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    Kelly
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Issues With Using Both Network Ports On Cobalt With Backup/Clients

Hi,

Today I ran into a snag while trying to set up two networks using both of a Congo JR's ethernet ports to facilitate the networks. The first network is running DHCP & Primary Art-NET while the other is only running DHCP. Everything works EXCEPT a client/backup device is unable to connect to the server from the second network. The client/backup device will acknowledge that the server is there and gives the option to start as a client or backup but when starting as a client a message will appear stating "failed to connect to server" and then the Cobalt software will invisibly hang (on both Nomad and Console). When starting as a backup the Cobalt software will load into "backup mode" but is unable to perform any network commands (such as fetch play, sync, convert to server, etc.). The backup device will show the server in the browser but the server will not show the backup device in its browser or display a message that a backup was ever connected.

I have spent the whole day today working through the scientific process on troubleshooting every variable (software & hardware) within both networks / devices to see what is causing the issue and am stumped. I figured because of how Cobalt is strangely reacting to this circumstance maybe it has not been tried before.

Below is a quickly thrown together diagram of what I was initially doing before I began experimenting/troubleshooting. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas I have not attempted I'll be happy to try them out!

Thanks! :D

-Kelly

 

P.S: Can the wonderful Cobalt developers put a try-catch where the "failed to connect to server" message appears so the desk does not go into an infinite hang?

Parents

  • This is a known limitation in Cobalt 7.3.1 and older.

    Multi-console operations are currently only available on the First/Primary NIC.
    This has been a low priority because you only really have a backup if both Server and Backup can talk to your network devices!

    - For example, in the system drawn above the Congo Kid cannot send any data to the Art-Net nodes - and so isn't a real backup.

    We will be fully enabling multi-console operations on both network ports in the next version, though physical network topology limitations will still apply of course!

    In the meantime, you can swap the two networks over - put the iRFR and Cobalt Client onto the Primary NIC, and Art-Net onto the Secondary NIC.

    PS: The Art-Net "Primary" 2.X.X.X IP addresses should be avoided if at all possible.
    Use the Art-Net "Secondary" 10.X.X.X IP range instead if your nodes do not properly support DHCP.

    2.X.X.X is a public Internet IP address (since mid-2009) and is likely to cause problems with iRFR and ETCnomad installations.
    - Your tablet/phone or computer will apply Internet rules to it which may break the connection. It may also try to connect to somebody in France instead of your console!

  • in reply to Richard
    Hi Richard,

    Thanks for the response! We were planning to add some Net3 Gateways to our "second" network but now we'll just swap the networks, have the Art-Net devices on the second network port and have our mission critical devices on the Gateways so they are backed up. On a side note I was able to get our client console to connect to the server using the second NIC by bridging the networks together in WES7. This was only a temporary solution to get us through the day and since has been undone. Thanks for the update on the multi-console/NIC operation feature in the next version of Cobalt; we look forward to seeing it!

    Much appreciated,

    Kelly
Reply
  • in reply to Richard
    Hi Richard,

    Thanks for the response! We were planning to add some Net3 Gateways to our "second" network but now we'll just swap the networks, have the Art-Net devices on the second network port and have our mission critical devices on the Gateways so they are backed up. On a side note I was able to get our client console to connect to the server using the second NIC by bridging the networks together in WES7. This was only a temporary solution to get us through the day and since has been undone. Thanks for the update on the multi-console/NIC operation feature in the next version of Cobalt; we look forward to seeing it!

    Much appreciated,

    Kelly
Children
  • in reply to Kelly

    I would skip the 2nd output and use a switch on the first output and then from that one split it up.
    As Richard say the Backup is only working if it don't have to go thru the main console. It's hard to get signal in on port2 and out on port1 if the main console crashes. and even if you only use it as client now you will get the option to have a backup if you connect them outside the console.

     



    Edit: added picture
    [edited by: jolsson at 3:04 AM (GMT -6) on Wed, Mar 8 2017]
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