topic Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213 in LabVIEW

vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:54:59 GMT

Hi All:

I am running VMware Fusion 2.0.7 hosting WinVista SP2. I plug in a USB-9213, and I only get a partial recognition of the device. I get the New Hardware Found for the 9216 carrier module, but never the same for the 9213 module connected in the carrier. Of course this means DAQmx and MAX don't see the device to let me use it. I can install successfully a virtual 9213 in MAX, but I can't get the real device fully installed. VMWare is running in Mac OS 10.5.8, and the USB is configured so VMWare can see it and use it as the partial New Hardware Found path seems to show. Any ideas how to get through the last hurdle? I know the USB-9213 is good, since it installs and runs fine in WinXP machine I have access to.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:01:38 GMT

Hello bj,

I would try following the instructions proposed in the article here (specifically option 2). There are specific things you must do in order to allow your VMware image access to USB devices. Although this article was written for another board, it should be similiar for the USB-9213. Please make sure you are following the steps shown above and let me know if you are still having trouble.

Regards,

Paul C.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:17:25 GMT

Hi Paul:

I had seen the page you linked me to, and I am still stuck. Specifically, it refers to setting up "myDAQ". I don't use that, I use DAQmx and MAX. It also shows the VMWare Virtual Machine setup for USB having an option for selecting "Connect NI myDAQ". I don't see any such option, which is probably my trouble. What installation step might I have missed for MAX and/or DAQmx that would give me that option in the VMWare tools? Alternatively, what is myDAQ and where does it fit with MAX and DAQmx?

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:26:53 GMT

Hello Bj,

Sorry myDAQ is just another USB device that is used with the DAQmx driver. The reason I linked it is because it should be setup simliar to the 9213. Did you try following the steps in the pdf here which is linked at the bottom of the page? To explain more, this option has nothing to do with our DAQmx driver. It is simply how USB devices get connected from your Mac OS to the VMware image.

Regards,

Paul C

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:28:47 GMT

Hi Paul:

Just to clarify what I just wrote, I see a "New Hardware Found" message for the NI-9162 carrier module, but I don't see the next message I should see, which is "New Hardware Found" for the NI-9213. I see the 3 entries for Apple devices I could connect, but I do not have a USB choice for any NI hardware in the VMWare Virtual Machine setup. I seem to be close, but not quite there. The green LED is blinking on the NI-9162, just like it does whan it works all the way through to the NI-9123 on a regular Windows machine. I just don't get the final connection to the NI-9123 on the WinVISTA virtual machine under VMWare.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:44:10 GMT

Hi Paul:

OK, when I have the NI-9123 plugged into the USB port, I do see a 4th connection option under the USB Virtual Machine, but it is to disconnect the NI-9162. I see the NI-9162 under Device Manager inside WinVISTA, and I see the NI-9162 under the Mac System Profiler. I don't see the NI-9123. The carrier is shown as having no cartridge plugged in under "Data Acquisition Devices" of Device Manager. It is plugged in when connected to a regular WinXP machine. There is still something missing, but I don't know what it is. On the WinVISTA virtual machine, MAX is shown as version 4.5 and DAQmx is version 8.8. Are they too old maybe?

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:56:00 GMT

Hello Bj,

I'm afraid using National Instruments USB devices through VMware isn't officially supported because it our customers seem to have varying levels of success depending on the vmware version, daq device, and os your emulating. Unfortunately, this isn't tested and I cannot tell you which setup works or doesn't work. DAQmx 8.8 should should work for that USB board. You could upgrade to the latest version to be sure a bug with that release isn't causing problems. I would also look at contacting vmware to see if they have any open issues on this.

Regards,

Paul C.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:09:25 GMT

Hi Paul:

Thanks for the info, I knew I was on thin ice hoping that VMWare WinVISTA would access hardware. I got very close so far, so I was hoping that there would be some known nudge to get the last bit working. I will try upgrading the MAX and DAQmx to see if that helps. I will let you know if I succeed.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Brad_K — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:45:22 GMT

Hi bj,

DAQmx 8.8 was released before the USB-9213 hardware, and due to a last-minute change, DAQmx 8.9 or later is required to use the USB-9213. Therefore, the DAQmx 8.8 Readme says that it supports the USB-9213, but this is not correct. The correct version info is in C Series Support in NI-DAQmx. Sorry about the confusion.

Did the shipping box for your USB-9213 include a DAQmx 8.9 or later driver DVD?

Brad

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:09:29 GMT

Hi Brad:

I just finished upgrading to MAX 4.6.2 and DAQmx 9.0.2. (Should I look for even newer versions?) This represents progress, as the NI-9213 is now seen in Device Manager (and System Profiler on the Mac side), but it is still not seen in MAX. I could create a simulated NI-9213 in my older versions, and I still can, but the one I create now does not work while the old simulated one did work. The new simulated NI-9213 always fails Self-Test. (And deleting the simulated device hangs MAX. It can be deleted only on the restart of MAX) The fact that I could create a working simulated NI-9213 under the older DAQmx version 8.8 had led me to believe that I had a new enough version. The basic issue is still there though, I can not see the real NI-9213 in MAX, so I can not use it in LabVIEW. It does not matter if I have the simulated NI-9213 present or not in MAX, the real one is never seen there, but it is always seen by Device Manager now. The simulated one has also gone invisible to LabVIEW while the older one could be used there. By the way, sorry for being dyslexic yesterday when I kept typing 9123 instead of 9213.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:57:38 GMT

Hi Brad:

On the theory that if 9.0.2 was good, then 9.1.5 would be better, I tried another upgrade. Now I am worse off. I don't even have a DAQmx Devices entry on the tree of devices and interfaces in MAX anymore. I can't create a simulated device at all. I don't get any error messages, after navigating to the NI-9213 as a device, I just don't get any entry in the tree of devices, and still no DAQmx entry either. The real NI-9213 still shows up under Device Manager, with every thing saying drivers are functioning just fine, as is the device. There is no entry in MAX for the real NI-9213. I am guessing that I now have a very corrupt install, but I would appreciate any advice as to the best set of steps to follow to get a clean install that might actually work.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:07:54 GMT

Hey Bj,

I believe you have a database corruption. Please try the steps found here. Specifically, you need to delete your data folder and have MAX recreate it for you. This should fix the problem of having 9213 showing up. In addition we changed the way MAX shows devices. That is why you don't have a DAQmx Devices entry. Your devices will now show just under Devices and Interfaces. The database corruption above could also be causing the simulated devices to not show up. So, I would try the above steps and let me know if it doesn't work.

Regards,

Paul C.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:42:14 GMT

Hi Paul:

I may have had a corrupted data base, but clearing out the Data folder did not fix it. I still can not create a visible simulated NI-9213, nor does the real NI-9213 show up in MAX. The real NI-9213 shows up fine in Device Manager, but no where else. Windows VISTA makes a sound when the real NI-9213 is plugged in, and MAX shows (Searching...) at the end of the Devices and Interfaces entry for a few seconds at that time, but nothing then shows up in the list of devices. By the way, the directions for clearing out the corrupted database do not work for VISTA. You are always stopped by an access violation error message. You have to go into "services.msc" where what you stop is "NI Configuration Manager", not "mxssvr". This you can do as administrator, but the cmd command window approach will not work.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:40:05 GMT

Hi Paul:

Another upgrade try with only very limited success. I am now at DAQmx 9.2.1, MAX 4.7.1 I can create a simulated NI-9213 again, it is visible in MAX, but it doesn't work. I get error -88705 from the self test. The real NI-9213 still shows fine in Device Manager, still does not show in MAX. I get beeps from WinVISTA every time I plug in the real device, and MAX takes a few seconds to search most times, but I never get the real device to show in MAX. I have lost count of reboots, and I have deleted the MAX Data folder several time as well (with the "NI Configuration Manager" stopped every time I delete the folder, followed by rebooting), and this is as far as I get now, and it is behind where I started in terms of simulated devices and only slightly ahead of where I was with the real device. Any suggestions on how to get a simulated NI-9213 to work again or how to get a real NI-9213 to show in MAX?

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:07:25 GMT

Hey BJ,

From the way it looks, you have tried everything that I could think of. One last thing would be to check and make sure the device loader and configuration manager services are both starting (see here). Other than that, I can't think of anything else it could be other than possibly just a incompatibility with this version of vmware. Have you tried contacting them on the subject?

Regards,

Paul C.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:07:56 GMT

Hi Paul:

I was ready to accept that a virtual machine could not run real hardware when I started this, but I see 2 things that leave me unsatisfied with that. One is that I started out with a working simulated device that I could play with in the LabVIEW application I am building (that will run under Windows with real hardware). I don't have that anymore, the simulated NI-9213 fails self test as I mentioned above, and leaves the device crippled as far as LabVIEW is concerned. The second thing is that when I started, the real NI-9213 could not be seen in Device Manager. Now it can, but MAX still can't see the device. This sounds like the version of DAQmx I started with was too old, but the version I have now should work. Something is wrong with my installation of DAQmx or MAX that is causing problems now, I suspect. I have deleted the Data folder for the MAX database twice and still have problems. The Configuration Manager service is starting up after every reboot of Windows, since I have to stop it every time I want to delete the Data folder. I will check on the device loader, but don't have any reason to expect problems other than the fact that the new installs of DAQmx have worked less well than the version I started with for the simulated NI-9213. Is there a recommended procedure for completely starting over with a clean install of DAQmx and MAX? I have already lost the other simulated devices I had, so I already have to rebuild my collection of devices I work with anyway. I just don't want to spend another hour or two doing installs without some hope that a fresh install will really be clean and fix whatever may be wrong with my current install.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:04:29 GMT

Hi Paul:

I have looked into whether the device loader and the configuration manager are started or stopped, and I don't see a problem. The configuration manager is shown as started, and the device loader is shown as Automatic. If I manually start it, I still don't get the real NI-9213 visible in MAX. I also still get the non-functional simulated NI-9213. This service seems to stop itself though, as it won't stay started for long, but falls back to stopped after about 5-10 seconds. I am guessing that is what the Automatic means. It is shown as depending on the configuration manager. Even if I manage to plug in the real NI-9213 during the brief time the device loader says it is started before it automatically stops, I do not get the real NI-9213 showing up in MAX. I think you have some buggy driver software here, at least in how it gets installed, and I want some advice on the best way to uninstall it and do a clean install that might get around the bugginess. I support many versions of LabVIEW (back to LV8.2) on this machine, so I don't really want to have to spend the time to completely uninstall all NI software and then reinstall it all.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:31:06 GMT

Hey Bj,

This is why your devices aren't showing up in device manager. If the device loader service doesn't stay started, then devices won't be found and placed in MAX. This service might not be starting due to anti-virus programs or version mismatches in software. Sometimes upgrading NI-VISA to the latest version can fix the incompatibilities, but the best option might be to start over. Again, because we don't test vmware with our software, I can't guarentee it will work.

If you can give me permission to ask our IT group to get your email address, I can send you a document which has details on how to fully remove all NI software from your machine. If you want to start over from scatch. Another option would be to restart from scratch with a new VMware image and install the latest version of LabVIEW / DAQmx and see if that doesn't fix the problem.

Regards,

Paul C.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

bjlv — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:57:23 GMT

Hi Paul:

So, you think that the device loader service should be showing as always started. The startup type for that service is showing as Automatic (as does the Configuration Manager), but its status shows as " " while Configuration Manager shows as "Started". That is right, the status field has no content for device loader. I can manually start it, but it will go back to " " after a few seconds. The services manager for WinVISTA actually shows both of these services configured the same as each other, for startup type, log-on, and anything else that looks relevant. They mostly differ in their dependencies lists, with Config Mgr having nothing it depends on and several things depending on it, including device loader. If you can suggest a setting to change, a repair to perform, or whatever, I would be glad to try it out to get the device manager to stay running. So far, the things I try start it, but in 5-10 seconds it stops itself.

Re: vmware not fully recognizing USB-9213

Paul_C. — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:22:52 GMT

Hey Bj,

Yes, you should be able to start it and it stay "Started". If it doesn't, that means that it is erroring when starting. To be perfectly honest, this is typically due to an anti-virus program running and blocking the service or possibly due to a version mismatch of our lower level drivers such as NI-PAL. Unfortunately, this typically takes quite a bit of time to troubleshoot and it might be easier and faster to try starting from scratch with the VMware image. For more information about the anti-virus or firewall fixes, take a look at the KB here.

If you would like to troubleshoot it, I would take a look at the windows event log and see if it doesn't give you more information about the crash. This can be found in the Event Viewer in the Administrative tools. Also, what version of Windows Vista is the image running?

If you want to continue troubleshooting by removing NI products from your image (instead of starting over), I can give you a document that has a list of steps on how to remove all NI products, including registry entries, from your machine. If you wish to do so, please let me know if I can have permission to retreive your email address from our IT group.

Regards,

Paul C.