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Clock and DWS Error on Reboot

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Pete Roberts
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Hi There,

I have a HD224 which has issues with the clock when I do a reboot. If I Reboot using the DWS control tab, when the unit starts up the clock displays a date in the year 2000 I then need to set the time manually. If I do a Factory Reset via DWS the clock displays fine. 

This unit is working via Signagelive Digital Signage platform, if I set Signagelive to do a reboot, the unit reboots and disables the DWS which means I can't then get access to fix, I assume that the time is resetting as well as DWS disabling. I then need to do a 2 button and power reset so the DWS enables again.

I had thought it may be a faulty unit and the backup battery or solid state memory failing. 

Any tests or way to diagnose? 

The unit is part of a larger network and is the only one we are having issue with, it's running the latest OS 8.2.55.5  which was updated from 8.0.119 to try and fix the issue.

Thanks

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8 comments

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    Brandon Official comment

    Converted this to a support ticket, but for the curious, PTP slave means the player is a follower/slave to an Enhanced Synchronization leader/master player, hence it will try to find and retrieve the clock setting from the leader/master player rather than using the time server.  If the clock isn't set, it'll remain unset until it finds a leader/master.
    By default the player is neither a PTP master/leader nor PTP follower/slave.

  • 0
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    Brandon

    Being that it's setting the time correctly after a Factory Reset, that would mean the player can reach the default time server of time.brightsignnetwork.com via HTTP (port 80).

    Signagelive's configuration process may be changing the time server in some manner that doesn't allow it to function on your network, and therefore the clock can't be set afterward.  Another possibility is that it's connecting to a time server but that server is providing incorrect data.

    Check the player's system log from its DWS for networktime messages.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Friendly reminder, the community forum is intended for user-to-user discussion.  It is not regularly monitored. For troubleshooting problems and to ensure a timely answer from a BrightSign representative, please submit a support ticket.

  • 0
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    Pete Roberts

    Thanks Brandon.

    My thought was with the time server, but this is part of a 50+ player network, all using the same configuration, we have copied the Signagelive config file from another working unit and changed only the ip information.

    This unit was the first we installed as a test for the client and the proxy and the time server it is using changed from the original setup, could it be set in 2 places which are conflicting? The DWS is reporting the correct information both when it is the correct time and also when it is not the correct time.

    Would you expect the DWS to default to disabled for a time server issue? This is what makes me think a hardware issue or an alternate config somewhere.

    *Edit* I've just downloaded the logs and looked for networktime messages and there are messages saying the server has been changes and includes then further down it states NetworkTime: Clock not set as we're PTP Slave ?

  • 0
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    Brandon

    Sounds like Signagelive has the player running as a synchronized Follower.  It would get the clock from the Leader via the PTP (Precision Time Protocol) broadcasts on the same PTP domain the player is set for.

    If the network is blocking PTP traffic or there isn't a Leader running on the same PTP domain as the Follower, then the clock wouldn't get set.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Friendly reminder, the community forum is intended for user-to-user discussion.  It is not regularly monitored. For troubleshooting problems and to ensure a timely answer from a BrightSign representative, please submit a support ticket.

  • 0
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    Pete Roberts

    Hi Brendan Not sure this is the issue!

    When I factory reset, the clock loads correctly and the player runs correctly on signage live, the DWS log shows the time network time has been successful, so i assume there are no network issues. If I reboot the time does not update and the log reports the PTP issue, signage live down not run and the player fails to communicate with Signage Live. If I let signage live do the reboots this also sets the DWS to disabled, which means I can't then get DWS access to fix.

    Is there a way the brightsign is using different network settings when you do a reboot as appose to factory reset?

  • 0
    Avatar
    Brandon

    Network settings changes including DWS changes are not applied until after a reboot, so it must be something in what Signagelive is delivering that is changing those settings - and you don't see the effect until after reboot. It really sounds like the Signagelive code is changing player settings.

    Sounds like what's happening is...

    1. Factory Reset clears clock setting, resets time server to default, and clears sync follower/PTP setting
    2. Player contacts default time server (time.brightsignnetwork.com) and successfully sets clock
    3. Player sets up for Signagelive
    4. Player contacts Sigangelive and downloads whatever content, and executes provided code including something that sets sync follower/PTP for the player and probably disables/relocates the local DWS
    5. Content from Signagelive plays
    6. Reboot
    7. Player cannot contact Signagelive via HTTPS because the player's clock is no longer set to a reasonably-correct date/time (HTTPS certificate selection relies on date)

    It is not uncommon for third-party CMS setups to include player (re)configuration in their setup process, so Signagelive probably has different parameters for the player being applied as part of their CMS setup.

    Most systems key to the player's serial number, so that would explain why the issue is only affecting this particular player.

    You can test this by:

    1. Clear the player's storage
    2. Factory reset the player
    3. If the white-background On-Device Setup screen appears, tap the SVC button to prevent it from trying to auto-provision.
    4. Check the DWS time and Network Diagnostics
    5. Get a registry dump from the player's DWS at http://playerIPaddress/registry_dump.txt (replace playerIPaddress with the player's LAN IP)
    6. Reboot or power cycle the player again and repeat the previous three steps to compare results - they should be the same.
    7. Put the Signagelive setup back onto the player's storage
    8. Reboot the player to set Signagelive setup go through
    9. Get another registry dump from the player's DWS at http://playerIPaddress/registry_dump.txt (replace playerIPaddress with the player's LAN IP) and compare to the pre-Signagelive setup registry dump.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    Friendly reminder, the community forum is intended for user-to-user discussion.  It is not regularly monitored. For troubleshooting problems and to ensure a timely answer from a BrightSign representative, please submit a support ticket.

  • 0
    Avatar
    Pete Roberts

    Thanks Brendon. That kind of makes sense.

    Just to be 100% clear can you just confirm that you are saying that the signagelive setup file even though it is copied from a unit that is performing correctly (just with the IP details changed) may be calling upon the signagelive system to download setup files based on the units serial, which might be different and causing this issue.

    I have spoken with Signagelive in the past with the regard the DWS defaulting to disabled when you install Signagelive and they have assured me that their setup does not change this, I have my doubts this is the case!

     

    Thanks

  • 0
    Avatar
    Pete Roberts

    Hi Brandon, Im still having issues with this unit. 

    We have now swapped out the hardware, updated the firmware and tried 3 signagelive clients. The IT team can't find anything wrong with the network configuration but Signagelive can't tell us to look for. Can you help?

    We have 50 stores across the UK all with HD224 units running Signagelive, they are all configured on the same Vlan and all can be contacted vis DWS. 1 unit is having this specific issue of loosing the clock settings on a reboot after loading the signagelive client, if the unit doesn't reboot it all works fine.

    I have swapped the hardware so this can't be the issue as you described above and I agree that the Signagelive client must be changing something which is taking effect on the reboot. I have tried the unit on a cellular router and spoofed the corporate network ip settings and the unit works fine, swap back to the corporate network and the issue reappears.

    If we use the unit as a plain brightsign all is fine, it's just as soon as you load the signagelive client and reboot, the clock defaults to the year 2000, in the log it reports clock not changed "we are ptp slave". Signagelive have stated "the development team has been very clear that they do not understand the PTP server protocol, and do not do anything to change this setting."

    I saw in firmware release notes for 5.1.54 it states if a ptp master can't be found it should use http or ntp

    Can you shed any light on what the error log is indicating?

     

    Thanks

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