Trouble communicating with CompactRIO via direct Ethernet connection

[JKSH]

Hello,

I was trying to deploy a distributed application (laptop + cRIO 9076) on the customer's network. The customer had prepared a static IP address for the cRIO.

I built and deployed the RT program fine, but I had forgotten to set the cRIO's IP address before bringing it on-site. I directly linked the customer's laptop and cRIO using an Ethernet cable. On the laptop, I was still able to see the cRIO on MAX, but it reported an "IP conflict".

Even though there was an IP conflict, I was somehow still able to put it into Safe Mode through the Controller Settings page in MAX (the cRIO-9076 has no physical DIP switches). I can confirm this because the "status" LED started blinking 3 times periodically, when it was blinking the User1 LED before (as I had programmed it to do).

However, I could not change the cRIO's IP address.

So, I:

1. Changed the laptop's (static) IP address to the same subnet as the cRIO
2. Rebooted the laptop
3. Used MAX to change the cRIO's IP settings
4. Restored the laptop's original IP settings
5. Rebooted both the cRIO and the laptop

Now, MAX reports that the cRIO is in safe mode, without an IP conflict. However, when I tried to take it off safe mode, the Controller Settings page is grayed out, with the message, "Could not read or write settings on this device"

I'm very puzzled -- I could change the Controller Settings when the two machines were on different subnets (with an "IP conflict"), but not when the two machines are on the same subnet.

What's going on, and how can I fix it?

Thanks!

[JKSH]

Anybody?

It's very strange. I can ping the cRIO from the command line, I can read its memory usage in MAX, I can change its network settings, but I can't change its startup settings. It just says "Could not read or write settings on this device. Ensure that the device is on and connected to the network, and not password-protected." It's definitely connected to the network, and definitely not password-protected.

I had rebooted the laptop and the cRIO multiple times.

[MarcoMauri]

Hi!

Did you enable the SNTP on your cRIO?

I had the same problem, due to the fact I specified a SNTP server using a name and not an IP address...

When the sbRIO didn't have connection to the net it rebooted in safe mode.

Regards,

Marco

[JKSH]

Hi Marco, thanks for replying.

No, I have not enabled SNTP (I checked ni-rt.ini too)

The issue is that I wasn't able to access the startup settings (a.k.a. the "software DIP switches") through MAX, even though MAX sees the cRIO. I can't reproduce it on my own clean machine; it was only encountered on the customer's machine.

[WearWolf]

Hi JKSH,

Try and disable the customers Windows Firewalls. Also you can use a null modem cable to verify the IP Address of the cRIO.  Here is a link to the ports that need to be opened for National Instruments software.

[RJ12]

I had the exact same symptoms with 9076 (same blinking light). I am new with CompactRIO. I had accidentally entered the wrong ip address and the controller went into safe mode with it and would not let me change mode (grayed out) or connect to change ip. However, MAX could see it in the tree. I installed MAX 5.3.3f2 up from 4.7 and the problem went away. This is what the error code brought up as solution.

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/6CA56E2DDBCCA06086257591006141EE?OpenDocument