PXIe-8301 shows PXIe cards but not PXI

[dkattan]

I recently purchased an NI PXIe-8301 Thunderbolt controller. I'm using it on an ADLINK PXES-2590 chassis. When I connect the chassis to my computer via the Thunderbolt interface I am able to connect to PXIe cards but not PXI hybrid cards. The PXIe cards appear in device manager and NI Max and appear fully functional but the PXI cards do not. I get an error in the Pci-to-Pci Bridge in Device Manager that appears consistent with MXI controllers detailed here. I tried running the BIOS compatibility software since that was previously necessary when using the 8360 ExpressCard adapter with my desktop. That caused the PC to crash during boot so I rolled back to a backup from before installing the BIOS compatibility. I've tried using this adapter with both my desktop and a Dell XPS 15 laptop. Both computers have Thunderbolt 3 built in and work with the PXI and PXIe cards when connected to different chassis like the NI PXIe-1073. That chassis was connected to both computers using the MXI connection converted to a Thunderbolt 3 connection.

I am running Windows 10 and I have the NI PXI Platform Services 17.5.1 and I have the most up to date drivers for my PXI/PXIe cards and the ADLINK chassis.

Has anyone else seen this issue with the thunderbolt controller?

[Nick@NI]

Hi dkattan, 

Could you please specify the model numbers of the PXI hybrid modules (experiencing Code 10) in your setup?
As a side note for future reference, BIOS compatibility software does not apply to PXIe-8301. 

Thank you,
Nick

[dkattan]

The cards are not NI cards but they work in other chassis and controller setups (both from NI and other vendors). This problem seems specific to the PXIe-8301. I unfortunately don't currently have an NI chassis to test the 8301 in (the PXIe-1073 has a built in MXI controller). I don't think it's the cards themselves that are getting the Code 10 warning. The hardware ID reported by Device Manager in Windows is for this Pericom PCIe to PCI bridge chip (Vendor/Device IDs are 0x12D8/0xE110) which is located on the backplane for the ADLINK chassis. Since this looked very similar to the Error 10 problem I linked to in my original post I thought the issue might be with the PXIe-8301. I can try contacting ADLINK if this might be a problem with their chassis as opposed to the NI controller.

[Nick@NI]

Hi dkattan,

The main difference between the two setups you mentioned is one uses cabled PCI Express, and the other is Thunderbolt (enabled by 8301). While Thunderbolt is similar to cabled PCI Express, they are not equal. Thunderbolt requires additional BIOS and driver support on the host PC/laptop to enable its other features (namely hotplug). That said, I recommend double checking you have updated to the latest BIOS and Thunderbolt Driver from your respective Desktop and Dell XPS15 resources. If that doesn't fix anything, look at the Thunderbolt BIOS settings in your Desktop and XPS 15 to see if some changes make it tick; you may find some customization for "pre-boot" or "on  boot" settings.

Some other steps you can also try:

- Cold boot with Thunderbolt plugged in (I assume you are already doing this)

- Cold boot without Thunderbolt plugged in, then hotplug while in the OS.

- In Device Manager, disable and re-enable the PCI bridge to see if it clears code 10 on the bridges.

Please let us know how it goes!

Thank you,

Nick

[dkattan]

Both my desktop and laptop are running the latest version of Windows and have the latest thunderbolt drivers and BIOS drivers from their manufacturers and Intel.

I was able to get my hands on an NI PXIe-1085 chassis to test with. I've found that the thunderbolt interface seems to work best on the Dell XPS-15 (9550) when the interface is hotplugged. The times it doesn't work during hotplug disabling and re-enabling the bridge fixes the issue. On cold boot the chassis rarely shows with all cards but disabling and re-enabling the bridge also fixes the problem. On my desktop with Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI motherboard with a GC-Alpine Ridge add in card both the Thunderbolt connection and MXI-Express x8 connection prevent the computer from booting or crash the computer when hotplugged. I'm hesitant to install the BIOS compatibility software since in the past it has also prevented this desktop from booting (requiring a restore from backup). The Thunderbolt settings in the BIOS appear to be the same between the desktop and the XPS-15.

I also installed the chassis on a Dell Vostro 260 in Windows XP, Windows 7 64-bit, and Windows 10 64-bit with the MXI-Express x8 connection. On XP and Windows 10 everything appears to function properly. On Windows 7 8 of the 9 cards in the chassis show up but the 9th fails to appear in device manager (which card is left out appears to be random between boots). Disabling and enabling the relevant PCI Bridge does not fix the problem (the PCI bridge does not show as having an error in device manager).

Does NI have a list of computers (or desktop motherboards) that it has tested the Thunderbolt connection with? We have customers that are interested in using the Thunderbolt controller in their system and it would be nice to be able to give them more information than just plug and pray.

[Nick@NI]

Hi dkatten,

We did the bulk of our PXIe-8301 testing using NI modules with Intel and Apple hardware, i.e. Intel Skull Canyon NUC and various models of Macs with Thunderbolt ports. However, regardless of the manufacturer, if you are using certified Thunderbolt hardware and already have proven success using other Thunderbolt devices, there should be no reason to doubt the 8301 will link with that system also.

As for the XPS-15, I can only suggest tweaking the Thunderbolt settings in the BIOS, specifically any pre-boot and security related settings. This may improve your experience between cold boot vs hot plug.

In reference to your Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI desktop with GC-Alpine Ridge add-in card, have you tested your setup with other Thunderbolt devices? Unlike traditional PCIe add-in cards, GC-Alpine Ridge requires additional cabling and software, and there are unique setup requirements for different Gigabyte motherboard models. I recommend double checking your setup and refer to the Gigabyte’s support page.

When you mentioned MXI-Express X8, are you referring to PCIe8381 and PXIe-8381? If so, BIOS compatibility software would be a viable option to install for that MXI application.

Best regards,

Nick