max export hardware configuration error -50150

[Penny]

Hello,

I am trying to export my NI-Max configuration for our CRIO-9002 controller.  The
controller and all of our code is working well - now we would like to build a
stand-alone executable.  I have stopped all applications on the CRIO-9002 with
the 'no-app' dip switch, and rebooted it.  When I try to export the Max configuration
for the CRIO-9002 instrument to a file, I get the error: 

"NI-DAQmx 8.0:  -50150
The software has entered an unknown state - usually as a result of a cascade
failure induced by an unexpected series of state inputs.  the operation could not
be completed as specified and you should immediately terminate all further
transactions if you are able to do so.
Continue?"

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Penny

[Penny]

Also, we are running LabView 8 and DAQ-mx 8.0  Currently we
are downloading DAQ-mx 8.1 to see if that helps.

-Penny

[Mark.K]

Penny,

It's unclear why you are trying to get a .NCE MAX configuration file for your cRIO remote system.  There isn't any data associated with a cRIO target that can be saved to a .NCE file.  When I try to create one of these files for a cRIO target, I get the screen where you should be able select items from a list that you wish to export to the .NCE file, but the only item I have in this list warns me that there is "no exportable data" for my cRIO remote system.

Any application-specific information you want to deploy with your executable is incorporated into your LabVIEW 8.0 cRIO project.  You can use the build specifications for your cRIO target that is added as a remote system to your project tree.  If you want to use the hardware on another network, you must configure it to have an IP address through MAX.

It's unclear to me why you are getting that error 50150, though.  Perhaps you need to reinstall DAQmx 8.0 (so that MAX is re-installed).  We have DAQmx 8.1 available now.  I did not change any of the switched on my cRIO target before attempting to create a .NCE file.

Finally, I see that you made three similar posts for this one issue.  In the future, please only make one post per issue.  Best of luck!

Message Edited by MKaschner on 05-01-2006 11:40 AM

[Penny]

Mark,

Thanks for the feedback.  We have actually installed DAQmx 8.1, and LabView 8.01,
and mass-recompiled everything.

The reason we are trying to export the hardware configuration for the CRIO-9002 is
so that we can create an installer for a standalone executable.  Our current status
is that we have a standalone executable that will run on my desktop computer, and
control the lab equipment.  However we would like to control the lab equipment from
a different computer (one that does not have LabView installed).  So far we have
installed and run the standalone executable on a different computer on the same
subnet, but it can't see the CRIO from there.

When I try to build the installer, and include the CRIO-9002 hardware configuration
in the build:
    Build Specifications->Installer->Advanced->Hardware Configuration->
    "Include Hardware Configuration from MAX"->Configure->CRIO9002)
I am now getting the error that you describe:  "No exportable data". 

So I am wondering how to include the CRIO-9002 hardware configuration in the
installer.  Otherwise it appears that our stand-alone executable can't see the CRIO
from any computer but mine.  Nor can the stand-alone version of MAX.

Hope that clarifies the situation.  Thanks again for the response.

-Penny

[Mark.K]

If you look at the shipping examples for LabVIEW FPGA, you will see the "Open FPGA VI Reference.vi" at the start of the block diagram.  This is the VI that calls the .LVBIT file that runs on the FPGA backplane of your cRIO.  As an input, this VI takes a VISA Resource Name, which should be the VISA resource name for your cRIO FPGA from MAX.

The reason there is "no exportabel data" when you try to create a cRIO hardware config .NCE MAX file is that there literally is no data available to put in one of these files.  There is not need for it in distributing an FPGA application.  What you need to make sure of with your installer is that it installs MAX so you can configure/add your cRIO hardware (because it should have an IP address) on that different computer.  It can't "see" the cRIO because it hasn't been configured in MAX on the new PC.  Once it is, you can get it's VISA resource name and use that as the input to the "Open FPGA VI Reference.vi" described above.

[Mark.K]

I also found some useful help information that you should read up on with regards to your application.  If you open LabVIEW help, there should be a section called "FPGA Module".  Under "FPGA Module How-To >> Running FPGA VIs" there are some useful help pages about your different options for running FPGA VI's (including compiling remotely).  Some other related help pages that will help include:

"Opening a Reference to an FPGA"

"Configuring FPGA VIs to Run Automatically (FPGA Module)"

"Configuring and Accessing Remote FPGA Targets (FPGA Module)"

[Penny]

Hi Mark,

Apologies for my slow response - I have been out of the office. 
I have been addressing your comment from May 2:

    "What you need to make sure of with your installer is that it installs MAX so you can
    configure/add your cRIO hardware (because it should have an IP address) on that
    different computer. "

The problem is that my installer installs a stand-alone MAX on the remote computer (same
subnet), but the cRIO does not appear under "Remote Systems".  However, I can ping the
cRIO from the command prompt on the remote computer.  (I gave the cRIO an IP address
using DHCP from my desktop computer.)  So, I tried to force MAX to recognize the cRIO
by selecting "Create New", and manually typing in the IP address of the cRIO.  The error
message was:  "The device at this address is not supported".

Next, I tried resetting the IP address of the cRIO to 0.0.0.0, and looked for it in MAX on
the remote computer.  Still no luck.

The packages I am including in the installer are:  LabView Run-Tim Engine 8.0.1, MAX
4.0, NI Variable Engine, NI-DAQmx 8.1, NI-VISA Configuration Support 3.4.1, NI-VISA Runtime
3.4.1, NI-VISA Server 3.4.1, NI-VISA for LabView Real-Time 3.4.1 .  I am also trying to include
the hardware configuration for MAX, by selecting "System"->"Check All".

As for your other comments regarding compiling the FPGA VI on the remote computer,
wouldn't those steps come after we have managed to configure/see the cRIO under
"Remote Systems" in MAX?  Is there any NI software required on the remote computer
to do that?  At the moment there is none, other than the above list of items included in the
installer.

I am happy to read about this problem in some pre-compiled NI literature, but have been
unable to find anything that addresses this particular situation.

Thanks,
Penny

[Penny]

Mark,

We have fixed the problem!  It turns out that the NI-RIO 2.0 package was
listed as "NI 985x Software 2.3.1" in the "Additional Installers" portion of
the build specifications.  Since we needed to include the NI-RIO to support
the cRIO, and didn't recognize that the NI 985x was the NI-RIO, we left
it out of the installer.  Hence our cRIO was not supported in MAX.

Thank you very much for the constructive dialogue.

-Penny