Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: LD log memory failure

This is topic LD log memory failure in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000858

Posted by Nick Nussini (Member # 6437) on 08-08-2011, 06:19 AM:

Since last month we have doremi series 2 with cp22x0 and have a lot of problems with the full memory on the ti-board. The christies show that the ld log is full??
?

In this case the projector suddenly stop the show.

Is there anybody with the same problems?

Nick

Posted by Knut Erik Slettum (Member # 3588) on 08-08-2011, 08:50 AM:

I have had the same problem twice here in Trondheim as well. Both within the last three weeks, both on Doremi DCP-2k4 and Christie CD 2220. We keep our Doremis on at all time (reboot every morning), and the projectors are in standby during the night.
Our support haven't given us a good answer on why this happens yet, and Doremi says the logs should clean themselves. But they don't...

Posted by Francis Casey (Member # 514) on 08-08-2011, 01:31 PM:

Hi
This seems to be a common problem, and Doremi's next software release is supposed to address the issue. In the mean time,you can try one of 2 things

1-- at the end of the last show of the day, press stop a couple times on the Doremi so that NO playlist is active. Leave the projector powered up over night. By morning the logs should have cleared.It is my understanding that the server must be inactive in order for it to clear the logs from the projector. Some situations, such as having a playlist loaded and in PAUSE mode prevent the server from ever getting a chance to clear the logs.

2-- if you need the logs cleared out right away, there is a file that Doremi can supply your tech support team to do this. They could email it to you. It is loaded from a USB stick just like a KDM, the server rebooted, and within a hour or so the logs should be cleared out of the projector.
Good luck.
Francis

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 08-08-2011, 04:58 PM:

Yes, the problem originates in the current Doremi firmware, but it seems that so far mostly Christie machines are affected.

Cinelister has to be emptied from playlists to call the normal erase routines.

The Doremi calls LD erase routines not often enough, so the memory is filled up and the board loses connection to the server. Doremi is working on a fix and have indeed issued a short-tem erase-patch for now.

- Carsten

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-08-2011, 05:05 PM:

GDC had a similar problem quite a while back but the problem was fixed before it was actually a problem. The server was trying to store too many projector related logs. A simple software patch fixed that problem long ago and I believe the server now only stores a month's worth of logs. You would know this by downloading or saving the logs fomr the admin panel in the server. If the save process goes on and on for ever then the Doremi is probably doing the same thing the GDC was. No real need for more than a months worth of logs. Saving the logs on the GDC now amounts to a blip on the screen when you hit "save"! I believe this is a Doremi issue and you guys should ride them hard until they get you a fix. If they can proove otherwise... then well, ok. Dump it in Christie's lap. It's just that the problem is way too similar...

Mark

Posted by Henning Anderson (Member # 725) on 08-09-2011, 05:19 AM:

We had the same problem. It occured on the night of the Harry Potter 7B. Our christie stopped working 5 minutes before the credits!!!!
The screen just went green. Talk about chaos with the customers.
I spend a good hour on the phone with the tech and we finally uploadet the patch via the touch screen display USB. and we were good to go.
The other problem with the patch solution was that it created a
"version mish match" so the red light is always on (indicating a critical alarm). That gives me a small heart attack every time i look at that machine.
By this time next year we should be running Barco's in all six screens, but i'll bet you that red light is still on until the very last day.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 08-09-2011, 06:47 AM:

Anyone with a non-Christie machine and this LD issue?

- Carsten

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 08-09-2011, 09:08 AM:

I've seen it with a Barco S2 projector and Doremi server. We installed a run-once package which cleared it up. We were told it was a rare-ish timing issue that consequently caused the server to not download and clear the TI log.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 08-09-2011, 12:06 PM:

As Mark mentioned above, GDC had this issue too. I just finished doing that upgrade to a GDC that was driving an NEC 1200C. Works fine now.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 08-09-2011, 05:31 PM:

Is this a new issue, related to a recent firmware upgrade? It seems that reports of this issue are popping up just now.

- Carsten

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-09-2011, 06:36 PM:

I actually never saw the consequence of it happenning on any I've installed. It may have happened to one of my early installations of GDC & NEC 2000 in Wyoming but I believe GDC tech support remoted in to that server and did the upgrade.

Mark

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-10-2011, 01:57 AM:

quote: Henning Anderson
The other problem with the patch solution was that it created a
"version mish match" so the red light is always on (indicating a critical alarm). That gives me a small heart attack every time i look at that machine.

Get that fixed pronto or the heart attack will become real. Call your Christie tech back.

Posted by Henning Anderson (Member # 725) on 08-10-2011, 07:33 AM:

Thank you for the warning, Brad. I'll write my tech a mail right away. I don't want to be carried out of the booth just yet [Smile]

If this version mish match is not taken care, what will happen then?? I sometimes need to threaten them into action [Mad]

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 08-10-2011, 06:37 PM:

"If this version mish match is not taken care, what will happen then??"

I don't know. Do you really want to find out? A critical alarm indicates a rather serious situation that should be dealt with immediately.
Everything in the projector is controlled via software. Christie publishes very detailed instructions for software upgrades, and when upgrading early versions you may have to install several upgrade versions in a row to get "up-to-date". I've heard of one case where a power supply and at least one circuit board failed dramatically - with smoke and sparks - when the procedure was not followed exactly.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-12-2011, 08:28 PM:

What would happen if one would just completely power down both the server and projector on a once a week basis - to 'clear out the cobwebs' so to say, and start fresh?

..and with the SONY just do a total shutdown, then push the grey button on the status tower to turn it back on after a few minutes?

Posted by Arnoud Edens (Member # 5938) on 08-13-2011, 11:57 AM:

We see this problem still happening every now and then.
It was supposed to be fixed in Doremi software 2.0.7, but it still happens. (Just not as often as before 2.0.7)

The Doremi fix does work however, but as said it is important that nothing interrupts the downloading process.

What we usually do is:
- Switch off the projector
- Ingest the fix (dcp2000_hotfix_odeticsd_dcasm-db_reset-1.0.0.pkg) on the server
- Switch off the server
- Switch on the projector to full power (not in standby, ICP/LD need to be active)
- Switch on the server (only when the projector is finished booting)
- Don't touch anything until the error on the projector disappears! It takes a little while after boot-up for the process to start, and doing things like loading a show can interrupt the process

quote: Henning Anderson

If this version mish match is not taken care, what will happen then?? I sometimes need to threaten them into action

Nothing bad will happen. (that is, if is it an error about an incorrect version on the ICP?)
I suspect the patch you ran on the projector was a patch to clean out the ICP filesystem. ICP's before version 3.0 had a bug in which a linux logfile (wtmp) is not correctly deleted/rotated.
Eventually that will fill the entire filesystem, and if that happens you'll get errors on format changes, as the ICP won't load any more TCGD files.
There's a patch available that simply deletes that log file to free up space.
The ICP's report as their software version number the name of the release package last installed. Usually that will be the name of the software installation package. After 'installing' a patch like this (installing between '' as it doens't actually install anything but just runs a simple delete command) the reported version will be the name of the patch package.
The Christie software sees that, and complains about the fact that the name is not the same as it should be for the installed Christie software package.

The fix would be to simply 'upgrade' the ICP again to the same software version. If i were you i'd call your installer to do that, as ICP updates can be a bit temperamental, especially on Christies [Smile]