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National Instruments Corporation
D-1
VXI-1394 Interface for Windows NT/98
D
Common Questions
This appendix addresses common questions you may have about using the
NI-VXI/VISA/488.2 software on the VXI-1394 platform.
Why won’t my VXI-1394 work with my 1394 host adapter or built-in
1394 bus?
Windows 98 includes built-in support for 1394 based on the OHCI
specification. OHCI is relatively new, so hardware from some
manufacturers may not comply fully with the specification. The National
Instruments PCI-1394, available separately or with the VXI-1394 kit,
works with both the Windows 98 built-in support and Windows NT (using
the driver included with your PCI-1394). Contact National Instruments for
more information.
What does hot plugging mean in terms of IEEE 1394?
The concept of hot plugging in 1394 means that you can remove and
insert 1394 cables without powering down your computer and devices. The
1394 Plug and Play architecture is designed so that the host computer can
recognize when to load and remove the appropriate drivers. However,
notice that inserting or removing any 1394 cable results in an interrupt
condition on all devices, which may adversely affect any applications using
the VXI-1394 at that time. For that reason, we recommend closing all
1394-related applications before changing your 1394 bus configuration,
and running Resource Manager after adding any new 1394 devices to your
system.
Does it matter whether I plug in a 1394 device to the PCI-1394 in my
computer or to the VXI-1394 in my mainframe?
The only difference is the topology of the system. If your system consists
of a PC connected to a VXI-1394 which is in turn connected to a digital
camera, you can get the best performance by connecting a third peripheral
to the VXI-1394 rather than to the PC or the digital camera. This restricts
the maximum distance between any two nodes to two cable segments.
