1 (edited by caeci11ius 2010-01-22 23:54:23)

Topic: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

I don't know if anyone else has this issue ever, but my Chumby actually boots faster than my wireless router. This means that if there's a blackout at some point, Chumby starts up and tries to connect to the network before the network has had a chance to come up. After this, it sits there waiting for me to complete the connection manually. Is there any way it could just keep retrying to connect to the default connection while displaying this screen (at least for a few minutes?)? I'm sure my router isn't the only one that takes a while to boot (it's a Billion 7404VGOM and takes between 1 and 3 minutes to boot).

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

+1

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Same here. Happened once so far.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Me too. Twice within three weeks. Router is an AVM Fritz.box.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Actually in my case it's the modem that takes a while to get the connection going again. But either way if the chumby would try to connect more that just once (maybe 3 tries) that would give the modem enough time to establish a connection.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Same here...
http://forum.chumby.com/viewtopic.php?id=4644

7 (edited by Materdaddy 2010-02-18 07:27:01)

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

The retry might be a bit of work, but if you want to delay boot, you can simply create a /psp/rfs1/userhook0 script that delays your boot for a minute (60 seconds):

cat <<SCRIPT > /psp/rfs1/userhook0
#!/bin/sh
sleep 60
SCRIPT

(EDIT: If it's not obvious, change 60 to any other number to delay your boot further)

Linux Guy - Occasional Chumby Hacker

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Materdaddy wrote:

The retry might be a bit of work, but if you want to delay boot, you can simply create a /psp/rfs1/userhook0 script that delays your boot for a minute (60 seconds):

But this would delay any boot, not only after a power outage, wouldn't is?

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

How are you expecting the device know the difference between a power outage and the user turning it off?  As far as the device is concerned it simply lost power.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Sure. I know that. My statement should have been some kind of rhetorical.

I just wanted to show that putting a 60 second sleep in the boot of the device would not be that nice, if i switch off/on my chumby from time to time.
I would have to wait 60 seconds each time. So i do not really like that solution.

I am sorry. Its probably my English.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

There was actually another thread on this very topic a few months back.  The problem is this - how can the device tell that it's woken up in the same location and should continue to try the current configuration, or that it's been moved to another location and should bring up the network configuration dialog?

It would be really annoying if I took a device from home to work and had to wait for some indefinite time for the device to decide that it's not at home anymore - I'd want the configuration dialog to come up as soon as possible so that I can set it up and get back to work before my boss catches me screwing around.

In my home network, there are several devices between my chumbys and the Internet - a wifi access point, connected to a router, which is in turn connected to a cable modem - on a power failure, even if the chumby were constantly retrying, that wouldn't help if these other devices don't come up in perfect order, which they frequently don't.  I've also had flickering-light-type brown-outs where one of the devices loses its brains and need to be power-cycled, often requiring that the others also be rebooted even though they were not directly affected.

With the Chumby One, since there's a battery, the ability to recover from network loss is pretty good as long as the network comes up while the battery is still able to deliver power, and it was connected when the power loss occurs - it goes into a mode that retries the network configuration on a periodic basis.  The Classic also does this when it loses connection (like an ISP on LAN problem), but obviously does not survive a power loss.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Duane wrote:

There was actually another thread on this very topic a few months back.  The problem is this - how can the device tell that it's woken up in the same location and should continue to try the current configuration, or that it's been moved to another location and should bring up the network configuration dialog?

Which is the logic to beeing disconnected? The fear to can't connect?
Logic: Be disconnected because possibly you can't get a connection!
(Mostly my C1 will take many tries to get a connection although the WLan is up and the C1 is less than 1m (39.37 inch) near the AP.)

Duane wrote:

It would be really annoying if I took a device from home to work and had to wait for some indefinite time for the device to decide that it's not at home anymore - I'd want the configuration dialog to come up as soon as possible so that I can set it up and get back to work before my boss catches me screwing around.

Maybe it is a problem of the chumby concept, but if the device is starting it should also be able to start without internet connection. The connection should be established in the background (no waiting) and if you want to change the network setting you can press the "chumby" button and go to "settings->network"
Why the chumby can do nothing without a internet connection? There were many devices which also working without internet.
1. my old alarm clock radio (clock, FM radio, secure alarm with FM)
2. my mobile phone (clock, FM radio, MP3 player with ID3, calender, games, ...) also without GSM
3. my HIFI system (clock, FM radio, MP3 player with ID3, secure alarm with FM or MP3)
Maybe 1 and 3 can't use internet for additional functions but they support basics and i wouldn't start building a house by it's roof.

Duane wrote:

In my home network, there are several devices between my chumbys and the Internet - a wifi access point, connected to a router, which is in turn connected to a cable modem - on a power failure, even if the chumby were constantly retrying, that wouldn't help if these other devices don't come up in perfect order, which they frequently don't.  I've also had flickering-light-type brown-outs where one of the devices loses its brains and need to be power-cycled, often requiring that the others also be rebooted even though they were not directly affected.

And what is the problem if the C1 tries to connect at least?

Duane wrote:

With the Chumby One, since there's a battery, the ability to recover from network loss is pretty good as long as the network comes up while the battery is still able to deliver power, and it was connected when the power loss occurs - it goes into a mode that retries the network configuration on a periodic basis.  The Classic also does this when it loses connection (like an ISP on LAN problem), but obviously does not survive a power loss.

And why it doesn't do this on startup?

The problem is that the C1 loads the control panel always from the internet to be "superactual". It could also load a actual version 1 minute later (if the connection is established) but it will rather be useless/boring than not "superactual".

I don't know whether it is really difficult to program the C1 that he can provide functions dynamically dependent on network availability, but i know that many people want it so.

I discovered that the C1 does the things i said (FM, MP3) if the connection is lost after the control panel is loaded.

Re: Resume after power outage - network connection retry

Duane wrote:

With the Chumby One, since there's a battery, the ability to recover from network loss is pretty good as long as the network comes up while the battery is still able to deliver power, and it was connected when the power loss occurs - it goes into a mode that retries the network configuration on a periodic basis.  The Classic also does this when it loses connection (like an ISP on LAN problem), but obviously does not survive a power loss.

One of my Classics seems to lose its (ethernet) connection quite frequently, and it doesn't reconnect. The network is there, because my other Chumbies are still connected to it.