Access Linux CompactRIO Behind NAT

Issue Details

When I try to access CompactRIO Systems (cRIO) behind NAT (Network Address Translation ), MAX can detect the cRIO using the IP address of the router but once it discovers the cRIO and registers its' IP Address, the status becomes disconnected and MAX can't see the cRIO anymore. 

Solution

This is a known issue, that relates to the cRIO being on a different subnet/network when the IP address is changed. In this case, the NAT in the router is changing the IP address. MAX discovers and obtains the IP address of the cRIO. This is why it is being discovered. Once discovered, MAX uses the same (local) IP address of the cRIO, which is not the correct address for the NAT. This results in no communication and disconnected status. There is no solution available in MAX to resolve this issue.

 To summarize, MAX discovers the cRIO and knows the IP address. The problem is, that the IP address is changed by NAT. MAX and other applications attempt to contact the cRIO on an IP address that does not exist on the local network and fails to communicate. 

 There are some potential solutions to overcome this issue: 

1. Set up a VPN to give direct access to the other network.
2. SSH into the cRIO using a terminal program (e.g. Putty).
3. Reconfigure the network and make all devices part of the same local network (VLAN)