Chapter 2
Hardware Installation
Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 for PXI Express User Manual
2-6
ni.com
Notes
The cables are shipped with a protective plastic cap which must be removed before
connecting the cable to the Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 hardware. The protective cap
should be used when the cable is stored.
For more information about cables, refer to the
If daisy chaining additional chassis, connect PORT 2 of the NI PXIe-8375 closer to the
system controller to PORT 1 of the NI PXIe-8375 of the daisy chained chassis.
Connect the Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 cable to the NI PCIe-8375 and to
PORT 1 of the NI PXIe-8375. The cables have no polarity, so either end
may be connected to either card.
Powering Up the Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 System
1.
Power-on all of the expansion chassis in any order you choose.
2.
Power-on the host.
Standard PCI-PCI bridges and switches are used to add PCI devices to a
PCI hierarchy in which all the bridges and devices are contained within a
single chassis. Because of this, BIOSes and operating systems make the
assumption that all PCI devices in the entire hierarchy will be available as
soon as code execution begins at power-up. This assumption means that all
of the expansion chassis must be turned on before the host PC for the BIOS
and OS to correctly configure a Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 system.
Note
There are no requirements on how Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 expansion chassis
are powered up relative to each other, as long as they are all on before the computer is
powered on.
Powering Down the Fiber-Optic MXI-Express x4 System
Because operating systems and drivers commonly make the assumption
that PCI devices will be present in the system from power-up to
power-down, it is important not to power off the expansion chassis until
after the host PC is powered off. Powering off the expansion chassis while
the host is still on can cause crashes or hangs.
After the host computer has powered down, the order in which expansion
chassis are powered off relative to each other is not important. However, to
power down a chassis that still has its upstream link active, the power
button must be pressed for at least 4 seconds.
