Power PXIe Chassis Upon Host Computer Restart

Issue Details

I’ve noticed that when I have a chassis connected to a host computer through MXI Express x4, the chassis doesn’t wake up if the host is shut down and restarted. How can I fix this?

Solution

In order for the PXIe chassis to power up when the wake signal is sent from the chassis, you have to enable Remote Power On for the PXIe MXI Express x4. 

Please see your PXIe device User Manual to verify whether or not it has the Remote Power On capability. For instructions on how to enable the Remote Power On option, please reference MXI Express x1/x4 for PXI Express Powerup Options.

Additional Information

PXI Express has access to a wake signal which enables the system’s main power rails and reference clocks. The MXI Express system controller handles the wake signal and controls the power up state of some PXI Express chassis. This functionality is disabled by default to ensure that the downstream chassis are powered up before the host. 

In addition, some PXIe modules also have access to the wake signal and therefore have the capability to power up both your host computer and PXIe chassis. When a module in the PXIe chassis sends a wake signal to the system, the host computer will power up, but the chassis won't power up by default. An example of a board with this capability is a PXIe network card.

Due to the differences in power requirements between copper and fiber optic MXI Express systems, setups using fiber optic MXI Express cables will not support this power-up option