Archived:Error 33162 with FieldPoint Ethernet Module

Issue Details

I have a system set up with a FieldPoint Ethernet Network module controlling the I/O modules and a LabVIEW program to communicate with this setup. Every time I run this application I initially get  Error: 33162 Unable to connect to the data item on the module. The error then disappears and I seem to get correct values from my FieldPoint modules. Why am I getting this error?

Solution

To resolve the issue, increase the Connect Timeout (ms) value configured within MAX. Here are the steps to increase this value:

1. Open MAX by going to Start»Program Files»National Instruments»Measurement & Automation.
2. Right-click the name of the controller under Remote Systems and select Find Devices.




3. Right-click the name of the controller again, and select Communication Timeout Settings. 

 


4. Set the Connect Timeout (ms) value and click Apply.

   

5. Highlight the iak file and click the Save button as shown below.    



6. Re-run the program

Another reason why you may see this error is because the FieldPoint backplane polling rate is set to read the backplane continuously instead of pausing to allow other processes on the network module to execute. Increasing the amount of time the backplane polling rate pauses can prevent network timeout errors but decreases the update rate of your data used for your application. You can find instructions on how to increase the pause value in Why Does the Real-Time System Manager Have 100% CPU Usage on FieldPoint?
 

Additional Information

For Ethernet modules (FP-160x, cFP-180x, and [c]FP-2xxx), the FP Read.vi is actually reading locally cached data. Any instance of FP Read.vi will come back almost instantaneously, regardless of the actual status of the FieldPoint bank. There is a chance that the application is not waiting long enough to find the FieldPoint device at that IP address.

The Connect Timeout (ms) period configured within Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) specifies the wait time the FieldPoint Server uses before reporting a connection error. If this is set too low, it may not be waiting long enough to find the FieldPoint device at that IP address and hence returns Error: 33162 Unable to connect to the data item on the module.