What just happened? Tried to replace a device

[Zick]

So in my efforts of trying to figure some of my many 2486D 8 button keypads would not turn off the LED backlight while others would I realized that I accidently installed it as a 8 button keypad with a countdown. Well I don't have that model so I figured I'd try to replace it with the correct model to see if that would enable me to turn off the LED backlight.

So basically my thought was to just add a new Isteon device with the same address and pick the right model this time and I choose to keep all links.

Well after I clicked ok, all of a sudden it starts recreating my whole system over from scratch again and starts giving my screnes generic names like "scene 107, scene 148, etc"

Now I can't seem to get it to stop. I've tried closing down the window and relaunching it but it's still trying to recreate scenes.

 

I do have a backup but I can't seem to get it to stop trying to "initializing system"

[Zick]

Well I managed to restore the system to a backup. I did notice one switch led light that now goes up and down when I hit another switch that has nothing to do with it.

Going to delete and recreate that device. Wonder how many others are messed up now.

[Zick]

It seems that I've now got some bad crossed links somewhere. This morning I had a light on in the garage that doesn't have a switch remotely close for anyone to accidently turn it on yet it was burning bright when I went to leave for work this morning.

 

Is there a simple way to check for bad links?

 

 

Great, I just checked and I also lost my programs. Granted it was only a couple that I can recreate but does not the backup/restore save these programs?

[Brian H]

Backup ISY should write a backup .zip file. I believe it is on the desktop by default, but you can chose another location.

 

Restore ISY should ask you for a file name of the backup you want to use.

[Zick]

Backup ISY should write a backup .zip file. I believe it is on the desktop by default, but you can chose another location.

 

Restore ISY should ask you for a file name of the backup you want to use.

 

Sorry Brian maybe I wasn't clear. I did make a backup luckily before my problems started so I restored it back to that Zip file.

Now I have what seems to me bad links and I also lost my programs.

[MarkJames]

I believe the problem with the backup is that it restores your ISY database but I don't think it restores all your devices.

 

Check in your ISY that your device has the proper managed by/manages links, then hard reset the device and restore it. That will clear all the unnecessary links and write all the proper links. You'll probably have to do this with all the devices that have responder or controller links now that shouldn't.

 

The key to understanding it is that ISY keeps a table of what 'should' be there - what it has put there - but you can accidentally or intentionally change that in the devices. You also have to remember that everything insteon does requires both a controller record and a responder record. If you simply delete the controller record but not the responder record then the next time the controller sends a message the responder will still turn on. Conversely if you remove the responder record you can hit the controller all you like but the responder won't do anything.

 

If ISY and the device don't have identical tables (and you can check using diagnostics->device links->compare then you won't get the result you expect. At that point it's easiest to do a 'restore device'

 

mark

[Zick]

Hi Mark,

 

Thanks for the info.

I checked the link table for the one light I had on this morning. I did find some missing records and an extra record.

I was able to save and copy the ISY table to the Device table. That took care of everything except for the extra record.

I've tried to restore the device via ISY but it still has the extra record.

The only thing I'm not able to do remotely right now is a hard reset of the device.

The weird thing is that the extra record address is not any of my devices that I can find.

 

[MarkJames]

Yeah - I don't know why that happens - I've had it in some of my devices too. I think it's a bad write or something - one of the advanced guys around here will probably know. Are you sure it's not the address of your PLM or a motion sensor?

 

The extra record only matters if you try to communicate with a device of that number. If it does then your system performance will degrade as insteon tries to talk to it but can't find it. Sort of like if you have a bunch of switches in your house and you airgap them to turn them off. Or if you remove devices and don't tell ISY and your PLM. You'll probably never notice this one. I wouldn't worry about it unless you notice odd behavior.

 

mark

[oberkc]

Yes, I agree with MarkJames. Unless you see signs of problems, not to worry. Still, it would be interesting to know what this is, and why it happens. I have recently heard that access points also have insteon addresses. I wonder if these sometimes show up in the device' links database.

[Brian H]

I see the extra record in my tests also.

I am using 2.7.6. I believe it is a false label and fixed in a later revision. As comparing my PLM links to my device links. They are identical.

[Zick]

Thanks guys!

Yeah I looked through all my devices and could not find that address that's why I thought it was weird that it was in there.

 

I just checked another device and that extra record address is in there as well so I guess it's normal.

[Brian H]

I believe 2.7.7 fixed the message, but I am waiting for the next beta as 2.7.7 was an alpha. Though quite stable from what I have read here.

[MarkJames]

like oberkc said... take a look at your access points too. I have some that have addresses on them and others that do not. I betcha he's right - it's probably an access point ID.

[Zick]

I'll have to check the AP's when I get home, I never thought of those.

[Brian H]

All of my

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Zick,

 

This must be quite frustrating ... perhaps it's a good time to call our tech support so that we can help you get things back in order?

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[Zick]

Thanks Michel but I did get most things back in working order again except my backups don't seem to be working correctly which I replied to you in the Current Release section about that.

 

I just wonder if I did something wrong in the way I went about replacing a device as I indicated in my first post.

 

I found that I added in some 8 button keypads with the wrong model number that what I actually have and figured I try to straighten things out. Here's what I tried to do.

 

If I try to add a new device that is a different model (2486D vs 2486DWH8) but with the same network address, will it actually replace it or just see that it has the same address and fail?

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Zick,

 

Thanks for the update.

 

Since addresses must be unique within ISY, therefore if you try to add another device with the same address, you should get a Request Failed error.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

Thanks Michel but I did get most things back in working order again except my backups don't seem to be working correctly which I replied to you in the Current Release section about that.

 

I just wonder if I did something wrong in the way I went about replacing a device as I indicated in my first post.

 

I found that I added in some 8 button keypads with the wrong model number that what I actually have and figured I try to straighten things out. Here's what I tried to do.

 

If I try to add a new device that is a different model (2486D vs 2486DWH8) but with the same network address, will it actually replace it or just see that it has the same address and fail?

[Zick]

Ok, thanks Michel.