Can't boot real-time target PC

[Guillaume Dargaud]

Hello all,
I'm trying to experiment with real time for the first (real) time...
But I can't seem to boot the PC.

With the RT8.2 boot floppy, I get an error message at the very begining
of the boot: "ETS Loader.ERR" and then it locks up

If I install the real-time target on the hard drive and then boot, it
stops even before that with the following 'message': "LI"
Yes, that's right, just those 2 letters...

The only related info on ni.com is the following
http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/862567530005F09F8625690A007817FD
But it doesn't help besides talking about hypothetical bios settings...

Any idea ?
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/
"I went to a gentleman's cybercafe — and they offered me a 'laptop
dance'."

[Guillaume Dargaud]

OK, responding to my own...

Apparently the problem was cause by faulty floppy drive readers (they are
full of dust after years of disuse...)
Anyway, I found a laptop that unfortunately won't USB boot but which has the
proper ethernet hardware... Now I'm stuck at the step:
* Initializing network...
* Device 1 - MAC address:... - 0.0.0.0 (primary)
* System state: unconfigured

When I launch the Measurement & Automation explorer on my master system, I
can't see the remote. The local network is tightly secured and the admins
have no idea what an IP of 0.0.0.0 means.
- is there some kind of broadcast that comes from the remote ? For MAX to be
picked up by the remote ? What protocol ? What port ?
- is it possible to set the IP manually on the remote ? Preset it on the
floppy ?

Otherwise I don't really see a way to make this work...

Yes, I've read
mk:@MSITStore:C:\Program%20Files\National%20Instruments\MAX\Help\MAXRmEng.chm::/html/tutorial.html
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/
"Every once in awhile, walk into a bookstore and buy a magazine devoted to
a subject you know nothing about. Read it."

[Guillaume Dargaud]

OK, responding to my own... again...

Saw this:
http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/D3076C71B32910D9862572A30064528A

Now updated to MAX 4.2.0.3025, but still no go.

I wanted to cross-post to natinst.public.daq.real-time.general as this is
not (yet)
LabWindows specific, but the server won't let me...
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/
"Perl 1.0: All the power of QBasic, the readability of assembly, and the
flexibility of DOS batch scripting..."

[Brian_K.]

Hi Guillaume,

Before I start any real-time project with a computer I am unfamiliar with I check the compatibilities.  Here is the link to the check:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/CB3434DA94466DD286256E9E006BB775?OpenDocument

The PC evaluator is good to aid with the check, which is here:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/62538D52E61FC167862571C7006EDAC0?OpenDocument

If you notice in the Requirements for a Desktop PC as a Real-Time Target knowledge base, it has a software installation section that talks about an IP of 0.0.0.0 or unconfigured

It is possible that the reason you cannot see your device in MAX with a default IP of 0.0.0.0 is because of the network.  If that is the case I would start by using a crossover cable to connect to the device.  Then assign it a static IP that your system administrators have assigned to it.

Here is the article that talks about using a crossover cable

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/72AE8CADA1AF075686256A16005D55B1?OpenDocument

Hope that helps.

[Guillaume Dargaud]

> It is possible that the reason you cannot see your device in MAX with a
> default IP of
> 0.0.0.0 is because of the network.  If that is the case I would start
> by using a
> crossover cable to connect to the device.  Then assign it a static IP
> that your
> system administrators have assigned to it.

Yes, that's it. It works with a crossover cable, but even if I set the IP
and plug it in the normal network, it still won't work. The admins say it's
because the network won't connect before the machine starts broadcasting (a
problem with some printers, RTOSes and specific ethernet-enabled hardwares
on our local net).
Anyway, solved it with a local hub.

BUT... it still won't work properly.
I can see the machine in MAX and change IP settings. But I keep getting
lockups if I try to do basically anything. For instance expanding the
[Software] tab in MAX will lockup MAX.
Also in CVI, I'm still trying to figure out what steps are necessary to run
a prog on the target. For instance with the example FileIORT.prj, I select
[Run][Switch Execution Target][Select Target with Option][Copy Support
Files] (I'm not sure what this does), I get "Operation Timed Out".

Is there a tutorial for CVI that takes you by the hand to show you how to
run one of those examples on a remote target ?

On the target (a PC), is there anything one can do ? Keyboard shortcuts ?
Command line ?

Thanks
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/
"Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play ?"

[Brian_K.]

Hi Guillaume,

You said the Software Tab in MAX locked up your system.  Is that the software tab under your remote target or under "My System".  What happens when it locks up, is there an error or does it freeze or "Not Respond"?

Now that you can see the target on your network in MAX, can you ping the new IP address?

[LuisG]

Hello Gillaume,

I can't be much help with the MAX hang, but on the issue of how to use real-time from CVI, you can read this post where I've listed the first few basic steps.

In all likelihood, you're seeing that error when you run the "Copy Support Files" utility (which by the way, you don't really need to use for a basic example like FileIORT.prj) because you haven't yet installed the CVI run-time on your RTOS. That's something you need to do in MAX before you can run a CVI program on the RT target.

We've received the feedack before that this type of "Getting started with CVI RT" information has been hard to find in the CVI online help. We're working on improving the real-time documentation for the next version.

Luis

[Guillaume Dargaud]

Hello Brian,

> You said the Software Tab in MAX locked up your system.  Is that the
> software
> tab under your remote target or under "My System".  What happens when
> it
> locks up, is there an error or does it freeze or "Not Respond"?
The remote target's Software tab. It freezes and I have to kill MAX.

> Now that you can see the target on your network in MAX, can you ping
> the
> new IP address?
Yes, and I can change its IP settings from MAX, but that's about all.
I can also install software by going to the software tab (without expanding
it with the [+]) and doing [Add].
But then I haven't been able to run anything on the target yet.
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/

[Guillaume Dargaud]

Hello LuisG,

> Hello Gillaume, I can't be much help with the MAX hang, but on the issue
> of how to
> use real-time from CVI, you can read this
> http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=180&message.id=28358&query.id=134643#M28358

Message not found
The Message you are trying to access has been deleted. Please update your
bookmarks

> where I've listed the first few basic steps. In all likelihood, you're
> seeing that error
> when you run the "Copy Support Files" utility (which by the way, you don't
> really
> need to use for a basic example like FileIORT.prj) because you haven't yet
> installed
> the CVI run-time on your RTOS. That's something you need to do in MAX
> before you
What is the difference in CVI [Select Target with option] between "New
target on the network", "New RT target on the network" and "New RT target
via Labview on the network" ?
Is that also how you can run CVI progs on a remote Linux system (as opposed
to a PharLap ETS system) ?

I'm trying to evaluate solutions running on either Linux or ETS, but so far
I've just wasted several days.

> can run a CVI program on the RT target.We've received the feedack before
> that this
> type of "Getting started with CVI RT" information has been hard to find in
> the CVI
> online help. We're working on improving the real-time documentation for
> the next
> version.Luis
Good luck with that !

Thanks for the help.
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/

[Guillaume Dargaud]

> The PC evaluator is good to aid with the check, which is here:
> http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/62538D52E61FC167862571C7006EDAC0?OpenDocument

I though you could run it only from USB (which I can't boot from on my
targets).
I just ran it from the floppy and I got:
[...]
Intel 8255x Ethernet Driver ... found 1 device
Starting up IP stack... failed
Initializing network... unable to configure
Device 1 - MAC address: ...
System state: IP stack Configuration Error

When I boot from the boot floppy or the hard drive after a floppy install, I
get no such error... Is this a hint of diagnostic or something else ?
--
Guillaume Dargaud
http://www.gdargaud.net/