Solution
Hot‑swapping Mini‑SAS HD cables on PXIe modules that expose MGT ports is not expected to cause electrical damage to the hardware. However, removing or reconnecting an active MGT link affects link stability and may require application‑level recovery depending on the protocol in use.
Follow these guidelines:
- Understand Link Behavior
- Expect that disconnecting a Mini‑SAS HD cable causes the active MGT link to drop immediately.
- Some architectures, such as DST‑based implementations, automatically retrain the link once the cable is reconnected.
- Other applications may generate protocol errors or require manual link reinitialization.
- Avoid Unnecessary Hot‑Swap Activity
- Although electrical damage is unlikely, hot‑swapping can introduce inrush currents or transient states on the transceiver.
- When possible, avoid unplugging or reconnecting active MGT cables during operation.
- Reinitialize the Communication Link
- After reconnecting the cable:
- Restart the link‑training sequence for the specific MGT protocol.
- Reset or reconfigure the host application as required by the design.
- Verify that the link retrains successfully and that the communication path stabilizes.
- FlexRIO Exception
These guidelines apply only to PXIe modules exposing front‑panel MGT connectors such as Mini‑SAS HD or iPass.
A FlexRIO Adapter Module device must never be hot‑swapped, even if it internally uses MGTs. Adapter modules are not electrically designed for hot‑plug operations.