NI RIO Kernel Modules for X-Series PCIe Connectivity

Table of Contents

• Linux NI RIO Installation and Usage
  • Requirements
  • Installing the Drivers in Linux
  • Enabling and Disabling Usage
  • Hot-Plugging and Power-Cycling
  • Upgrading Kernels
  • Uninstalling in Linux
• Windows NI RIO Installation and Usage
  • Requirements
  • Installing NI-USRP in Windows
  • Enabling and Disabling Usage
  • Hot-plugging and Power-cycling
  • Uninstalling NI-USRP in Windows

Linux NI RIO Installation and Usage

Requirements

In order to use the PCIe transport connection on the USRP X300 / X310 devices, you must install the NI USRP RIO driver stack. These include kernel modules which must be loaded.

Your kernel version must be supported by the kernel modules. Only 64-bit kernels are supported.

Currently, the latest supported kernel version is 4.2.x.

Installing the Drivers in Linux

The NI USRP RIO installer can be found here.

Download the installer and extract it with the following command:

tar zxf niusrprio-installer-18.0.0.tar.gz

The files will be extracted into a directory called niusrprio-installer.

To install the NI USRPRIO kernel modules and RPC server, run the following command:

sudo niusrprio-installer/INSTALL

Select 'y' for each prompt, and the script will install all necessary components. This script will automatically load all necessary kernel modules for the duration of the session.

Enabling and Disabling Usage

Once everything is installed, run the following commands to enable use of the X300/X310 over PCI Express:

sudo /usr/local/bin/niusrprio_pcie start

To stop these processes, run the following command:

sudo /usr/local/bin/niusrprio_pcie stop

To check if the kernel modules are loaded and if the RPC server is running, run the following command:

/usr/local/bin/niusrprio_pcie status

NOTE: niusrprio_pcie start does not run when the host system is booted. If you would like the USRP PCIe device to be available automatically after a system restart, please create an init.d script that runs niusrprio_pcie start.

Hot-Plugging and Power-Cycling

The USRP X3x0, NI USRP-294x and NI USRP-295x devices cannot be hot-swapped when connected over PCI Express. Unplugging the PCI Express connection or powering the device should be done only after disabling the device or powering off the host computer.

WARNING: If the device is unplugged without running the niusrprio_pcie stop command, the system could become unstable.

Upgrading Kernels

The NI USRPRIO kernel modules are built for a specific kernel version. If the kernel version is changed, the modules must be rebuilt for the current kernel. The niusrprio_pcie start command checks for the necessary modules and rebuilds them if necessary.

If it ever becomes necessary to rebuild the modules manually, run the following:

sudo /usr/local/bin/niusrprio_pcie stop 
sudo /usr/local/bin/updateNIDrivers --no-prompt 
sudo /usr/local/bin/niusrprio_pcie start

Uninstalling in Linux

To uninstall the NI USRP RIO kernel modules and RPC server, run the following command:

sudo /usr/local/bin/niusrprio_uninstall

Select y at the prompt, and the script will uninstall all installed components.

Windows NI RIO Installation and Usage

Requirements

The latest NI-USRP installer can be found by visiting ni.com/info and entering the Info Code USRPDRIVER. System requirements can be found on the resulting web page.

Installing NI-USRP in Windows

The latest NI-USRP installer can be found by visiting ni.com/info and entering the Info Code USRPDRIVER. You will need to create a free NI User Account to download the installer. Follow the installation instructions on the web page to download and install the driver.

Enabling and Disabling Usage

Once everything is installed and the system is rebooted, the X300/X310 PCI Express device should automatically be detected by the Windows Device Manager. The device should be enabled by default.

• To disable the USRPRIO device, navigate to "Device Manager", locate the USRPRIO-X3x0 device, right-click on it and choose "Disable"
• To enable the USRPRIO device, navigate to "Device Manager", locate the USRPRIO-X3x0 device, right-click on it and choose "Enable".

Hot-plugging and Power-cycling

The USRP X3x0, NI USRP-294x and NI USRP-295x devices cannot be hot-swapped when connected over PCI Express. Unplugging the PCI Express connection or powering the device should be done only after disabling the device or powering off the host computer.

WARNING: If the device is unplugged without disabling it in device manager, the system could become unstable.

Uninstalling NI-USRP in Windows

Navigate to the Control Panel and open "Programs". Then select National Instruments Software and select NI-USRP and NI-RIO from the list. Click on uninstall to remove the drivers from your system.