Zellarman Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 So, about 2 weeks after resolving a TON of insteon issues (hunting down ghost links, removing adding devices, recreating scenes, etc. etc.) my isy just died! The red error light flashes slowy, the PWR, RX and TX green lights remain light, and the green MEM is off. No programs run, I can't telnet to it, when trying to log on through local access, my browser "can't display webpage" and when trying to access through the UDI link I get "Socket open failed java.net connect exception: connection refused no further information" I tried disconnecting/reconnecting it, and the reset button, but nothing changes. What next?
Michel Kohanim Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 Zellarman, Apologies for the inconvenience. It seems that you have a filesystem problem. This could be as bad as a defective SD Card or as simple as reinstalling your app and backup. Please do be kind enough to try the following: 1. telnet to ISY 2. issue FS (and answer Y not y) 3. after reboot, if you still get the blinking err light, then let me know and I shall send you a replacement 4. if not, please reinstall your application (2.6.13) 5. restore you backup Please do keep me posted. With kind regards, Michel So, about 2 weeks after resolving a TON of insteon issues (hunting down ghost links, removing adding devices, recreating scenes, etc. etc.) my isy just died! The red error light flashes slowy, the PWR, RX and TX green lights remain light, and the green MEM is off. No programs run, I can't telnet to it, when trying to log on through local access, my browser "can't display webpage" and when trying to access through the UDI link I get "Socket open failed java.net connect exception: connection refused no further information" I tried disconnecting/reconnecting it, and the reset button, but nothing changes. What next?
Zellarman Posted January 25, 2009 Author Posted January 25, 2009 I can't telnet to the isy. When I try to, it gets as far as the command prompt saying "connecting to 192.168.1.100...." then the screen disappears
Michel Kohanim Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 Hi Zellarman, Do you have null modem cable? If so, you can connect to port B, using Hyperterminal using 115200, 8, 1, none. With kind regards, Michel I can't telnet to the isy. When I try to, it gets as far as the command prompt saying "connecting to 192.168.1.100...." then the screen disappears
Zellarman Posted January 25, 2009 Author Posted January 25, 2009 Please excuse my ignorance. I will not say I don't have what I don't know about, and that said, sets up my saying I don't know. Not running much of a network, I have a relatively new laptop computer, and a WAP/router, the isy connects to my router. Port B, is that the serial port? My laptop doesn't have any serial or parallel ports just 1 USB, though maybe there's something I'm missing?
Michel Kohanim Posted January 25, 2009 Posted January 25, 2009 Hello Zellarman, Our records indicate that you have ISY-99i/IR PRO (DOP 01/13/2008) which comes with a null modem cable. However, you would need a USB to serial converter which, I assume you don't have. So, I can send you a replacement immediately (tomorrow). If so, please verify your shipping address to tech@universal-devices.com. With kind regards, Michel Please excuse my ignorance. I will not say I don't have what I don't know about, and that said, sets up my saying I don't know. Not running much of a network, I have a relatively new laptop computer, and a WAP/router, the isy connects to my router. Port B, is that the serial port? My laptop doesn't have any serial or parallel ports just 1 USB, though maybe there's something I'm missing?
Zellarman Posted January 25, 2009 Author Posted January 25, 2009 Thanks Michel, Your records are correct. I don't have the mentioned adaptor cable. I've sent the e-mail you requested.
sk8er02 Posted October 3, 2009 Posted October 3, 2009 I'm having similar issues. I was unable to connect to my ISY 99 pro from work today. Came home and the Err light was blinking. Reset ISY several times (unplugged PLM) and reset the router (even though it is configured with a static IP). I can't telnet to the device nor access through the web or java interface. It isn't responding to KPL buttons that normally trigger programs and it isn't running scheduled programs. PS I just emailed support about this issue.
Michel Kohanim Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 Hello sk8er02, I just wanted to make sure you got this resolved (I didn't see a ticket from you). If not, please do contact us and we'll take care of it immediately. With kind regards, Michel I'm having similar issues. I was unable to connect to my ISY 99 pro from work today. Came home and the Err light was blinking. Reset ISY several times (unplugged PLM) and reset the router (even though it is configured with a static IP). I can't telnet to the device nor access through the web or java interface. It isn't responding to KPL buttons that normally trigger programs and it isn't running scheduled programs. PS I just emailed support about this issue.
sk8er02 Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 Still having isses. I filled out the support form on your site frday evening. Should I email something else? Hello sk8er02, I just wanted to make sure you got this resolved (I didn't see a ticket from you). If not, please do contact us and we'll take care of it immediately. With kind regards, Michel I'm having similar issues. I was unable to connect to my ISY 99 pro from work today. Came home and the Err light was blinking. Reset ISY several times (unplugged PLM) and reset the router (even though it is configured with a static IP). I can't telnet to the device nor access through the web or java interface. It isn't responding to KPL buttons that normally trigger programs and it isn't running scheduled programs. PS I just emailed support about this issue.
Michel Kohanim Posted October 4, 2009 Posted October 4, 2009 Hi sk8er02, Unfortunately we did not receive anything on Friday. Please do be kind enough to either send an email to support@universal-devices.com or fill out another form. I do very much apologize for the inconvenience. With kind regards, Michel Still having isses. I filled out the support form on your site frday evening. Should I email something else? Hello sk8er02, I just wanted to make sure you got this resolved (I didn't see a ticket from you). If not, please do contact us and we'll take care of it immediately. With kind regards, Michel I'm having similar issues. I was unable to connect to my ISY 99 pro from work today. Came home and the Err light was blinking. Reset ISY several times (unplugged PLM) and reset the router (even though it is configured with a static IP). I can't telnet to the device nor access through the web or java interface. It isn't responding to KPL buttons that normally trigger programs and it isn't running scheduled programs. PS I just emailed support about this issue.
mozman Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 The power went out in our house today, and when it came back on, my ISY was dead, with the same symptoms - blinking red error light, unresolved by power cycling. From what I have read on this and other threads, this seems to be a corrupt file structure problem on the SD Card. Luckily, I had another ISY unit that I was about to return to SmartHome. (I did an RMA for an issue that resolved itself before the replacement unit arrived.) So, I was able to use the SD card from that unit to boot my unit. Unfortunately, although I had been backing up my ISY configuration regularly (sometimes several times a day) when I first began to configure my network to the ISY unit, my last backup was almost a week old. (I'm about 90% of the way porting my network into the ISY.) So, I now have to redo all the configuration work I had done in the last week - frustrating. Michel, From what I have read, this is an uncommon, but not a rare problem. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you upgrade the backup features of the ISY. Specifically, I think you should store a second copy (or more) of the data structure on the SD card. (I have a large setup, and my files total only 4MB.) It may be too much of a performance cost to keep a mirror copy in realtime, but what about writing a duplicate copy at 4 AM every day? (Perhaps keeping the last few copies as extra insurance.) Then, if there is a problem with the file structure on bootup, the ISY should revert to a previous backup copy (and alert the user next time the admin console is launched). Additionally, I would like an option to Auto-Backup the ISY everyday, preferably only on days where some change is made (to the network or programs), and with the option to keep a fixed number of backups (with the oldest being deleted when new backups are written). With many thanks, Moz
Michel Kohanim Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 Hi Moz, I am so very sorry to hear about this. Power outage may in fact cause damage to ISY in cases where ISY is powered by the PLM. The reason is that the power outage sometimes shorts out the power supply circuit in the PLM and thus there will be a huge surge (above the 30 volts threshold) which might cause damage. As far as the file system, if you still have the SD Card from the old ISY, we can possibly recover your configuration. As far as automatic backup or keeping a secondary copy in ISY, I think it's a good idea but I have yet to ascertain the frequency of changes made to a system. For instance, if changes are made on a daily basis, then I would agree. But, if changes are made every week or every month, then the automatic backup will impact complexity and performance. It's just a matter of figuring out pros and cons. In any case, if you would like to try and recover your old configuration, please insert the SD Card into an SD Card reader, zip up all the contents, and send it to support@universal-devices.com. With kind regards, Michel The power went out in our house today, and when it came back on, my ISY was dead, with the same symptoms - blinking red error light, unresolved by power cycling. From what I have read on this and other threads, this seems to be a corrupt file structure problem on the SD Card. Luckily, I had another ISY unit that I was about to return to SmartHome. (I did an RMA for an issue that resolved itself before the replacement unit arrived.) So, I was able to use the SD card from that unit to boot my unit. Unfortunately, although I had been backing up my ISY configuration regularly (sometimes several times a day) when I first began to configure my network to the ISY unit, my last backup was almost a week old. (I'm about 90% of the way porting my network into the ISY.) So, I now have to redo all the configuration work I had done in the last week - frustrating. Michel, From what I have read, this is an uncommon, but not a rare problem. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you upgrade the backup features of the ISY. Specifically, I think you should store a second copy (or more) of the data structure on the SD card. (I have a large setup, and my files total only 4MB.) It may be too much of a performance cost to keep a mirror copy in realtime, but what about writing a duplicate copy at 4 AM every day? (Perhaps keeping the last few copies as extra insurance.) Then, if there is a problem with the file structure on bootup, the ISY should revert to a previous backup copy (and alert the user next time the admin console is launched). Additionally, I would like an option to Auto-Backup the ISY everyday, preferably only on days where some change is made (to the network or programs), and with the option to keep a fixed number of backups (with the oldest being deleted when new backups are written). With many thanks, Moz
mozman Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 Michel, As usual, thank you for your kind offer to try to recover my previous file structure. However, I am well on my way to recreating the work I lost. (As you may have experienced, it takes less time to recreate your work (esp. if the work was recently done) than it took to do it the first time.) Also, I was able to recover all of my recent program changes by copying the folder CONF\D2D from my faulty SD card to the replacement SD card. (Although devices and scenes created since the last backup were now listed as 'not specified', I could easily tell from the context what the correct device/scene should be.) One other data item for you to ponder - I had an admin console open when the power went out. Although the computer running the console was on a battery backup and therefore continued to operate, the PLM lost power immediately (since I can't have the PLM on a battery backup). My hypothesis is that some of the files on the SD card were open at the time the power was lost - there were several file fragments on the SD card when I examined it. This would also explain why there was no corruption in the D2D folder - I was not modifying any programs at the time of the power loss. Although the PLM cannot be put on a battery backup, an external power supply for the ISY certainly could be. Would this protect against the voltage surge the PLM might create in a power loss situation? (I.e., does the use of an external power supply disconnect the power feed from the PLM?) In any case, a external power supply for the ISY seems like a no-brainer must-do. As for deciding when to backup, couldn't you set a flag in the ISY whenever a program is changed or a change to the link database is made? Then, at 4 AM, the ISY checks the status of this flag, and if set, the ISY does the backup (both a direct file backup to a secondary location on the SD card and a regular zipped backup to a user prespecified folder). With many thanks, Moz
apostolakisl Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 As I read this I am backing up my isy!!! How about allowing a program to initiate a backup much like you can write a program to do a system querry? Then each user can decide just how often and when to do backups. The main question that pops to mind with this however, can the isy run a backup to network harddrive or can it only backup to an external source via a java console running on the machine with the harddrive?
chuckl Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 As I read this I am backing up my isy!!! How about allowing a program to initiate a backup much like you can write a program to do a system querry? I second this idea! Chuck
Michel Kohanim Posted October 8, 2009 Posted October 8, 2009 Hello all, Sounds like a good idea! With kind regards, Michel As I read this I am backing up my isy!!! How about allowing a program to initiate a backup much like you can write a program to do a system querry? I second this idea! Chuck
yardman 49 Posted October 12, 2009 Posted October 12, 2009 As I read this I am backing up my isy!!! How about allowing a program to initiate a backup much like you can write a program to do a system querry? Then each user can decide just how often and when to do backups. The main question that pops to mind with this however, can the isy run a backup to network harddrive or can it only backup to an external source via a java console running on the machine with the harddrive? I think that an automated backup is only of marginal use. This is because once you have a stable Insteon network, you probably won't be making changes regularly. If you are making changes to your network, I recommend making a backup prior to beginning, then maybe again in the middle of your session, assuming that you have a lot of changes to make. Maybe even more than one backup in the middle if you have a really long session. Then again at the end of your session. I tend to be somewhat "backup-compulsive", so this kind of behavior is rather instinctive for me, even when working on a Word document, spreadsheet, presentation, etc.
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