System Configuration API Firmware Query

[TimS.]

I have a customer that needs to query all PXI(e) modules in a chassis for firmware revision information if available. This is for hardware inventory, tracking, and debugging purposes across 10's to 100's of test stations. The system configuration API has already been successfully used to query all other important information (SN, MN, PN, MFG, etc.) but FW does not get reported for any NI PXI cards when using the system configuration API. I know that most of the NI-<Instrument> drivers have a Revision Query VI which can return firmware information but writing something to handle every possible PXI card is not something they wish to develop or maintain. It would be nice if there was a common query API for this information (like "*IDN?" for GPIB, Serial, Enet devices). Does something like this exist?

Thanks,

[Peter_W]

Hi Tim,

Unfortunately I'm not seeing anything like this that exists at this point, but it's definitely a good suggestion and I can pass it on to our Systems Software R&D group.

The best option is probably what you mentioned, where you would call into the various drivers for the individual devices. That could turn into a pretty complex project, but using the System Configuration API I think that they could determine the correct driver and dynamically call those firmware query VIs to at least make the code more modular and cut down on the development time a bit. From looking at a few of the driver VIs this would probably take wrapping those query VIs into subVIs to align the connector panes (so that you could call dynamically per device with the same code), but once you get to that point it should come together nicely with instrument handle in and firmware revision out.

Best Regards,
Peter W.

[JoshuaP]

NI System Configuration API 5.4 should have support for returning the current firmware, however it may take some time for all of the drivers to return this data through the API.

What products are you trying to get the firmware version on?

[TimS.]

I ran the system configuation API (5.4) with that firmware revision string and recieved no information for the cards in my system. I had cards using SCOPE, FGEN, RIO, RFSA, RFSG, DMM, & SWITCH drivers. The step finished executing with all other information reported. Just not Firmware...

-Tim