Support Thread for IoX 5.7.0

[johnnyt]

2 hours ago, btreinders said:

UDI should at least post the SSD image somewhere with instructions on how to re-image it for people not afraid to do it. 

There should also be instruction on how to replace and a Polisy with an eISY with a new USB ZMatter dongle (and an eISY with another eISY / new dongle).

Aside from the backup/image part, there are zwave and PG3 licensing issues tied to specific hardware - needs to be explained how that works.

 

[Techman]

Here's everything you need to know:

Eisy:User Guide - Universal Devices, Inc. Wiki (universal-devices.com)

[btreinders]

12 hours ago, johnnyt said:

I agree but in the mean time I got one of these https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01MCV52TH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3TUR5JBYCEPNE&th=1 and used Rufus to create my own image. Careful the adapter you choose. They aren't all the same.

Here's a thread on this with more info and variations that worked for others 

 

@johnnytYou wouldn't want to post that image somewhere would you? 

Edited October 2, 2023 by btreinders

[larryllix]

7 hours ago, vbPhil said:

Ah … The good old days.   UDI is missing the boat by not continuing to produce the ISY. It’s the only solution when using Insteon. 

Even refurb'd units would be a good entrance point for people  only wanting a starter system with up to a few hundred Insteon devices. I was thinking of installing one in my granddaughter's bedroom with a few NRs to operate some MagicHome RGBW LED strings around her bedroom she is into right now. With a cheap subscription to ISY Portal, she could talk them to any colour and even some slow animations using ISY programming. It always worked for a few year before and nothing has changed. No PLM required it would still make a good starter system for basically a PLC level operation. Sure would beat her pulling out her cell phone to run an app every night and day to operate them. Mind you she has a few Alexa boxes in her bedroom already that she likely operates them vocally from now.

For a $49.95 investment a refurbed ISY994i Pro would still make a great box for some...

  ....and get them purchasing a more expensive eISY down the road once they gain some confidence in themselves and UDI.

[johnnyt]

16 hours ago, btreinders said:

@johnnytYou wouldn't want to post that image somewhere would you? 

@btreinders I do feel your pain. My HA controller has certainly become mission critical equipment in my house. That's why I bought an eISY w/ USB Zmatter to have spare h/w in addition to doing periodic images of my Polisy, and have also asked UDI to consider providing imaging capability without needing to pull the SSD out of the box, or the ability to take a snapshot of everything that would allow one to roll back. 

I don't think it's practical to share my image. For one thing it's 32GB - too much for any the (free) cloud drive space I have. It's also got all my stuff, most notably and I think problematic, my ISY portal and node server license info or links to that info at UDI, not to mention the API token needed to access my system remotely. I'm not really clear on all this but, bottom line, I think you would need a barebones image if you don't have one of your particular system, then buy or transfer whatever licenses you need.

 

[JTsao]

Has the disabled program problem been fixed?  I'm still running 5.6.4 and PG3x 3.2.3 until I see that it has...

[johnnyt]

13 minutes ago, JTsao said:

Has the disabled program problem been fixed?  I'm still running 5.6.4 and PG3x 3.2.3 until I see that it has...

I think I'm reading it's fixable by running some linux commands but not yet avoidable in 5.7.0.

I would wait for a > 5.7.0 release and only IF

1. the release notes say the bug was fixed AND
2. a week or so after the release it has NOT been reported as still a problem AND
3. you have a manageable amount of "leave disabled" programs where you either know what they are so you can easily re-disable them, or you can live with them becoming enabled while you get find/get the linux commands you need to run to fix it

Unfortunately I don't think we can count on UDI to provide this information proactively based on what has happened regarding this bug with both this release and the previous one.

 

[KSaccullo01]

On 9/29/2023 at 8:42 AM, dbwarner5 said:

As mentioned above, in the summary tab under programs, there is a column where you can toggle to run a program at startup. I have a variable called Startup that a program sets to 1 upon startup. That then disables most folders that aren't needed immediately, while enabling a "startup" folder where I run key programs that I need for startup. 

For example, a tests for the thermostat settings is run, outside lighting tested etc, I reset programs that I use to enable / disable items such as driveway alerts, sprinklers etc. There is also one program that lists (requires diligence to keep it up to date) all my programs that should be disabled and disables them all just to be sure. 

After everything has run that I feel needs to run, the startup toggle is switched back to 0 and the Startup folder becomes disabled while all other folders that were temporary disabled become enabled. 

I have learned to do this through the years due to times where I have accidentally created infinite loops etc or had thermostats at the wrong setting after a power failure etc. 

For ease of finding my programs, I append a LD on the end of the program's name to designate Leave Disabled. This doesn't mess up the alphabetical order of my programs but makes them easy to find in the summary tab. See screen shot below.

 

Thank you dbwarner5 and hart2hart answer was hiding in plain sight.

 

 

[landolfi]

For anyone who hasn't yet upgraded to 13.2, I have a dead Polisy here after the update. Completely unresponsive after multiple power cycles and attempts to reset with the MFB. IoX and Portal don't see it and I can't SSH to it, but it does have an IP and it responds to pings.

I opened a ticket but I don't know how UD can help in the short term if I can't connect to the box.

Looks like I may be moving everything to Home Assistant, painful as that will be with all the Zwave devices I have. I love to tinker, but I'm getting tired of having to recover from official updates.

[bpwwer]

10 hours ago, landolfi said:

For anyone who hasn't yet upgraded to 13.2, I have a dead Polisy here after the update. Completely unresponsive after multiple power cycles and attempts to reset with the MFB. IoX and Portal don't see it and I can't SSH to it, but it does have an IP and it responds to pings.

I opened a ticket but I don't know how UD can help in the short term if I can't connect to the box.

Looks like I may be moving everything to Home Assistant, painful as that will be with all the Zwave devices I have. I love to tinker, but I'm getting tired of having to recover from official updates.

That happened to me as well.  Apparently whatever it was that caused the update to fail only effected a small number of Polisys.  Lucky us.

I was able to recover by opening the box, connecting a serial cable and logging in over the serial console.  From there I was able to manual do the update and get things working again.  Instructions for connecting a serial cable are somewhere in the forum (I just searched and it popped right up). 

I think the only other option is to send the box back to UDI and they'll either use a serial cable to recover or just replace the image.

[landolfi]

16 minutes ago, bpwwer said:

That happened to me as well.  Apparently whatever it was that caused the update to fail only effected a small number of Polisys.  Lucky us.

I was able to recover by opening the box, connecting a serial cable and logging in over the serial console.  From there I was able to manual do the update and get things working again.  Instructions for connecting a serial cable are somewhere in the forum (I just searched and it popped right up). 

I think the only other option is to send the box back to UDI and they'll either use a serial cable to recover or just replace the image.

Thanks for this! What were the implications, did you have to rebuild anything?

[bpwwer]

18 minutes ago, landolfi said:

Thanks for this! What were the implications, did you have to rebuild anything?

No, everything is normal on the box now.  The Polisy that had the upgrade fail is my development box so it has PG3 and all my node server development stuff running on it and I didn't lose anything.  My production Polisy upgraded just fine.

When the upgrade fails, it basically fails to install all the required files so things like the ssh daemon fail to start, that's why you can't ssh into it.  But it does still have network access so once you have access to the box, you can run the update script and do whatever package management is needed to get everything properly installed.  I don't remember the exact steps but if you get a serial console working on it, submit a ticket and I'm sure @Michel Kohanim can walk you through the steps needed to bring it back to life.

[landolfi]

3 minutes ago, bpwwer said:

No, everything is normal on the box now.  The Polisy that had the upgrade fail is my development box so it has PG3 and all my node server development stuff running on it and I didn't lose anything.  My production Polisy upgraded just fine.

When the upgrade fails, it basically fails to install all the required files so things like the ssh daemon fail to start, that's why you can't ssh into it.  But it does still have network access so once you have access to the box, you can run the update script and do whatever package management is needed to get everything properly installed.  I don't remember the exact steps but if you get a serial console working on it, submit a ticket and I'm sure @Michel Kohanim can walk you through the steps needed to bring it back to life.

This all sounded promising until I read that I need a special USB cable that I don't have, will have to order for $20, and wait several days to get, and then spend at least another half hour on an SSH session with or without UD. 2 months ago, the 5.6.3 update hosed my Zwave. I spent 2 hours on the phone with UD support and another 5 or 6 adding all the devices back and modifying programs.  I didn't even want the 13.2 update because I knew bricking was a possibility on Polisy, but Update Packages doesn't give a choice of what gets updated. So you might imagine my frustration now that I am here again with a non-functioning Zwave network. This time I can't even use my Insteon devices or node servers, and best case is I'm offline for several days.

[johnnyt]

3 hours ago, bpwwer said:

  Instructions for connecting a serial cable are somewhere in the forum (I just searched and it popped right up). 

I think I found the right search terms to use eventually (most posts about serial cable refer to PLM)

Here's what I found for others' ease of reference:

 

One would need to:

(1) Acquire the USB to TTL Serial Cable

(2) Gain Access to the Polisy Serial Console Connector

(3) Tape or Tie Back the USB to TTL Serial Cable's Power Pin

(4) Move the Jumper

(5)  Connect the Serial Ground

(6) Connect the Transmit and Receive Data Wires

etc.

This is not for the faint of heart, and you need to order/wait for the cable to arrive.

I'm going to add that project to my 'to do' list so I'm ready in case I need it.

 

Edited October 3, 2023 by johnnyt

[Ryan S]

Has anyone been able to identify which Polisys are at risk of being bricked when upgrading to 5.7.x?  

I have been hesitant to upgrade my Polisy from 5.6.x due to the bricking issue and wanted to know if this is now a non issue which been resolved or I should still wait for a further release.

[mmb]

7 minutes ago, Ryan S said:

Has anyone been able to identify which Polisys are at risk of being bricked when upgrading to 5.7.x? 

I think I have an older Polisy (early release) and haven't had any problems.  I usually apply updates a week or so after release.

[bpwwer]

1 hour ago, Ryan S said:

Has anyone been able to identify which Polisys are at risk of being bricked when upgrading to 5.7.x?  

I have been hesitant to upgrade my Polisy from 5.6.x due to the bricking issue and wanted to know if this is now a non issue which been resolved or I should still wait for a further release.

@Michel Kohanim spent some time on my system and I believe he identified what had failed, but not why.  I don't think he was ever able to reproduce it on his end and I think it was something like 3 or 4 total out of thousands that failed.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello everyone,

If you have a Polisy that's older than a year or if the OS is at 13.0, there's about a 10% likelihood that the upgrade process will not work. So, before try the upgrade on Polisy, please check the OS version (https://polisy ip:8443/WEB/sysconfig.txt ... if this does not work, then you have a very old unit). If you have OS version 13.0x, please contact support.

With kind regards,
Michel

[brians]

Did an update today on my Polisy, not sure what the update did since I was already on 5.70, and 13.2 with PG3x 3.2.8, but it requested a restart afterwards. Maybe OS related updates, not sure.

Bad news is, all my programs were disabled again after restart and had to re-enable. I restarted again and programs remain enabled, so it is something in the update process.

[brians]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:42 AM, johnnyt said:

I think I found the right search terms to use eventually (most posts about serial cable refer to PLM)

Here's what I found for others' ease of reference:

 

One would need to:

(1) Acquire the USB to TTL Serial Cable

(2) Gain Access to the Polisy Serial Console Connector

(3) Tape or Tie Back the USB to TTL Serial Cable's Power Pin

(4) Move the Jumper

(5)  Connect the Serial Ground

(6) Connect the Transmit and Receive Data Wires

etc.

This is not for the faint of heart, and you need to order/wait for the cable to arrive.

I'm going to add that project to my 'to do' list so I'm ready in case I need it.

 

This cable I have should work it seems... I use for programming ESP devices....

 

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07BBPX8B8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[residualimages]

I'm on OS of 13.2-release-p1 (I checked after Michel's post, though I already had upgraded to IOX 5.7.0. PG3 at 3.1.23.)

I still have intermittent issues with all programs disabling after some reboots, even after doing some of the ssh file move/fresh create that was suggested earlier.

I have since taken the advice of folks in the forum and named the "always disabled" programs uniquely. I chose "* " prefix to sort easily in the detail view, and I select all but those, right click and enable whenever I get a rebootGremlinOfDisabling. 🤷‍♂️

Edited October 5, 2023 by residualimages

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi all,

Disabled  programs are most probably due to the bug in 5.7.0_0. We have not been able to reproduce but @brians might be right that it's related to the upgrade process because it has changed:

- Previously, when we upgraded IoX (isy service), the service was restarted immediately. This basically meant that we could not send status updates back to the Admin Console. 

- In the current process, when IoX (isy service) is upgraded, isy service continues running the previous version till the next reboot. 

The current hypothesis is that the file that governs enable/disable for programs somehow gets corrupted during the upgrade of IoX (isy service). 

This issue is the highest priority task on our list.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

With kind regards,
Michel

[Michel Kohanim]

All, I think we may have found the issue and will have a fix by no later than Monday.

With kind regards,
Michel

[oskrypuch]

On 10/4/2023 at 5:40 PM, Michel Kohanim said:

Hello everyone,

If you have a Polisy that's older than a year or if the OS is at 13.0, there's about a 10% likelihood that the upgrade process will not work. So, before try the upgrade on Polisy, please check the OS version (https://polisy ip:8443/WEB/sysconfig.txt ... if this does not work, then you have a very old unit). If you have OS version 13.0x, please contact support.

With kind regards,
Michel

After the usual certificate dialog and a log in prompt, I get ...

./FILES/WEB/sysconfig.txt not found

So, am I set up for a 10% brick?

If I want to upgrade, I will need to run a ticket? Hopefully there is a way to do it at some point!

* Orest

Edited October 7, 2023 by oskrypuch

[Michel Kohanim]

@oskrypuch,

Please submit a ticket. We'll figure it out.

With kind regards,
Michel