Deployment error with LabVIEW 8.0 using a Desktop PC as a RT Target

[tomsalias]

Hello!

I am attempting to use LabVIEW Real-Time 8.0 with a desktop PC as the RT Target.

Everything appears fine when I look at the computer using MAX. I can fiddle with the Target’s IP, install software and transfer files between my Windows machine and the RT machine without any difficulties.

To get started with LabVIEW I have followed the instructions in NI’s document: "Getting Started with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module".
( A copy may be found at this location: http://www.ni.com/pdf/manuals/371375a.pdf )

My difficulties arise under the "Creating a Real-Time Project and Application" subsection, which begins on page 8 of the document.

I follow the instructions to create a project using the Real-Time Project Wizard and all goes well – I can connect to the target without issue in LabVIEW and monitor its performance with the Real-Time System Manager – until I try to deploy and run the VIs on the RT Target.

The deployment process fails nearly without exception every time I try to deploy any of the dependent VIs using the Project Explorer (I say nearly because maybe 1/100 times a VI is deployed successfully). I believe all the permissions have been properly set (in both LabVIEW and Windows) to allow the host and the target to communicate and collect data so I am not sure what the problem is.

Interestingly enough, VILIB dependencies always deploy successfully -- And the intrigue does not end there! If I build a standalone Real-Time application (like that detailed on pages 18-21 of the manual linked above) I am able to deploy to the RT Target. Setting the application to run on startup, the RT computer successfully reboots and is able to generate a sine wave and I can view using the host VI on My Computer.

I would like to be able to build and deploy VIs freely using the Project Explorer but am not sure how to achieve this seemingly simple goal. If anyone has encountered a problem similar to mine even feels that they know if the problem is related to hardware or software the help would be much appreciated.


Thanks,
Tom

[eek]

You might want to check your security settings, whether or not you have a firewall turned on and what not. I would suggest turning the firewall and virus software off and seeing if the problem persists.

Let me know if this changes anything.

Cheers,

Emilie

[tomsalias]

Unfortunately, the firewall has been turned off and all security has been disabled. (Just a guess, but...) I am inclined to think there is something that confuses the hardware or hardware drivers when trying to transfer small (few byte) files over my network.

Tom

[RDR]

Hello Tom,

What error(s) do you receive when deployment fails? 

Also, if you would like me to try deploying the VIs to targets using 8.0, 8.2, and 8.5 versions of LabVIEW, just attach them to your post in a .zip file and I will give it a try.  Without knowing the error you receive when deployment fails it is difficult to diagnose what the issue could be.  Have a good afternoon!

-Bob

[tomsalias]

Bob,

My System uses Windows XP. I use MAX 4.0.0.3001 to install software on the Real-Time computer. I am using LabVIEW 8.0 to deploy VIs to the Real-Time System. Also, if its any help, I am a D-Link DGE-550T Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.

The Remote System uses LabVIEW Real-Time 8.0. Note that a fair amount of software to add functionality to the system has also been installed here from My System via MAX.

Here is an example of how my Deployment fails:
I follow the instructions in "Getting Started with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module" and create a project using the Real-Time Project Wizard. (The contents of such a program may be viewed in a picture that is included in the ZIP file I have attached.)

I open the LVPROJ window and proceed by connecting to my RT device. I right click on the target and choose 'Connect'.
A Deployment window will pop up and display the following text:

Deploying RT (successfully deployed target settings)

I close the window and proceed to deploy my primary VI titled 'target - multi rate - variables - fileIO.vi. I right-click on the target and choose to deploy. Again, a deployment window will pop up - this time with the following text:

Deploying My Computer
Deploying variables - network - RT.lvlib
Deploying variables - network - RT.lvlibistop \\192.168.1.2\ variables - network - RT\stop.
Deploying variables - network - RT.lvlibidata \\192.168.1.2\ variables - network - RT\data.
Deploying RT (successfully deployed target settings)
Deploying support - acquire data.vi (3.20K)
Deploying Trim Whitespace.vi Failed to download Trim Whitespace.vi

The deployment usually, but NOT always, fails on Trim Whitespace.vi. In any case, the deployment will always fail for some VI and continue to fail in the same manner until My System is rebooted. Attempting to individually deploy any of the VIs also fails the vast majority of the time and if any VI fails it will continue to do so (...until a hard reboot, in which case it may or may not fail assuredly).

Attached to this post is a ZIP containing all the files associated with this RT Project (not including the libraries of dependencies associated with LabVIEW, of course).

If you feel that more information about hardware or software in use would be useful, please ask.

Thanks,

Tom

[RDR]

Hello Tom,

I have deployed your project to a target running LabVIEW 8.2.1 without any issues.  Let's try installing a newer version of the FieldPoint driver.  I checked the installer and it comes packaged with a newer version of Measurement & Automation.  Let me know how this goes.

-Bob

[tomsalias]

Bob,

Unfortunately the newer Field-Point Driver fix did not do much to aid my cause.

In addition to being unable to properly deploy VIs to the RT Computer, there is another recently realized shortcoming that seems worth bringing up - I am unable to build and deploy Source Distributions as well. Attached to this post are several images that (hopefully) provide reasonable documentation of the kind of error I encounter. To help provide a greater sense of my setup, I have provided images from MAX showing off the software currently present on My System as well as the Remote RT System.

More potentially useful information:
My System has a D-Link DGE-550T Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
The Real-Time LabVIEW computer has a Broadcom 5751 Gigabit Ethernet LOM (Lan on Motherboard).

If you find any of this information revealing, insights would be much appreciated.


Tom

[RDR]

Hello Tom,

Let's try building a fresh application without using the Wizard.  To do this:

-Create an empty project
-Add the Real-Time target to the project
-Create a very simple VI to deploy on the target, something that Adds two controls and shows the result in an indicator is fine

Let's see if a simple project such as this will still give you an error.

The error given when deploying a source distribution to a target is expected, the proper method is to FTP the source distribution to the target rather than deploy it.

Let me know how this goes.

-Bob

[tomsalias]

Hi Bob,

I apologize for some sloppy use of language in my last post; I meant to say that I am unable to simply build Source Distributions (as the screenshots last time showed).

I have previously tried building simple VIs like you said in your post but they have failed to deploy in the same manner as the tutorial based one.

To sort of change gears a bit, I believe I found something else notable about my situation related to the memory on my RT Computer.
Here’s what I do: I Connect to the RT machine via a LVPROJ window and then right-click on the RT machine's icon and go to the 'Utilities' tab and then click on 'Target Information'. The window that pops up displays a very peculiar (at least to me) message. It says something like...
RT
Free Memory: -1118937 K

Is that negative out in front supposed to be there!?
Anyway, if I use the Real-Time System Manager tool (under Tools in the LVPROJ window) to monitor the machine performance I get a grossly different (and much more reasonable) set of information about memory usage. I have attached a screenshot to help illustrate this point.

If this makes any sense to you, please surprise me.
Thanks for your time.


Tom

[RDR]

Hello Tom,

Thank you for the quick reply.  It seems to me this is a more in-depth issue than a simple setting, I agree.  Let's try to repair the LabVIEW Real-Time installation.  You can do this by:

1) going to 'Add/Remove Programs' in the Windows Control Panel
2) selecting National Instruments Software and clicking modify
3) selecting LabVIEW Real-Time 8.0 from the list of installed NI Products and clicking 'Repair'.

Once the Real-Time Module is repaired, let's uninstall/reinstall the module on the target.  Let me know how this works.

-Bob