National Instruments PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User manual

USER MANUAL

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core

This document provides reference information for PXI Express and the

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core embedded controller.

Contents

Related Documentation ............................................................................................................2

PXI Express Features................................................................................................................ 2

Benefits of PXI Express....................................................................................................2

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core......................................................................................................... 3

Description........................................................................................................................ 3

Functional Overview.........................................................................................................3

National Instruments Software..................................................................................................5

Configuration............................................................................................................................ 6

BIOS Setup Utility............................................................................................................ 6

BIOS Diagnostic Utilities............................................................................................... 17

System CMOS.................................................................................................................17

ExpressCard.................................................................................................................... 18

Boot Options................................................................................................................... 19

Hard Drive Recovery...................................................................................................... 19

Upgrade Information.......................................................................................................20

Installing an OS...............................................................................................................21

Specifications.......................................................................................................................... 21

Features........................................................................................................................... 22

Front Panel Dimensions.................................................................................................. 23

Electrical......................................................................................................................... 24

Physical........................................................................................................................... 24

Environmental.................................................................................................................24

Shock and Vibration........................................................................................................25

Safety.............................................................................................................................. 26

I/O Information....................................................................................................................... 27

DisplayPort......................................................................................................................27

COM1..............................................................................................................................29

Ethernet........................................................................................................................... 30

Universal Serial Bus........................................................................................................31

Trigger.............................................................................................................................33

GPIB (IEEE 488.2)......................................................................................................... 34

ExpressCard/34 Slot........................................................................................................35

Worldwide Support and Services............................................................................................ 37

Related Documentation

The following documents contain information you may find helpful as you read this manual:

•PICMG EXP.0 R2.0 CompactPCI Express Specification, PCI Industrial Computers

Manufacturers Group

• IEEE Standard P1284.1-1997 (C/MM) Standard for Information Technology for

Transport Independent Printer/System Interface

•PCI Express Base Specification, PCI Special Interest Group

•PXI-5 PXI Express Hardware Specification, PXI Systems Alliance

•PXI-6 PXI Express Software Specification, PXI Systems Alliance

•Serialized IRQ Support for PCI Systems Specification, Compaq Computer et al.

•ExpressCard Standard, PCMCIA

PXI Express Features

Benefits of PXI Express

The PXI (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation) industry standard, an open specification

governed by the PXI Systems Alliance (PXISA), has quickly gained adoption and grown in

prevalence in test, measurement, and control systems since its release in 1998. One of the key

elements driving the rapid adoption of PXI is its use of PCI in the communication backplane.

As the commercial PC industry has improved the available bus bandwidth by evolving PCI to

PCI Express, PXI is now able to meet even more application needs by integrating PCI Express

into the PXI standard. By taking advantage of PCI Express technology in the backplane, PXI

Express increases the available PXI bandwidth from up to 132 MB/s to up to 8 GB/s for a

more than 60x improvement in bandwidth.

PXI Express maximizes both hardware and software compatibility with PXI modules. PXI

Express hybrid slots deliver both PCI and PCI Express signaling to accept devices that use

PXI communication and triggering or the newer PXI Express standard. Software compatibility

is maintained because PCI Express uses the same OS and driver model as PCI, resulting in

complete software compatibility among PCI-based systems, for example PXI, and PCI

Express-based systems such as PXI Express.

PXI Express, like PXI, leverages from the CompactPCI specification to define a rugged,

modular form factor that offers superior mechanical integrity and easy installation and removal

of hardware components. PXI Express products offer higher and more carefully defined levels

of environmental performance required by the shock, vibration, temperature, and humidity

extremes of industrial environments. Mandatory environmental testing and active cooling is

added to the CompactPCI mechanical specification to ease system integration and ensure

multivendor interoperability.

2| ni.com | NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual

The demanding timing and synchronization requirements of instrumentation systems are met

by the integrated features of PXI Express. Not only are the trigger bus, 10 MHz system

reference clock, and star trigger bus available in PXI retained by PXI Express, but new timing

and synchronization features that include a 100 MHz differential system reference clock for

the synchronization of multiple modules and three differential star trigger buses for the

distribution of precise clock and trigger signals have been added. Differential timing and

synchronization signals provide PXI Express systems with increased noise immunity and the

ability to transmit clock signals at higher frequencies.

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core

Description

The NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core PXI Express/CompactPCI Express embedded controller is a

high-performance PXI Express/CompactPCI Express-compatible system controller. The

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core controller integrates standard I/O features in a single unit by using

state-of-the-art packaging. Combining an NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core embedded controller with

a PXI Express-compatible chassis, such as the NI PXIe-1085, results in a fully PC-compatible

computer in a compact, rugged package.

The NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core has an Intel® Core™ i7 5700EQ processor (2.6 GHz quad-core

processor), all the standard I/O, and a 320 GB (or larger) hard drive. It also has a PCI-based

GPIB controller and an ExpressCard/34 expansion slot1.

The standard I/O on each module includes two DisplayPort video, one RS-232 serial port, four

Hi-Speed USB ports, two SuperSpeed USB ports, two Gigabit Ethernet, a reset button, and a

PXI trigger.

Functional Overview

The NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core is a modular PC in a PXI Express 3U-size form factor. The

following figure is a functional block diagram of the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core. Following the

diagram is a description of each logic block shown.

1Available on the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core ExpressCard variant only.

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual | © National Instruments | 3

Figure 1. NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core Block Diagram

Intel

8 Series

PCH

Processor

Intel Core

SO-DIMM

DDR3L SDRAM

PC3 12800

DisplayPort

Memory Bus Ch. A

ExpressCard/34 Slot

(ExpressCard

Variant Only)

x1 PCIE

USB

USB 2.0 x4

SATA

Hard Disk

FLASH

Watchdog

Trigger SMB

Connector

UART COM1

PXI

Triggers

GPIB

Controller

GPIB

Connector

USB 2.0 x4

Intel I217-LM

Gigabit

PHY

RJ45

Port 1

SATA

x4 DMI2

x4 DDI

LPC

PCI Express

Switch

PXI

Express 4x4

Intel I210-IT

Gigabit

MAC/PHY

RJ45

Port 2

x1 PCIE

SPI

PCI

DisplayPort

USB 3.0 x2

x1 PCIE

x4 DDI

The NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core consists of the following logic blocks on two circuit card

assemblies (CCAs):

• The processor is an Intel® Core™ i7 5700EQ processor (6 MB Cache, 2.6 GHz). The

processor connects to the SO-DIMM block through the DDR3L interface supporting up

to 1600 MHz SO-DIMMs and the PCH through a x4 DMI2 (Direct Media Interface)

interface supporting up to 5 GT/s per lane.

• The SO-DIMM block consists of one 64-bit DDR3L SDRAM socket that can hold up to

8 GB of memory.

• The processor provides the DisplayPort interface that connects to display peripherals on

the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core, and the PCI Express interface to the PXI Express

backplane through a PCI Express switch.

• The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) provides the USB, PCI Express x1, and LPC

interfaces that connect to the peripherals on the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core.

• The DisplayPort block consists of two DisplayPort connectors.

• The USB block consists of four Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connectors and two SuperSpeed USB

3.0 connectors.

• The GPIB block contains the GPIB interface.

4| ni.com | NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual

• The ExpressCard/34 slot accommodates an ExpressCard/34 module.

• The Ethernet Port 1 block consists of an Intel® I217-LM Gigabit Ethernet Connection.

• The Ethernet Port 2 block consists of an Intel® I210-IT Gigabit Ethernet Connection.

• The UART block connects to one serial port.

• The SMB Front Panel Trigger provides a routable connection of the PXI triggers to/from

the SMB on the front panel.

• The Watchdog block consists of a watchdog timer that can reset the controller or generate

triggers.

• The PXI Express Connectors connect the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core to the PXI Express/

CompactPCI Express backplane.

National Instruments Software

National Instruments has developed several software tools you can use with the

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core.

National Instruments hardware and software work together to help you make the most of your

PXI system. The LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, and LabWindows™/CVI™ application

development environments combine with leading hardware drivers such as NI-DAQmx to

provide exceptional control of NI hardware. Instrument drivers are available at ni.com/

idnet to simplify communication with instruments over a variety of buses.

LabVIEW is a powerful and easy-to-use graphical programming environment you can use to

acquire data from thousands of different instruments including USB, IEEE 488.2, VXI, serial,

PLCs, and plug-in boards. LabVIEW helps you convert acquired data into meaningful results

using powerful data analysis routines. Add-on tools provide additional specialized

functionality. For more information, visit ni.com/labview and ni.com/toolkits.

If you prefer to use Microsoft’s Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual Studio .NET for the core

of your application, Measurement Studio adds tools for Measurement and Automation to each

language. For more information, visit ni.com/mstudio.

LabWindows/CVI is an interactive ANSI C programming environment designed for building

virtual instrument applications. LabWindows/CVI delivers a drag-and-drop editor for building

user interfaces, a complete ANSI C environment for building your test program logic, and a

collection of automated code generation tools, as well as utilities for building automated test

systems, monitoring applications, or laboratory experiments. For more information, visit

ni.com/lwcvi.

NI-DAQmx provides an extensive library of functions that you can call from your application

development environment or interactive environment such as NI Signal Express. These

functions provide an intuitive API for National Instruments multifunction DAQ products.

Features available include analog input (A/D conversion), buffered data acquisition (high-

speed A/D conversion), analog output (D/A conversion), waveform generation, digital I/O,

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual | © National Instruments | 5

counter/timer operations, SCXI signal conditioning, RTSI or PXI synchronization, self-

calibration, messaging, and acquiring data to extended memory. For more information, visit

ni.com/daq.

National Instruments modular instruments use specialized drivers suited to each product’s

specialization. Express VIs provide customized, interactive programming of instruments in a

single interface, and soft front panels provide an interface for testing the functionality of each

instrument with no programming required. NI Switches, DMMs, High-Speed DIO, High-

Speed Digitizers, and Sources each have customized drivers for high-end modular

instrumentation systems. RF applications leverage two drivers, NI-RFSG and NI-RFSA, and

Dynamic Signal Acquisition is available through NI-DAQmx. For more information, visit

ni.com/modularinstruments.

You can expand the timing and triggering functionality of your PXI system with PXI Timing

and Synchronization products. These products provide precision clock sources, custom routing

of triggers for multi-chassis synchronization, clock sharing, and more and are programmed

with NI-Sync. For more information, visit ni.com/pxi.

NI-VISA is the National Instruments implementation of the VISA specification. VISA is a

uniform API for communicating and controlling USB, Serial, GPIB, PXI, VXI, and various

other types of instruments. This API aids in the creation of portable applications and

instrument drivers. For information about writing your own PXI instrument driver with NI-

VISA, refer to the NI-VISA Getting Started Manual and the readme.txt file in the NI-VISA

directory. For more information, visit ni.com/visa.

With LabVIEW for Linux and support for more than two hundred devices on Linux with the

NI-DAQmx driver, you can now create virtual instruments based on the Linux OS. Instrument

control in Linux has been improved by the NI-VISA driver for Linux, and NI modular

instruments are partially supported. For more information, visit ni.com/linux.

Configuration

BIOS Setup Utility

You can change the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core configuration settings in the BIOS setup

program. The BIOS is the low-level interface between the hardware and operating system

software that configures and tests your hardware when you boot the system. The BIOS setup

program includes menus for configuring settings and enabling NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core

controller features.

Most users do not need to use the BIOS setup program, as the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core

controller ships with default settings that work well for most configurations.

Caution Changing BIOS settings may lead to incorrect controller behavior and

possibly an unbootable controller. If this happens, follow the instructions for

6| ni.com | NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual

restoring default settings in the System CMOS section. In general, do not change a

setting unless you are absolutely certain what it does.

Accessing BIOS Setup Utility

1. Power on or restart your NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core controller.

2. When the message Press <DEL> to enter setup appears, press the <Delete> key.

The setup program loads after a short delay.

The Main menu is displayed when you first enter the BIOS setup program.

Use the following keys to navigate through the BIOS setup program:

•Left Arrow, Right Arrow—Use these keys to move between the different setup menus.

If you are in a submenu, these keys have no effect, and you must press <Esc> to leave the

submenu first. (To use the arrows on the numeric keypad, you must turn off Num Lock.)

•Up Arrow, Down Arrow—Use these keys to move between the options within a setup

menu. (To use the arrows on the numeric keypad, you must turn off Num Lock.)

•<Enter>—Use this key either to enter a submenu or display all available settings for a

highlighted configuration option.

•<Esc>—Use this key to return to the parent menu of a submenu. At the top-level menus,

this key serves as a shortcut to the Exit menu.

•<+> and <–>—Use these keys to cycle between all available settings for a selected

configuration option.

•<Tab>—Use this key to select time and date fields.

•<F9>—Use this key to load the optimal default values for BIOS configuration settings.

The optimal default values are the same as the shipping configuration default values.

Main Setup Menu

The most commonly accessed and modified BIOS settings are in the Main setup menu. The

Main setup menu reports the following configuration information:

•BIOS Version and Build Date—These values indicate the version of the

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core controller BIOS and the date on which the BIOS was built.

•Embedded Firmware Version—This value helps identify the built-in hardware

capabilities.

•Processor Type, Base Processor Frequency, and Active Processor Cores—These

values indicate the type of processor used in the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core controller, the

processor speed, and the maximum number of processor cores.

•Total Memory—This value indicates the system RAM size the BIOS detects.

•PXIe Chassis Information—These values indicate the overall chassis link configuration,

the link width of each link, and the link speed of each link.

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual | © National Instruments | 7

The Main setup menu also includes the following settings:

•System Date—This setting controls the date, which is stored in a battery-backed real-

time clock. Most operating systems also include a way to change this setting. Use <+>

and <-> in conjunction with <Enter> and <Tab> to change these values.

•System Time—This setting controls the time of day, which is stored in a battery-backed

real-time clock. Most operating systems include a way to change this setting. Use <+>

and <-> in conjunction with <Enter> and <Tab> to change these values.

Advanced Setup Menu

This menu contains BIOS settings that normally do not require modification. If you have

specific problems such as unbootable disks or resource conflicts, you may need to examine

these settings.

Caution Changing settings in this menu may result in an unstable or unbootable

controller. If this happens, follow the procedures outlined in the System CMOS

section to restore BIOS settings to their factory defaults.

The Advanced setup menu includes the following settings and submenus:

•SATA Configuration—Use this setting to access the SATA Configuration submenu.

Refer to the SATA Configuration Submenu section for more information.

•CPU Configuration—Use this setting to access the CPU Configuration submenu. Refer

to the CPU Configuration Submenu section for more information.

•Video Configuration—Use this setting to access the Video Configuration submenu.

Refer to the Video Configuration Submenu section for more information.

•Power/Wake Configuration—Use this setting to access the Power/Wake

Configuration submenu. Refer to the Power/Wake Configuration Submenu section for

more information.

•ExpressCard Configuration2—Use this setting to access the ExpressCard

Configuration submenu. Refer to the ExpressCard Configuration Submenu section for

more information.

•PCI Configuration—Use this setting to access the PCI Configuration submenu. Refer

to the PCI Configuration Submenu section for more information.

•AMT Configuration—Use this setting to access the AMT Configuration submenu.

Refer to the AMT Configuration Submenu section for more information.

•USB Configuration—Use this setting to access the USB Configuration submenu. Refer

to the USB Configuration Submenu section for more information.

•Serial Port Configuration—Use this setting to access the Serial Port Configuration

submenu. Refer to the Serial Port Configuration Submenu section for more information.

2Available on the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core ExpressCard variant only.

8| ni.com | NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual

SATA Configuration Submenu

Use this submenu to apply alternate settings to the hard disk drive (HDD) interfaces.

Normally, you do not need to modify these settings, as the factory default settings provide the

most compatible and optimal configuration possible.

•SATA Controller—This setting specifies whether or not the onboard SATA controller is

enabled or disabled. The default value is Enabled.

–SATA Mode Selection—This setting determines whether AHCI mode is enabled or

disabled for the SATA port. Some operating systems, such as Windows 2000, do not

support AHCI mode. You can use this setting to disable AHCI mode and enable IDE

mode so that non-compatible OSes function correctly. The default value is AHCI.

•Internal Drive (SATA)—This item displays the onboard SATA drive detected in the

system.

CPU Configuration Submenu

Use this submenu to apply alternate settings to the CPU. Normally, you do not need to modify

these settings, as the factory default settings provide the most compatible and optimal

configuration possible.

•Hyper Threading—This setting enables or disables Intel Hyper-Threading technology.

The default value is Enabled. Enabling Hyper-Threading increases performance for some

applications by adding virtual CPU cores. Hyper-Threading can increase application

jitter, so be careful when enabling this setting on a Real Time system. When the BIOS is

configured to boot LabVIEW Real-Time, Hyper-Threading is disabled automatically. To

manually enable Hyper-Threading performance when in LabVIEW Real-Time mode,

refer to the LabVIEW RT Configuration Overrides Submenu.

•Enabled CPU Cores—This setting selects the number of active CPU cores for the

processor. Valid values are 1, 2, 3 and All. The default value is All.

•Turbo Boost—This setting enables or disables Intel Turbo Boost technology. The default

value is Enabled. Enabling Turbo Boost allows CPU cores to run at higher than their

base frequency for short durations, while other cores are idle. Enabling Turbo Boost also

can increase application jitter, so be careful when enabling this setting on a Real Time

system. To achieve maximum possible Turbo Boost frequencies, also enable the C-States

setting. When the BIOS is configured to boot LabVIEW Real-Time, Turbo Boost is

disabled automatically. To manually enable Turbo Boost performance when in LabVIEW

Real-Time mode, refer to the LabVIEW RT Configuration Overrides Submenu.

•C-States—This setting enables or disables CPU power management. The default value is

Enabled. Enabling C-States allows the processor to put idle CPU cores to sleep, allowing

active cores to run at higher than base frequencies when Turbo Boost is enabled. Enabling

C-States can increase application jitter, so be careful when enabling this setting on a Real

Time system. When the BIOS is configured to boot LabVIEW Real-Time, C-States are

disabled automatically. To manually enable C-States when in LabVIEW Real-Time mode,

refer to the LabVIEW RT Configuration Overrides Submenu.

NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual | © National Instruments | 9

•Hardware Prefetcher—This setting enables or disables CPU cache hardware

prefetching. The default value is Disabled when booting LabVIEW Real-Time and

Enabled when booting other OSs. Enabling hardware prefetching can increase system

performance for some applications, but can cause control algorithms to behave less

deterministically.

•Adjacent Cache Line Prefetch—This setting enables or disables prefetching of adjacent

cache lines from memory to the CPU cache. The default value is Disabled when booting

LabVIEW Real-Time and Enabled when booting other OSs. Enabling adjacent cache

line prefetching can increase system performance for some applications, but can cause

control algorithms to behave less deterministically.

Video Configuration Submenu

Use this submenu to apply alternate settings to the video configuration. Normally, you do not

need to modify these settings, as the factory default settings provide the most compatible and

optimal configuration possible.

•Primary Display—This setting specifies which video adapter the BIOS should use as the

primary adapter if more than one is present. To use an external video adapter as the

primary graphics adapter, choose Add-in Board Video. The default value is Onboard

Video.

Power/Wake Configuration Submenu

Use this submenu to apply alternate configurations to the power and wake features of the

chipset and controller. Normally, you do not need to modify these settings, as the factory

default settings provide the most compatible and optimal configuration possible.

•Restore After Power Loss—This setting specifies the power state that the controller

should return to after AC power is lost. Valid values are Stay Off and Turn On. The

default is Stay Off. When set to Stay Off, the controller returns to the soft off power state

after AC power is restored. When set to Turn On, the controller powers on when AC

power is restored.

•Power Button Off Behavior—This setting specifies how the PXI Express power button

should behave. Valid options are Normal and Disabled. The default value is Normal.

When set to Normal, the OS controls the power button. When set to Disabled, pressing

the power button has no effect. The Disabled option should be used only in conjunction

with the PXI Express chassis’ inhibit mode switch.

•ExpressCard WAKE#3—This setting enables or disables an ExpressCard device’s

ability to wake a soft off system. The default value is Disabled.

•PXIe Backplane WAKE#—This setting enables or disables a PXI Express peripheral

module’s ability to wake a soft off system. The default value is Disabled.

•SMBus ALERT#—This setting enables or disables a System Management device’s

ability to wake a soft off system by asserting the ALERT# signal. The default value is

Disabled.

3Available on the NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core ExpressCard variant only.

10 | ni.com | NI PXIe-8840 Quad-Core User Manual

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