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Letter of Volatility for Serial Devices

Hardware: Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232I/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-8430/8, Instrument Connectivity Other>>USB>>USB-232, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8422/4, Instrument Connectivity Other>>USB>>USB-485/2, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-8431/2, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8421/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8422/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PCMCIA-232/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8421/8, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232/8, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232/4, Serial>>RS-232>>PCMCIA-232/2, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8423/4, Instrument Connectivity Other>>USB>>USB-485, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8430/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232I/2, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-485I/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8420/8, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232/16, Serial>>RS-485>>PCMCIA-485, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-485/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-8431/8, Serial>>RS-232>>PCMCIA-232, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8420/4, Instrument Connectivity Other>>USB>>USB-232/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-8431/4, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232I/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8423/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-8430/2, Instrument Connectivity Other>>USB>>USB-485/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8421/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-485/8, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8420/16, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-8430/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PCMCIA-485/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8430/4, Serial>>RS-232>>PXI-8420/2, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-485/2, Instrument Connectivity Other>>USB>>USB-232/2, Serial>>RS-232>>PCI-232I/8, Serial>>RS-485>>PCI-485I/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8431/4, Serial>>RS-485>>PXI-8431/2, Serial

Problem:
Where can I find official National Instruments confirmation that sensitive data passing through your serial products will be erased when the device loses power.

Solution:
Here is a list of the current information on our PCI, PCMCIA, and USB Serial products. The list below contains the types of memory in each device, the amount, and whether or not the information stored in that memory is retained. Volatile memory loses its contents when the device is powered off while nonvolatile memory retains its contents when the device is powered off.

PCI-232/485and PXI-842x Serial

Storage Type Size Volatility Access Restrictions
Main Memory UART FIFO 704 bits volatile none
Main Memory UART Control Registers 704 bits * num ports volatile none
PCI / ISA interface control & cache ~1kbit volatile none
EEPROM 256 bytes up to 16k nonvolatile for configuration Not write protected, but there is no mechanism provided for writing to the EEPROM through the user API. No user data, including communication data (serial data), is stored in the EEPROM.
No user data is stored in the device after power is removed.


PCMCIA Serial

Storage Type Size Volatility Access Restrictions
Main Memory 352 bits + various UART control registers volatile none
Microprocessor cache 256 Bytes + various PCMCIA control registers volatile none
EEPROM 2kbits nonvolatile for configuration Write-protected on power-on. Write sequence is not documented to users, and no mechanism is provided for writing to the EEPROM through the user API. No user data, including communication data (serial data), is stored in the EEPROM.
No user data is stored in the device after power is removed.


PCI and PXI-843x Serial

Storage Type Size Volatility Access Restrictions
Main Memory 2kbit (UART FIFOS) + various 2k UART control registers per port volatile none
PCI interface control & cache ~2kbit volatile none
EEPROM varies - up to 64kbit nonvolatile for configuration Write protected by software - requires specific unlock sequence prior to writes, and no mechanism exists in the user's API for issuing this sequence. No user data, including communication data (serial data), is stored in the EEPROM.
No user data is stored in the device after power is removed.


USB Serial

Storage Type Size Volatility Access Restrictions
Main Memory ~150kbit (Microcontroller memory, UART FIFOS, USB buffers, etc.) volatile none
ROM 64kbit nonvolatile for boot loader Read only, written at the factory.
EEPROM up to 16kbit nonvolatile for device configuration Not write protected, however no user data, including communication data (serial data), is stored in the EEPROM.
No user data is stored in the device after power is removed.


Related Links:
Knowledgebase 2QEB21HM: What Does My ENET Device Store After the Power Is Turned Off?
KnowledgeBase 2MHH5F7N: Memory Buffer of GPIB Interfaces and Letter of Volatility
National Instruments Products Letter of Volatility Search

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Report Date: 06/18/2004
Last Updated: 10/09/2008
Document ID: 3AHD58V4

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