So, my laptop BSOD'd while commissioning a JACE...

[glennmcaz]

Well, I got visited by my least favorite uncle (women have aunt rose)... Uncle BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) this afternoon.
Problem is that I was right in the middle of commissioning a JACE. it was at the point where it was scrolling on the screen saying "sending blah blah blah."
I restarted my box, after squelching the urge to drop kick it outsideand into the snow... I had on steel-toed boots, no pain for me.
I tried to connect to the JACE and nadda. it just tells me to make sure the service is running on the port.
It was a full-on recomm, as it was the last of the boxes I had fubar'd with my newbie commissioning attempts, and I was cleaning it up and preparing to load in the Distech dist file (that is a nice package, just went to 2.3.2 and out of beta, by the way!)

Anyone got any suggestions on how to bring it back from the death grip of half-load?

Why can't I get a freakin break?!?!?!?

[codewriter]

Don't blame the box... ;)

List your steps in detail, I cant make out if it was loading the dist file when the BSOD or where in the commissioning process it did it.

Can you log in via shell?
What exactly CAN you do with it now, if anything?
What does the heartbeat LED do after you unplug it, wait for it to completely shut down off of battery, and have it plugged back in for 10 minutes.?

[glennmcaz]

I disco'd the power and battery, but didn't wait 10 mins.
I call up the IP address (crossover cable connected) and enter UN and PW, but it comes back almost immediately telling me to make sure the service is running on the specified port (typical error you get when the JACE is not connected or started up yet).
I don't have a serial cable on me, I'll get one before going onsite tomorrow.
Can you please tell me the cable I need (null or straight through) and how to connect through shell... I know there's a jumper on the box under the cover, but have never done it.

I cannot tell you the exact step in the process, as it has become kind of automatic now. it is when it compares files to be loaded, then starts sending jar files. It had not gotten to the "wrote" part yet (that word just makes me laugh).
Immediately after restart, I attempted to connect and nada. Unplugged and pulled battery, plugged all back in and nada still.
Was 6 PM, I was po'd, so I left for the night with intentions of using our spare unit to replace and fix this one at my leisure.

[codewriter]

I dont recommend disconnecting the battery until it has shut down on its own.
You said "Immediately after restart, I attempted to connect". Did you also try and wait 15 mins? Usually it takes 5 mins for it to fully boot.

You will need to following the connecting via shell directions in the jace startup doc to the T, the cable info is there as well.
I would be willing to bet you can connect to the platform still though, you may have just not waited long enough. Watch the heartbeat, I suggest learning what it means if you have not done so already.

If your PC blue screened, you really should have not taken power off the jace, just rebooted the computer and restarted the proper daemon and fired up workbench, then tried to connect. If at that point you could not connect to the platform, then I would have removed main power from the jace, waited until all lights went out, then restored power, wait up to 15 mins and try to log into platform again. If it said check to make sure its running, I would have used a program like AngryIP or my favorite Colasoft MAC Scanner to see what ip's were active. Since you were connected direct, it would have been easy to tell if the jace was really running or not, since you would have only seen up to two ip's total, your pc and the jace. If only your ip shows, then I would go into shell mode and check the settings. If you cant get into shell, you pretty much screwed the pooch.

[glennmcaz]

All total, after rebooting the PC, it was about 10 mins since the BSOD that I last tried to connect. I even tried on the default IP, just in case.
I do have Colasfot MAC Scanner, but didn't even think to fire it up. As I said, it was 6 PM and I was ticked off beyond all reason at that point. Add to that I was stuck on the phone when I really didn't wanna talk (if I don't answer, I start getting calls from all over with folks trying to locate me... they've figured out I just don't answer sometimes and won't take that at face value... I end up with a VP calling me and I won't avoid those calls) and I was really ready to get the heck outta dodge.
I'll try to connect in the AM and see what happens. if it's still locked up, I have serial cable and null modem adapter at home. i'll take the box on the plane and try over the weekend.

So, you're saying that if I cannot access through shell, I have an expensive paperweight? H'well/Tridium cannot reset if I send it back?

Sequence:
Commissiong the device
BSOD
Restart PC
attempt to logon for about 5 minutes, no dice
Pull power from JACE
wait a few mins, get more torqued and pull battery
plug all back in
attempt to connect for 5 more minutes
try like heck to get off the phone for about 5 minutes
try to connect, no dice
try default IP, no dice
try through IE on both assigned IP and default IP, no dice
Pack up and get out.

[codewriter]

Sure Tridium can fix no problem, if you sent it to me I could fix as well, but I am in no way going to discuss that over a public forum or in private. I am not going to be responsible for that! ;)

Dont forget the heartbeat light is your friend, listen to what its telling you.

Let us know how the shell goes and what you see. If you have a jace where your at now I would suggest some pre-runs before your doing it onsite, just to get it down so your not learning it on site.

[glennmcaz]

I won't be doing shell onsite, that'll be at home over the weekend. I have a spare alloted for this site and will deploy that one (thank goodness the bean counters listend to me on the extra pieces!).
I've already got the spare loaded up and ready to plug in... it's sitting right next to me with a spare EC67, like what's going to be connected to it in the field.
I've sent you an email, if I need help further on this possibly dead JACE, I'll contact you.

[leaflying]

I don't know if you're using old JACE(128M/32M). Make sure that those modules are not using up flash drive space.

Product: JACE-2, JACE-4, or JACE-5 series running NiagaraAX
Revision: 3.0.99
Problem: Several customers running NiagaraAX 3.0 have experienced flash file system
corruption on a QNX-based JACE (JACE-5, -4, or -2) during disk full conditions.
Tridium has found a link between the corruption and repeated station save
operations while the disk was full. While we do not have a fix for version 3.0.99
at this time, there are preventative steps that can be taken to avoid the problem.
Solution: 1. Reduce the default station backup count from 3 to 0. This will free 3 times the
station database file size in disk space and can yield significant flash file
system space savings.
To change this count, open the JACE’s station in Workbench, and go to its
Config > Services > PlatformServices property sheet. Adjust the value for the
property “Station Auto-Save Version to Keep” to zero (0).
2. Monitor flash disk usage to insure the disk has at least 1 MB of free space
available.
Disk usage can be viewed in Workbench using a station connection to see the
PlatformServices property sheet (above), or with a platform connection to the
JACE via the Platform Administration view.
Future
Versions:
The following changes will reduce the disk space used in default configuration and
also warn the users of low disk space condition.
For NiagaraAX versions 3.0.101 and later, the following changes have been made:
• Default station backup count reduced from 3 to 0 (see Release Note 8288)
• A low disk space warning was added (see Release Note 8133)
For NiagaraAX versions 3.1.15 and later (an Upgrade which may be purchased for
a nominal fee or may be covered under a maintenance agreement), the following
changes have been made:
• Default station backup count reduced from 3 to 0 (see Release Note 8288)
• A low disk space warning was added (see Release Note 8133)

[glennmcaz]

This was my computer that BSOD'd... it had done it several times earlier in the week as well. And it wasn't always connected to a JACE. This just happened at exactly the wrong time. I don't consider it the JACE's fault at all. it's my stupid laptop.
Thanks for that info, though. I'll be sure to reduce the number, as I backup the station to my PC after every major change then upload them to a storage server. No need to have them on the box

[codewriter]

I keep mine set to keep 1 backup on the jace, I try not to do major changes while live on the jace, so 1 is enough. If I am doing a major change via workbench I backup constantly and lots of them. Never had a problem, and I never want one either, but if I do, I want to keep my productivity lost to a minimum.

[glennmcaz]

ditto on the WB part. Was just using factory setting for JACE... but I try to not make any changes live on the JACE if I can help it. That way there's no rev history issues.