Access Console and VeriStand Logs for NI-Linux Real-Time Targets

The Console Viewer tool displays the console output for an RT target. Console output might include information about system definition deployment, CPU usage, and debugging messages. This tool is useful when an RT target does not have a monitor connected to it or when you want to access the target from a remote location. However, the Console Viewer is not supported on NI Linux Real-Time targets.

This document provides instruction on how to access the console and also VeriStand logs for troubleshooting VeriStand deployment on NI Linux Real-Time targets. Below is the typical console output from the RT target when the VeriStand Engine has been installed and is ready for VeriStand project deployment.
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System awaiting new configuration from client.
Stopping system definition...
Stop time: 09:44:53 AM
08/24/2021
Finalizing engine timing sources...
Finalizing inline custom devices...
Finalizing DAQ devices...
Finalizing FPGA devices...
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System error encountered.
:::Details:::
Error code: 1556
Error Message: LabVIEW: (Hex 0x614) The reference is invalid. This error might occur because the reference has been deleted.
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System awaiting new configuration from client.
Finalizing models...
Unloading system definition...
VeriStand Engine idle. Awaiting command...  

Access the Console

• To access the console locally, you can connect a monitor to all PXI controllers and some compactRIO controllers. Refer to the User Manual to understand how to connect a monitor to the controller.
• To access the console remotely, follow these steps:
  1. Access the shell on NI Linux Real-Time device .
  2. Run command cat /dev/vcs from the terminal. It will print out the text from console to the terminal.
  3. You have to run this command repeatedly to get the latest console output. An VI which does this polling has been attached.

 Access the Data Logs

1. Access the shell on NI Linux Real-Time device .
2. Change to the directory of VeriStand logs. Run command cd /c/ni-rt/NIVeriStand/Logs.
3. Use the following command: tail -f -n 30 Log VeriStand\ Engine\ Log\ log_name.txt

Note: If you call NI VeriStand - Print Debug Line VI (or NI VeriStand - Print Debug String VI in earlier version of VeriStand), you need to set the input Add to log file? to True for the info to be added to the NI VeriStand data log.