System information

Reference Guide Crestron 2-Series Control System
80 • 2-Series Control Systems Reference Guide – DOC. 6256A
Frequently Asked Questions (continued)
QUESTION ANSWER
My 2-Series control system reboots
unexpectedly. I don’t know if the cause is a
hardware/software anomaly or induced
externally (power failure). I have no error
logs because the reboot sequence cleared
out the error log. What do I do?
Use Crestron Toolbox to establish
communications with the control system as
described on page 5. Open a text console
window and type NVRAMREBOOT ON. This
command will write rebooting messages to
NVRAM. If an anomaly exists, this command will
save the error even though the control system
has rebooted. To view the contents of NVRAM,
open the error log as described on page 30. After
you have captured the error log, turn off the
NVRAMREBOOT command by typing
NVRAMREBOOT OFF.
Watchdog Protection
Crestron 2-Series control systems are equipped with “Watchdog Protection” to
monitor internal registers on the processor as well as software processes.
The hardware watchdog monitors internal registers on a 2-Series control system that
require periodic writing. If the registers are not being written to as required, the
watchdog will send a message to the error log and reboot the control system.
The software watchdog monitors the processor to ensure that no single process in the
system monopolizes the central processing unit. A 2-Series control system requires
certain low-level tasks to run on a regular basis. If the control system is so busy that
one of the low-level tasks is held off for a period of time, the watchdog will send a
message to the error log and reboot the control system.
Capturing Watchdog Messages
When either watchdog triggers a reboot, the processor will display information about
what caused the reboot on the serial port and write the information to the error log.
This information allows engineers at Crestron to track down the cause of the reboot.
If a PC is connected to the control system’s serial port, the information can be
received through a serial connection to the control system console.
When a PC is not connected to a control system’s serial port, the NVRAMREBOOT
function can be used to store error logs containing watchdog messages in NVRAM
before the control system reboots. For information on the NVRAMREBOOT
command, refer to “NVRAMREBOOT” on page 27.
Unexpected reboots are not considered part of normal operation. If your control
system reboots without apparent reason, please capture the watchdog messages in the
error log to NVRAM using the NVRAMREBOOT feature. All messages contained
in the error log should be forwarded to Crestron for further analysis, as workarounds
may be available to prevent future reboots. Your assistance in providing this
information is greatly appreciated.
Further Inquiries
If you cannot locate specific information or have questions after reviewing this
guide, please take advantage of Crestron's award winning customer service team by
calling the Crestron corporate headquarters at 1-888-CRESTRON [1-888-273-7876].
For assistance in your local time zone, refer to the Crestron website
(www.crestron.com
) for a listing of Crestron worldwide offices.