Academic Company Events NI Developer Zone Support Solutions Products & Services Contact NI MyNI
10 ratings:
 3.79 out of 5     Rate this Document

Using Linux on a PXI Embedded Controller

Hardware: PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>NI 8350, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8174, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8175, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8176, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8184, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8185, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8186, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8187, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8195, PXI/CompactPCI>>Controllers>>PXI-8331, VXI/VME/MXI>>MXI Interfaces>>PXI-8336

Problem:
Can I install and use Linux on a PXI embedded controller?

Solution:
Yes. Because a PXI embedded controller uses standard PC technology, Linux distributions that support the Intel x86 architecture can be installed and used. In addition, National Instruments has specifically validated the use of certain Linux distributions and PXI embedded controllers. This document is only designed to comment on PXI controller and Linux compatibility. If you have questions on other National Instrument's hardware or software support on Linux, visit ni.com/linux.

Tested Distributions
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 (32-bit)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linus 5.4 (64-bit)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 3
  • Scientific Linux 5.4
  • Scientific Linux 5.5
  • OpenSuSE 10.3
  • OpenSuSE 11.2
  • SuSE Linux Professional 9.3
  • SuSE Linux Professional 9.2
  • Mandrake 10.1

Tested Controllers
  • PXI-8196, PXI-8195 (uses the Intel 915GM chipset)
  • PXI-8187, PXI-8186 (uses the Intel 845G chipset)
  • PXI-8185, PXI-8184, PXI-8176, PXI-8175, PXI-8174 (uses the Intel 815E chipset)
  • PXI-8350 1U Server (uses the Intel E7210 chipset)
  • MXI-4, PXI/PCI-8331/8336 (tested in combination with the PXI embedded controllers and 1U servers listed above)
  • PXI-8106 (uses the Intel 945GMCH chipset)
  • PXI-8108 (uses the Mobile Intel GM45 chipset)
  • PXIe-8108 (uses the Mobile Intel GM45 chipset)
  • PXIe-8133 (uses the Intel 5 Series chipset)

This table represents which combinations of PXI controllers and Linux distributions were tested. Note each installation tested has installation/configuration specifics notes listed below.


Test Coverage
  • OS installation
    • With USB CD-ROM
    • With FTP over a network
  • Verifying the integrated controller I/O (e.g. serial, USB, parallel, GPIB ports)
    • PS2 Mouse/Keyboard
    • USB Mouse/Keyboard
    • USB Devices
    • Parallel Port
    • Serial Ports
    • GPIB Port
    • Video Resolution/Color Depth (Maximum supported via X Windows)
    • ExpressCard Slot (PXI-8196/8195 only)
  • Verifying the proper function of expected features ( e.g. rebooting, power management, memory detection and sizing)
    • Rebooting/Shutdown
    • Memory Sizing (default amount shipped)
    • Memory Sizing (maximum supported)
    • Power Management
  • Executing synthetic benchmarks to test performance for comparison purposes.
    • CPU performance
    • Memory bandwidth
    • Ethernet bandwidth
    • File I/O

Installation and Configuration Notes
Although all the above distributions install and work correctly on the PXI controllers tested, some configurations do require manual adjustments either during or after the OS installation. This is not intended to represent a comprehensive list of issues, but most of the major issues encountered are detailed below:
  1. PXI-8196, PXI-8195
    • Video Issues: Some distributions do not include graphics support for the Intel 915GM embedded graphics controller used on these controllers. Support was added by upgrading to use the X.org X server and installing the latest binary snapshots of the i915 driver from Direct Rendering Open Source Project.
  2. PXI-8187, PXI-8186
    • Video Issues: By default the amount of memory reserved for the video frame buffer is only 1MB. Some distributions experience issues when installing in graphical mode with only 1MB reserved. You can either change the default memory reserved for the frame buffer to 8MB (recommended) or choose to use the text mode installer for your Linux distribution, if available.
      • To adjust the frame buffer reservation size, enter the CMOS Setup Utility by pressing the DEL key during boot. Go to the Advanced menu. Change the 'Video Graphics Frame Buffer' setting from the default 1MB to 8MB. Save and exit the CMOS utility.
  3. PXI-8185, PXI-8184, PXI-8176, PXI-8175, PXI-8174
    • Video Issues: These controllers only support a video frame buffer of 1MB. This imposes resolution & color depth limits available when using a graphical environment like X Windows. Specifically, at a resolution of 800x600, up to 16 bit (65536 colors) color depth is supported. At 1024x768, up to 8 bit (256 colors) color depth is supported.
    • Memory Issues: Some of the controllers in this group ship with 128MB of memory by default. While this can be used, it is below the recommended amount for some Linux distributions. You should upgrade to at least 256MB, or installation issues may be encountered. Alternatively, boot time kernel arguments may be used to specify that only 128MB of memory is available, which may allow the installer to proceed correctly.
    • ACPI Issues: The BIOS for these controllers does not include ACPI support. The installer for some Linux distributions may require you to pass a boot time kernel argument (typically 'noacpi') specifying this manually.
  4. PXI-8350 1U Server
    • RAID Issues: Although the 8350 chipset includes hardware support for RAID configurations, this features has not been validated by National Instruments under Linux.
    • Memory Issues: Although the 8350 chipset includes support for memory up to 4GB, only 2GB of memory were validated under Linux on this system.
  5. MXI-4, PXI/PCI-8331/8336:
    • All tested Linux distributions detect MXI-4 as a standard PCI-PCI bridge and natively include driver support. No special software configuration or installation steps are needed to enable support for MXI-4 under Linux.
  6. PXI-8106:
    • Was able to install the OpenSUSE operating system without any problems, however the only versions tested were 11.0 and 11.1. We're able to install and test out DAQmx 8.0.1 and verified that devices could be detected.
    • Installation of Red Hat 4.7, 5.4, and 5.5 operating system were unsuccessful with a graphical user inferface. Only able to operate the OS from terminal.
  7. PXI-8108:
    • Installation of Red Hat 4.7, 5.4 (32-bit), and 5.5 operating system were successful as well as the GPIB driver. Network connection was established.
    • Installation of OpenSuSE 10.3 and 11.2 were successful with network connectivity established only on 11.2. Neither operating system would properly install the GPIB driver.
    • Installation of Red Hat 5.4 (64-bit) operating system was successful.
    • Installation of Scientific Linux 5.5 was successful with network connectivity established. Installation of GPIB driver was unsuccessful.
  8. PXIe-8108:
    • Installation of Scientific Linux 5.4 was successful.
  9. PXIe-8133:
    • Installation of Red Hat 4.7, 5.4, and 5.5 operating system were successful with installation of the GPIB driver as well. Network connection was established.
    • Installation of OpenSuSE 10.3 and 11.2 were successful with network connectivity established only on 11.2. Neither operating system would properly install the GPIB driver.
    • Installation of Scientific Linux 5.5 was successful with network connectivity established. Installation of GPIB driver was unsuccessful.


Related Links:
KnowledgeBase 3SKJ6IKQ :Configuring Your PXI System in Linux
Direct Rendering Infrastructure
Developer Zone Tutorial: National Instruments Linux Portal

Attachments:
Linux Testing.PNG

Report Date: 08/26/2005
Last Updated: 12/29/2010
Document ID: 3OP7MCON

Your Feedback! poor Poor  |  Excellent excellent   Yes No
 Document Quality? 
 Answered Your Question? 
  1 2 3 4 5
Please Contact NI for all product and support inquiries.submit