Keeping the equipment going during a shutdown

[Marcel Birgelen]

With everything on their factory defaults, the two theater network NICs hooked directly to each other (either using a straight shot crossover cable or through a switch - I don't know if those NICs are modern enough to be able to deal with a straight shot patch cable), both servers running the same version of Show Manager, and the theater network designated as the management network on both servers, they should be able to see each other and transfer DCPs between each other. However, if one of them does have 192.168.1.2 set up as the NTP server, then someone has been changing settings from their factory defaults in the past; so all of the above needs checking out.

Those ports are 1000Base-T. The 1000Base-T standard uses all 8 wires of the UTP cable and to "simplify" things, Auto-MDIX (auto-crossing) has been made a mandatory feature. So, yes, a "straight shot" cable should work. In practice, though, I've found many of the older generations of Gigabit Ethernet adapters, especially those without firmware updates, having trouble with Auto-MDIX, especially between vendors, but that shouldn't be the case here.

[Peter Foyster]

I gave some incorrect information in my last post. The NTP Configured server on Server 1 is actually 192.168.241.2. No wonder Leo questioned it.

I put a replacement drive in server 2 and after it booted up it rebuilt the array with four good drives (well..one still with 1 reallocated sector.)

The time on server 2 was about a minute or more out after having set it correctly last week so today I went into the config screen and changed the NTP server address to Show player 1's IP address, 192.168.1.2.
When it booted up and I logged into Show Manager, the Theatre time on Server 2 was now exactly the same as Server 1. The system screen in Server 2 now shows the NTP configured server as 192.168.1.2 and the NTP connected server as the same. After half an hour or so it was about 1 second out so I logged out and then back into Show Manager at which point the time was again synced to server 1.
(I would have thought that the server clock would not drift so far out in such a short time).

So there is certainly a connection there but I still can't get the two DSS100s to see each other's content.

It appears that there is a setting incorrectly configured in Server 2 but I have no idea what it is. It would help if I knew exactly what all the address settings in the config screens actually related to.

The other issue I have is with my Christie projector (CP2000 ZX) which comes up with a red error light when I power up the UPS. Last season it did the same but then one day the error just cleared itself. The last few weeks were OK in that the projector came on line each time I powered it up. Of course this means that I am currently unable to play any test content.

I could leave the equipment on full time as I did during the season but the power bills tend to be astronomical.

[Leo Enticknap]

If, on the theater LANs, the two servers' addresses are 192.168.241.3 and 4 (i.e. their factory defaults) and they still won't see each other to transfer content, the only other things I can think of to check are that both are running the same version of Show Manager, and that both have the theater LAN designated as the management network.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Like mentioned before, have you checked if the subnetmasks on both machines match each other? They absolutely need to be the same on both machines, or otherwise there will be trouble.

[Mike Renlund]

If everything is default, the theatre network auditorium 1 should be 192.168.241.3, 255.255.255.0; Auditorium 2 should be 192.168.241.4, 255.255.255.0, Default gateway of 192.168.241.3 (which points it at auditorium #1). You would then run the config script on auditorium 1 and set it to be the TMS on the network. auditorium 2 should remain as SMS (you never want two TMS units on the same network). About 10 mins after booting up, you should see the units start talking to each other and able to share content between the two Show Stores. If both units are in SMS mode they won't ever connect to share content/cues/schedules/etc.

[Peter Foyster]

Aah... that would seem to be the cause of the problem. Thanks for that. The main server has always been set to SMS which I guess didn't matter when it was the only Show Store. So setting Server 1 to TMS should fix the problem.

When I last updated the config script in auditorium 2 I tried setting the addresses to 'auto'. When it booted up, the Show store address and Theatre link address had both changed to 192.168.241.100. It seems that whenever I save the script it changes the IP address. I gather that I should actually type in the addresses, which I had done originally but was clutching at straws when they still would not connect.

I have always been reluctant to mess with any of the settings in the main cinema system as I have no technician available to assist if I stuff things up. Still, I have six months to fix it if I do.

I'll have another crack at it next week.

[Mike Renlund]

Sounds like a good plan.

As to the second server being set to 192.168.241.100, that is probably because the default base address has been changed. Run the config script and move through until you get to the networking settings section.

You should see that you are in AUTO for most of these settings. Scroll down to "13 Advanced configuration" and press enter. On the advanced page check the following to ensure they are at default:

2 Internal base address [192.168.0.0] <this is where I think someone might have put an incorrect value>
4 External base address [192.168.241.0] <this is where I think someone might have put an incorrect value of 192.168.241.100, which is why you are seeing that address>

These two values tell the AUTO setting where to start. The number here would be the first value for auditorium 1, then auditorium 2's IP addresses would increment up by 1.

If you have 2 and 4 correctly set as I've shown above, then you know what the IP addresses are going to be. You could also just change from AUTO to manually set addresses which would not use the base address info at all

Our team is able to help if you need it. CinemaSupport@dolby.com or 1-415-645-4900.

Mike

[Peter Foyster]

Thanks Mike.

I changed settings as per your advice and had them talking to each other in less than ten minutes.

I did get an NTP WARNING on Server 1 when I changed it to TMS. I previously set 192.168.1.2 as the configured NTP server on server two and it now syncs to Server one.

Server one has always shown the NTP configured server as 192.168.241.2 but I don't know what address that refers to. There is no NTP connected server. There is no external NTP server as I do not have a permanent internet connection. So I assume that I need to manually set the NTP server address to the Theatre interface address of server 1.

Prior to setting up the second DSS100, Server 1's current secure time display in the auditorium tab was accurate to the exact second and secure time update was enabled. I have no idea where it got the exact time from as I never set it or connected it to an external NTP server. it would be interesting to know where it got the time from. After connecting the second server the current secure time on server 1 became unavailable.

[Steve Kraus]

Resurrecting this threat as we approach the one year mark. Still nearly closed.

Screening room with NEC1200C. Dolby DSS200 with Cat. 862 media block. Dual link SDI.

When the pandemic started I laboriously installed a relay setup to get power to the projector electronics and a contactor to feed power to the lamp supply, both controlled by one of those internet remote outlets so I could get power to the projector remotely. The idea was to be able to remote in weekly and power up the projector (sans lamp) for a few hours. In actuality, after the first few months I've been stopping by weekly or every other week and watching something off Blu-ray or streaming.

Back in the day while the projector was run as needed the server stayed on 24/7 as that's better for the drives (plus I was uploading keys and setting up shows from home). With the pandemic, I shut it down but would occasionally power it up for a few weeks at a time. I had to do a repair / exchange on the Cat. 862 in July 2014. I would presume Dolby puts new batteries on them. So they are now 6.5 years old. Now that these units are not supported at all, what is my best course of action? Leave it powered all the time other than for the every-few-months reboot (hopefully even waning batteries can cover it for 30 seconds)? Power cost is not a factor.

Could I pull the drives and leave the hardware powered for the sake of the Cat.862 batteries?

Also, I still have not done the ICMP battery. I suppose I should. Projector was built in 2012.

[Carsten Kurz]

If you follow Dolbys guidelines, you should be okay. The battery setup for the CAT862 seems to be able to survive prolonged shutdowns.
https://dolby.app.box.com/v/Dolby-Pr...uring-Shutdown


The biggest risk in your setup currently probably is the Enigma/LD board in the projector.
https://desk.zoho.com/portal/totalci...nce-sheet-ver1

Note that the enigma/LD board needs about 48hrs to be fully charged - so, a few hours every month is not sufficient. And for old equipment, I wouldn't count on the initial 6months capacity.


For the ICP cert battery, there is not much you can do currently. It will probably live another 2-4 years I guess.

[Leo Enticknap]

If the Enigma dies, it can be replaced; if the cat862 dies, it likely can't. A six-year old battery will likely not be able to hold as much charge as a new one. That having been said, I recently powered up a DSS200 that was originally purchased and installed in 2013, and had been off for 11 months (March 2020 to February 2021). The cat862 was OK, but the Enigma in the projector was bricked.

My advice would be to budget to replace the DSS200 and Enigma card with an IMS as soon as you are able, and to leave both the server and projector (with the lamp off, obviously) powered up 24/7 until then. You have two single points of failure in your system, one of which (the cat862) is completely unsupported, and very likely irreplaceable. We occasionally get DSS200s (and DSP100s, which can be used as the media block component for a DSS200 in place of the cat862) in part exchange for an upgrade deal and are able to refurbish them and sell them on, but obviously cannot guarantee that we'd have one when you need one. Doubtless other cinema equipment dealers are in the same boat.

[Steve Kraus]

Just to clarify, I power the projector several hours each week, not per month. It was the DSS200 that I was doing a month on a couple months off. What do you think of pulling the HDs (while powered down), then powering up to keep the Cat862 powered? I presume whatever horror story the BIOS says can be ignored. Then in the future power down, pop the drives back in, and reboot. Hopefully even a weak batter can cover 20-30 seconds without power.

I'm a little confused. Are there TWO things in the projector or just one?

Also, I'm interested in how one would use a DSP100 in place of the Cat.862. Some years back I purchased a DSS/DSP100 to keep around as a backup. I tested it and it ran fine and I even made a tiny encrypted DCP & key to test that aspect and it was good. Then after a long time the DSS would no longer boot. This was the subject of a separate thread but in short, it was the motherboard battery. After repair I could not get it to run. I tried blanking all HDs & the SSD and reloading the system but it never got it to load the system. Tested the optical drive; verified the CD, etc. I believe it's just the BIOS settings that are wrong. Eventually I put it aside.

So as a media block, how would that work? Ethernet from DSS200 to DSP100 and dual link SDI to projector obviously. Does one reload the system and hope it sees the new media block? I'd be willing to pop in four different drives to try this out. But maybe the 100 has lost its cert by now.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Thanks Elia. For ease of reference, here is an updated version in table form:

Barco Alchemy ICMP (all variants)	CR2477N	Manufacturer recommends every five years.	No software nag when change is due.
Dolby DSP100	Rechargeable	Unknown; recommend powering up for 24 hours monthly	Battery is on the board; not field replaceable.
Dolby cat862	Rechargeable	Unknown; recommend powering up for 24 hours monthly	Battery is on the board; not field replaceable.
Dolby cat745	CR2477N & CR2032	Manufacturer recommends every eight years.	If IMB has been repaired by Dolby, it may have an AA-sized lithium battery soldered on the board. This has a design life of 10 years and is not user replaceable. Software nag on later Show Manager versions, based on voltage.
Dolby IMS2000/3000	Rechargeable	Manufacturer recommends powering up for 60 hours every six months if the IMS is unused and in storage.	Battery is on the board; not field replaceable.
Doremi Dolphin (older Doremi servers)	CR1220	Manufacturer recommends every four years.	Software nag, but only accurate if the last battery swapout was entered into the log.
Doremi IMB	BR3032	Manufacturer recommends every four years.	Software nag, but only accurate if the last battery swapout was entered into the log.
Enigma board	Rechargeable	Unknown; recommend powering up for 24 hours monthly	No software nag.
GDC SX-3000	2 x Tadiran TL-2450	Manufacturer recommends every 18 months.	GDC will ship you a battery set free of charge on request if the unit is in warranty. No software nag.
Series 2 ICP Real Time Clock	BR2330	Manufacturer recommends every five years. The ICP will not be bricked if it dies, but you will not be able to play DCI content until you replace it and reset the clock.	The certificate battery has a design life of 10 years and is not field replaceable. When it dies, you need a new ICP.
USL CML-2200 IMS	CR2477N and CR2032	Unknown, but board chassis (and replacement procedure) is the same as Dolby cat745.	Unknown if there is any software nag.

Leo, When did GDC switch changing SX-3000 batteries to every 18 Months? I did them every three years. I had one unit brick at 4 years and three days. So I switched to three years to play it safe.

[Carsten Kurz]

Steve, I think the CAT 862 is safe if you power up the whole system once a month for 2 days (two days for the enigma board). The CAT862 batteries are not at risk so quickly. They WILL die at some time though, wether or not you power the server 24/7 or not. But that could be another 5 years or so. Every battery will die a natural death at some time, be it rechargeable or not.

Yes, the projector has more than one battery. Currently, only the rechargeable Enigma cert battery is critical.


You probably will lose one or more of these boards within the next 5 years. Battery, or some other component failure.

I don't think it's necessary to keep everything powered 24/7. That said, I guess you'll be back in business within the next 1-2 months anyway.

[Steve Kraus]

Given how things were going even before the pandemic, the business may never return! We had a good run.