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How to save a VXI configuration

I have a VXI chassis with a VXI-DIO-128 installed.  After I reboot, I cannot access the DIO-128 until I start Measurement and Automation Explorer, run the VXI Resource Manager, set the logical address of the DIO-128, and run the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility. Can I save that configuration so that it is restored automatically on a restart?  I'm running Win XP SP2, LW/CVI 8.5.1, MAX 4.5, Traditional NI-DAQ 6.9.3, NI-VXI 3.3.1, and NI-VISA 4.4.  Thanks.
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Hey Graybeard,

 

It seems as though resman is not running automatically on startup, which might be giving you some of these issues. I'd suggest configuring resman.exe to run at startup, and see if this resolves any of your issues. Instructions on how to do this can be found in KnowledgeBase 2D9ENL0Z : Configuring the VXI Resource Manager to Run at Startup

 

Justin E
National Instruments R&D
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Message 2 of 17
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Justin,

 

Thanks for your prompt response. 

 

Actually, I seem to have more serious problems then I first realized.  If I invoke resman from the Start menu, it runs for a few seconds and then aborts with a Microsoft Send Error Report dialog.  The error message is "VXI Resource Manager has encountered a problem and need to close...".  

 

If I then start MAX, I see a hardware installation dialog stating; " The software you are installing for this hardware: VXI-DIO-128 has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP." I click continue thru 4 of these dialogs, and Max will open.  If I select the VXI System 0 resource in theConfiguration, I can then run the VXI Resource Manager successfully.  The DIO-128 will appear as a resource in the Configuration pane, as well as in the list of VXI modules.

 

I can select the DIO-128 resource and click properties and a device configuration dialog appears.  However the VXI Logical Address is always set to 0.  If I change it to the actual address on the hardware, and click Apply, the subsequent resource tests fail.  When I click the OK button to dismiss the dialog, Windows crashes, and then reboots. Consistently.

 

 I've tried reinstalling NI-DAQ 6.9.3, but no joy.  At this point I don't know what to do next.  I would appreciate any help anyone can offer.

 

 Regards,
Leo Bostjancic
Midway Research Center/NRL

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Hi Graybeard,

 

I have a couple questions for you. One, what do you have in your system right now, in addition to the VXI-DIO-128? How are you communicating with your chassis (MXI, USB, etc.)? Has this card ever worked, and if so what has changed with your setup between then and now? This information will be extremely helpful for us to assist you in solving this issue. Thanks!

Justin E
National Instruments R&D
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Justin,

 

"what do you have in your system right now, in addition to the VXI-DIO-128?"

 The chassis is a NI VXI-1500.  See the attached text file for the module complement.

 

"How are you communicating with your chassis (MXI, USB, etc.)?"

A VXI-PCI 8015 MXI-2 interface connected to an external workstation running WinXP SP2.  See the first message iin this thread for the current installed software.

 

"Has this card ever worked?"

Yes.

It has been working for almost 10 years.  The original controller was an NI VXIpc-871 running Windows NT. Installed software was: CVI 6.0.4.105, TestStand 1.0.1.100, NI-488.2 1.40, NI-DAQ 6.5.1f19, NI-VISA 2.5.2, NI-VXI 2.05, MAX 2.1.3.15

 

"if so what has changed with your setup between then and now?"

The changes: new interface, upgrade to WinXP,  TestStand 4.1, CVI 8.5.1, NI-DAQ 6.9.3, etc.

 

Note that I can see all the VXI modules using MAX (see the attached screen dump), and can access (configure, read, write) all of the other modules.  I'm only having problems with the DIO-128.

 

Thanks.

 

Regards,
Leo Bostjancic
Midway Research Center/NRL

 

 

 

 

 

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Message 5 of 17
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Graybeard,

 

There is a conflict between some versions of MAX and NI-VXI that has been found and a patch has been created. Check out the KB Resman Crash When Run from Outside of MAX.

 

It seems that in one of your software updates, MAX was updated, and this conflict results in Resman crashing when run from the Start Menu. I would suggest to download the patch file and save it in the designated location.

 

Regards,

---

Peter Flores
Applications Engineer
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Thanks for the tip, Peter.  I downloaded and upgraded to NI-VXI 3.5.2.  That fixed the problem with resman crashing when executed outside of MAX.  But that still leaves the problem of not being able to access the DIO-128 using the NI-DAQ library calls in CVI.  When I try, I get the error dialog shown in the attached screen image. 

 

Regards,
Leo Bostjancic
Midway Research Center/NRL

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Hey Graybeard,

 

In looking at the readme file for NI-VXI 3.5.2, it appears as though VXI-DAQ is disabled by default. There is a registry key you need to delete to re-enable this support, which might be the cause of your CVI errors. The readme file is here : http://ftp.ni.com/support/softlib/vxi/Windows/3.5.2/readme.html#issuesvxidaq . The registry key to delete is listed in Section 5.4.1. VXI-DAQ Support. Try and delete that registry key to see if it removes your CVI error.

 

Additionally, did installing this newer version of NI-VXI fix the issues you were previously having in MAX and with the device?

 

Justin E
National Instruments R&D
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Message 8 of 17
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Justin,

 

 I deleted the registry key , but now my CVI process hangs when I call a DAQ routine.  I.e. it never returns from the function call.  

 

 "did installing this newer version of NI-VXI fix the issues you were previously having in MAX and with the device?"

No.  I can run the VXI Resource Manager from within MAX, and I see the Access LED blink several times on the front panel of the DIO-128. If I select the DIO-128 resource in the MAX Configuration tree, and click properties in the MAX Configuration view, a device configuration dialog appears.  However the VXI Logical Address is always set to 0, and the device number is set to 1.  If I change the logical address to the actual address ofthe hardware, and click Apply, the subsequent resource tests fail.  When I click the OK button to dismiss the dialog, Windows crashes, and then reboots. Consistently.

 

Leo B

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Justin, Peter,

In view of the problems I'm having with the NI-DAQ routines (Set_DAQ_Device_Info, DIG_Out_Prt, DIG_In_Prt) in my CVI app, can I bypass NI-DAQ altogether, and use the NI-VISA API (or even the NI-VXI API) to communicate with the DIO-128 directly?  If so, how can I find out what the equivalent low level messages are that I need to send to the DIO-128?  I'm only using a few functions: write port, read port, set and get the threshold of the input ports.  I have the DIO-128 user manual, but it contains no programming info at all. Thanks.

Regards,
Leo Bostjancic
Midway Research Center/NRL
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