Dell BIOS update makes Thunderbolt DAQ not work

[DGray3DS]

My Dell Precision 7670 recently received a "critical" BIOS upgrade to version 1.21.1. This killed the DMA capability of the Thunderbolt bus, so my PXIe-1090 no longer works correctly. Here is what it looks like in MAX:

Note that the cards have lost their normal names and now have Windows style identifiers. This is the same symptom I saw when I first connected the 1090, before I modified the BIOS to allow DMA over Thunderbolt. The 1090 status lights show a good connection.

The README on the BIOS says it corrects issues in DSA-2024-113 (Dell security bulletin). Said issues are CVE-2023-45733 and CVE-2023-46103, both of which are Intel processor issues.

I opened the BIOS and looked around, but did not find anything. Unfortunately, I cannot just play around with my BIOS, as every time it changes, it triggers a Bitlocker reset and I have to get a new Bitlocker key from my IT department. If anyone else has experienced this issue and has a workaround, please let me know.

[Apex_Waves]

Hi there,

In MAX,  go to tools >> Reset Configuration Data and restart your computer. This will clear all your device settings and reset the database file. Afterwards, update your PXI platform services driver and use a new quality thunderbolt cable. If that doesn't work, you may need to reinstall your drivers- I've linked to the downloads below. 

PXI Platform Services

Hope this is helpful!

[DGray3DS]

I have done the following:

1. Installed lastest DAQmx 24.2. Did not work.
2. Downgraded Dell BIOS from 1.21.1 to 1.20.1. Did not work.
3. Attempted to downgrade Dell BIOS to 1.16.0, but was unable to do so due to Dell security concerns.
4. Upgraded back to BIOS 1.21.1. No reason to stay with an insecure BIOS if it does not help.
5. Reset configuration data. Did not work.
6. Reinstalled PXI Platform Services 24.2. Did not work.
7. Reset configuration data. Did not work.

I did not replace the cable, as my current one is a very high quality Thunderbolt 4 cable that is about one year old and has had no incidents. I am still left with a $5k paperweight. Any more ideas?

Please note that the symptoms are identical to my last post, but I did check the BIOS and the DMA settings I had set before are still active.

[DGray3DS]

 I have switched over to a Lenovo laptop, and the hardware is still working fine. However, I cannot get it to work with the Dell laptop and the new BIOS. There is a similar BIOS update for the Lenovo, but I am reluctant to apply it for fear of losing access to my hardware.

[Apex_Waves]

If possible, update the firmware on the PXIe-1090 in NI MAX under the system settings tab. If that doesn't work, there may be a setting in the BIOS that is changed during the update- or maybe you can't access it?

Check the thunderbolt security settings in the BIOS and make sure its not set higher than "User Authorization". If it is set to that already, turn off the thunderbolt security. You can also check the system logs either in the BIOS or by using the Windows event viewer for more info.

Updating PXI Firmware

Thunderbolt Settings

[DGray3DS]

Thank you, Apex_Waves, for the suggestion. However, I have been unable to find any firmware, updated or not, for the PXIe-1090 either on my disc or on the NI website.

I did scour the BIOS after the upgrade, looking for changes and to ensure the original change I made to support DMA over Thunderbolt was still there. I found no issues or anything new to check. The BIOS readme mentioned deprecation of an older communication protocol, but it appeared to only affect TCP/IP. In any case, the Dell still cannot see the PXI rack. I will probably need to escalate this to official NI support. NI works closely with Dell (or did when I worked there), so there is a good chance it will be cleared up.

[mcduff]

Have a Dell Laptop, different model and BIOS, but these settings work for TB chassis:

1. VT for direct I/O -> Off
2. Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) -> Off
3. DMA Protection -> Off (All Settings under this Heading)