loading 1.4.7rc18 killing switches

[BaldwinCo]

Just loaded 1.4.7rc18 on two new, just out of the box, ws-8 ac switches and can not get back into either of them. They were on 1.4.2.

Coincidence or know bug? Thank You.

[bayamon]

Loaded 1.4.7-rc18 on a brand new WS-12-AC.

Apparently all went good, but 3 days after the switch crashed with a blinking power led every a 5 seconds aprox.

Needed some power cycles before the switch respond. First thing I did was downgrade to 1.4.6, then the switch went down permanently (power led in that case was solid)

Reset to factory using bootloader method restored the switch to life.

I am trying to discard a hardware issue running some stress test with this switch but now with 1.4.6 it appear to work fine.

[sirhc]

Just loaded 1.4.7rc18 on two new, just out of the box, ws-8 ac switches and can not get back into either of them. They were on 1.4.2.

Coincidence or know bug? Thank You.

Depends, do you READ the release notes between where you are coming from and where you are going before you upgrade?

Below are 2 IMPORTANT things to consider when upgrading from a version previous to v1.4.4:
v1.4.4 - Fixed console login when using passwords with special characters

v1.4.5 - Fixed web UI login only using the first 8 characters of the password

If your password used special characters or was longer than 8 characters I would have first changed it to simple 8 character password for the upgrade then changed it back after the upgrade was completed because if your password was more than 8 characters you could be locked out.

If more than 8 characters then try using just the first 8, else SSH into switch and reset password from there.

If all these fail you may need to console into the unit and change the password or factory default it.

[sirhc]

Loaded 1.4.7-rc18 on a brand new WS-12-AC.

Apparently all went good, but 3 days after the switch crashed with a blinking power led every a 5 seconds aprox.

Needed some power cycles before the switch respond. First thing I did was downgrade to 1.4.6, then the switch went down permanently (power led in that case was solid)

Reset to factory using bootloader method restored the switch to life.

I am trying to discard a hardware issue running some stress test with this switch but now with 1.4.6 it appear to work fine.

Well since it was running fine for 3 days and a lot of people are running v1.4.7rc18 including me on 20+ switches at my WISP I would say something else happened?

The flash can get corrupted from several things such as having the DC power sparked meaning when connecting power it is not a clean connection and it sparks which is like any other embedded device this quick ON and OFF of power can cause the flash to get corrupted.

Also some sort of excessive voltage and or current into or through the unit such as ground current or surges can wreck havoc on the unit and the flash.

Also a surge of excessive voltage and or current coming in from Ethernet ports such as ESD or ground current can cause issues or damage.

Also using Ethernet Surge Protectors on Passive POE switches is BAD which we have talked about many time here on this forum, on the WISP Facebook Ground, and on the UBNT Forums.

https://forum.netonix.com/viewtopic.php ... ors#p18769

[bayamon]

Forced the switch to raise temp by blocking some of the ventilation. Let the CPU go to 83°C, FAN working on the thrid speed ~8000rpm, the switch worked fine in this condition, but then I unplugged the 220v mains and replugged it some seconds after: PWR led started blinking and switch became unresponsive again.

I suspect it is the PSU. So hardware issue. I will purchase a PSU replacement, because RMA is next to impossible from Argentina.

It appear that netonix PSUs are somewhat delicate with what kind of power it likes or not, al least at 220v. My 24 port AC netonix make a very loud buzz in the PSU when connected to battery output of a 220v APC UPS Pro. This is not a pure sinewave output, but of the dozens devices of all kind that are connected to this UPS the netonix is the only one that make this buzz sound on batteyr output.

[sirhc]

No, I suspect your UPS is insufficient in either switch over time or capacity or you have a grounding issue.

Also make sure your electrical service ground rods are bonded to your tower ground rods and everything on site is the same bonded by copper ground.

If you drive ground rods in for your tower and you have ground rods for your electrical service but they are not bonded together with heavy @2 copper this is not 1 ground potential this is 2 ground potentials which this ground current can mess things up.

True sine wave is not needed.

Here are some good posts on grounding:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1816
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=188
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1786&start=30#p13447
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1429
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airFiber/ ... rue#M31070

[BaldwinCo]

Chris,

I do read the upgrade notes. Neither of the failures was related to password length. The second one of two was fresh out of the box with no configuration loaded.

We will RMA them or pay a repair fee to get them alive again. Hopefully you will let us know what went wrong by going through the repair process.

[sirhc]

We always document RMA repairs rather it is warranty or damage.

Visible damage is photographed and returned to the customer.

The tech also documents in as much detail as possible what caused the unit to fail or be damaged.

[BaldwinCo]

Thank You Chris, I appreciate it.

[bayamon]

No, I suspect your UPS is insufficient in either switch over time or capacity or you have a grounding issue.

Also make sure your electrical service ground rods are bonded to your tower ground rods and everything on site is the same bonded by copper ground.

If you drive ground rods in for your tower and you have ground rods for your electrical service but they are not bonded together with heavy @2 copper this is not 1 ground potential this is 2 ground potentials which this ground current can mess things up.

True sine wave is not needed.

Here are some good posts on grounding:
http://forum.netonix.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1816
http://forum.netonix.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=188
http://forum.netonix.com/viewtopic.php? ... =30#p13447
http://forum.netonix.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1429
https://community.ubnt.com/t5/airFiber/ ... rue#M31070

The problem with this WS-12-AC unit it's not an UPS problem. Because: 1. It happens with others APC UPS and happens while powered directly from the grid with proper ground, no UPS. 2. The other WS-12-AC purchased that I have works ok in the same power supply that the faulty ones keep the PWR led on and off.

I'm speculating at a PSU problem because: 1. PWR led blinks (shutting down even the FAN when it is off) so it appears that the PSU is cutting power. 2. I have experienced other netonix models have problems with the PSU, at least in 220v.

I only have one WS-24-AC but other people tell me that on 220v battery power (simulated sine wave) theirs WS-24-AC has that loud buzz sound from the PSU.

If you want to see it for yourself get an APC UPS 1500Pro 220v and connect a WS-24-AC netonix to it on battery power.

Maybe this WS-24AC PSU problem with 220v and simulated sine wave it's not related at all with my WS-12AC problem, or maybe the PSU brand that are in the netonix have all low tolerance to 220v power conditions.

As I said in this case I plan to repair or purchase a new netonix, love those switches, but you could use the information to track down a possible design problem in the PSU.