Net3 Show Control Gateway DHCP

Hi Dan,

why not change the IP to static?

Hi Corey,

Oh, I absolutely always do!

I move SC gateways between various spaces a lot which all have their own Vlans and IP ranges, so I tend to connect stuff to that vlan in DHCP mode and then change it's IP from GCE once it's visible on that network. At the moment I always have to remember to change it's IP before I remove it from the current network otherwise it's invisible on the new one.

Cheers

Dan

The DHCP server is actually running centrally to our network. We have a server which handles DHCP across multiple different networks and it is from that which it doesn't take an address.

It does take an address from the Eos console directly.

Every other device, including other none SC gateways successfully take addresses from the core server.

Cheers

Dan

Hi Dan,

That's very interesting - the IO and Show Control gateways run the same network stack under the hood, so not sure why they would behave differently. What are you using as your DHCP server (e.g. a linux box, windows PC, switch, etc)?

We might want to try this in the ETC office, or if you're familiar with Wireshark and can run a capture as you power up the gateway that doesn't get the IP, we can look at the capture and see if we can figure out what is happening.

Cheers,

Tom

Hi Tom,

That is interesting. Now you say that I might have to go back and do the same thing with an IO just to be sure! I tend to move them around less often than SC and DMX and I know it works fine for the DMX gateways.

It's a rather chunky HP server running Windows Server 2008 which handles all of the DHCP.

I can certainly run a Wireshark capture and get that over to you!

Cheers

Dan

I don't think we have a 2008 server machine around, so if you don't mind taking a capture and emailing it to me that would be grand, I'll let you know what we find.

Is it being powered by a Plug top transformer or via PoE.

I've have problems with the Show and I/O's when booting up via DHCP and PoE. Fine plugged into the back of an EOS, Fine when using plug-top transformer.

It seemed tobe drawing too much current during the network stack initialisation than the switchers could supply.

HI Marcus,

Most of the time it is POE, but I've just run some further tests and on some occasions it does get an address when externally powered vs POE but on other occasions not. It feels like the network stack might be a little temperamental.

Cheers

Dan

Hi Tom,

It looks like I've got a little bit further with working out what is going on with DHCP whilst looking at this other issue we're having.

If the DHCP server is on a different subnet to the gateway it is not being properly identified by the gateway. There is no problem with DMX gateways or any other network devices I have come across.

Example:

Gateway IP :10.5.12.1/22

DHCP Server: 10.5.4.21.

The DHCP server will serve addresses in the 10.5.11.X-12.X range to this vlan.

If I put the gateway on the management vlan (10.5.4.X) it gets an address straight away.

Cheers

Dan

Have you tried setting up a DHCP relay (BOOTP relay agent)?

We already do, otherwise no devices would get DHCP on that VLAN. The issue only happens with the IO/SC gateway, so there must be a faulty implementation in the firmware.

D

I would imaging in the way it handles the broadcast flag. Or maybe your dhcp relay isn't stripping option 82.

A wireshark log would beable to tell for sure.....

Thanks Marcus,

Looks good at our end. It would be great if this could be looked at as it does make configuration in our environment very time consuming.

Dan

Dan,

Could you make me a couple of wireshark logs if you get a chance.

One of a pc connecting and obtaining an IP successfully

and one from a mirrored port on your switcher capturing the SC attempt?

You can email them to marcus [dot] birkin [at] etcconnect [dot] com

Captures on their way!

D

Hello Marcus

To bring this alive again after a while, maybe it's the same issue but I'm not sure...

I have a Show Control Gateway which doesn't seem to take get past the 'Network Stack Starting' phase of boot up whilst there is an ethernet cable plugged in.

I originally started it up on a network with DHCP running and the SCG was powered with PoE; it got stuck on 'Network Stack Starting'. I then found this thread and tried starting it up with a PSU instead having removed the ethernet cable in the front. It started up pretty quickly and told me it had the IP address I would associate with the DHCP range on my network despite actually not being on the network. Plugged in the ethernet (not in a PoE socket), could see it in concert and it works as expected.

I then took the power out of the unit left it a few minutes and plugged it back in again and it got stuck on the 'Network Stack Starting' screen again - still on the PSU and not PoE.  Did the same with the ethernet cable removed and it booted up fine.

On the network I have a DHCP server (which I admit at this point before I get on site is a cheap router), an Ion, a Response 4 Port Gateway, a MacBook Pro running as a backup and a couple of PoE Switches. The 4 Port Gateway is new, delivered last week and hasn't caused me any problems at all.

Any thoughts you have would be really useful. Ultimately I only have the SCG for the next week or so for a show and if I need to power it up and then plug it in to the network it's not the end of world but I'm curious as to what might be going on.

Thanks
Tom

Hi Tom,

The gateways don't have any password features.

GCE may ask for a password, this is "net3".

NET3 Concert does not ask for a password.

Regards,

Marcus