NI PXIe-8383mc User manual

GETTING STARTED GUIDE
NI PXImc Devices
NI PXIe-8383mc PXImc Adapter Module
Contents
About This Guide ..................................................................................................................... 1
Products Covered.............................................................................................................. 1
Related Documentation .................................................................................................... 2
Conventions ...................................................................................................................... 2
Electromagnetic Compatibility Guidelines .............................................................................. 2
Functional Overview ................................................................................................................ 3
Product Features ....................................................................................................................... 5
LED Indicators ................................................................................................................. 7
Installation and Configuration ..................................................................................................8
Unpacking......................................................................................................................... 8
Hardware Installation ....................................................................................................... 8
Cabling.............................................................................................................................. 9
Powering On the PXImc System ...................................................................................... 10
Powering Off the PXImc System ..................................................................................... 12
Software Installation and Configuration........................................................................... 12
Specifications............................................................................................................................ 13
Worldwide Support and Services ............................................................................................. 16
About This Guide
This document describes the features, functions, and operation of the NI PXIe-8383mc PXImc
adapter module.
Products Covered
•NI PXIe-8383mc (153100x-02L)
Note The model number listed below is followed by the specific NI assembly
number in parentheses. Ensure the specifications of interest match the NI assembly
number that is printed on either the front or back side of the board.
Note xdenotes all letter revisions of the assembly.

2|ni.com |NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide
Related Documentation
The following documents contain information that you might find helpful as you read this manual:
• Your computer or chassis documentation
•MXI-Express Gen II x8 User Manual available on the ni.com website
•NI-PXImc™Help file included with NI-PXImc driver
•PXI Express Hardware Specification, Revision 2.0
• PXI-6 PXI Express Software Specification
• PICMG CompactPCI Express EXP.0 R1.0 Specification
•PCI Express Specification, Revision 2.0
• PCI Express External Cabling 2.0 Specification
•PXI MultiComputing Hardware Specification, Revision 1.0
•PXI MultiComputing Software Specification, Revision 1.0
Conventions
The following conventions appear in this manual:
CompactPCI Express/ The terms CompactPCI Express and CPCIe are interchangeable in this
CPCIe guide.
MXI-Express A NI PCIe-8381, NI PXIe-8381, NI PXIe-8384, or NI PXIe-8383mc
Gen II x8 product board.
PCI Express/PCIe The terms PCI Express and PCIe are interchangeable in this guide.
PXI Express chassis In this manual, whenever a PXI Express chassis is referenced,
a CompactPCI Express chassis could be used instead.
PXI Express/PXIe The terms PXI Express and PXIe are interchangeable in this guide.
Electromagnetic Compatibility Guidelines
This product was tested and complies with the regulatory requirements and limits for
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) stated in the product specifications. These requirements
and limits provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the product is
operated in the intended operational electromagnetic environment.
This product is intended for use in industrial locations. However, harmful interference may
occur in some installations, when the product is connected to a peripheral device or test object,
or if the product is used in residential or commercial areas. To minimize interference with radio
and television reception and prevent unacceptable performance degradation, install and use this
product in strict accordance with the instructions in the product documentation.

NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide |© National Instruments |3
Furthermore, any modifications to the product not expressly approved by National Instruments
could void your authority to operate it under your local regulatory rules.
Caution To ensure the specified EMC performance, operate this product only with
shielded cables and accessories.
Functional Overview
The NI PXIe-8383mc is a PXImc adapter1module that allows the attachment of sub-systems
such as stand-alone instruments, PCs, or other PXI-Express systems to an existing PXI-Express
system via a high-bandwidth, low-latency cabled MXI-Express x8 link2. The NI PXIe-8383mc
contains a PXImc Logic Block that makes it possible to join systems together non-transparently.
Figure 1 illustrates where the PXImc Logic Block is applied to join the Root Complexes of
two systems.
Figure 1. PXImc System Diagram
In the example shown, the system on the right is designated as a PXImc Device since it contains
the PXImc Logic block (i.e. the NI PXIe-8383mc). The system on the left is designated the
Primary System Host, which serves as the central connection hub for all other PXImc Devices.
1 Refer to Chapters 1 and 2 of the PXI-7 PXI MultiComputing Hardware Specification Revision 1.0
available on the pxisa.org website for relevant terminology and concepts used in this guide.
2 The MXI-Express link is compatible with the PCI Express External Cabling 2.0 Specification developed
by the PCISIG.
NTB
Endpoint Endpoint
Endpoint
Endpoint
Primary System HostPXImc Device
MC
Root Complex
Memory
CPU
PXImc Logic Block
Endpoint
Endpoint Endpoint Endpoint
Root Complex
CPU Memory
Physical
Expansion
Slot/Port
Bridge

4|ni.com |NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide
This effectively creates a tree (or Star) connection topology as shown in the example
connectionscenario in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Example PXImc System
Figure 2 shows how various types of sub-systems can be connected to a Primary System Host to
create a tree topology of PXImc Devices. The cable ports of all PXImc Logic Blocks in the
example are indicated by an “mc” glyph to show their locations. In cases where a sub-system
does not contain a PXImc Logic Block, a NI PXIe-8383mc can be installed in the Primary
System Host to create a Logical PXImc Device out of the sub-system.
Tip Consolidating all NI PXIe-8383mc adapter modules into a single PXI-Express
chassis, ideally the Primary System Host, will simplify the power sequence of the
overall PXImc system.
1 Embedded Controller
2 NI PXIe-8383mc in peripheral slot
3 NI PXIe-8384 in peripheral slot
4 PXI Express System Acting as a PXImc Device
5 NI PXIe-8381 in controller slot
6 NI PCIe-8381in PCI Express Slot
PXImc Sub-system
PXImc Device
Logical PXImc Device
MC
Primary System Host
PXImc Device
MC
MC
MC
1 2 3 3 3
5
23
4
1
6

NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide |© National Instruments |5
The NI PXIe-8383mc can directly connect to any of the following NI MXI-Express Gen 2 x8
products.
• NI PCIe-8381—Used to connect PCs with Gen 2 x8 or wider PCI-Express slots
• NI PXIe-8384—Used to connect PXI-Express systems
Refer to the MXI-Express Gen II x8 User Manual available on the ni.com website for installation
instructions for the NI PCIe-8381, NI PXIe-8381, and NI PXIe-8384.
Refer to the NI-PXImc Help file and readme.html files included with the NI-PXImc driver for
feature updates.
Product Features
Figure 3 illustrates the core function and onboard features of the NI PXIe-8383mc.
Figure 3. NI PXIe-8383mc (153100x-02L) Block Diagram
The PXImc logic block consists of a non-transparent bridge and all the associated circuitry
necessary to work with clock references from both the Primary System Host and the PXImc
Device’s own sub-system. The non-transparent bridge (NTB) isolates the processor and
resources in the Primary System Host from those in the sub-system. The NTB is recognized as
a PCI Express system endpoint to each of the systems. As a result, devices and other PCI
resources on either side of the NTB are not visible to each other. Communication between the
1 Onboard Status LEDs
2 Backplane Link
3 SW 4—FACT/USER Mode Switch
4 SW 3—MC/DC Mode Switch
5 Front Panel Link
6 “mc” Cable Port
7 SW 5—CFC/SSC Mode Switch
PCIe
NTB
PCIe Gen II x8
Link Good
BP
FP
Link Activity
PCIe Gen II x8
BP
FP
PXImc Logic Block
3
4
7
Endpoint
Endpoint
2
1
5
6

6|ni.com |NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide
two systems occurs through processor domain partitioning and address translation between the
memory-mapped spaces of the two processors.
Each side of the PXImc logic block is connected to the front panel “mc” cable port and
backplane connectors.
Tip For optimum link widths and performance, use the NI PXIe-8383mc in chassis
that support a Gen 2 x8 backplane link. The chassis should also be controlled by a
Slot 1 controller with Gen 2 x8 links to the backplane. National Instruments offers
Gen 2 PXI Express chassis and controllers that can establish x8 links.
Onboard Switches
The NI PXIe-8383mc contains the following onboard switches.
SW3—MC / DC Mode Switch
The NI PXIe-8383mc is a multi-personality product capable of operating in either
multi-computing (MC) mode or daisy-chain (DC) mode. This makes it possible for an
NI PXIe-8383mc in MC mode to connect to another NI PXIe-8383mc in DC mode, just as if it
were a NI PXIe-8384 daisy-chain module. National Instruments recommends operating the
NI PXIe-8383mc in MC mode, and using a NI PXIe-8384 for daisy-chain purposes.
.
SW4—FACT / USER (Factory / User) Mode Switch
The FACT/USER switch shown in Figure 3 selects between two different memory resource
request sizes. With the switch in the FACT position the NI PXIe-8383mc requests a minimal
amount of system resources and should be compatible with most computer systems that try to
connect to it. With the switch in the USER position the NI PXIe-8383mc requests a greater
amount of system resources which may affect system compatibility. Depending on your
application, USER mode may provide better system performance. Refer to the NI-PXImc Help
file included with the NI-PXImc driver for more information on this topic.
Note Some BIOSes may have trouble allocating the resources requested by the
NI PXIe-8383mc set to USER mode. The BIOSes of high performance NI embedded
controllers such as the NI PXIe-8133 and NI PXIe-8135 have been designed with this
in mind and offer maximum system compatibility.
MC / DC Mode Switch
SW3
MC (Default) PXImc Logic Block mode
DC Daisy-chaining mode*
* NI recommends using the NI PXIe-8384 instead of an NI PXIe-8383mc set to DC mode since
this feature may be removed in the future.

NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide |© National Instruments |7
This switch has no affect when SW3 is in DC mode.
SW5—CFC/SSC Clocking Mode Switch
When the board operates in daisy chain (DC) mode this switch determines the clocking mode
for the front panel cable port. NI recommends keeping this switch in the default SSC mode
unless otherwise specified. Regardless of the clock mode selected, the reference clock is
PCI Express Gen 2 specification compliant.
This switch has no affect when SW3 is in MC mode.
LED Indicators
The LEDs on the NI PXIe-8383mc give status information about power supplies, link state, and
mode of operation. Table 1 describes the function of the front panel LEDs.
FACT / USER Switch (Factory / User)
SW4
BAR No. Size (bytes) Address Space Prefetchable?
FACT BAR 5 32M 32-bit Yes
USER
BAR 1
BAR 2
BAR4
BAR5
128M
64M
16M
32M
32-bit
64-bit
32-bit
32-bit
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
CFC / SSC Switch
SW5
CFC 100 MHz Constant Frequency Clock
SSC (Default) 100 MHz Spread Spectrum Clock with 0.5% downspread
Table 1. Front Panel LED Status Descriptions of the NI PXIe-8383mc
LED Color Meaning
PWR/LINK Off Power is off
Blinking Red Power is out of spec
Solid Amber Power is on and within spec; an electrical link has not been
established with the front panel and/or the chassis backplane
Solid Green Power is on and within spec; electrical links have been
established with both the front panel and backplane ports
MC off Daisy Chain mode
Solid Green PXImc mode

8|ni.com |NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide
There are also onboard LEDs that report more specific link status which can be useful for
debugging cases when the front panel PWR/LINK LED reports a solid amber status.
Link Good LEDs—LEDs that indicate a successful front panel cable link (LED FP) and
backplane link (LED BP) to the onboard PCIe NTB switch.
Link Activity LEDs—LED that indicates link activity on the backplane link (LED BP).
Refer to Figure 3 for the location of these LEDs.
Installation and Configuration
This section explains how to unpack and install the NI PXIe-8383mc hardware and software.
Unpacking
The NI PXIe-8383mc is shipped in antistatic packages to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD)
to the devices. ESD can damage several components on the device.
Caution Never touch the exposed pins of connectors. Doing so may damage the
device.
To avoid such damage in handling the device, take the following precautions:
• Ground yourself using a grounding strap or by holding a grounded object.
• Touch the antistatic package to a metal part of the computer chassis before removing the
device from the package.
Remove the device from the package and inspect the device for loose components or any sign
of damage. Notify NI if the device appears damaged in any way. Do not install a damaged device
into the computer or into a PXI Express or CompactPCI Express chassis.
Store the device in the antistatic envelope when not in use.
Hardware Installation
The following are general instructions for installing the NI PXIe-8383mc. Consult your
computer user manual or technical reference manual for further instructions and warnings.
Caution The protection provided by the MXI-Express Gen II x8 products can be
impaired if it is used in a manner not described in this document.
Complete the following steps to install the NI PXIe-8383mc in your PXI Express or
CompactPCI Express chassis.
1. Power off your PXI Express or CompactPCI Express chassis, but leave it plugged in while
installing the NI PXIe-8383mc. The power cord grounds the chassis and protects it from
electrical damage while you install the module.

NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide |© National Instruments |9
Caution To protect both yourself and the chassis from electrical hazards, leave the
chassis off until you finish installing the NI PXIe-8383mc.
2. Remove or open any doors or covers blocking access to the slot in which you intend to
install the NI PXIe-8383mc.
3. Touch a metal part of the chassis to discharge any static electricity that might be on your
clothes or body.
4. Make sure the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position. Be sure to remove all
connector packaging and protective caps from retaining screws on the module.
5. Identify which slot the NI PXIe-8383mc will be installed in the chassis. Refer to Table 2 to
determine which slot types the NI PXIe-8383mc is compatible with.
6. Align the NI PXIe-8383mc with the card guides on the top and bottom of the system
controller slot. Hold the handle as you slowly slide the module into the chassis until the
handle catches on the injector/ejector rail.
Caution Do not raise the injector/ejector handle as you insert the NI PXIe-8383mc.
It will not insert properly unless the handle is in its downward position so that it does
not interfere with the injector/ejector rail on the chassis.
7. Raise the injector/ejector handle until the module firmly seats into the backplane receptacle
connectors. The front panel of the NI PXIe-8383mc should be even with the front panel of
the chassis.
8. Tighten the bracket-retaining screws on the top and bottom of the front panel to secure the
NI PXIe-8383mc to the chassis.
9. Replace or close any doors or covers to the chassis.
Cabling
National Instruments offers a variety of shielded MXI-Express x8 copper cables that can be used
to connect the NI PXIe-8383mc to MXI-Express Gen 2 x8 products. The NI MXI-Express x8
copper cables use Molex x8 PCIe connectors, and have no polarity, so either end can be
connected to either product. For more information about these connectors visit Molex at
www.molex.com and search for x8 PCIe iPass.
Table 2. NI PXIe-8383mc Slot Type Compatibility
NI PXI Express
Product
PXI Express Chassis
Controller Peripheral Hybrid
NI PXIe-8383mc —✓✓
H

10 |ni.com |NI PXIe-8383mc Getting Started Guide
Table 3 shows the various MXI-Express x8 copper cables available from National Instruments.
Caution Do not insert or remove the cable after either system is powered on. Doing
so can hang or cause errors in applications communicating with devices. If a cable
becomes unplugged, plug it back into the system. You will need to restart both
systems.
Powering On the PXImc System
The order that systems are powered on relative to each other is important to ensure proper
operation. BIOSes and operating systems make the assumption that all PCI devices in the entire
hierarchy will be available as soon as the boot sequence begins. In addition, the non-transparent
bridge in the PXImc Logic Block needs time to self-configure before the sub-system on the other
side of the cable link can connect to it.
Consolidating all NI PXIe-8383mc adapter modules into a single PXI-Express chassis, ideally
the Primary System Host, will simplify the power sequence of the overall PXImc system. Simply
power on the Primary System Host that contains all of the NI PXIe-8383mc adapter modules,
and then power on all of the sub-systems that are cabled to it.
For more complex PXImc System topologies, a simple approach to powering on all systems is
to perform the following steps.
1. Power on all systems and chassis and allow the operating systems to fully load.
2. Reboot all systems.
Table 3. National Instruments MXI-Express x8 Copper Cables
Cable Length (Meters) Description Part Number
3 m MXI-Express x8 copper cable 782317-03
5 m MXI-Express x8 copper cable 782317-05