Error 0xBFF69031 "The system cannot acquire images" When Acquiring from a GigE Camera

Issue Details

I am attempting to acquire images from my GigE camera in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX). But when I try to do a Snap or Grab, MAX returns an error looking like one of the following messages.  How can I correct this?

Vision Acquisition Software August 2014 or earlier (IMAQdx 14.0.1 or earlier)

Error 0xBFF69031: The system did not receive a test packet from the camera. The packet size may be too large for the network configuration or a firewall may be enabled.

Vision Acquisition Software February 2015 or later (IMAQdx 14.5 or later)

The system cannot acquire images.  This is likely due to one of the following reasons:
1. The packet size may be too large for the network setup.
- Enable Jumbo Frames for the network adapter in use and confirm any other network hardware used supports Jumbo Frames.
- If Jumbo Frames cannot be enabled or is unsupported, decrease the Packet Size attribute to be 1500 bytes.  Note this increases processing overhead and potentially reduces maximum frame rate.  
 

2. A firewall may be blocking the network traffic from the camera
- Ensure the Firewall Traversal attribute is Enabled.
- Check if the firewall can be disabled on the network interface in use.

 

Solution

There are multiple possible solutions to fix this problem:

• Verify that the camera you are using has the latest manufacturer firmware available. 
• Decrease the packet size in the Acquisition Attributes pane in NI MAX.

• Ensure the Firewall Traversal setting in Camera Attributes is Enabled.

• Try disabling the Test Packet Enabled setting under the Test Packet Parameters

• Verify that the network interface card is configured to allow jumbo frames. This setting can be accessed on Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 by following these steps:

  • Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.

  • Select Network and Sharing Center.

  • Right click on the Local Area Connection and select Properties.

  • In the Local Area Connection Properties window select the Configure button.

  • Select the Advanced tab.

 

• Disable the firewall or create an exception for the specific Ethernet port.
• Verify that the latest NI-IMAQdx driver is installed and download the latest Vision Acquisition Software compatible with the computer that your camera is connected to.
• Verify that the Exposure Time is lower than the Timeout.
• Manually delete the .icd configuration file which is associated with the camera, and reconnect the camera to the host. To see where the .icd file is located, please follow this article: Correct Location on Disk to Store a .icd Camera File to Use with NI-IMAQ
• If none of these steps worked, please contact NI Support .

Additional Information

Packet size specifies the number of bytes transferred in each data packet. Changes to this parameter affect the number of packets required to transmit an image over the bus. Larger values transfer images faster. A packet size that is larger than the allowed size of the network interface could cause the error to occur. If the network adapter connected to the camera does not support jumbo frames, this value should be 1500.

Many cameras support a GigE Vision attribute called Firewall Traversal. This can solve packet timeout errors without creating a custom port exception to the firewall. To expose the Acquisition Attributes in the Camera Attributes panel, select View Options >> All Attributes. Next, navigate in the tree to Acquisition Attributes >> Advanced Ethernet >> Firewall Traversal and check the box next to Enabled.

Typically, network drivers will split any data larger than 1500 bytes into multiple packets. However, the GigE Vision standard allows packet sizes of up to 9014 bytes. These large packets, also known as jumbo packets, allow your camera to transfer data more efficiently across the network. It is possible to enable jumbo packets in many network cards from the Device Manager by right-clicking the network card and selecting Properties.

By adding an exception for all local incoming ports, packets from GigE cameras will bypass the Windows Firewall.