LabVIEW not seeing other computers on the network

[Gregory]

I have 2 computers on a network (cpu1 and cpu2) that I am using for data collection and then several computers that I am not using. When I made a shared variable in LabVIEW, I made it a "network published" one. After those variables are deployed on cpu1, I go to cpu2 modify the shared variable in another VI by allowing aliasing, and then browsing for the PSP address. For some reason I cannot see cpu1 at all, but I can see the rest of the network!

When I go back to cpu1 and try to browse for a PSP address, I can see cpu1, and the deployed variables, but I cannot see cpu2 on the network (although I can see all of the other computers)! I know they can see each other, I pinged one of the IP addresses from the other and it had 0ms delay. If you have any suggestions for what to try, I'm up for it! Thanks!

Greg

[altenbach]

how's your firewall configuration?

[Gregory]

Hmm... all I know is that it is enabled, I'm not sure exactly what the configuration is. Should I try disabling it?

[altenbach]

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@Gregory wrote:

Should I try disabling it?

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It probably would have taken the same amount of time to just try it instead of asking. 🙂

Yes, as a quick test disable the firewall and see if it makes a difference. This will at least narrow down the problem.

[Gregory]

Haha, I would have to suit up for the clean room first, so I will try it next time I go there!

[Gregory]

I was able to see the other computer after the firewall was down! I did some searching for what programs to add to the firewall exceptions when you want to use shared variables. Unfortunately, even though I could see the other computer, the shared variable was not visible. I tried restarting the NI variable engine from command line, but it said that the process was not accepting commands at the moment. I have not quite ironed out the networking...

[Gregory · Accepted solution]

After opening the correct ports and unblocking the correct programs, the windows firewall does not seem to be inhibiting my shared variables any more!