Yes. This is what the PXIe was designed to do, be a "Remote Target" running a Real-Time OS, not Windows.
You need to distinguish between three computers when thinking about using your PXIe as a separate Data Acquisition/Control Platform. One is the LabVIEW Development PC, which runs Windows, has some version of LabVIEW installed on it, including LabVIEW Real-Time and MAX. The second is the PXIe itself, running a Real-Time OS, installed from the Development PC using MAX, but otherwise not being used for LabVIEW Development (it is all done on the Development PC). The third computer is the Host PC, which (especially during Development) can be the same as the Development PC, but can also be a PC that does not have the LabVIEW Development software installed, only the LabVIEW Run-time Engine (your Laptop could be used in this manner), with the code being created on the Development PC as an Executable and copied to the Host.
If this is what you want to do, and you know how to use the Real-Time Module and deploy to a remote PXIe target, then you can simply reformat the Controller on your PXIe and install the Real-Time (Linux) OS on it. If you search for PXIe 8821, you can find its Getting Started Guide here.
Bob Schor
