MAX takes minutes to enumerate devices

[joshtp]

I am having an issue where device enumeration is taking a very long time, varying between 2 and 5 minutes after starting MAX. Once I click "Devices and Interfaces" in MAX I get "Not responding" from Windows for minutes, until finally MAX is responsive again and the devices are listed. If I collapse "Devices and Interfaces" and expand it again there is no delay. If I close and reopen MAX, the long delay happens again enumerating devices.

I tried uninstalling all NI software and installing VAS September 2016, disabling firewall, killing or stopping other network based processes/services, resetting MAX configuration data, and even disabling network adapters, all without any effect.

What else can I try? On other computers this enumeration takes less than 5 seconds.

This is on Windows 7 64-bit. We mostly use IMAQ and IMAQdx but also VISA/488.2 on occasion.

[KingPGeorge]

Hi Josh,

Have you noticed this behavior since you first started using the software, or did you start to notice over time that it took longer and longer to see the devices? Also, what hardware are you trying to see in NI-MAX? How many devices do you have connected to your machine? Does the time for enumeration increase with the number of devices connected to your machine?

Thanks,

Peter George

Applications Engineer

National Instruments

[joshtp]

Hi Peter,

No, this problem has not always been present, we've been using NI products for many years on this computer. I don't remember when it started getting slow, and I'm not sure if the time has gradually gotten worse or if it was a sudden change, but I know we've dealt with it for months now, less than a year though. The only NI hardware we are using is GPIB ENET and Camera Link cards, 1428, 1429, 1430, 1433, but not all of these at once. I haven't tested removing NI cards to see if it's different, but I've done it with Ethernet disabled and with the Ethernet unplugged so I don't think it could be related to GPIB ENET. Perhaps I could try removing all NI cards.

Are there any other settings that I should perhaps delete/reset besides the MAX configuration data?

[samazing]

It sounds like you've already tackled many of the fundamental troubleshooting steps (reinstall, firewall, processes/services, disabling NICs and resetting the MAX database) so this may be a little trickier to pinpoint. Just for other's reference, this KnowledgeBase Article, Why Do I Get a Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) Database Connection Error?, walks through many of these troubleshooting steps. Just to be sure, did you follow Step 2, ensuring that the NI Configuration Manager or nidevldu service is running?

Another thing you can try is calling the NI Sys Config VI Find Hardware.vi from LabVIEW and use highlight execution to identify where the function is slowing down. This VI lists all your hardware and I believe it is pulling from the same database that MAX is so we can use the results here to provide a little more insight.

Best,

Sam K

[Hatef.fouladi]

also check if you have large timeout for your device setting in max

[AJA]

Did you found a solution to your problem?  I am experience a similar problem

[joshtp]

Unfortunately my solution was to avoid using NI, and prefer using other vendor software whenever possible.

[1100fps]

Im fine with bashing NI, but the comment was not helpful.  What other environments do you recommend?

[joshtp]

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as bashing NI. Other than their software being bloated (installation file size mostly), I've been happy with all of their hardware. For USB3 Vision and GigE Vision we usually use vendor software via GStreamer plugins, such as Basler, Pleora, etc. Still planning to develop the GenTL GStreamer plugin further.

[1100fps]

Oh.. Bash all you want!!  I think that NI is leaving the Vision Community behind. Their conversation to from owned to rental is ridiculous, and I have frozen my license at 2021.  Until NI comes up with features that are essential in new releases, I see no reason to get into renting software.  I'm not looking forward to jumping into a new programming environment, because of learning curve and cost.  Currently I'm encouraging the youngsters to look into Open MV/CV..