© National Instruments
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6
Programming with the
Real-Time Target
This chapter contains information about programming with the LabVIEW Real-Time target. For
information about developing LabVIEW Real-Time applications, refer to the
LabVIEW Real-Time Module Help
.
Best Practices
For information about LabVIEW Real-Time programming best practices, refer to the Real-Time
Module Best Practices topic of the
Real-Time Module Help
. This page includes an overview of
best practices for designing, developing, and deploying applications with LabVIEW Real-Time.
Key Concepts
The following key concepts provide the basic information you need to start using the Real-Time
FlexRIO Target.
•
Real-time (RT) application
—An application designed for stable execution and precise
timing.
•
Determinism
—The characteristic of a real-time application that describes how
consistently the application responds to external events or performs operations within a
given time limit. Maximizing determinism is often a priority when designing real-time
applications.
•
Jitter
—The time difference between the fastest and slowest executions of the application.
Minimizing jitter is often a priority when designing real-time applications.
•
Real-time operating system (RTOS)
—An operating system designed to run applications
with increased determinism and reduced jitter. A general-purpose operating system, like
Microsoft Windows, completes operations at unpredictable times. In contrast, each
operation an RTOS performs has a known maximum completion time. By designing an
application for an RTOS, you can make sure an application will run deterministically.
•
RT target
—A controller, such as an NI-793xR, that runs an RTOS.
•
Stand-alone RT application
—An RT application that runs automatically when you power
on an RT target.
•
Device driver software
—A software component that translates commands from
LabVIEW into a format appropriate for a particular RT target and any installed I/O devices.
You install the appropriate device driver software as a part of configuring your RT target.
