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Topic: Ingestion Dolby DSS220 CRU Dataport

Peter Maddock
Film Handler

Posts: 19
From: Benalla, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2013

posted 11-19-2014 07:36 PM

We are having problems ingesting content onto our Dolby DSS220 Server through the CRU Dataport. Some drives continually fail to ingest while others have no problem. If a drive fails to ingest via the CRU it will always ingest using a sleeve connected to the server by eSata cable.
Note that ingestion speeds are similar using both connections.
Another issue with the 2U CRU Dataport is that the server will only connect to one of the 4 ports; the top left port. Our installer says that this is normal. Seems a waste on ports!
Wondering what experience people may have had with ingestion on the DSS220.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 11-19-2014 07:47 PM

Why do you need four ports for one server anyway? If you want a rack mountable solution, there is also a 1U version with two ports, which would make a whole lot more sense. There are three models available of that 2U CRU Dataport, which one do you have?

And what kind of errors do you get while ingesting?

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Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006

posted 11-19-2014 08:47 PM

Does is actually fail to ingest or does it completely fail to recognize the drive?

At the risk of asking a silly question- - when is the last time you re-booted your server?

I've have DSS 220's at two different locations that will occasionally fail to recognize a
drive when it's pluged into the CRU bay, but will ingest fine through the USB or e-sata port.

Re-booting always solves the problem for me.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-19-2014 08:54 PM

At the moment, anyone running reasonably current Dolby software and a DSS220 are advised to reboot with a months time.

Dolby's CRU drivers don't seem to be the strongest things...I've found internal CRUs to even quit to recognize the port...particularly on DSL100/DSL200s.

As for the DSS220...CRU Dataport has a 1U, single bay for the DSS220 and uses an eSATA connection...it should ingest at least double the speed of a USB ingest too.

I have not run into the problem of the CRU being flaky on a particular drive but USB being okay...I have run into drives that are not recognized under any circumstances in places that tend to run festivals where the formatting seems to be as the author cared to do it.

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Peter Maddock
Film Handler

Posts: 19
From: Benalla, Victoria, Australia
Registered: May 2013

posted 11-19-2014 09:21 PM

The drives are recognised by the server although sometimes not immediately. Can't actually ingest until the drive is recognised.

During ingestion failure may occur either while copying or verifying. Only get a Failed indication on the server.

We were advised to get a 2U CRU and we wonder why if the server only recognises one bay!

Our installer thought a recent software update on the server might have solved the problem; it hasn't.

The CRU data port ingestion is very unreliable. We usually default to sleeve and eSata. Only trying again to try and sort out the problem.

eSata is the faster method for ingestion from the sleeve compared to USB 2.0. And Dolby are not offering opportunity to upgrade to USB 3.0 which is a pity as we are getting many files delivered on USB 3.0 drives which can only be ingested via the slower USB 2.0 port.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-20-2014 09:27 AM

Whomever recommended the 4-drive bay unit didn't do their research or ill advised you. I wouldn't expect Dolby (or the others) to ever recognize multiple drives...there isn't much call for that sort of thing. The server will recognize a USB and CRU simultaneously though.

The official CRU product that is supposed to be used with the DSS220 is the 41610-0499-0001. It has only one drive in a 1U frame. It is eSATA out and will plug into the rear eSATA port of the DSS220.

http://www.cru-inc.com/products/digital-cinema/digital-cinema-215dc-1u-rackmount/

I have used it with several DSS220s without incident.

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Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009

posted 11-20-2014 09:47 AM

quote: Peter Maddock
eSata is the faster method for ingestion from the sleeve compared to USB 2.0. And Dolby are not offering opportunity to upgrade to USB 3.0 which is a pity as we are getting many files delivered on USB 3.0 drives which can only be ingested via the slower USB 2.0 port.

Something is wrong here. The DSS220 has no built-in CRU slot. The only option is to use USB - which is USB3.0 on the DSS220, or an external CRU slot connected through eSATA.

So, Peter, I assume you are not having a problem with a DSS220, but a DSS200?

- Carsten

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 11-20-2014 12:20 PM

quote: Carsten Kurz
Something is wrong here. The DSS220 has no built-in CRU slot. The only option is to use USB - which is USB3.0 on the DSS220, or an external CRU slot connected through eSATA.

Well, he's telling you that he's using a 2U 4-port CRU dataport, connected to the eSATA port on the server.

The problem with those things is, only one bay can be used. There are three models of this 4-bay version. Two are using a MiniSAS connector, which is not going to work on a DSS220 and the other model has 4 separate eSATA ports, one for each CRU bay. So, port #1, which would map to the top-left bay is connected to the DSS220 via eSATA, the other three ports are just for show.

While this setup is inefficient, it doesn't automatically explain his ingest problems though.

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Marco Giustini
Film God

Posts: 2713
From: Reading, UK
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 11-20-2014 12:46 PM

Whoever recommended a 4 CRU chassis made a mistake.

That said, do you wait till the CRU icon is not RED anymore and turn the CRU off before removing the drive?
I've found that Linux will leave the drive mounted if you do it otherwise and then a reboot is in order to sort that out.

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Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009

posted 11-20-2014 05:34 PM

quote: Marcel Birgelen
Well, he's telling you that he's using a 2U 4-port CRU dataport, connected to the eSATA port on the server.

He is telling a lot of things, but most of them do not make sense for either a DSS200 with USB2.0 and internal CRU or a DSS220 with USB3.0 and eSata only.:

quote: Peter Maddock
If a drive fails to ingest via the CRU it will always ingest using a sleeve connected to the server by eSata cable.
Note that ingestion speeds are similar using both connections.
Another issue with the 2U CRU Dataport

quote: Peter Maddock
eSata is the faster method for ingestion from the sleeve compared to USB 2.0. And Dolby are not offering opportunity to upgrade to USB 3.0 which is a pity as we are getting many files delivered on USB 3.0 drives which can only be ingested via the slower USB 2.0 port.

Did anyone verify formal USB 3.0 capability on the DSS220? I know it was in the specs at some time. The ingest speeds I have seen seem to indicate USB3.0, not USB2.0

- Carsten

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Gavin Lewarne
Master Film Handler

Posts: 278
From: Plymouth, UK
Registered: Aug 2009

posted 11-21-2014 02:19 AM

I get the same non-response out of out DSS200 built in cru port sometimes. a reboot always fixes it

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 11-21-2014 05:05 AM

quote: Carsten Kurz
Did anyone verify formal USB 3.0 capability on the DSS220? I know it was in the specs at some time. The ingest speeds I have seen seem to indicate USB3.0, not USB2.0

Well, Dolby is very sketchy about that and AFAIK it's just USB 2.0. Maybe there are multiple revisions? USB 3.0 became "the norm" around the time the machine was released. But USB 2.0 can do 50~60 MByte/s in optimal conditions, you will not get that much more performance out of USB 3.0 with many regular SATA drives and USB-SATA drive caddies.

In all honesty, the DSS220 is by all means a downgrade compared to the DSS200 (which is sadly end-of-sale). No hadware RAID, no built-in CRU port and there is simply no way to get it to work with Series 1 projectors.

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Marco Giustini
Film God

Posts: 2713
From: Reading, UK
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 11-21-2014 06:25 AM

quote: Marcel Birgelen
there is simply no way to get it to work with Series 1 projectors.

What about 4K and HFR? It's the reason why you have an IMB.

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-21-2014 06:38 AM

After numerous conversations with Dolby, I've yet to hear that the DSS200i/CAT745 is at end of sale and it remains on their 11/2014 price list and is our "standard" Dolby server. Since they will need to continue the DSL200 for the foreseeable future...the difference in hardware between the DSS200i versus the DSL200 is a bigger RAID card two drives.

One nice thing I've noted on the DSS220 is the bootup time, which on Dolby is embarrassingly slow is cut in half for the DSS220 as compared to the DSS200 (running the same software).

I can certainly appreciate that in the typical multiplex where a TMS will likely exist...the need for a CRU port in each server is likely never used. Also, the lack of a spare power supply always running and being exposed to the same spikes/transients may also not necessarily justify having one in each server...however having one or two spares for the complex should cover the back up situation at a lower cost. I know that for our CP750 customers, we only have one back up power supply for a complex since they are simply a plug-in.

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Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 11-21-2014 07:31 AM

The DSS220 was clearly developed for multiplex operations, with central content ingestion. The faster boot times partly come from the absence of a hardware RAID controller, which otherwise takes its fair amount of time to initialize.

quote: Marco Giustini
What about 4K and HFR? It's the reason why you have an IMB.

The DSS200 supports both the IMB and the old server-side mediablock configurations.

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