PXIe-8301 Shows Solid Amber LED But Still Functioning

Updated May 30, 2019

Reported In

Hardware

  • PXIe-8301
  • PXI Chassis

Driver

  • PXI Platform Services 18.0
  • PXI Platform Services 18.1
  • NI-DAQmx 18.0

Operating System

  • Windows

Issue Details

I am working with a number of PXIe systems that are each connected to their respective hosts via Thunderbolt™ MXI using the PXIe-8301. A few have solid amber LEDs that, according to the device spec for the 8301, suggest the power is within spec, but there is no link to the chassis. On the host, however, I can see the device in Windows Device Manager and NI MAX, and the data still comes through to the DAQ cards on the chassis. 

Solution

This behavior suggests that the driver is losing connection to the chassis at some point in time. The immediate workaround to this is shutting down the host and the PXI chassis followed by rebooting the system so that the PXIe chassis may re-enumerate on the host. It is important to understand when the LED changes from green to amber and clarify if this is tied to a particular event in order to avoid this event or behavior. 

Additional Information

Other suggested troubleshooting steps and notes:
  • Update to the latest version of PXI Platform Services, currently version 18.1.
  • Ensure that the Thunderbolt bus driver is installed correctly.
  • Ensure that any applicable BIOS settings or options are enabled for Thunderbolt communication.
  • Verify that the BIOS is up to date.
  • Avoid hot swapping to minimize risk of affecting the reliability of the system to re-establish a connection to the PXI chassis.
  • Ensure the PXI chassis is powered on before the computer is turned on.
  • Verify the Thunderbolt™ 3 Security Level in BIOS Setup is set as Security Level: User Authorization. Thunderbolt™ devices have to be "approved" in order to be connected and by default this process requires user approval in the OS. 

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