Duplicate PXI Devices Under Both Real and Simulated Chassis in NI MAX

Issue Details

In NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), when a physical PXI chassis and a simulated PXI chassis share the same chassis identifier ("PXIChassis1"), the configuration tree displays mixed hardware associations. The simulated chassis mirrors the exact slot population and physical modules of the real chassis, and any simulated module (e.g., Slot 2) also appears under the physical chassis tree.

How to resolve this issue?

Solution

When preparing a test system, users may simulate a PXI chassis before the physical hardware is available. The simulated chassis is typically assigned the default name PXIChassis1.

Before connecting the physical PXI chassis, remove the simulated chassis configuration. If the simulated chassis remains configured, the physical chassis may also be assigned the name PXIChassis1. This duplicate name can cause unexpected behaviour, including duplicate chassis entries, incorrect module listings, merged module information in NI-MAX, or application errors.

To resolve this issue, kindly perform the following steps:

1. Open NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI-MAX).
2. Select Tools>>Reset Configuration Data.
3. Confirm the operation and allow NI-MAX to remove the simulated chassis configuration.
4. Shut down the computer.
5. Connect the physical PXI chassis.
6. Restart the computer.
7. Open NI-MAX and verify that the physical chassis is detected with a unique name before launching the application or project.

A simulated PXI chassis and a physical PXI chassis should not be used together in the same system. Resetting the NI-MAX configuration before installing the physical hardware prevents this naming conflict and helps avoid unexpected behaviour in applications that use PXI hardware.

Additional Information

Resetting configuration data may affect other NI hardware settings on the system. Review the NI-MAX configuration after the reset and reconfigure any devices as needed.