How to Configure NI Vision Builder AI Remote Targets

NI Vision Builder AI remote targets are field programmable devices that you add to a subnet and run remotely. You configure a remote target from a host machine on the same subnet, defining settings such as the target name and description, network settings, and software revisions. Complete the steps in the following sections to configure a Vision Builder AI remote target.

1. Click Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Vision Builder AI.
2. In Execution Target control, select Select Network Target.
3. In the Select Remote Target dialog box, select the remote target with a MAC address that corresponds to the MAC address on the label of the remote target you want to configure.

   Tip  If the remote target you want to configure is on a different subnet than the development computer, it may not appear in the list of available targets. Click Add Target, enter the IP address of the remote target you want to configure, and click OK to add the target to the table.

4. Click Configure. If the remote target is password-protected, Vision Builder AI prompts you to enter the password.
5. Enter a Name and Description for the remote target, and click Next.

   Device names are limited to 31 characters with no spaces or special characters, except hyphens. The first and lost characters must be alphanumeric.

6. Select an IP address.

   If your remote target is on a network that has a DHCP server, you may be able to automatically obtain an IP address from the DHCP server. A DHCP server allocates an IP address to the remote target each time the target is restarted. If you select the DHCP Server option, you do not need to specify other information, such as the Subnet Mask. If you do not know if the network has a DHCP server, check with a network administrator for assistance.

   To automatically obtain an IP address, select Obtain IP address from DHCP Server.

   To assign a static IP address to the remote target, select Edit the IP Settings and enter the following information:

   • IP Address
   • Subnet Mask
   • Gateway
   • DNS Server

     Note  Consult a network administrator before modifying these parameters.

     If you want to set the IP address without a DHCP server but are uncertain about what to set, click Suggest Values. Vision Builder AI attempts to detect the appropriate settings. Click Reset to Default to revert to the original settings.

7. If you want to prevent other users from configuring the remote target, select Enable Password and click Set Password to set up password protection for the execution target.
8. Click Next.
9. Update the software on the remote target.
   1. Enable the Update Target Software checkbox.
   2. Click the  Browse button next to the Software Image to Install on the Target control. The Open dialog box opens.
   3. Navigate to the Vision Builder AI software image you want to use, and click OK.
   4. Optional, enable the Format Target Before Installing Software control to remove any existing software, inspections, images, and log files currently on the remote target before installing the new software.

      Caution  Formatting removes all data stored on the remote target. Backup any important data from the remote target before enabling the Format Target Before Installing Software control.

      Note  If the remote target supports the Reliance file system, Vision Builder AI uses Reliance to format the target. Otherwise, the target is formatted using the FAT file system.

10. Click OK to install the software on the remote target.

Review Execution Target Information

To review the properties of an execution target to ensure that it is the remote target you want to connect to and/or to determine if it is configured correctly, click Properties and review the identification information, network settings, and installed software for the remote target.

Backup Execution Target Information

Vision Builder AI allows you to create a target image of a remote target. target images contain all of the current configuration settings for a remote target and all of the inspections currently installed to the remote target. Target images are useful to backup configuration settings or to deploy the same configuration settings to multiple remote targets. Complete one of the following sets of steps to create an image of a remote target:

• If you are currently connected to a remote target—Select Target»Create Target Image to launch the Create Target Image dialog box. Enter information about the inspection and the location where you want to save the image, and click OK.
• If you are not currently connected to a remote target—On the Vision Builder AI Welcome screen, select Select Network Target from the Execution Target listbox. In the Select Remote Target dialog box, right-click the target for which you want to create an image. Enter information about the inspection and the location where you want to save the image, and click OK.