Error booting PXIe-8108 controller as Real-Time OS

[joaorob]

Hello,

I want to boot my PXIe-8108 controller as Real-Time OS. I press "del" after powering on the PC and choose the LabVIEW RT option as the Boot Configuration. After saving and reseting I got this message:

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Transferring control to user program.

Can't find suitable device for drive C

LabVIEW Real-Time Boot Loader

Build time: Dec 10 2013 (bla bla)

(C) Copyright (bla bla)

Error booting hard drive boot program.

MAX system identification name: NI-PXIe8108-2F11FD9F

LabVIEW Real-Time Single-Core Kernel found "2" CPU cores

Condiser installing NI RT Entensions for SMP (MultiCore Support) module from MAX

Initializing network... Link Local IP adress Assigned.

Device 1 - MAC address : 00:80:2F:11:FD:9F - 169.254.106.152 (primary)

System state: No software installed

####################################################################

Br

Joao

[Texas_Diaz]

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@joaorob wrote:

...

Can't find suitable device for drive C 

...

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First, I must remind you that if you bought the PXI controller as a Windows-Only controller, you must purchase a LabVIEW Real-Time Deployment License before you can use the controller as a PXI Real-Time controller.  

That error message means that LabVIEW Real-Time cannot use the hard disk as-is.  Some PXI controllers cannot be used for LabVIEW Real-Time because the hard drive cannot be supported by the RT OS or the LabVIEW Real-Time BIOS isn't present.  The PXIe-8108 should have both.  However, the default configuration for the PXIe-8108 (set up as a Windows controller) is to have an NTFS file partition on the hard drive - LabVIEW Real-Time cannot use an NTFS partition.  

What you have to do is put a FAT32 partition on the disk.  Here's a link to a good document that describes how this is done - note that this document says how to convert a PXI-8106 from Windows to RT, but it should be mostly valid for a PXIe-8108 (Step 8 may not be available until you perform step 9 and reboot):

http://forums.ni.com/t5/PXI/Installtion-Labview-RT-on-PXI-Controller/m-p/1999783/highlight/true#M107...

-Danny

[Texas_Diaz]

Oh, I must also mention that what you may be looking for is a dual-boot method where you can boot into Windows OR you can also boot into RT without reformatting or installing software each time you switch.  When you buy a LabVIEW Real-Time License, you can request to get a CD/DVD that will help set up the controller to dual-boot.  It does require you to format the controller and repartition the disk, but you only have to do it once.  The CD/DVD properly sets up two disk partitions - one FAT32 partition (which can later be converted to Reliance if you want) for running LabVIEW Real-Time, and one NTFS partition for running Windows.

Talk to your regional sales office (or call into National Instruments for service) and ask about the dual-boot configuration CD/DVD for your PXIe-8108.

-Danny

[jdhatarc]

I have this message on a PXIe-8135 but I've licensed and configured these drives for dual boot though only use it in RT mode.  I've been running these for months and suddenly recieved this message.  My suspicion is that the HHD has failed.... but after only a few months of use this seems baffling.