| Author |
|
bmil
Newbie
Joined: April 03 2006
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13
|
| Posted: February 11 2007 at 10:35 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Just started using PH recently but only for Insteon link maintenance. I'd love to start using it for more but I can't get the PLC to run longer than about 12 hours without locking up. I've tried both SDM 278 (that was included in PH) and the newer 308 version.
My PLC has the 2.12 (If I remember correctly) firmware. Can anyone suggest perhaps another version of SDM that may be more stable, or do you think I need a PLC with a more recent firmware revision?
Hopefully all the problems everyone's having with Smarthome's $&%@ SDM will be history when they release the PLM!!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Viper
Groupie
Joined: January 14 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 88
|
| Posted: February 11 2007 at 11:03 | IP Logged
|
|
|
It appears I'm running firmware 2.13 with SDM 308. I just went away for over a week and came back and everything was fine. I would have heard if it hadn't, from my wife.... 
What windows do you have open in PH when it locks up?
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TonyNo
Moderator Group
Joined: December 05 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2889
|
| Posted: February 11 2007 at 12:39 | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm running 308 also and still have the occasional PLC lockup (not PH).
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
bmil
Newbie
Joined: April 03 2006
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13
|
| Posted: February 12 2007 at 10:03 | IP Logged
|
|
|
.."What windows do you have open in PH when it locks up?"
I leave PH minimized (no windows opened up) but PH itself doesn't lock up just all Insteon communication with the PLC starts failing.
I was thinking about biting the bullet and ordering a newer version PLC but I think I'll just wait to see what happens when the PLM comes out. I hope PH will support that asap. PH with stable Insteon communication should be a real winner...
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dhoward
Admin Group
Joined: June 29 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4447
|
| Posted: February 15 2007 at 12:00 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Bmil,
I just received my development units of the PLM. I'll begin working on that support shortly .
Not sure why you would only get 12 hours. That used to be a real consistent problems with earlier versions of the SDM that seemed to finally go way with SDM version 235. It would seem that the current problem with the SDM is memory leaks where it just slowly consumes available memory. I was running 73 days continuously until I goofed PowerHome up by playing around (well, I tried to break it) and had to restart it.
Are you sure that you've followed all of the intial setup steps for getting PowerHome to work with Insteon, the PLC, and the SDM? Downloaded the core application, deleted the devices from the PLC, and Added ID's to the PLC? Those 3 steps are the most crucial to ensuring everyone is playing nice together.
If you want to try earlier versions of the SDM, don't go any further back than 235.
I just checked my PLC firmware and I have 2.12 as well so don't think that would be an issue. As a test, Ive gone ahead and gone back to SDM version 235 and will see how well it performs and whether or not the memory leak issues are gone.
Dave.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
bmil
Newbie
Joined: April 03 2006
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 13
|
| Posted: February 16 2007 at 11:23 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks Dave..
I'm sure I set up the controller correctly initially. I've added a few Insteon devices since then but only just execute "add ID's to the PLC" to add the new devices. I'll go ahead and redo everything, i.e. download core app, delete ID's from PLC, add ID's to PLC just to make sure. I leave Scan on but I also will turn scan off just as an experiment to see if Insteon communication stays up longer with scan off.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
wasdvd
Groupie
Joined: February 13 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 42
|
| Posted: February 18 2007 at 11:46 | IP Logged
|
|
|
I am very new to Insteon, X10 and the trial PowerHome.
The issue:
SDM seems to open additional instances with no limit, then PH no longer "sees" the 2414U. This may be immediate or may take hours. I never have success for days.
SDM alone seems to often fail to see the 2414U - "Port not found", so I feel like it is the issue.
SmartHome Timer Software seems to work perfectly with all the same hardware and OS without fail, so I don't think it is a PC or USB failure, or bad 2414U.
Setup: Win2000 (not server) tried on XP too - same
2414U V2.1
2 SignalLinc
x10 - several, retiring
SmartHome - multi ApplLinc, LampLinc, Toggellinc
PowerHome 10349
SDM 308 as well as the one with PH
Any help will be appreciated.
edit: Despite previous searches, I missed "SDM locking" thread. Please disregard for now.
edit2: The SDM replicating thread still does not answer my issues, so please help.
edit3: I wrote too soon. I have no connection with SmartHome Timer either, sometimes.
Edited by wasdvd - February 18 2007 at 20:57
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dhoward
Admin Group
Joined: June 29 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4447
|
| Posted: February 19 2007 at 16:05 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wasdvd,
To solve the multiple launching, try shutting down PowerHome and all open instances of the SDM. Use the Task Manager to make sure that everything is shutdown. Next, navigate to the SDM that is in the PowerHome subdirectory. Manually launch it all by itself. Then launch PowerHome. PowerHome should connect and use this single SDM resource. Subsequent launches of PowerHome should also only launch this SDM version. If you launch a different SDM version from another application, you may have to repeat this step since the SDM always updates the registry with the last version run.
Let me know where this gets us and we'll troubleshoot from there.
Dave.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
wasdvd
Groupie
Joined: February 13 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 42
|
| Posted: February 19 2007 at 16:12 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thanks for your help. I know you are busy with more elaborate issues.
In reading all I can in the various topics here, I see that you have already addressed others problems.
I will follw your suggestions tonight, and I have already obtained an RMA form SmartHome to replace the 2414U. It really begins to feel like it is falky.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
wasdvd
Groupie
Joined: February 13 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 42
|
| Posted: February 20 2007 at 09:38 | IP Logged
|
|
|
I followed your suggestions, and everything seems to have come back. I am sure, in all my trials, I was launching another SDM occasionally, which was preventing PH from using its SDM when it needed to.
Part of my issues may also have been from not doing reinit enough.
Thanks for your great product and help. 
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
wasdvd
Groupie
Joined: February 13 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 42
|
| Posted: March 03 2007 at 11:11 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Dave, have you made any progress with the PLM?
My all-insteon installation is very fragile with the PLC.
I may get up to a few days running with simple timers, but it seems that if I do much manually in PH, I can confuse the PLC.
Then I have to unplug the PLC, maybe reset it, to get SDM responding. Then usually, I have to download the core application then clear and download devices in order to get PH going.
I have replaced the PLC once, but had the same results. It seems like too much/too fast activity corrupts the core application in the PLC.
I really like the improvements in release .10. Thanks.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dhoward
Admin Group
Joined: June 29 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4447
|
| Posted: March 05 2007 at 20:56 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wasdvd,
If you're running timers in the PLC, then that is most likely the source of the problem. Ive heard similar reports where the combination of alot of SDM activity (PowerHome does alot) with downloaded PLC timers leads to short runtimes before the PLC blows up.
Do you have PowerHome connected and running 24/7? If so, then you may want to consider letting PowerHome take care of all of your timer needs. This would probably help tremendously. Another possibility (I don't really like it but I'll throw it out) would be to have two PLC's. Once dedicated to PowerHome and the second run running the timers.
I havent got anywhere on the PLM yet. They came last week (or was it the week before?) and other than unboxing and playing with some All-link commands (which didnt seem to work), havent actually started on the protocol yet. Im hoping it wont take too long, but Im probably at least a month and a half away from being anywhere  .
Dave.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
wasdvd
Groupie
Joined: February 13 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 42
|
| Posted: March 05 2007 at 21:26 | IP Logged
|
|
|
So far as I know, I have no timers in the PLC. The PC is on 24/7, W2000 (not server), with up-to-date patches.
My failures are that PH can not communicate with the PLC. PH is not stuck or frozen.
I set up the PLC after each failure by unplugging and/or resetting it. Then, if SDM gets response, I start PH, specify execute timers = NO, download the core application to the PLC, clear the PLC database, then download the PH device IDs to the PLC, then start the timers. If everything works, I am back to a really slick system.
I have timers running in PH, and a few triggers.
I really like the improvements in 1.03.4.10. This is a great effort.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
TonyNo
Moderator Group
Joined: December 05 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2889
|
| Posted: March 13 2007 at 06:26 | IP Logged
|
|
|
I woke up today to no Insteon functions. Restarting PH did not fix it, but doing a reinit did. I have no idea how long that run was for.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Viper
Groupie
Joined: January 14 2007
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 88
|
| Posted: March 13 2007 at 10:04 | IP Logged
|
|
|
About 50% of the time, after a reboot, SDM and the PLC aren't getting along. I'm using x.308 SDM and x.10 PH. I didn't have this problem before x.10. I have stop PH, unplug the PLC from the AC, plug the PLC back in and restart PH to get it to work again. I have a Shortcut to PH in the Startup folder, so it is getting control pretty early.
One other note, I have VMServer with a Linux guest running as a service, so that gets control before I even log on.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dhoward
Admin Group
Joined: June 29 2001
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4447
|
| Posted: March 13 2007 at 20:50 | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wasdvd,
I understand now...timers in PowerHome. Thats completely fine and acceptable. I thought you were downloading timers into the PLC itself.
Viper,
Well, I guess it's back to the drawing board. I know I changed some of the Insteon startup routines to try to eliminate the multiple SDM launching problem and tamed the controller code down so as to not be so agressive in restarting the SDM if a problem is detected (I thought the newer SDM's were more stable). I'll rework the routines again and see if I can get any improvements in .11.
Dave.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Active Topics 
Memberlist 
Search 
Help
Register 
Login
PowerHome Messageboard : PowerHome General
Topic: PLC lockups and the SDM
