Strand Shownet questions

[gareth]

Here's one that's got me puzzled - perhaps someone has seen it before and knows the cause/remedy ....

 

I have a Shownet network containing two main consoles (one in each of two venues), sometimes a remote console (floats between the two venues), and an SN100 node (also floats). All connected via the building's cat5 network, all on the same subnet and with unique IPs. The SN100 has been lying about in a cupboard for a long while and has only recently been pressed back into service, and it's causing something a bit odd to happen. When it's connected to the network and fired up, it causes something to happen on the consoles - in the network status box at the bottom-right of the cuelist screen, the yellow "Net On" changes after a short time to a red "Network!". This doesn't seem to have an effect on the operation of the consoles or the node, either in isolation or as a part of the network (they all still talk to each other quite happily), but it's bugging me and I'd like to work out how to stop it happening. The consoles are running v2.8.6, and the node v2.8.1. Anyone got any thoughts?

 

Also, a quick question - I'm sure the answer is obvious, but I can't quite seem to work it out. How do I make IOFTPDOS start up with a specific IP address, rather than one that it chooses for itself? All of my Shownet devices have IPs in the range 192.168.21.x, but IOFTPDOS always seems to want to give itself an IP of 192.168.0.x - which makes it a bit tricky to talk to the node via the command prompt at the console (a necessity, since the disk drive in the node is buggered!).

[JMC]

As far as IOFTP goes, the IP address for the computer itself should be set to whatever you want it to appear as on the shownet network (NOT obtain automatically/DCHP). In 220node.cfg, the "nodeaddr =" line should be set to the same address.

 

Can't help you with the oddity with the SN100 I'm afraid, although I can say I use an SN100 (As well as SN102's, and SN103R's and SN110's) with the same software version as you without any problems... The consoles are 2.8.5 however.. Wonder if this could have something to do with it?

[strand600X]

hi gareth

 

the red network sinage problem is not a problem

 

what it means is you have had a problem on your network and you need to look at the status log or the net diag screen to see what the problem is.

I usually get this when I pull a network cable from one of my devices or turn something off when I shouldnt

I think it was new in something like v2.8.5

Baz

:)

[gareth]

As far as IOFTP goes, the IP address for the computer itself should be set to whatever you want it to appear as on the shownet network (NOT obtain automatically/DCHP). In 220node.cfg, the "nodeaddr =" line should be set to the same address.

The thing is (and apologies for not mentioning this earlier, as it might have a bearing on the answer to the question), I'm asking specifically about dropping out of GeniusPro and into DOS on a console, and using IOFTPDOS to access a node over Shownet. Perhaps I'm being a bit dense here, but how would I define the IP address of the 'computer' (i.e. console) for IOFTP purposes?

 

the red network sinage problem is not a problem

 

what it means is you have had a problem on your network and you need to look at the status log or the net diag screen to see what the problem is.

I usually get this when I pull a network cable from one of my devices or turn something off when I shouldnt

Interesting. Is there a way to clear the warning and restore the nice comforting presence of the lovely yellow "Net On"? :)

[Tomo]

It may be a case of using the command:

 

set IP=xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

 

before running IOFTP.

This sets an environment variable IP to be the address you want - some DOS-based TCP/IP drivers (eg Trumpet) use that environment variable.

I know nothing about Strand though.

[Latro]

Interesting. Is there a way to clear the warning and restore the nice comforting presence of the lovely yellow "Net On"? :)

 

Normally just viewing the network diagnostic screen clears the 'error'. However by the sound of your problem it may come back again. Sounds like your SN100 is dropping offline. We've had some fun with node power supplies in the past, so it may be worth checking out / replacing yours too.

[gareth]

NWe've had some fun with node power supplies in the past, so it may be worth checking out / replacing yours too.

:)

 

Oh gawd, don't say that! The SN100 has already got a knackered floppy drive which is prohibitively expensive to replace (hence the need to do software uploads, etc. via the desk).

 

Thanks for all the suggestions so far - I'll have a go at them when I get some time later in the week. If anyone else has any thoughts, let's hear them!

[Rob Halliday]

Hi Gareth,

 

IOFTP: IOFTPDOS should pick up the IP address defined in the 22node.cfg file that is in the same directory as IOFTPDOS - ie if you drop out of the console and run IOFTPDOS from within the 220os directory it should be the same IP address as the console.

 

NETWORK! error: this is a relatively recent feature that, as others have said, comes up if the console sees something on the network then later sees that the device has gone off-line. It was added after some issues with a node overheating on 'Les Mis' in London to try to give people some warning if a device went offline, before they ran a cue and discovered their rig 'stuck' because their dimmers were holding the last DMX state. You can clear the warning by going into NET DIAG then out again.

 

The interesting question here is whether your node was always doing this over your network and there was just never anything to tell you it was doing this. Nodes generally just 'listen' to data; every now and again they send a 'ping' back to say 'here, alive and well'. It may be that your node is receiving data fine but those pings are not making it back to the console, so the console notes that the node has gone off-line. Since it's still sending data regardless the node will continue to output DMX. It does sound like at least one 'ping' is getting through, though (otherwise the console wouldn't have known the node was there to then notice it was gone). It's possible that this may always have happened but, without the Network! warning, you just didn't know it was happening.

 

There have been some problems a bit like this in buildings with 'new' network infrastructure - ie. 100Mbit nodes and switches - in certain circumstances that have been hard to pin down; those problems have usually also involved the newer SN110-style nodes.

 

Have you tried plugging the node in 'directly' to the console (using a crossover cable) to see whether the problem persists?

 

There were also some changes to networking with 2.8.6 (it uses a different network packet driver on the console), so that may be having an effect, though I am using a 2.8.6 console with a 2.8.1 SN100 node here without any problem. I would suspect that something on your network - a node or a switch - was interfering with the return packets being broadcast by the node.

 

Rob.

[gareth]

Thanks for that, Rob. I think you're probably right re. the IOFTP IP thing - I was running IOFTPDOS from within the c:\sn100 directory that I've created on the console to hold the node software for upload - so of course, there's no relevant 220node.cfg file in that diretory to give the console its IP address.

 

You might also have a point with regards to the node and the "Network!" issue - the two furthest points of the Shownet network do indeed go through quite a lot of kit on the journey from one to another. I do have it in mind to go back to first principles and reduce the system to one console, one node and a crossover cable and then work up from there until I work out what's going on - but it's a case of finding the time, there are a lot of other things that need doing around the building which are a bit more urgent than that! :) I'll get around to trying it sometime, though, and will let you know what happens.

 

UPDATE :

 

Well, starting IOFTPDOS from the c:\220os directory worked fine - it picked up the right IP from the 220node.cfg file and all was well.

 

Regarding the other thing - well, it's odd. Both desks and the node have been sitting on the network talking to each other for the last three hours without a single error message. The show in the main house has just gone up, and the one in the studio does so in about 15 minutes, so I'll see what happens when some activity starts to occur on the network.

[Rob Halliday]

Gareth....

 

Just wondering whether you were actually getting the 'Network!' error after you'd been trying to use IOFTP?

 

A running IOFTP counts as a 'thing' on the network; if you ran IOFTP on the network while the console was running it would see that and it would appear on the NET DIAG screen. When you then quit IOFTP the console would, after a time (30-60secs) notice that the IOFTP program had gone and flag it as a Network! error.

 

This might explain why you were only seeing this error after you'd been playing with IOFTP and didn't see it today with a 'static' network.

 

Just a thought....

 

Rob.

[gareth]

Good point, Rob - I'll check that out. By the time we got to the end of the show last night the system had been up for over six hours with no incidences of the "Network!" message on either desk. Having said that, nothing went offline from the network during that time. Will post back when I've poked and prodded some more! :)