Strand 500 i-series early software.

[Pyrus Murdoch]

I am looking for the earliest possible 500i series softwear for a Strand console. I have v 2.8.6 from the strand site but I need an earlier version, the CI, CN, HC and SN node softwear. Can anybody help?

[JMC]

I have 2.3f and 2.5e to hand if any of these are of use.. If you PM me your email address I'll send them on.

 

If you dont mind me asking, why do you need such early software?

[Pyrus Murdoch]

I have 2.3f and 2.5e to hand if any of these are of use.. If you PM me your email address I'll send them on.

 

If you dont mind me asking, why do you need such early software?

 

I am trying to re-write a procedure for formating and re-instaling the softwear on a 500 desk HDD. The procedure I have is badly written and does not work. I am just trouble shooting really, I am using DOS 6.22 and my boss thought that maybe earlier softwear might do the trick. Thanks for the quick response, this site rocks for tech support.

[JMC]

I've sent you an email.

[Pyrus Murdoch]

I've sent you an email.

 

Cheers mate. Yeah that guy you have been talking to is the boss I mentioned before, once we install the software we are unable to get the console to recognise our nodes or even the network.

 

I've sent you an email.

 

Cheers mate. Yeah that guy you have been talking to is the boss I mentioned before, once we install the software we are unable to get the console to recognise our nodes or even the network.

 

I know is late in Scotland but if you are still up......

The zip files once extracted are not the same as the 2.6.8 version. I recognise the SN file but the other three I am a bit confused about. Are they just named differently? they seem to be GI, LP and NE if these are the same can you please tell in what order they are to be installed. My current procedure says to install CI then CN then HC followed by SN which is installed using DOS instead of the console interface.

[strand600X]

HI Pyrus

 

Just a quickie

 

You do know NOT to install the node software onto the console don't you?

Baz

[Pyrus Murdoch]

HI Pyrus

 

Just a quickie

 

You do know NOT to install the node software onto the console don't you?

Baz

 

I did not know nor to install the node software, but you are now the second person to tell me so. Can u tell me why? The procedure I have tells me to Install it last and to edit a line in the sw2node.bat 'REM CALL SW2NODE SN 100_1' The procedure says to change SN 100_1 to the node name that you want to use.

[gareth]

The SN node software isn't for the console - it's the operating software that runs on the SN-series network nodes. The sw2node file is a batch routine that you can use to update the node software over the network from the console, instead of putting a floppy directly into the node.

[JMC]

The SN software is designed to be installed on a ShowNet node, not the console. If you install it on a console, it would likely* overwrite your console's 220node.cfg file, resulting in an incorrect configuration. This is probably why your console is not getting on the network..

 

The file you are being told to edit is part of the system for upgrading software on nodes attached to your network. As you're trying to re-install console software, not upgrade it, you don't need to do this bit. To my knowledge this should never be done from the console anyway, for the above mentioned reasons.. It can be done from a node such as an SN102 which has a floppy drive for software upgrades... Or more commonly.. from a laptop.

 

The console should have;

 

CI = Console software for I-series consoles (C5 if non I-series)

CN = Console networker software (install regardless of whether the console has networker functionality or not!)

HC = Help files for console

 

* I've not tried it..

 

Edit: Beaten to it by the welsh contingent! :D

[Andi_Davis]

A couple of points on stuff that's been raised here:

 

Running SN software from the command line on the console may well overwrite key contents of the console's 220os directory - I vaguely remember having to clean up a similar scenario a few years ago. As several people have pointed out, the SN software is not designed to run from the console command line, so don't try to do so!

 

If this is what has happened, the 220os directory may well now be full of trash, so the 'nicest' option would probably be to delete the whole 220os directory and start the software install process from scratch (All those about to leap to their computers to scream about overwriting strand.pas, have a look at Kazeja's recent posts about this - I've seen him demonstrate this on a console with my own eyes!)

 

However, (with a slightly more conservative hat on!) simply re-installing the software as described below will almost certainly over-write any files that have been damaged - unused files should sit harmlessly in the 220os directory.

 

Just to address another issue, there is absolutely no problem using a console to upgrade sn10x series nodes - simply store the sn install software in a dedicated directory on the console (the target directory location is then simply edited into the SW2ALL.BAT file as the value for the 220INS parameter).

 

 

Installing '500' Series software...

 

So, here's a shot at putting down on (virtual!) paper the specifics of a standard install process. I don't have a console in front of me, so if I've made mistakes or have left anything out, somebody please shout!

 

As has already been posted, a full software installation requires three sets of software packages:

 

CI or C5 (depending on console hardware)

 

CN (networker stuff)

 

HC (helpfile stuff)

 

These are usually downloaded as three .ZIP packages, and will extract to three folders.

 

If working with floppy discs, the contents (NOT the folder itself) of each of the three folders must be copied to a floppy disc (three discs will therefore be required!) Each disc will contain six files, for example, the CI package contains:

 

CIINSTAL.EXE

CIINSTAL.Z

CRCCHECK.EXE

CRCFILE.CRC

LICENCE.TXT

RELEASE.TXT

 

C5, CN, and HC software packages contain a very similar list, except that the first two files are replaced - for example, the CN package has CNINSTAL.EXE instead of CIINSTAL.EXE, and CNINSTAL.Z instead of CIINSTAL.Z.

 

Its wise to check the integrity of the software packages before attempting to install software. Assuming the software packages are on floppy, put the first disc in the floppy drive, then in MS-DOS type:

 

A: (to navigate to the A: drive)

CRCCHECK (to run the CRC Check application.)

 

The drive will grind on for a bit and then report back on whether the required files are present - if the check if successful the check application will end with the notification '[5] files checked' This check should be run on each of the three floppy discs.

 

500 Series software can be installed from floppy disc either from within GeniusPro or from MS-DOS. However, its actually far, far quicker to shut down to MS-DOS, move the contents of each floppy disc from the floppy to a directory on the hard-drive, and then install from the hard-drive.

 

This has the double advantage of speeding up the install process by several minutes per disc, and also ensures that you have a copy of your most up to date software permanantly stored on your hard drive (saves downloading it again should you need it!)

 

When I used to maintain consoles for a living, I used a standard software storage structure to do this - a 'SW' directory in the root of the C:\ drive, followed by a subfolder indicating the version of the software (for example '020806') followed by three sub-folders called CI or C5, CN, and HC containing the relevant software packages.

 

To create this structure:

 

Shut down to MS-DOS

Change to the root of the C: drive by typing CD:\

Create a 'SW' directory to store software in by typing MD SW

Move to the new directory by typing CD SW

Create the version directory by typing MD [software version number] - for example MD 020806 for v2.8.6 aka v020806.

Move to the new directory by typing CD 020806 (or whatever you called it!)

Then create directories for the packages by typing:

MD CI or MD C5 (depending on console type)

MD CN

MD HC

 

Now move the software packages into the relevant directories - assuming that they're currently on floppy, simply put each disc in turn into the drive and move the contents...

 

For a CI disc:

CP A:\*.* C:\SW\020806\CI\*.*

 

For a C5 disc:

CP A:\*.* C:\SW\020806\C5\*.*

 

For a CN disc:

CP A:\*.* C:\SW\020806\CN\*.*

 

For a HC disc:

CP A:\*.* C:\SW\020806\HC\*.*

 

 

Once this is complete, the console software can be installed from the hard-drive - no floppies required!

 

Starting with the CI or C5 software (depending on console type - at the risk of labouring the point, only ONE of these two packages should EVER be installed!) change to the relevant directory by typing CD C:\SW\020806\ followed by either CD CI (if installing the CI software) or CD C5 (if installing the C5 software).

 

Then type CIINSTAL or C5INSTAL (depending on console type) to start the install - just follow the on-screen prompts.

 

Once the CI/C5 software is installed, change to the CN directory by typing CD ..\CN and type CNINSTAL to start the install. Again, just follow the prompts.

 

Finally, once the CN software is installed, change to the HC directory by typing CD ..\HC and type HCINSTAL to start the install. Again, just follow the prompts.

 

That's it! Once the HC install completes just reboot the console (either by turning it off and on again, or by typing C:\220OS\OS)

[Pyrus Murdoch]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, think I'm starting to get this procedure down. Dont have access to the console until thursday so there will be an update post then. A big cheers to Andi Davis for such a detailed run down of the procedure he has used in the past, thanks for taking the time.

 

cheers

 

Pyrus

[Pyrus Murdoch]

OK.... so after much formating of HDD and many reinstalls of software I have had zero luck. I ran the procedures suggested by Mr Davis and a number of different procedures.

 

A couple of things I noticed that are different from a working HDD are;

 

1/ My STATUS LOG screen reports

 

Dat file missing

Init failure

 

2/ The NET window in the bottom right corner of the REPORT screen reads off and is yellow ( no toggle option )

 

3/ The NETWORKER option at the top right hand in ADV SETUP reads OFF and is also yellow, this is green on my working HDD

 

4/ In my NET DIAG screen the ETHERENT ADDRESS is 00:00:00:00:00:00

 

Any feed back will be much appreciated. I can not, for the life of me, work out what is wrong.

 

Very quick update, I installed an earlier version of softwear v2.6e I think and it works perfectly. Thanks for the tech support guys.

 

Cheers

 

Leon

[Kazeja]

The symptoms you have just described tend to point to the Networker application not being enabled.

 

Please confirm what applications are shown as enabled when you go to the report screen.

 

One other question. In the same area of the screen, do you get a valid 18 digit security # or are they all zeros?

 

 

 

 

EDIT

 

You will also get the same symptoms if you have networker enabled but have not loaded networker (CN) software.

[Pyrus Murdoch]

My 18 digit security number is there and correct. We are now going to make the ealier softwear our standard, to many problems with v2.6.8, I know I am sick to death with it.

 

Cheers

 

Leon