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New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 1:25 pm
by Charlie
Somewhere around 3 PM yesterday, all the graphs have flatlined showing the exact same data. Cumulus adds new points, so it's functioning, but the data does not change. The main display is also showing static data as well. The FO display hanging on the wall is showing proper information. There are no errors about lost contact, etc.
I'm betting a restart or possibly even a reboot might fix it, but should I collect any information before I do that? I'm using the "official" build, not the most recent.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 1:58 pm
by 6719jason
Charlie wrote:Somewhere around 3 PM yesterday, all the graphs have flatlined showing the exact same data. Cumulus adds new points, so it's functioning, but the data does not change. The main display is also showing static data as well. The FO display hanging on the wall is showing proper information. There are no errors about lost contact, etc.
I'm betting a restart or possibly even a reboot might fix it, but should I collect any information before I do that? I'm using the "official" build, not the most recent.
Ah ha! So its not just me then....

Over the Past Two Weeks, I have on nearly 3 occasions, had to shutdown Cumulus, Remove the USB Cable and then Reinsert and Then Restart Cumulus to get Data flowing again.
On restarting Cumulus, It has always successfully downloaded the missing data from the Station Logger.
No error codes are given by Cumulus.
Debug Log is currently off.
I normally only notice there is an issue when....My Site will show flatlined graphs and the Time at which data was last received.
I assumed, it was my family knocking the USB Cable slightly and thus loosing connection.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 2:12 pm
by steve
Charlie wrote:I'm betting a restart or possibly even a reboot might fix it, but should I collect any information before I do that? I'm using the "official" build, not the most recent.
Please zip up the diags files and attach them.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 2:19 pm
by steve
6719jason wrote:On restarting Cumulus, It has always successfully downloaded the missing data from the Station Logger.
This bit is strange, because Cumulus normally just carries on logging the same data when communication with the station is lost, so when you restart it, it doesn't realise that there is any missing data to be downloaded.
If you still have the diags files for when the problem occurred, please zip them up and attach them.
Probably best to start a new thread, it's confusing to deal with multiple individual problems in the same thread.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 2:51 pm
by Charlie
Here is the diags folder. Note that "cumulus.~og" was (is) still open.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 3:00 pm
by steve
Thanks - that doesn't show anything at all, unfortunately (I think less was logged to the diags files in 1.8.8). Assuming you haven't restarted it yet, could you please turn on the debug log, let it run for 10 minutes or so, and let me have the debug.log file.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 3:25 pm
by Charlie
This might be more interesting...
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 3:44 pm
by steve
The station has stopped responding:
2242.93734 : 10:19:02 AM request EW data block, written = 9, addr = 000000
2243.03734 : 10:19:12 AM USB device is plugged in
2243.03734 : 10:19:12 AM request EW data block, written = 9, addr = 000000
2243.13734 : 10:19:22 AM USB device is plugged in
2243.13734 : 10:19:22 AM request EW data block, written = 9, addr = 000000
2243.23734 : 10:19:32 AM USB device is plugged in
2243.23734 : 10:19:32 AM request EW data block, written = 9, addr = 000000
2243.33734 : 10:19:42 AM USB device is plugged in
There should be data arriving after each of those 'requests'. Someone else had the same problem recently, but I don't remember if they found a solution or an explanation. I'll have a search.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 3:52 pm
by steve
This is the thread with the same problem:
https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... 49&start=0
There's been no news on that thread for three weeks or so; I don't know if the problem has just gone away...
Jason - it sounds like you maybe do have the same problem, as I'm guessing that simply restarting Cumulus doesn't help in this situation (since the USB seems to be 'stuck' in some way). It will be interesting to see whether a Cumulus restart fixes it for Charlie, or whether he has to do something similar to what you did.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Sun 07 Mar 2010 4:23 pm
by Charlie
Restarting Cumulus did NOT solve the problem - in fact the program hung with the "downloading data" window open. A PC reboot got it going again, and everything seems happy now. I don't think I'll bother trying to clean up the data until I understand the cause a bit better.
The only thing I was doing that was unusual around the failure time yesterday was capturing video from a USB video capture device. I don't think it uses the HID driver, but it might. I had company drop in, so I shut down the capture device and never got back to the computer until this morning when I checked the weather and found the flatline.
The description in the other thread does sound the same.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Mon 08 Mar 2010 10:11 am
by 6719jason
steve wrote:6719jason wrote:On restarting Cumulus, It has always successfully downloaded the missing data from the Station Logger.
This bit is strange, because Cumulus normally just carries on logging the same data when communication with the station is lost, so when you restart it, it doesn't realise that there is any missing data to be downloaded.
If you still have the diags files for when the problem occurred, please zip them up and attach them.
Probably best to start a new thread, it's confusing to deal with multiple individual problems in the same thread.
Hi Steve, Sorry for my delayed response...
On restart of Cumulus, It does download the missed data and then continue with normal comms.
I have a whole load of diag files attached.
Hopefully, one of them will reveal whats going on
Thanks
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Mon 08 Mar 2010 10:21 am
by steve
6719jason wrote:Hopefully, one of them will reveal whats going on

The station gets 'unplugged' (it may not be a case of the plug physically being removed, just that it disappears from the USB as far as Windows is concerned):
05/03/2010 17:25:11.847 : 17:25:11 EWUSB: HidControl Device Unplug
05/03/2010 17:25:11.847 : EWUSB: HidControl Device Removal
On subsequent restarts, Cumulus can't find the station:
05/03/2010 17:25:14.956 : 17:25:14 EWUSB Form Create
05/03/2010 17:25:16.191 : 17:25:16 EWUSB: HidControl DeviceChange
05/03/2010 17:25:16.956 : 17:25:16 EWUSB: Initialising EW USB
05/03/2010 18:39:31.085 : Cumulus closing
05/03/2010 18:39:31.085 : No data read this session, today.ini not written
Then finally it works:
05/03/2010 18:41:18.116 : 18:41:18 EWUSB: HidControl Arrival
05/03/2010 18:41:18.116 : 18:41:18 EWUSB: HidControl DeviceChange
05/03/2010 18:41:19.194 : 18:41:19 EWUSB: Initialising EW USB
05/03/2010 18:41:19.194 : 18:41:19 USB device, VID = 1941 PID = 8021
05/03/2010 18:41:19.194 : 18:41:19 EWUSB: Found Fine Offset station
Presumably because you've replugged/restarted.
So I think not the same problem as the one that started this thread.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Mon 08 Mar 2010 10:24 am
by 6719jason
steve wrote:6719jason wrote:Hopefully, one of them will reveal whats going on

The station gets 'unplugged' (it may not be a case of the plug physically being removed, just that it disappears from the USB as far as Windows is concerned):
05/03/2010 17:25:11.847 : 17:25:11 EWUSB: HidControl Device Unplug
05/03/2010 17:25:11.847 : EWUSB: HidControl Device Removal
On subsequent restarts, Cumulus can't find the station:
05/03/2010 17:25:14.956 : 17:25:14 EWUSB Form Create
05/03/2010 17:25:16.191 : 17:25:16 EWUSB: HidControl DeviceChange
05/03/2010 17:25:16.956 : 17:25:16 EWUSB: Initialising EW USB
05/03/2010 18:39:31.085 : Cumulus closing
05/03/2010 18:39:31.085 : No data read this session, today.ini not written
Then finally it works:
05/03/2010 18:41:18.116 : 18:41:18 EWUSB: HidControl Arrival
05/03/2010 18:41:18.116 : 18:41:18 EWUSB: HidControl DeviceChange
05/03/2010 18:41:19.194 : 18:41:19 EWUSB: Initialising EW USB
05/03/2010 18:41:19.194 : 18:41:19 USB device, VID = 1941 PID = 8021
05/03/2010 18:41:19.194 : 18:41:19 EWUSB: Found Fine Offset station
Presumably because you've replugged/restarted.
So I think not the same problem as the one that started this thread.
Right, Thanks for taking a look Steve
Yup, at 18:39 I shutdown Cumulus and then Removed USB Cable. Then Plugged the Cable back in again at 18:40 and Started Cumulus again at 18:41 and it downloaded the missing Data and then continued its normal activities.
Where do we go from here on this issue?
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Mon 08 Mar 2010 10:34 am
by steve
6719jason wrote:Where do we go from here on this issue?
It doesn't seem to be problem with Cumulus, so I don't really know. Is it possible that the cable could have been moved and disconnected? Some people do seem to have problems with the USB connectors, I seem to remember someone having to resolder theirs to get it to work properly.
Re: New Weirdness - frozen data
Posted: Mon 08 Mar 2010 10:43 am
by 6719jason
steve wrote:It doesn't seem to be problem with Cumulus, so I don't really know. Is it possible that the cable could have been moved and disconnected? Some people do seem to have problems with the USB connectors, I seem to remember someone having to resolder theirs to get it to work properly.
Ah ha, That is what I was fearing

Yeah, it is possible that the Cable could of been moved/disconnected. I shall check and see if thats likely.
This is a problem I have been concerned about for some time now, coincidental no doubt to it have been running 1 year on 17th March.
Typically, always the way.
Thanks again for looking into this issue Steve.