LV RT desktop configuration

[iHapenciuc]

Hi,

I am trying to get a desktop as a RT machine using LabVIEW RT with no luck, I thing I am trying this for the last 2 years.I am so tired, I have read the forum many times and the documents from ni.comNo luck. 

I would like to know the desktop configuration (moder board manufaturer no, procesor, ethernet chipset, etc) used by users that have been lucky in getting desktop PC to run LV RT, and if any special "treatment" was necessary - just because once I have heard about "disabling UDMA" but I haven’t found out how to do it.  

As I know that are many peoples that are trying to make PC desktop to run LV RT with no luck this might be slightly more helpful than reading 100 posts in which you are invited to read the LV RT documentation.  

Please Help !!!

Andrei 

PS I have successfully used LV real time at my former job on PXIs so I could say I know LV RT pretty well, but this didn’t helped me.

[mishkin]

Andrei,

If you've been trying to do this for a long time you've probably seen this by now, but supported hardware for desktop PCs  as real-time targets is listed here: Requirements for Desktop PCs as LabVIEW Real-Time Targets. Does your PC meet the requirements listed? 

We also provide a utility that can be run on a desktop PC to verify compatibility with LabVIEW Real-Time. This may be the easier way to go for you. You can find instructions here: How Can I Test My PC for Compatibility with LabVIEW Real-Time for Desktop ETS?

Hope this helps, 

[iHapenciuc]

Hi Mishkin,

I thing... I am respecting the system configuration: The Ethernet chipset (Intel pro 100), IDE HDD FAT16, celeron or pentrium 4 processor?!?

The mother board is the one worring me, the PCI BIOS support in fact.

The mother boards I have tryed to not boot from USB, or not from the USB made by NI-MAX for desktop verification. 

I have noticed another thread where users were seing theyir system configuration, usualy very low frequency processors: intem mmx 266MHZ etc.

I am very interested to know what chipset is used in the NI PXIs with dual core processor.

I might try to find the PC desktop mother board with the same chipset and hopfully will have the misterious PCI BIOS support feature.

Best regards,

P.S. I use LV RT 8.5

[George_P_Burdell · Accepted solution]

Andrei-

Our R&D department recommends using the Dell T3500 for an out of the box solution. This has been tested with success here at National Instruments as a valid solution for an RTPC. 

If you are only looking for a mother board, please see the information and link below.  This motherboard has also been tested with success at National Instruments.  With these recommendations, please keep in mind that both we don't make the hardware and we cannot guarantee future compatibility with the manufacturers.

Please keep in mind, you will need to purchase a deployment license for the Real-Time OS.  This product page can be found at the link below.  Because the Ethernet card is one of the most critical parts to this system and can have several compatibility issues associated with it, this deployment license comes with a PCI Ethernet card that is guaranteed to work. 

Please let us know if we can help with any other spec recommendations. I would strongly recommend getting in touch with your Account Manager or the Applications Engineering Department at National Instruments directly.  We may be better able to help you over the phone.

Out of Box Solution
Dell Precision T3500 Tower Workstation Desktop Computer
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/workstation-precision-t3500?c=us&l=en&s=bsd...

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359

Contact National Instruments
https://www.ni.com/en/contact-us.html

[iHapenciuc]

Hi George, 

The informations you posted are very very helpful, Thank you very much. 

I will try that mother board. If anyone tried a mini AT, or mini ITX format mother boards successfully please indicate it here. 

Best regards, 

Andrei

Message Edited by iHapenciuc on 04-02-2010 12:38 PM

[iHapenciuc]

Hi George,

I have just build me a system using a mother board very similar with the one you indicated: Gygabite GA-EP45T-UD3LR.

a Q9550 quat processor, 2Gb of DDR3, and a 80Gb IDE HDD formted as a single FAT32 partition.

It also has Intel PRO 100 ethernet on PCI, FDD and CD-ROM, to be certian nothing is missing.

I was very disapointed when I have boot-ed from the USB utiliy made by MAX.

it displayed the "Loading PHARLAPBOOT.exe" .. and did nothing !!!

I have tried the floppy "NI RT Format" - when trying to format the HDD it says somtihing about the file siste not beeing FAT16 or FAT32!!!??!!! And it can't format it. The Boot floppy dosent find the HDD, but it dose find the network.

It is for sure FAT32.

If you could please tell me in details how you made this work, I would be very greatfull.

I am verry dissapointed right now but I hope that this forum to help me once again as it did many times before.

Andrei

[iHapenciuc]

I have forgot to meantion that in BIOS I have 5 IDe channels, but my CD-rom and HDD are on the last channel (chanel 4) , the HDD is Master, and Cd-rom is Slave.

I don't now if this matter.

Andrei

PS I applogise for my very bad English.

[iHapenciuc]

Hi again, Today I have tried again to install LV RT to the mentioned system.I have tried different changes in BIOS, it didn't work.I would appreciate very much any details regarding any necessary BIOS setup adjustments.I hope that Gigabyte had no major change between the two mother boards, the one indicated and the one used. Best regards, Andrei

[George_P_Burdell]

Andrei-

Unfortunately, I cannot confirm or deny the differences between these two mother boards.  Thank you for supplying the image of your Real-Time Screen.  It looks like your system isn’t recognizing your HDD.  I would suggest trying to reformat your hard drive again as FAT32.  Maybe something was corrupted during this process.  You also need to ensure this drive is your “C:\” drive.  Let us know if this helps.

[iHapenciuc]

Hi Mike, 

I have formatted the HDD may times using different tools: Win XP CD, Partition Magic, Ultimate boot CD, Win98 start-up floppy.

I have removed the CD-Rom to have only the HDD on the IDE cable, and I used the floppy for LV RT (I didn’t used the USB stick just in case it will mix the drive letters, it didn’t worked anyway).

It didn’t help. 

I have quit for the moment and I have installed Win XP on this HDD. I will try to get another HDD to try this entire LV RT thing. 

I am very annoyed mainly because I have found a system that passed the LV RT test USB, but it was a relatively old Athlon system and I wanted something better.

At least XP is running well on my PC. I will try to get the details of the system that passed the LV RT tests just in case other users will be interested. 

Best regards, 

Andrei

Message Edited by iHapenciuc on 05-13-2010 02:50 AM