There are lots of days that I just want to go buy all new stuff which works consistently on modern hardware. Unfortunately to do so I figure I'd have to triple my prices, at which point no one would buy anything, and the whole issue would be irrelevant. So I'm stuck with a chunk of older equipment, which still works extremely well, except for it being a pain to set up automation with it.
On Dec 23, 2017 4:19 AM, "Lewis Bergman" <[email protected]> wrote: > We delt with the same thing with radios. Programs requiring a specific > window of CPU clock speed to communicate with a device. We had to use an > intermediate program loop to slow the CPU down enough to make them work > eventually. > We ended up with a half dozen old computers around to program various ages > of equipment. Unlike you, we eventually were able to decide it want worth > it and just told the customers it was EOL. I know you don't have the luxury. > > On Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 3:19 AM Forrest Christian (List Account) < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> The machine I am most worried about took about a week to rebuild last >> time we had a software issue even with carefully logged instructions. >> >> To give everyone an idea about my pain, there are on this machine two >> particular drivers for two different pieces of hardware. One won't >> install on anything after Windows 7. The other one requires windows 8.1 or >> 10. Fortunately the driver which requires windows 7 to install works just >> fine on the latter versions, it just won't install on them. I think it >> uses some functionality that isn't shipped with windows after 7. So a >> rebuild involves installing windows 7, installing this driver, and then >> upgrading to Windows 10, at which point everything else can get installed. >> >> A lot of the problem with much of the test equipment and physical >> machinery seems to be that it was designed with a specific age of computer >> in mind, and requires that system to run. >> >> On Dec 22, 2017 9:43 PM, "Josh Luthman" <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> How hard is it to just throw in a brand new PC? What if you had the >> files from the old one? >> >> >> Josh Luthman >> Office: 937-552-2340 <(937)%20552-2340> >> Direct: 937-552-2343 <(937)%20552-2343> >> 1100 Wayne St >> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1100+Wayne+St+Suite+1337+Troy,+OH+45373&entry=gmail&source=g> >> Suite 1337 >> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1100+Wayne+St+Suite+1337+Troy,+OH+45373&entry=gmail&source=g> >> Troy, OH 45373 >> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1100+Wayne+St+Suite+1337+Troy,+OH+45373&entry=gmail&source=g> >> >> On Dec 22, 2017 5:01 PM, "Forrest Christian (List Account)" < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >> If I could put it on a VM, I would definitely consider it. >> Unfortunately, due to the fact that these machines are not really 'servers' >> or 'workstations' but instead 'automation/test platforms', that is not >> really a possibility. The OS on these machines need direct access to the >> hardware. Often, the drivers/software are doing horrible things under the >> surface to windows to make it work. Adding a VM layer just isn't >> practical in this case. National Instruments describes it best: >> >> "NI hardware is not supported on VMs due to communication challenges and >> the possibility of incorrect data.Virtual machines generally cannot access >> the PCI bus. As such, PCI- and PCIe-based instruments are inherently >> incompatible with VMs, as are MXI connected PXI and PXIe chassis. Modern >> VMs often allow access to USB ports (known as USB pass-through). Given the >> hosted nature of the VM, the variable speed of data transfer associated >> with USB pass-through may cause errors when communicating with DAQ devices." >> >> My experience is that even pci or pcie passthrough which is supported in >> some VM's still isn't enough to permit this stuff to run reliably - it's a >> lot like the USB-passthrough issue described above. >> >> In my experience, failures are usually going to be software or disk, not >> the underlying hardware. If the underlying hardware fails, I realize that >> I'm stuck unless I have identical hardware. Knowing this, I often >> actually have an identical motherboard and/or server setting as part of the >> spares. And by identical, I mean exact version, often bought at the same >> time, or from the same batch. >> >> On Fri, Dec 22, 2017 at 10:08 AM, Josh Luthman < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Images for Windows between any two machines simply isn't dependable. DO >>> NOT EXPECT IT TO WORK. >>> >>> Now if you can put all your stuff in a VM, you're set. Put it in >>> Dropbox for a cheap smart (bit change only) backup. >>> >>> Josh Luthman >>> Office: 937-552-2340 <(937)%20552-2340> >>> Direct: 937-552-2343 <(937)%20552-2343> >>> 1100 Wayne St >>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1100+Wayne+St+Suite+1337+Troy,+OH+45373&entry=gmail&source=g> >>> Suite 1337 >>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1100+Wayne+St+Suite+1337+Troy,+OH+45373&entry=gmail&source=g> >>> Troy, OH 45373 >>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=1100+Wayne+St+Suite+1337+Troy,+OH+45373&entry=gmail&source=g> >>> >>> On Dec 21, 2017 11:06 PM, "Forrest Christian (List Account)" < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Normally backups around here are file-based, I.E. I want to make sure I >>>> don't lose data. >>>> >>>> I have a couple of computers now which I really would hate to have to >>>> rebuild due to hardware failure. These are generally computers which run a >>>> machine, such as the automatic test system and the pick and place machine. >>>> These machines area all typically single-drive (non-mirrored) mostly off >>>> the shelf hardware running various versions of windows. I'd like to take >>>> a full image, and have at least a reasonable chance of putting it back on >>>> similar hardware (probably same motherboard, maybe different storage >>>> medium) and it just work. >>>> >>>> It used to be that the tool for this was Norton Ghost. But that's >>>> been discontinued (and I understand it was going downhill before that). So >>>> I'm looking for whatever the current modern version is. >>>> >>>> I know there's a few tools out there which do this (Macrium, Acronis, >>>> etc). But the reviews are all littered with failures. Unfortunately >>>> it's hard to tell how much of this is lack of clue and how much of this is >>>> broken software. >>>> >>>> I'm wondering if anyone has experience with using these modern >>>> equivalents? Preferably something which runs on a range of Windows OS'es, >>>> and can dump the image onto NAS. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> *Forrest Christian* *CEO**, PacketFlux Technologies, Inc.* >>>> Tel: 406-449-3345 | Address: 3577 Countryside Road, Helena, MT 59602 >>>> <https://maps.google.com/?q=3577+Countryside+Road,+Helena,+MT+59602&entry=gmail&source=g> >>>> [email protected] | http://www.packetflux.com >>>> <http://www.linkedin.com/in/fwchristian> >>>> <http://facebook.com/packetflux> <http://twitter.com/@packetflux> >>>> >>>> >> >> >> -- >> *Forrest Christian* *CEO**, PacketFlux Technologies, Inc.* >> Tel: 406-449-3345 | Address: 3577 Countryside Road, Helena, MT 59602 >> <https://maps.google.com/?q=3577+Countryside+Road,+Helena,+MT+59602&entry=gmail&source=g> >> [email protected] | http://www.packetflux.com >> <http://www.linkedin.com/in/fwchristian> >> <http://facebook.com/packetflux> <http://twitter.com/@packetflux> >> >> >> >>
