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Question Can I Use VME Instruments in a VXI Mainframe? Solution Whether you can install a VME device into a VXI chassis is in large part dependant on the architecture of the VME device. VXI is an extension of VME, so it have many of the same bus features as VME, but VXI defines several backplane pins that VME leaves "user defined". Because of this, it is of critical importance that VME devices that have any of the non-specified bus pins defined never be installed into a VXI system. Doing so will risk damage to the VME device, and to the VXI chassis, and potentially other VXI devices installed in the same system. A VME device that does not have a P2 connector can be installed in a VXI chassis with no concern for incompatibility, because the P1 connector in VXI and VME systems is exactly the same. VME devices with the two outside rows of P2 are also completely safe to be installed in a VXI system, since the middle row of connections on P2 are the same for both specifications. A VME device needs additional software configuration in order for the Resource Manager to be able to identify it. VME devices do not comply with all of the communication requirements or configuration definitions of VXI, so they will not be identified by a Logical Address in the same manner as a VXI device. The specific address location of a VME device needs to be configured in the Resource Manager so that its presence will be recognized, and resources will be allocated to it accordingly.