Self Test Failed When Using a NI-XNET Device

Updated Oct 7, 2024

Reported In

Hardware

  • PCI-8512
  • USB-8502

Software

  • Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)

Driver

  • NI-XNET

Issue Details

I am using a NI-XNET device and I can detect the device in NI MAX but I am seeing this error after performing a Self-Test:

NI-XNET:  (Hex 0xBFF630BA) The NI-XNET driver timed out when performing low-level communication with the device. This could occur if the device was removed, communication with its parent chassis failed, or a general hardware failure occurred.

newPC_selfTest NOT OK.png

Solution

  • Upgrade the NI-XNET driver to the latest compatible version.
  • Make sure the actual frame has same byte with the definition in database.
If you are using a PCI card:
  • it should be connected to a native PCI port. A bridge PCI port should not be used.
  • Remove all other PCI cards if you are using multiple PCI cards in the same desktop or industrial PC. It could be due to the limitation of the power supply.
  • Increase the PCI Timeout time in BIOS. You might need to refer to the user manual of the desktop for the steps.
If you are using a USB card:
  • Try to connect the card in a second USB port.
  • Check with your IT team that there isn't any block on your USB ports
If you are using a PXI/PXIe card:
  • There have been cases reported where a PXI hybrid-compatible module may fail self test in certain slots of a PXIe chassis. This may be due to the PCI/PCIe bridges used to connect PXI cards to the PXIe backplane of the chassis. Try using the module in a different slot to see if the error is still present. You can refer to the user manual of your specific chassis for more details on finding a slot on a different bridge.
  • For example, if the error occurs while the card is in slot 14 (which is located on the PCIe-PCI Bridge #3) of a PXIe-1084 chassis, you might try using the card in slot 2-7, which are all on PCIe-PCI Bridge #1.