A connection could not be establishe​d...

Question

Hi, i am undergraduate junior student who just joined a summer research lab where I need to use labview and fpga; however, all previous members all graduated last semester so there is no one who can teach me labview and what they were doing....(I really need help..)
The first problem is whenever i try to run a FPGA code the previous people made, i get :  "A connection could not be established to the specified remote device. Ensure the device is on an accessible over the network, that NI-RIO software is installed, and that the RIO server running and properly configured."
In the lab labtop, there are
Labview 2012 SP1 (32 bit), NI-RIO130, Labview Real Time 2012 f1, NI-RIO FPGA driver.... and maybe some files I can't find in this messy disordered labtop.
I have CRIO-9113, NI-CRIO9022, NI-9234, NI-9269 (all four are connected, and power is green on and connected to this labtio.)
Later, i found same probelm when I try to add device on  Project Explorer (FPGA Target -> new -> c series module ->  "A connection could not be established to the specified remote device. Ensure the device is on an accessible over the network, that NI-RIO software is installed, and that the RIO server running and properly configured.")
Can anyone tell me why there is connection error?

Answer 1

Hey rhksgud92,
With CompactRIO, you have to specify an IP address to connect to and program the target. In MAX (Measurement and Automation Explorer), expand the 'Remote Systems' category in the left pane and your cRIO should be located on that list. Select it, and then view the 'Network Settings' cetegory in the middle pane. Here you should see an IP address listed for your target.
Copy this IP address and open your LabVIEW project. In the project tree, right-click on the cRIO and select 'Properties'. In the windows that pops up, you should see an entry field for the IP address. Paste the value from MAX here (and make sure that it is still formatted correctly). Now you should be able to right-click the cRIO in the project and select 'Connect' with success.
I agree with Hooovahh that you are going to have a steep learning curve trying to use LabVIEW and CompactRIO for the first time without training. To make it a little easier, we do have some resources that can help you. First, since you are a student, if your school has an active Academic Site License (ASL), you can get free access to all of NI's self-paced online training resources. If you aren't sure if you have an active ASL, just ask your professor or IT division that handles your school's LabVIEW licensing. Since you are so new, I highly recommend you start with LabVIEW Core 1 & 2, and then proceed to Real-Time 1 and FPGA to learn how to use your CompactRIO.
If you don't have an active ASL, you can still follow some of the video tutorials for students for both LabVIEW and RIO, which should help you out quite a bit. Check out the link below. Lastly, I recommend becoming very familiar with the CompactRIO Developer's Guide (also linked below). This guide is a great resource for how to implement many different features and architectures in RIO applications, for both RT and FPGA.
Academic Online Training:
http://us.ni.com/academic/training
NI LabVIEW for CompactRIO Developer’s Guide:
http://www.ni.com/pdf/products/us/fullcriodevguide​.pdf
Regards,
Ryan