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HS4 on new S6 Pro - random crash of HS4 software & can't update Windows. Related?

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    HS4 on new S6 Pro - random crash of HS4 software & can't update Windows. Related?

    Hi folks,

    I have just joined the community and have had my Hometroller S6 Pro for about a month. I'm running HS4 Pro, and the S6 Pro is running Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB, which came pre-installed.

    In the last three days or so, HS4 has stopped twice for some reason. I can't connect to the system and when I VNC in, I find HS4 has stopped and not restarted. I restart it and everything is fine. The log states "HomeSeer was not shut down successfully the previous time it was started." Is there a way to make HS4 restart when it crashes like that?

    As for diagnosing the reason, looking at Windows Event Viewer, 8 minutes before the last crash, Windows failed to perform an update with the EventData "windowsupdatefailure3". Also, I can't manually check for Windows updates. The last check was in March 2019 (I assume this is the date the Windows image was generated). The Windows Update screen says that "This option is managed by your organization." Is this by design to stop Windows Updates breaking HS4, with updates coming via HS once checked?

    I have looked at Restore Points, but I don't have any of those either. System Protection is disabled. (Again, I haven't changed this setting, it came like that).

    All in all, I'm out of my depth with this. I've tried searching, but can't find anything here that matches my symptoms. I'm not even sure if these two issues are related!

    Probably not related - a couple of weeks ago I had a problem with scripts not running. I changed the Start In folder in Task Scheduler and that fixed the problem.

    Any advice on next steps would be very welcome. Up until now, I have been very impressed with the robustness, but this is shaking my confidence. I came from Vera, so I'm nervous of stability issues!

    Thanks, Rob.

    EDIT - I've just noticed, in both cases, it was a Fibaro motion sensor was the last entry in the log before the crash. The first time was a luminance report, second time was a temperature report. Is it possible that this device is causing HS to crash? There are no events associated with the device, but it was added just before the problem started.

    #2
    As you said that the S6 is new, make sure you put it near your desktop and plug in an HDMI cable and work on it as if it were your desktop.
    • If you had enabled auto Windows update disable that and also uninstall the VNC client
    • Remove all the the scripts (or stop them from starting)
    • Locate / start Task Manager right click and disable entry HSSentry
    • You did not mention how you set up your networking but if your device has 2 NICs make sure you are not using both
    • Disable any plugins you could have added and also if you had enabled binding (to IP address) disable it or if HS4 it should be (No Binding)
    • For now in the settings stop HSSentry from starting at boot then reboot the S6 and watch the log.
    • Let it run for at least a day then add one plugin at a time with breaks while you watch the log
    • If you are happy with what you see reboot the S6 and wait a while before enabling the HSSentry to start at boot.
    • Locate HSSentry.exe in the root folder and double click it to start and again watch the log
    • If all is well you can reboot the system again.
    If it wasn't failed Windows Updates then name the scripts you were running.......??

    Note : Don't run the device with 2 NICs and avoid scripts if you can.

    Tip : For remote desktop use NoMachine : https://www.nomachine.com/


    Eman.
    TinkerLand : Life's Choices,"No One Size Fits All"

    Comment


      #3
      Hi Eman

      Thanks for your advice. I have been working my way through it.

      I was waiting to see if the system fell over again, and whether it was the Fibaro sensor that was the last log entry. It crashed this evening, 4 days after the last crash. This time, no mention of the Fibaro sensor, so that was a red herring!

      I've just disabled Sonos, to see if that makes a difference. I'm not really using it for anything at present as I'm still re-writing my Events following migration from Vera. I haven't yet got a use for Sonos integration. The only other plugins are essential - Z-wave and RFXCOM.

      It was an HS VB script I was running. It controls the colour of some LEDs strips, nothing more. I'm not running any Windows scripts.

      Until now, I've had HS Sentry disabled (again - I hadn't tampered with that setting, so I'm guessing that is factory default that it is off). I think I may be better off enabling it and letting it handle the HS4 crashes. Every 4 days or so isn't so bad if HSS will restart it within a minute or so. Any impact will be minimal. I'll circle back around as part of a 'polishing' effort later to see if I can fix it.

      I do have two NICs (wired & wireless). At present, only the wireless is in use. When I switch to wired, which I expect to do this weekend once the transition from Vera is complete, I'll disable wireless.

      Of more concern is the lack of Windows updates and the implied security issues. I'll have a go at that at this weekend, doing as you suggest and disabling VNC, plugging in a screen and doing some more hands-on work. Hopefully I will be able to untangle the updates problem.

      I'll try to keep this thread updated with progress, in case my experience helps others.

      Thanks again, Rob.

      Comment


        #4
        For starters, rule number one HomeSeer works with a fix IP and a Wired connection. Once connected (RJ45 cable) it automatically over-rides the wireless connection.
        • As for Windows Updates, do that manually as you watch the the system but turn off the auto settings.
        • Let other things Connect to the router wireless but not HomeSeer.



        Eman.
        TinkerLand : Life's Choices,"No One Size Fits All"

        Comment


          #5
          Hi All

          Just circling back on this one having finally got around to looking at the Windows Update issue.

          As per Eman's suggestion, and having fully migrated from Vera and decommissioned the box (freeing up a port on my router), I'm now wired to my network.

          I've started running HSSentry, which wasn't there before. I haven't noticed crashes (as intended with HS Sentry!). Equally, I don't think I'm experiencing them either as my uptime is measured in weeks now, or since I last made a change myself.

          Windows update issue. This came down to the Group Policies on the S6 Pro. From the HS knowledge base: "Windows Updates is disabled by default to avoid any disruptions to your HS system".

          I followed the process here to enable updates:
          https://superuser.com/questions/9477...our,Windows%20 Update%20under%20Windows%20Components.

          "To inspect and adjust your machine's local Group Policy, press Win+R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. In the left pane, expand Administrative Templates under Computer Configuration. Settings for Windows Update are in the folder called Windows Update under Windows Components. The settings for user profiles are in User Profiles under System in Administrative Templates.

          After you select a folder that contains policy settings, you can double-click the policies in the main pane to enable, disable, and configure them. Setting policies to Not Configured will enable the normal UI (e.g. in Control Panel) in most cases. Once finished adjusting the policies, close the Local Group Policy Editor and type gpupdate in the Run dialog. Restart or re-log if necessary."


          I found that the policy for "Remove access to use all Windows Update features" had been set to Enabled. I changed this to "Not Configured". (I then ran into another problem with a corrupted updates database, which I've yet to figure out. I've contacted support for assistance).

          The advice from HS's support knowledge base is to reset this policy once you have finished running updates.

          Best regards, Rob

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks for this!. Been running s6 for about a year now and while I’ve been curious, hadn’t gotten around to figuring out the process to update windows on it. I got the rationale of not enabling by default, the suggestion to disable after update is helpful.

            Originally posted by kandr View Post
            Hi All

            Just circling back on this one having finally got around to looking at the Windows Update issue.

            Comment


              #7
              I have had a response from HS support.

              They state "It is not recommended to run system updates on HomeTrollers, these are intentionally turned off."

              I find that a little worrying, as it will result in unpatched systems being exposed to the internet. I'm going to work on the assumption they know better than I do and follow the advice!

              Best regards, Rob

              Comment

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