ENET-485/4, Instrument Connectivity Other>>Ethernet>>ENET-
232/2, Instrument Connectivity Other>>Ethernet>>ENET-232/4

Problema: Estoy configurando mi red, firewall o router. Qu puertos usan los productos de National Instruments?
Solucin:

Dependiendo del producto se utilizan unos puertos determinados. Si tenemos varios o todos los productos debemos configurar todos los
puertos de dichos programas.

Software Puertos
DataSocket 3015
GPIB ENET 5000, 5003, 5005, y 5010
GPIB ENET/100 5000, 5003, 5005, 5010 y 5015
ENET-232 5225
ENET-485 5225
LabVIEW 3079 - LabVIEW RT TCP front panel connections
3363 - VI Server
3537 - VISA Server
3580 - NI Service Locator
3015 -- DataSocket y Front Panel DataSocket
80 -- LabVIEW Web Server
81 -- Internet Toolkit's HTTP Server
96 -- LabVIEW FPGA Compile Server (Default)
LabVIEW DSC - See KB 3T9B75XL
Lookout Logos Communication - See KB 3T9B75XL
FTP 20 y 21 (FTP en modo activo)
MAX 44525 - Ethernet Target Device Discovery

Ligas Relacionadas: KnowledgeBase [3T9B75XL]: Using Lookout, LabVIEW DSC Module, and Network-Published Shared Variables with
Firewalls
Developer Zone: Networking Lookout or the LabVIEW DSC Module Across Firewalls
KnowledgeBase [2XQBKHQJ]: Error 63 When Using DataSocket
KnowledgeBase [2I7ACJ2L]: NI License Manager Detected by Firewall
KnowlegeBase [3GUCDNX5]: My GPIB-ENET/100 Does Not Appear in the NI Ethernet Device Configuration Utility

,
KnowledgeBase [3T9B75XL]: Using Lookout, LabVIEW DSC Module, and Network-Published Shared Variables with Firewalls
Developer Zone: Networking Lookout or the LabVIEW DSC Module Across Firewalls
KnowledgeBase [2XQBKHQJ]: Error 63 When Using DataSocket
KnowledgeBase [2I7ACJ2L]: NI License Manager Detected by Firewall
KnowlegeBase [3GUCDNX5]: My GPIB-ENET/100 Does Not Appear in the NI Ethernet Device Configuration Utility