Is there cRIO persistant data that can survive a reformat.

[viScience]

Is there any memory within a cRIO where an ID number can be stored that will persist even after a reformat operation?

[taper]

Are you doing the format through MAX or the RT Format Target vi?  Not sure if it makes a difference though.  The help file on RT Format Target says it formats the hard drive, can't remember if it also erases a downloaded FPGA bitfile.  Compiling a different FPGA bitfile for each system will be a pain but it might be persistant.  I know MAX can keep your network settings after a format, but I think it stores and reloads them.

[viScience]

Well I guess maybe it was a ignorant question. The flash is like a dos file system, which gets wiped clean after a format. I suppose there are boot sectors that may get preserved but not likely. I was thinking there might be some low level bios related flash but that probably is not the case. The fpga bit file is just another flash file that gets transferred to the fpga fabric upon boot up.

[BenDAE]

From my research, it doesn't appear there is a way to keep any particular file on your cRIO after a reformating. However, you can at least automate the process the workaround approach programmatically using LabVIEW. Make a VI that would pull off the ID file you need using FTP, reformat, and then push the file back onto the device.

[rolfk]

I do have a hunch that the OP is actually not so much concerned about loosing the ID when reformating his system himself, but about someone else reformating the system without his knowledge. And it's likely that that someone else would not be using the specific VI to do the reformating but in fact would do it simply through MAX to actually get exactly rid of that persistant ID :-).

[taper]

If that's the case, take a hammer and rip out the Safe Mode switch.

[viScience]

Good Guess Rolf!

[rolfk]

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@sachsm wrote:

Good Guess Rolf!

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Then I do wonder if there is a way to access the S/N programmatically and use that one as ID? Sorry I don't have any cRIO system here to check that.

Seems like "RT Get Target Information" should give you quite a few information pointers that could be used for something in this direction.

[ColdenR]

I checked; rolfk is correct. The output of "RT Get Target Information" when you select "Target Information (All)" definitely includes the serial number, as well as the MAC Address, model name, and model code.

[viScience]

I would guess that the S/N is stored in a EEPROM on the cRIO backplane and NI will not likely give us a means

to write to it.  (It is probably managed in the cRIO BIOS)