Reboot 1-5 mins after startup every time

B

Bluud

New Member
Hi,

I have this problem that started a few days ago, I think last time I updated my installed custom modules from the web interface. Every single time I power on my box, it reboots itself anywhere between 1 and 5 minutes or so (making the same squeak that it makes when you let it power off fully), and then operates normally as far as I can tell.

I've tried upgrading to the latest custom firmware (2.11) and removing all of the custom modules from the web interface from the diagnostics screen, but it still seems to have the issue. It's extremely annoying.

My first thought was that the HDD was faulty has it makes the same squeak that it makes when the HDD normally stops, but the fact that it happens so soon after power on, and never at any other time makes me suspicious that it could be some software startup issue.

What are my options here? Is it worth upgrading to the beta humax firmware (I'm still running 1.0.2.20) or is hardware likely to be faulty?

Thanks for your time.
 
That's not very pleasant. Let's see what we can think through.

First you say it behaves normally after this reboot. That in itself suggests it's not software, because one would expect it to then reboot again when it got to the same place. There seems to be a hardware element, although exactly what is difficult to fathom because a power supply problem (for example) is likely to kick in when it gets warm.

It is also possible there is a custom software element to this, especially if you have one or more of the "phone home" packages installed - eg auto-update or remote scheduler. If they have a problem communicating with the cloud server they are supposed to go quiet, but there could be some race condition which kills the system, but after the reboot comms have been established and everything works.

Before concluding it is a hardware problem, I recommend reloading 1.02.20 (this will kill the custom firmware and software) and see if it still does it.
 
thanks for the reply. Yup, this was exactly what I was after thanks. It will at least tell me if the fault is hardware or the custom mod stuff.

If it's any use the only modules I ever installed were the web interface and auto-decrypt. I installed a long time ago, so have been through many updates though.

I have a question? Does the custom mod store anything on the HDD? (So that a format could potentially fix it?) I'm happy to try, but don't want to lose all my recordings unless there is a chance it might help....

Anyway, I'll try reinstalling the official humax firmware and let you know if it helps...
 
The custom firmware is needed before any of the custom software modules (stored on the HDD) can be accessed, so removing the CF (by loading the stock firmware) makes anything on the HDD irrelevant.

Presuming reverting to standard cures the problem, and bearing in mind we do not in general see problems like this with the CF, it may be a corruption of some kind that will not reappear if you re-install the CF. However, you will need to flush the CS from the HDD - we can talk about that later.
 
OK, restoring the original firmware did not solve the issue. After a fresh install and power down for a few minutes, it rebooted itself right on schedule about 1 minute after startup.

However, just by chance I made it reboot again by exiting the TV portal, which got me to thinking it could be somethign to do with the network. So, I've unplugged my ethernet cable, and now the box is functioning properly. I've tried rebooting several times with no problems. So, it must be something to do with the network startup/initilization.

I don't know why this would have started happening though, so I'm completely at a loss for how to fix it. Has anyone encountered a network issue like this before? Any settings that might help troubleshoot?
 
I suggest it is connected with your router. Have you changed anything lately? It might benefit from a reboot itself.
 
Spontaneous reboots are usually caused by the Humax software crashing. The OS is configured to reboot if this occurs.
If it's crashing, then it's probably the result of some corruption of the setup databases or the DLNA database.

Do you use content sharing? If so, I'd start by resetting that database. You need to reload the CFW to do this but then you just follow the instructions from Diagnostics->DLNA Server->Reset DLNA Database.

If that doesn't solve it then you can enable some debug logging from the Humax software to see if that gives any clues. As a last resort, a factory reset should reset all the databases.

Just for completeness, yes, the custom firmware does store some data on the disk but it can be completely removed through the web interface under Diagnostics->Remove all...
 
af123 said:
Just for completeness, yes, the custom firmware does store some data on the disk but it can be completely removed through the web interface under Diagnostics->Remove all...
Click to expand...

Does this perform the same function as 'Diagnostics-> remove_mod_yes_i_am_sure'
 
af123 said:
Spontaneous reboots are usually caused by the Humax software crashing. The OS is configured to reboot if this occurs.
If it's crashing, then it's probably the result of some corruption of the setup databases or the DLNA database.

Do you use content sharing? If so, I'd start by resetting that database. You need to reload the CFW to do this but then you just follow the instructions from Diagnostics->DLNA Server->Reset DLNA Database.

If that doesn't solve it then you can enable some debug logging from the Humax software to see if that gives any clues. As a last resort, a factory reset should reset all the databases.

Just for completeness, yes, the custom firmware does store some data on the disk but it can be completely removed through the web interface under Diagnostics->Remove all...
Click to expand...

Thanks for your suggestions.

So, I turned off content sharing, and reset the DLNA database. I tried a couple of reboots with it disabled and all is working like a charm (even the TV portal). Turning on content sharing immediately caused the box to reboot, and then subsequent reboots still have the original rebooting issue.

So, it's definitely to do with the DLNA stuff. Where can I go from here? Is there anything else I can do to potentially fix it without doing a full reset of the box? I would just disable it, but as I understand it I need it active to download files from the box through the web interface don't I?

Thanks again for your time to help me troubleshoot this...
 
Bluud said:
Thanks for your suggestions.

So, it's definitely to do with the DLNA stuff. Where can I go from here? Is there anything else I can do to potentially fix it without doing a full reset of the box?
Click to expand...

looks like you need the extra debug turned on
 
So, it's definitely to do with the DLNA stuff. Where can I go from here?
Click to expand...

It is likely to be being caused by one specific file on the disk. Enabling the debugging and watching the log may show you the file that is causing the crash and then you can remove/move it to see if it stops the problem. Otherwise it will come down to moving files/folders out of the way until it stops crashing.

You'll have to get a telnet connection open to the box (see http://wiki.hummy.tv/wiki/Telnet) then type the following command (the humax# prompt is shown for context and you don't need to type that - it will look different on your box if you have changed the hostname)

Code: 
humax# touch /mod/boot/debugtv

Now reboot the box using the remote control - it needs to completely shut down with the hard disk clicking off before restarting.
Now, before it crashes restart the telnet connection and type:

Code: 
humax# tail -f /tmp/humaxtv.log

and watch what comes up on the screen. When the Humax reboots grab the last part of what's on the screen...
 
ok, just tried this. I've been running the telnet commands and then turning off/on the content sharing to cause the crash. Here is the log:

humax# tail -f /tmp/humaxtv.log
adding dns 192.168.2.1
killall: tinyftp: no process killed
DRV_DSC_Init_Begin
OCON | initialising controller
Restore reminders from file failed
Persist reminders to file failed

GALIO STARTING
./humaxtv --alt-config /usr/browser/config-ocontroller-si-rootfs.txt --config /var/lib/humaxtv/galio-config.txt
User opts: None
MEM: used heap 4675768/4685816 flex 833952/25165824
IP Address List: 192.168.2.37
mxDLNA [DLNA DMS DmsRunThread] Start (PID:159 TID:1069692112).......
[mxDlnaFileScanner_create] +++++
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_create] -----
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[ifss_start] +++++
DB InPut Success =/mnt/hd2/My Video/Octonauts/Octonauts_20120521_1715.ts (I:0/F:0)
Connection closed by foreign host.

So, I removed this last mentioned file and tried again. This time I got a LOT of these (no idea why the error about video format appears as they play fine):

DB InPut Success =/mnt/hd2/My Video/Tree Fu Tom/Tree Fu Tom_20120514_1725.ts (I:108/F:3)
Error>> Cannot support video format
[DI_MEDIA_Probe] Error - Fail in P_MEDIA_ProbeOpen

followed by this at the end:

IP Address List: 192.168.2.37
mxDLNA [DLNA DMS DmsRunThread] Start (PID:159 TID:1067578576).......
[mxDlnaFileScanner_create] +++++
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_create] -----
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[ifss_start] +++++
Connection closed by foreign host.

then I tried one last time, lots more similar errors, with this at the end:

IP Address List: 192.168.2.37
mxDLNA [DLNA DMS DmsRunThread] Start (PID:159 TID:1067578576).......
[mxDlnaFileScanner_create] +++++
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_create] -----
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[mxDlnaFileScanner_addDirectory] SEARCH_LIST_PATH_EXACT_MATCHED
[ifss_start] +++++
Segmentation fault
Connection closed by foreign host.

Segmentation fault sounds scary to me! But it appears to stop right at the ifss_start whatever that is every time.

So, does this tell you anything? Or am I officially doomed? :)
 
Segmentation fault means that the Humax software is crashing. The Error>> Cannot support video format messages are completely normal and they actually indicate when a recording is successfully added to the database. It's likely that the Octonauts recording was related to the crashes since removing it made it get much further.

You could try upgrading to 1.02.27 - it's possible they've fixed whatever bug is causing the crash although I wouldn't bet on it.

If you type these commands (prompts shown for context), then it will list the contents of the media database - maybe the last file that was successfully added can give a clue as to what it would have looked at next - at least the folder that was being processed when it crashed could be relevant and you could move it to outside of the My Video tree temporarily to see if the crashes stop.

Code: 
humax# sqlite3 /mnt/hd2/dms_cds.db
sqlite> select path from tblPhysical;
 
Hi all, thanks again for your help. I've finally found the cause of the rebooting/crashing. It turned out to be an incompatibility with the new Twonky Manager 7.0 running on my Windows Server PC!!! (I use Twonky for my main media server DLNA streaming)

I only discovered this after factory resetting and formatting my humax box as a last resort, only to find the problem still occurred. So, I'll take the issue up with Twonky.

I did however have an issue with CF2.11 that may be of concern. I was unable to format my Humax until I re-installed the official 1.02.20 firmware to remove the CF. Selecting the format function with the CF installed resulted in an immediate finish, and all my stuff was still on there. The format operated normally after re-installing the official firmware, so you guys might want to look into that...

Thanks again for all your troubleshooting help, I now have to hope Twonky can fix their software. For now I've just left the content sharing disabled on my humax box..
 
Hey Bluud, did you every discover how to fix this issue?

I too have these random crashes/restarts on the HDR-Fox T2 when content sharing is switched on (in a network environment with a twonky server.)

Switching content sharing off isn't a great solution, as I need it for DLNA and transferring files off the box.
 
I have had exactly the same occurrences.

Turn OFF content sharing in the HDR-T2 menu - all works fine.

Turn ON content sharing (after a reboot) - HDR-T2 immediately reboots?

Then the I saw the light!:rolleyes: My Zyzel NSA310 NAS disk (where I transfer most of the films, after decryption, from the T2) has recently had a firmware upgrade AND guess what - the media server is now Twonky!

I can't remember what it was on the previous version - I have disabled the media server on the NAS (Twonky) and no more reboots on the T2.

This means I will have to leave the server on the T2 activated (auto unencrypt needs it) and the Twonky server on the NAS disabled - don't really need this I suppose as I use the samba network shares on the T2 to watch the programmes on the NAS - much better than navigating all those folders and subfolders anyway!

It seems Twonky on the NAS is causing an unrecoverable error in the server on the T2 so it reboots - what is strange is that the T2 will then work as normal until you switch it off and start over again?

Maybe the next Humax update or NAS firmware update will cure the problem?
 
Yeah it's rather annoying. A slightly newer version of twonky was released recently (7.0.9 special) but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet to see if it fixes the problem. I'm running serviio at the moment and that seems to work fine with the humax!
 
Placemat said:
Yeah it's rather annoying. A slightly newer version of twonky was released recently (7.0.9 special) but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet to see if it fixes the problem. I'm running serviio at the moment and that seems to work fine with the humax!
Click to expand...

Trouble is the DLNA server is "fixed" in the firmware for the NAS - it's not upgradeble as a standalone package - Zyxel are not that quick on updates and they seem to cure 2 bugs BUT generate 1 new one!

Having said that it does work very well in most respects so I can't grumble too much (esp for the price inc. 2Tb drive)
 
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