Jon00 Homeseer 2 - Homeseer 3 - Homeseer 4 Connector

[jon00]

I don't have the source code for the HS2 restart anymore so cannot check what could be going on. That said, it would look at the process name which is different between HS2 & HS3. I don't have an answer unfortunately. It should be possible to modify HS3 restart to use the HS2 process name and recompile a version for HS2..

[jono]

Hi Jon,
I have an interesting issue. I run HS2 and HS3 on the same machine thanks to this great connector. However, when I run Jon00 Restart in HS2, it creates havoc in my same machine HS3. The havoc appears to be an abrupt (not gentle) unintended restart of HS3 as well and when HS3 comes back up I often lose config files and HS3 plug-ins don't always restart correctly.
So the obvious thing is to turn off Jon00 Restart in HS2 which I have done.
My question is whether there is a way to restart HS2 on a periodic basis without causing these unintended consequence HS3 problems on the same machine?

An update on this: It turns out that a manual restart of HS2 causes the same problem. So I started looking at the startup HS2 log and the first thing a start-up of HS2 does after starting is "End plug-in process ___". These plug-ins appear to be my HS3 plug-ins, as one of them MeiUnifi doesn't even exist in HS2!
So something in the HS2 start-up process immediately shuts down HS3 plug-ins running on the same machine. Has anyone else seen this? Is there a work around?
Perhaps I should post this on the HS3 Software forum. I started here because of the HS2-HS3 connector, but it seems independent of the connector.
Further, if HS3 is not running then the following log entries do not appear in HS2 on start-up. They only appear when HS3 is running.

[jon00]

I would suggest that HS2 (on startup) is first terminating any running plugins by enumerating through all processes starting with HSPI. Unfortunately HS3 also uses plugins with the same name hence the issue seen.

[jono]

Hi Jon, I am interested in using this connector for an HS3 to HS3 connection as indicated towards the end of the documentation file. I have two machines located on the same vpn tunnel network but in different locations behind different routers and different IP addresses. I'm interested in sharing device information across them.
HS3 Machine B has variables that will change. I would like to capture those changes on HS3 Machine C.
I set up the HS3Settings.txt file on Machine B and I set up HS3 Connector to run on both machines.

My settings file for machine B (ip address 192.168.1.10) is:
hs3hostadd=192.168.1.10
hs2clientadd=192.168.2.10
porta=9010
portb=9020

My settings file for machine C (ip address 192.168.2.10) is:
hs3hostadd=192.168.2.10
hs2clientadd=192.168.1.10
porta=9020
portb=9010

I created test variables T-A1 on Machine B and T-A2 on Machine C.
So my devices.txt file on Machine B is:
T-A1 T-A2 0

I tried changing test device T-A1 on Machine B, but nothing happens to T-A2 on Machine C.
Any sense of what I may be doing wrong?
Do I need to be opening firewall ports on the sending or receiving machine? Again, the machines are on the same local network with a vpn tunnel.
Thanks for any guidance you can give me.
Jono

[jon00]

Can you view the HS3 web pages from Machine B on Machine C and vice versa?

I would suggest that you need to ensure Port 9020 and Port 9010 are open between the two subnets

[jono]

Can you view the HS3 web pages from Machine B on Machine C and vice versa?

I would suggest that you need to ensure Port 9020 and Port 9010 are open between the two subnets

Opening the ports specifically (as opposed to for the program Jon00HS3Gateway.exe) fixed the problem. Thank you Jon!

[jono]

Jon, I have one minor nit I'm trying to fix in my HS3 to HS3 set up. The receiving machine shows the status icons in giant size (about 6X normal in height), even though the sending machine has the status icons of normal size. Is there a way to adjust this by adjusting what the connector sends, or by adjusting how the receiving machine renders it? Here is a snip of the receiving machine device page:

[jon00]

That would need a modification to the gateway. In your HS3Devices.txt, set parameter 3 to a value of 2. That should then only display the status text. If you want an image, add this using the status/Graphics tab for the virtual device.

[jono]

That would need a modification to the gateway. In your HS3Devices.txt, set parameter 3 to a value of 2. That should then only display the status text. If you want an image, add this using the status/Graphics tab for the virtual device.

Thank you Jon. It works!

[jon00]

FYI, I decided to update the HS3 client which now renders the icon size correctly. I've updated the download zip accordingly.

[Dafunktyfunk]

Hi Jon,

Thank you so much for your work on this! I am using your plugin to close the gap between HST's shortcomings in fixing their plugins in HS3 but using working HS2 versions. My setup is that both HS2Pro and 3Pro are on the same machine. The only plugin I have enabled in HS2 is Global Cache Pro and HSTouch Server. In turn, I have disabled the Global Cache plugin in HS3Pro - Hoping this will eliminate the shutting down of plugins given the same HSPI naming conventions you mention above.

Here is my issue:

HS2 Connector zip from your site is throwing a Windows 10 Trojan flag and I can't get it downloaded correctly. Thankfully, I installed HS2 Connector when my hometroller XPe was working and many of the DLL and configs where already in there. I was able to finally get it downloaded via a MAC and was able to get the updated exe updated. However, now the exe will not execute due to a warning that pops up and says it is untrusted. I have to click on More Info and say, Run Anyway. This poses a problem when the machine reboots as this will fail to load without intervention. Given the number of reboots win10 needs, this is a challenge. How can I fix this?

HS3 Connector exe does NOT throw this error and executes just fine.

What I have done to try and solve for this is to add HS2, HS2 Connector and HS3 Connector exe's to the Startup Task I made to load HS3. I followed this link to do the initial Task Scheduler task: https://helpdesk.homeseer.com/articl...hs3-on-windows

This does not solve the HS2 Connector not loading automatically however.

Once both connectors are manually going, I do get correct log entries saying this in HS2:

4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - Ready
4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - Shutdown mode 0
4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - RX port xxx
4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - TX port xxx
4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - Version 1.1.4
4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - Connected to Homeseer
4/20/2020 9:05:47 AM - Network - Remote client connected from: 192.168.1.xx

And this in HS3 Log:

Apr-20 8:19:50 AM

Jon00_HS3GW

Ready

Apr-20 8:19:50 AM

Jon00_HS3GW

RX port xx

Apr-20 8:19:50 AM

Jon00_HS3GW

TX port xx

Apr-20 8:19:50 AM

Jon00_HS3GW

Version 1.1.5

Apr-20 8:19:50 AM

Jon00_HS3GW

Connected to Homeseer

I have a second issue:

Both my HS2Devices.txt and HS3Devices are blank.

I do have both connectors up and running in the tray and I did click the "Setup" in the tray by right clicking it. I got this in the HS2 log and nothing in my HS3 log:

4/20/2020 9:31:27 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - Setup Completed
4/20/2020 9:31:23 AM - Web Server - Web Server authorized local login successful from: 192.168.1.xx User: xxxx
4/20/2020 9:31:23 AM - Jon00_HS2GW - Setup Started


Any help is appreciated, sir!

Thank you!!

Steve

[jon00]

I've sent you a PM

[pete@malibubeach.com]

Trying to use this to connect two HS4 machines that are linked by a VPN. For convenience, I installed two copies of the software in two folders on the same machine.

I have the following settings files:
For the first instance (the machine that hosts one of the HS4 instances and both instances of the connector software):
hs3hostadd=192.168.16.194
hs2clientadd=192.168.16.194
porta=9050
portb=9060

and for the second instance:
hs3hostadd=192.168.10.20
hs2clientadd=192.168.16.194
porta=9060
portb=9050

For instance #2 (the remote system that I want to monitor and control), I have for now the following devices.txt file:
&dr:372 PMLFrontDoor 0
&dr:256 PMLMainFloorACMode 0
&dr:108 PMLBasementTemp 0

This works great---it created the devices on the local machine and I manually changed the device names from &dr:xxx to something meaningful (it would have been nice if the connector used the names in the config file rather than the address as the HS4 device name. It seems to be perfect in terms of monitoring. Except in some cases it does not seem to get updates (especially if I make changes quickly on the remote machine). -- but this may be an HS4 problem with updates on the device page.

I am unable, however, to get it to control a remote device. I have created events with various immediate script commands and nothing makes it to the remote machine. I have tried:

&hs.SaveVar "Jon00GW","Control/JSON?request=controldevicebyvalue&ref=256&value=1"

When that did not work, I tried a simple command (that appears to be for HS2 remote clients, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway)

&hs.SaveVar "Jon00GW","HSLog Test"

When I run the event, I see nothing in the log on either computer (except acknowledgement that the event was run due to a manual trigger).

Here are a couple questions and hopes for this:
1. What I am doing wrong in terms of trying to control the remote computer?
2. What is the significance of the names in the devices.txt file? If I change a name, it causes a new virtual device to be created -- it would be nice if the virtual devices used these names instead of &dr:xxx.
3. My hope, once I figure out device control, is to add buttons to the virtual devices and have events triggered by the buttons to send the appropriate command to the remote machine. Any reason this won't work (except for the fact that it will require a lot of events)?
4. Finally, what if I want to monitor and control a third machine (so one local machine and two remote that I want to monitor and control)? Could I simply create two more instances of the connector using two different ports?
5. Just want to confirm what I read in the documentation that there is nothing that needs to be installed on either HS4 computer (except, of course, the two instances of the connector)?

Once I figure out the control part of it, this looks great. I really appreciate your "pay what you can (or want)" approach. I will play with a couple of your other add-ins and you will be compensated!!

[jon00]

1) Regarding the control, I'm not sure what could be the issue. If devices are being updated then the communication between the two is working. I may have to do some tests. If you add debug=99 to the HS3Settings.txt (and restart the clients), you will see the RX & TX data in the logs. That may give a clue.

2) This was originally written as a connector between HS2 and HS3; hence the devices in HS3 config were written to reflect HS2 devices. That is also why the port config seem backward when connecting 2 HS3 or HS4 systems together.

3) I can't see why that would not work.

4) Only that you cannot direct control to an individual client. Saving to Jon00GW would cause data sent to both clients at the same time.

5) Nothing needs to be installed on HS4.

[pete@malibubeach.com]

Ok. Getting closer. I didn't notice that not only do event have to be enabled, but the individual commands within the event need to be enabled (that's new in HS4 isn't it: I sure don't remember having to do that in HS3). So commands are getting sent to the remote computer, but the JSON isn't executing. There is some confusion in your docs---it says the word control should be followed by a space character and then the JSON command, but the examples have no space. So I have tried each of the following and none work:

2/03/2021 21:37:34Legacy-Plugin RXData /JSON?request=controldevicebyvalue&ref=256&value=1
2/03/2021 21:28:14 Legacy-Plugin RXData Control /JSON?request=controldevicebyvalue&ref=256&value=1
2/03/2021 21:19:55 Legacy-Plugin RXData Control JSON?request=controldevicebyvalue&ref=256&value=1
2/03/2021 21:10:02 Legacy-Plugin RXData Control/JSON?request=controldevicebyvalue&ref=256&value=1

I also copied the JSON command from the log and pasted it into the address bar of the web browser to confirm that it does, in fact, work -- that changed the device to a value of 1, but none of the four entries in the log above had any effect on the device. (So it is allowing JSON requests)

THanks for any advice