SystemLink

We have a test lab with 16 different stations and I work remotely to write and support the automated test software for the lab. We have used NI SystemLink to manage software versioning and updating for the test stations across the lab rather than having to go into each station individually and do upgrades. We also use SystemLink to give engineers and operators the ability to remotely view data from the test stations through a browser.

There are definitely scenarios where NI SystemLink will be useful but just didn't work out well for us. I needed to be able to replace an EXE file on a computer with a new EXE to do the upgrades but I was not able to do that through SystemLink. You had to work with packages in order to perform this and I didn't want to revamp my distribution plan. We also didn't need to do any asset management or calibration documentation through SystemLink. I was excited about being able to view data from the test stations through a browser but our engineers need historical data available and everything resets to a live view when you click back to the UI.