Cannot reimage cRio.

[jfehle]

Hello,

I'm attempting to get rid of some programming errors in Labview by reimaging the cRio. I do not know if this is the correct way.

My problem is this, The imaging tool reformats it okay and the cRio reboots in safemode several times.

About three times during the process, it comes back with the error on the serial port of "cannot open "c\ni-rt\system\vxworks"".

There is no path  on the local c: drive like this. Doing a search does show a path "cRIO\ni-rt\system\vxworks".

I am totally confused here. The image tool fails just prior to the last step  with an FTP error and doesn't run to completion. Therefore, the secondary port ethernet address is still at 0.0.0.0.

Can somebody explain what I have to do to fix this issue?

It was successfully imaged before and everything was working fine. I just want to get it back to that state prior to putting in our custom labview software.

Thanks.

[StephenB]

Hi,

What version of the LabVIEW FRC package are you running?

What versions does the imaging tool display under "select image"? If you are not running the most recent version (Update 2), you will not see "FRC_2009_v7.zip" on the list. If so, you should grab the update here http://joule.ni.com/nidu/cds/view/p/lang/en/id/1180

If there is a problem with the image you are trying to deploy from your computer, this will update it, and may allow you to successfully reimage the cRIO-FRC.

Make sure the computer you are using to reformat the cRIO is using the correct IP address. 10.xx.yy.6 where xx and yy are your team number. (ie 10.3.57.6)

If this does not work, we can reformat the cRIO with Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) and start over. This can be done by following these steps carefully:

1. Reboot the controller into Safe Mode by flipping the Safe Mode DIP switch to ON and cycling the power by pressing the Reset button on the controller and holding it down for about 10 seconds. After recycling power the Power LED should then be lit.
2. Open Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) by navigating to Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Measurement & Automation.
3. Expand Remote Systems by clicking on the + as seen below.
4. Click on your Real-Time hardware under Remote Systems, click on the Network Settings tab, and verify that the System State is Connected - Safe Mode (User Directed).
5. Right-click on the Real-Time hardware and select Format Disk.
6. Select Yes when MAX asks you if you would like to continue.
7. **Important** Flip the Safe Mode DIP switch back to OFF. Be sure to follow this step as the controller will reboot in safe mode on the ROM chip if you do not flip the DIP switch.
8. Click on the OK button in the window from MAX indicating that formatting was successful.  Immediately after you click on OK, the RT hardware reboots. 
9. Go to the FRC cRIO Imaging Tool on your desktop and deploy the image to the cRIO

If this does not work, try reimaging the cRIO from another computer to rule out your computer as the issue.

If that does not work, please go ahead and call in and we can debug it on the phone.

Let me know how it goes!

[sciencewhiz]

For future reference the "c\ni-rt\system\vxworks" path is not on your computer, but on the cRIO itself.

[jfehle]

Hello,

No luck tonight getting this problem resolved. I've included some serial port information to hopefully help in finding resolution.

When entering safe mode, and starting MAX, there were no remote connections set up at all. I added the 4 devices that should be able to communicate with the cRio, but it wasn;t until I added the software under "Tools>cRio Software"was I able to see the cRio under "Remote Systems". There has been no instance where a formatting option has been available.  See MAX Error: I actually was hopeful this would fix it, but the cRio imaging error was the same. (sigh)

Under imaging error.jpg you will notice that update 2 is definitely being used along with the reported imaging tool error code.

The two .text files I think hold the clues as to why this is happening. Could there be a corrupt labview application in the cRio that is causing this? I would expect formatting would wipe this area of the memory, but I do not have a clear understanding of this package yet.

Spinning my wheels on REGOLITH,

jfehle

[StephenB]

When entering safe mode, and starting MAX, there were no remote connections set up at all. I added the 4 devices that should be able to communicate with the cRio, but it wasn;t until I added the software under "Tools>cRio Software"was I able to see the cRio under "Remote Systems". There has been no instance where a formatting option has been available.  See MAX Error: I actually was hopeful this would fix it, but the cRio imaging error was the same. (sigh)

I don't quite understand you here. What do you mean you added four devices that should be able to communicate with the cRIO?

There is definitely some software corruption on your cRIO and it needs to be reformatted. If you can see the cRIO under remote systems inside MAX, you should be able to right click the target and select Format Disk (as long as it is in safe mode, which it is in the attached picture). After formatting the disk, switch off the safemode dip switch and reboot the controller, and reimage it with the imaging tool.

If this does not work, try it from a different computer to rule out your computer's install of the FRC software. If that does not work, please call in!

[jfehle]

Hello,

We are making some progress, but are still unable to see the Reimage tool run all the way through to completion without generating an error.

Steps taken tonight:

1)Successfully reformatted the cRio.

2) Reinstalled software programs with MAX with ver. cRio 2.41.

3) Downloaded image, but unable to set the 2nd ethernet port to 10.15.23.2. This is right where the original error occurred before this thread was started.

4) Deploying a Labview New FRC Robot project seems to work fine, (joystick operation tested) except for the camera, because the IP is 0.0.0.0).

The team was fortunate to gain some new engineers from a sponsor tonight that have expert experience in both the cRio and Labview. They left scratching their heads too. It made me feel a little better. We connected the cRio directly to the laptop through the cross-over cable to eliminate all possibilty of FTP hardware failure. The error messages of "cannot open /c/ni-rt/system/vxworks" still appeared on the serial out port prior to getting the FTP error of 15000 when trying to configure the 2nd Ethernet port. Is it possible to set the IP address on this port without using the Reimage tool?

Tomorrow night we are bringing in a Desktop computer with a fresh install of Labview. Hopefully this will resolve the issue. If not, I will take the setup to my job on Friday and place a call to you to.

Thanks.

[StephenB]

Ok glad to hear you are making progress.

After reformatting the cRIO you actually don't have to install any software through MAX because the imaging tool will install everything it needs. But it is okay that you did, the image will overwrite it.

If the cRIO is giving an operating system error, I'm worried the either your install of LabVIEW FRC is corrupted enough that it cannot properly configure the cRIO-FRC, and I would like to try another computer. Or, the flash memory on the cRIO is corrupted and will not properly accept images.By using a different computer, we can isolate this issue to either the computer or the cRIO-FRC and proceed from there with either repairing the install on your original computer, or repairing your cRIO-FRC.

I'm curious to know what would happen if you go in to MAX and click Advanced Ethernet Settings and then set the IP of the second port as shown in the image below.

[jfehle]

Hello,

We were able to accomplish this tonight with another desktop computer. Thanks for the advanced internet settings tips. We found the secondary port disabled, but that may have been because the IP was 0.0.0.0.

Everything is back to normal now. The laptop will get a reinstall of Labview tomorrow to eliminate any corruption issues. A second laptop will be configured in case this problem resurfaces during our regional competition.

Thanks for your help.

[mfitzsimons]

Where di I find the "official" procedure for reimaging a cRIO?  I see lots of tips but no formal procedure.

Thanks!

Matt

[StephenB]

http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.aspx?id=10934

Chapter 5 page 4 of the control system manual.