NI RMC-8355 User manual

NI RMC-8355
User Manual
NI RMC-8355 User Manual
September 2012
373693B-01

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Important Information
Warranty
The NI RMC-8355 is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of shipment, as evidenced
by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace equipment that proves to be defective during the
warranty period. This warranty includes parts and labor.
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects in
materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National Instruments
will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives notice of such defects
during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be uninterrupted or error free.
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before any
equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are covered by
warranty.
National Instruments believes that the information in this document is accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical accuracy. In
the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent editions of this document
without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected. In no event shall National
Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it.
EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMER’SRIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF NATIONAL
INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE PAID BY THE CUSTOMER. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING
FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF. This limitation of
the liability of National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action, whether in contract or tort, including negligence. Any action against
National Instruments must be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues. National Instruments shall not be liable for any delay in
performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty provided herein does not cover damages, defects, malfunctions, or service
failures caused by owner’s failure to follow the National Instruments installation, operation, or maintenance instructions; owner’s modification of the
product; owner’s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or surges, fire, flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside
reasonable control.
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•Review
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NI products.
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For patents covering National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software,
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Refer to the Export Compliance Information at ni.com/legal/export-compliance for the National Instruments global trade compliance
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WARNING REGARDING USE OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS
(1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL OF
RELIABILITY SUITABLE FOR USE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH SURGICAL IMPLANTS OR AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN
ANY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WHOSE FAILURE TO PERFORM CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT
INJURY TO A HUMAN.
(2) IN ANY APPLICATION, INCLUDING THE ABOVE, RELIABILITY OF OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CAN BE
IMPAIRED BY ADVERSE FACTORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FLUCTUATIONS IN ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY,
COMPUTER HARDWARE MALFUNCTIONS, COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE FITNESS, FITNESS OF COMPILERS
AND DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE USED TO DEVELOP AN APPLICATION, INSTALLATION ERRORS, SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE
COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS, MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING OR CONTROL DEVICES,
TRANSIENT FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS (HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE), UNANTICIPATED USES OR MISUSES, OR
ERRORS ON THE PART OF THE USER OR APPLICATIONS DESIGNER (ADVERSE FACTORS SUCH AS THESE ARE HEREAFTER
COLLECTIVELY TERMED “SYSTEM FAILURES”). ANY APPLICATION WHERE A SYSTEM FAILURE WOULD CREATE A RISK OF
HARM TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS (INCLUDING THE RISK OF BODILY INJURY AND DEATH) SHOULD NOT BE RELIANT SOLELY
UPON ONE FORM OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEM DUE TO THE RISK OF SYSTEM FAILURE. TO AVOID DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH,

THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MUST TAKE REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO PROTECT AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACK-UP OR SHUT DOWN MECHANISMS. BECAUSE EACH END-USER SYSTEM IS
CUSTOMIZED AND DIFFERS FROM NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS' TESTING PLATFORMS AND BECAUSE A USER OR APPLICATION
DESIGNER MAY USE NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER PRODUCTS IN A MANNER NOT
EVALUATED OR CONTEMPLATED BY NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER IS ULTIMATELY
RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING AND VALIDATING THE SUITABILITY OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS WHENEVER
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE INCORPORATED IN A SYSTEM OR APPLICATION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, THE APPROPRIATE DESIGN, PROCESS AND SAFETY LEVEL OF SUCH SYSTEM OR APPLICATION.

Compliance
Electromagnetic Compatibility Information
This hardware has been tested and found to comply with the applicable regulatory requirements and limits for electromagnetic
compatibility (EMC) as indicated in the hardware’s Declaration of Conformity (DoC)1. These requirements and limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the hardware is operated in the intended
electromagnetic environment. In special cases, for example when either highly sensitive or noisy hardware is being used in close
proximity, additional mitigation measures may have to be employed to minimize the potential for electromagnetic interference.
While this hardware is compliant with the applicable regulatory EMC requirements, there is no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation. To minimize the potential for the hardware to cause interference to radio and television
reception or to experience unacceptable performance degradation, install and use this hardware in strict accordance with the
instructions in the hardware documentation and the DoC1.
If this hardware does cause interference with licensed radio communications services or other nearby electronics, which can be
determined by turning the hardware off and on, you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
• Reorient the antenna of the receiver (the device suffering interference).
• Relocate the transmitter (the device generating interference) with respect to the receiver.
• Plug the transmitter into a different outlet so that the transmitter and the receiver are on different branch circuits.
Some hardware may require the use of a metal, shielded enclosure (windowless version) to meet the EMC requirements for
special EMC environments such as, for marine use or in heavy industrial areas. Refer to the hardware’s user documentation and
the DoC1for product installation requirements.
When the hardware is connected to a test object or to test leads, the system may become more sensitive to disturbances or may
cause interference in the local electromagnetic environment.
Operation of this hardware in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference. Users are required to correct the
interference at their own expense or cease operation of the hardware.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by National Instruments could void the user’s right to operate the hardware
under the local regulatory rules.
1 The Declaration of Conformity (DoC) contains important EMC compliance information and instructions for the user or
installer. To obtain the DoC for this product, visit ni.com/certification, search by model number or product line,
and click the appropriate link in the Certification column.

©National Instruments vii NI RMC-8355 User Manual
Contents
About This Manual
Conventions ...................................................................................................................xi
Related Documentation..................................................................................................xii
Chapter 1
Getting Started
Unpacking......................................................................................................................1-1
What You Need to Get Started ......................................................................................1-1
NI RMC-8355 Overview ...............................................................................................1-2
Key Features ..................................................................................................................1-2
Mainboard Features .........................................................................................1-2
CPU...................................................................................................1-2
Chipset ..............................................................................................1-2
Memory.............................................................................................1-3
Slots...................................................................................................1-3
Video.................................................................................................1-3
HDD ..................................................................................................1-3
DVD-R/W .........................................................................................1-3
Onboard LAN ...................................................................................1-3
Onboard I/O ......................................................................................1-3
Power Supply ....................................................................................1-4
Fan.....................................................................................................1-4
Power Management Features ............................................................1-4
Front Panel LEDs..............................................................................1-4
System Management .........................................................................1-4
NI RMC-8355 Description ............................................................................................1-5
Upgrade/Optional Equipment ........................................................................................1-6
Memory Upgrades ...........................................................................................1-6
Upgrade Options..............................................................................................1-6
National Instruments Software ......................................................................................1-7
Chapter 2
Installation and BIOS Setup
Safety Information .........................................................................................................2-1
Chassis Cooling Considerations ....................................................................................2-2
Providing Adequate Clearance ........................................................................2-2
Installation .....................................................................................................................2-3
Cable Retention Bracket ................................................................................................2-4

Contents
NI RMC-8355 User Manual viii ni.com
Connecting Safety Ground ............................................................................................ 2-4
Connecting to Power Source ......................................................................................... 2-5
BIOS Setup.................................................................................................................... 2-5
Main BIOS Setup Menu.................................................................................. 2-5
System Overview.............................................................................. 2-6
SuperMicro X8DTU ......................................................................... 2-6
Processor........................................................................................... 2-6
System Memory................................................................................ 2-7
Advanced Setup Configurations ..................................................................... 2-7
Boot Features .................................................................................... 2-8
Power Configuration......................................................................... 2-9
Processor and Clock Options............................................................ 2-9
Advanced Chipset Control................................................................ 2-12
North Bridge Configuration.............................................................. 2-14
South Bridge Configuration.............................................................. 2-16
IDE/SATA Configuration................................................................. 2-17
PCI/PnP Configuration ..................................................................... 2-20
Super IO Device Configuration........................................................ 2-21
Remote Access Configuration .......................................................... 2-22
Hardware Health Event Monitoring ................................................. 2-23
ACPI Configuration.......................................................................... 2-25
IPMI Configuration (Not Supported) ............................................... 2-27
View BMC System Event Log ......................................................... 2-27
Set LAN Configuration .................................................................... 2-28
Event Log Configuration .................................................................. 2-29
Security Settings ............................................................................................. 2-30
Supervisor Password......................................................................... 2-30
Change Supervisor Password ........................................................... 2-30
User Access Level ............................................................................ 2-31
Change User Password ..................................................................... 2-31
Clear User Password......................................................................... 2-31
Password Check................................................................................ 2-31
Boot Sector Virus Protection............................................................ 2-31
Clear User Password......................................................................... 2-31
Password Check................................................................................ 2-31
Boot Configuration ......................................................................................... 2-32
Boot Device Priority......................................................................... 2-32
Removable Drives ............................................................................ 2-32
CD/DVD Drives ............................................................................... 2-32
USB Drives....................................................................................... 2-33
Network Drives................................................................................. 2-33
Exit Options .................................................................................................... 2-33
Save Changes and Exit ..................................................................... 2-33
Discard Changes and Exit................................................................. 2-34

Contents
©National Instruments ix NI RMC-8355 User Manual
Discard Changes ...............................................................................2-34
Load Optimal Defaults......................................................................2-34
Load Fail-Safe Defaults ....................................................................2-34
BIOS Error Beep Codes ..................................................................................2-34
OS Reinstallation and Recovery ....................................................................................2-35
Cleaning .........................................................................................................................2-36
Exterior Cleaning.............................................................................................2-36
Rack Mounting ..............................................................................................................2-36
Installing the Inner Slides................................................................................2-37
Installing the Slide Mounting Brackets in the Rack........................................2-38
Installing the Outer Slides in the Rack ............................................................2-39
Installing the Chassis into the Rack.................................................................2-40
Chapter 3
I/O Information
Rear Panel Connectors...................................................................................................3-1
PS/2..................................................................................................................3-2
Universal Serial Bus ........................................................................................3-3
Serial................................................................................................................3-4
VGA ................................................................................................................3-5
Ethernet............................................................................................................3-7
MXI-Express Connectors ..............................................................................................3-8
Chapter 4
Common Configuration Questions
General Questions..........................................................................................................4-1
Boot Options ..................................................................................................................4-2
Chassis Configuration....................................................................................................4-2
Upgrade Information......................................................................................................4-3
Chapter 5
Troubleshooting
Appendix A
Specifications
Appendix B
Hardware Configuration

Contents
NI RMC-8355 User Manual x ni.com
Appendix C
Intel SATA RAID Utility for Intel ICH10R
Appendix D
Technical Support and Professional Services
Glossary
Index

©National Instruments xi NI RMC-8355 User Manual
About This Manual
The NI RMC-8355 User Manual contains information about installing,
configuring, using, and maintaining the NI RMC-8355.
Conventions
The following conventions appear in this manual:
»The »symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options
to a final action. The sequence Options»Settings»General directs you to
pull down the Options menu, select the Settings item, and select General
from the last dialog box.
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.
This icon denotes a caution, which advises you of precautions to take to
avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash. When this symbol is marked on a
product, refer to the Read Me First: Safety and Electromagnetic
Compatibility for information about precautions to take.
bold Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such
as menu items and dialog box options. Bold text also denotes parameter
names.
italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross-reference, or an introduction
to a key concept. Italic text also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word
or value that you must supply.
monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should enter from the
keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples.
This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,
programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions, operations,
variables, filenames, and extensions.
monospace bold Bold text in this font denotes the messages and responses that the computer
automatically prints to the screen. This font also emphasizes lines of code
that are different from the other examples.

About This Manual
NI RMC-8355 User Manual xii ni.com
Related Documentation
The following documents contain information that you may find helpful as
you read this manual:
• CompactPCI Specification PICMG 2.0 R 3.0
• PXI Hardware Specification, Revision 2.1
• PXI Software Specification, Revision 2.1
• ANSI/IEEE Standard 1014-1987, IEEE Standard for a Versatile
Backplane Bus: VMEbus
• ANSI/VITA 1-1994, VME64
• NI-VISA User Manual
• NI-VISA Programmer Reference Manual
•Read Me First: Safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility, National
Instruments

©National Instruments 1-1 NI RMC-8355 User Manual
1
Getting Started
This chapter describes the key features of the NI RMC-8355 and lists the
kit contents and optional equipment you can order from National
Instruments.
Unpacking
Carefully inspect the shipping container and the NI RMC-8355 for damage.
Check for visible damage to the metal work. Check to make sure all
hardware and switches are undamaged. If damage appears to have been
caused during shipment, file a claim with the carrier. Retain the packing
material for possible inspection and/or reshipment.
What You Need to Get Started
The NI RMC-8355 kit contains the following items:
❑NI RMC-8355 rack mount controller
❑NI RMC-8355 User Manual
❑Windows recovery CD/DVD (not included in the RT version)
❑Rack mount kit
❑Bracket for rear cable retention
❑AC power cable (refer to Table 1-1 for a list of AC power cables)
❑23–36 VDC 3-pin connector (ships with the DC option)

Chapter 1 Getting Started
NI RMC-8355 User Manual 1-2 ni.com
The unit comes with the standard 120 V (USA) cable. If you have the
incorrect AC power cable, contact National Instruments.
NI RMC-8355 Overview
The NI RMC-8355 is a rugged 1U PC-based controller for remote control
of PXI chassis. The controller provides leading-edge processing power
with Intel Xeon 5620 processors, high disk bandwidth with hardware
RAID support, high I/O bandwidth with a PCI Express 2.0 x16 and x8 slot,
and up to 48 GB of RDIMM ECC memory per processor.
Key Features
The NI RMC-8355 offers the performance of a high-end PC in a compact
1U rack-mountable form factor for controlling a PXI or PXI Express
system using a National Instruments remote controller.
Mainboard Features
CPU
• Dual Intel Xeon E5620 2.4 GHZ, 80 W, LGA1366 (second processor
optional upgrade)
Chipset
• Intel 5520 chipset, including the 5520 (North Bridge) and ICH10R
(South Bridge)
Table 1-1. AC Power Cables
Power Cable Reference Standards
Standard 120 V (USA) ANSI C73.11/NEMA 5-15-P/IEC83
Switzerland 220 V SEV
Australia 240 V AS C112
Universal Euro 230 V CEE (7), II, IV, VII IEC83
North America 240 V ANSI C73.20/NEMA 5-15-P/IEC83
United Kingdom 230 V BS 1363/IEC83
Japan 100 V ANSI C73.11/NEMA 5-15-P/IEC83

Chapter 1 Getting Started
©National Instruments 1-3 NI RMC-8355 User Manual
Memory
• 3 GB RDIMM ECC DDR3 memory standard (3 ×1 GB)
• Maximum memory supported: 48 GB registered ECC
DDR3-800/1066 in 6 DIMM sockets (per processor)
Slots
• One PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot
• One PCI Express 2.0 x8 slot (requires a custom PCI Express bracket)
Note The x8 bottom slot requires a custom bracket and supports only half-height cards.
Video
• Matrox G200eW 16 MB DDR2 (max resolution 1280 ×1024)
HDD
•1×500 GB or 2 ×500 GB SATA (3 Gbps) hard drive JBOD/RAID0/1
• Upgrade option: 1 ×300 GB or 2 ×300 GB SATA (3 Gbps) SSD
JBOD/RAID0/1
DVD-R/W
• Front removable slim slot load DVD-R/W drive
Onboard LAN
•2×Intel 82576 Gigabit Ethernet controller
Onboard I/O
• PS/2 keyboard port
• PS/2 mouse port
•Serialport
• VGA port
• Two USB 2.0 ports (rear)
• Two USB 2.0 ports (front)
• Two RJ-45 ports

Chapter 1 Getting Started
NI RMC-8355 User Manual 1-4 ni.com
Power Supply
• Supports redundant AC and DC power supplies
Fan
• Accessible and hot swappable fans
Power Management Features
• ACPI/ACPM power management
• Main switch override mechanism
• Wake-On-LAN (WOL) header
• Wake up on keyboard/mouse from Soft-Off
• Power-on mode from AC power recovery
Front Panel LEDs
• Power indicator
• Power shuttle indicators
• LAN status indicators
• HDD indicator
• System temp (overheat) and fan (fail) warning indicator
System Management
• Monitoring for CPU and chassis environment
• CPU thermal trip support
• +5 V standby alert LED
• Fan speed control

Chapter 1 Getting Started
©National Instruments 1-5 NI RMC-8355 User Manual
NI RMC-8355 Description
Figure 1-1 shows the key features of the NI RMC-8355 front panel. For
detailed information about the NI RMC-8355 rear panel, refer to Chapter 3,
I/O Information.
Figure 1-1. Front View of the NI RMC-8355
The front panel includes the following LEDs:
•Hard drive activity indicator—Glows when there is hard drive
activity.
•Power shuttle indicators—Glow when power shuttles are
powered on.
•LAN status indicators—Flash when there is activity on LAN1 or
LAN2.
• Overheat/fan fail indicator
– Off—Normal
– On—Overheat
– Flashing—Fan failure warning
•Power indicator—Glows when the NI RMC-8355 is powered on.
1 DVD R/W Drive
2 Hard Drives
3 Hard Drive Ejector Buttons
4USBPorts
5 Hard Drive Activity Indicator
6 Power Shuttle 1 Indicator
7 Power Shuttle 2 Indicator
8 LAN1 Status Indicator
9 LAN2 Status Indicator
10 System Temp and Fan Warning Indicator
11 Power Indicator
12 Power Switch
5678910 11
4
2
1
33
212

Chapter 1 Getting Started
NI RMC-8355 User Manual 1-6 ni.com
Upgrade/Optional Equipment
Memory Upgrades
You can upgrade the NI RMC-8355 memory to a maximum of 96 GB
(48 GB per processor).
Note A 32-bit operating system such as Windows XP Pro addresses a maximum of 4 GB.
The NI RMC-8355 supports tri-channel DDR-3 SDRAM registered
memory in four 240-pin RDIMM sockets. The NI RMC-8355 is
compatible with ECC memory.
Note Supported RDIMM sizes are 1 GB, 4 GB, and 8 GB.
Note National Instruments has tested and verified that the DDR-3 RDIMMs we offer
work with the NI RMC-8355. We recommend you purchase your DDR-3 RDIMM
modules from National Instruments. Other off-the-shelf DDR-3 RDIMM modules are not
guaranteed to work properly.
Upgrade Options
Table 1-2 lists upgrade options available for the NI RMC-8355.
Table 1-2. NI RMC-8355 Upgrade Options
Orderable P/N Description
782116-01 Spare optical drive for NI RMC-8355
782117-01 Spare 250 GB SSD and drive bay for NI RMC-8355
782314-01 Spare 500 GB HDD and drive bay for NI RMC-8355
782301-01 PCI Express plug-in video card with dual digital display outputs
782302-01 Rack mount rails for NI RMC-8355
782544-01 Spare/replacement AC power supply for NI RMC-8355
782545-01 Spare/replacement DC power supply for NI RMC-8355
782547-01 DC power cable for NI RMC-8355
782546-01 Spare/replacement fan for NI RMC-8355
782567-1024 1 GB RAM replacement/upgrade for NI RMC-8355

Chapter 1 Getting Started
©National Instruments 1-7 NI RMC-8355 User Manual
National Instruments Software
National Instruments hardware and software work together to help you
make the most of your PXI Express 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
includes 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 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 include analog
782567-4096 4 GB RAM replacement/upgrade for NI RMC-8355
782567-8192 8 GB RAM replacement/upgrade for NI RMC-8355
782596-01 Dual CPU Upgrade, Intel Xeon E5620
Table 1-2. NI RMC-8355 Upgrade Options (Continued)
Orderable P/N Description

Chapter 1 Getting Started
NI RMC-8355 User Manual 1-8 ni.com
input (A/D conversion), buffered data acquisition (high-speed A/D
conversion), analog output (D/A conversion), waveform generation, digital
I/O, 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 multichassis
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 Help and the readme.txt file in the NI-VISA
directory. For more information, visit ni.com/visa.

©National Instruments 2-1 NI RMC-8355 User Manual
2
Installation and BIOS Setup
This chapter describes how to install, configure, and use the NI RMC-8355.
Before connecting the NI RMC-8355 to a power source, read this chapter
and the Read Me First: Safety and Electromagnetic Compatibility
document included with your NI RMC-8355.
Safety Information
Caution Before undertaking any troubleshooting, maintenance, or exploratory procedure,
carefully read the following caution notices.
Caution Product functionality can be disrupted if the knurled thumbscrews on the back of
the top cover are subjected to Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). To prevent damage, you must
employ industry-standard ESD prevention measures during installation, maintenance, and
operation.
Caution Overloading the circuits may damage supply wiring. Do not exceed the ratings on
the equipment nameplate when connecting equipment to the supply circuit.
Note Tighten the thumbscrew for the top panel cover with a tool after both initial
installation and subsequent access.
Caution To avoid risk of explosion, do not replace the battery (JBAT1) with an incorrect
battery type. Dispose of used batteries according to the battery instructions.
This equipment contains voltage hazardous to human life and safety, and is
capable of inflicting personal injury.
•Chassis Grounding—The NI RMC-8355 requires a connection from
the premise wire safety ground to the NI RMC-8355 chassis ground.
The earth safety ground must be connected during use of this
equipment to minimize shock hazards. Refer to the Connecting Safety
Ground section for instructions on connecting safety ground.
•Mechanical Loading—To avoid a hazardous load condition, be sure
the mechanical load is even when rack mounting the equipment.