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WPShell hangs on startup w/ absense of keyboard and mouse...

Started by NNYITGuy, 2011.10.19, 21:05:44

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NNYITGuy

Hi everyone,

I am setting up a test headless eComstation v2 system. Ultimately this will be a standalone system in a closet. I installed and configured eCS v2 with no more than a few minor issues. eCS then boot properly and I have configured everything I need for the evaluation. I then remove the keyboard / mouse / monitor and started the system. Waited approximately 5 minutes and then re-connected the monitor to see the status. A blue screen with a mouse pointer in the middle just stayed there like it was idle, but without WPS starting completely. Just the blue screen with the mouse in the middle. I powered off the system and connected the mouse and keyboard again. The eCS system came up ran the required chkdsk for the required partitions and rested at WPS fully functional. I can duplicate the matter over and over.

More testing, I changed the JFS drive letters to none to reduce startup time when chkdsk had to run after a non-proper shutdown, also c: is the boot and is HPFS, I tried various configurations of using SNAP / Panorama / GRADD with usb kb/mouse and PS/2 Keyboard and the only consistency was the connection of the PS/2 keyboard.

Now another test. I commented out the protshell=c:\os2\pmshell.exe and used protshell=c:\os2\cmd.exe for testing. Started the system in all the above listed configurations and everytime the system came up properly to a full and stable WPS desktop. I did not connect the PS/2 kb or in other test instances the USB kb/mouse. At the command prompt I would then plug in the PS/2 kb or USB kb/mouse and then run pmshell.ee fron the c:\os2 prompt and WPS worked everytime... Make sense?? I feel like I am rattling on...

Thank you,
-Todd
Todd J Simpson (IT Consultant)
Business Automation Technologies
(Professional Products and Services.  Business to Business...)

IBManners

Hi Todd,

My server is headless, has VNC loaded though so I can manage check on it occasionally, or shut it down properly if I'm moving cities..

VNC will give your drivers something to latch onto, ie, mouse and keyboard. I'm not sure if its the hardware or something else but I have had headless boot problems in the past with WPS based OS/2. Sometimes the machine wouldn't boot properly, other times it would boot fine.

http://www.os2site.com/sw/internet/remote/pmvnc-1.02-bin.zip also on hobbes and various other websites.

Cheers
Ian
I am the computer, it is me.

NNYITGuy

Hi Ian,

Thank you for the response. I do have another server setup that works day in and day out using PMVNC just the way you mentioned. I have this new mainboard that I want to use and it works great with the traditional kb / ms / monitor connected. PMVNC works well on this computer too.

The WPS desktop just does not come up and settle like it should if the kb / ms / monitor were connected... Has me baffled bad!

Thanks,
-Todd
Todd J Simpson (IT Consultant)
Business Automation Technologies
(Professional Products and Services.  Business to Business...)

Joachim

Quote from: NNYITGuy on 2011.10.19, 21:44:28

The WPS desktop just does not come up and settle like it should if the kb / ms / monitor were connected... Has me baffled bad!


Hi Todd,

is this with USB keyboard and mouse?

Regards,

Joachim

NNYITGuy

Hi Joachim,

Yes, randomly w/ USB keyboard and mouse. But when I try headless, as in no keyboard, nor mouse, nor video connection the WPS almost never comes up past the mouse in middle of blue screen.

I think I found a work around. I found that with eCenter.exe not in the regular Startup folder and started manually several seconds after the rest of the other Startup folder items completed and WPS settled; that eCenter started properly and the system was stable. Although limited, less than 100 iterations, I have not had a single failure with the headless configuration. I am pinging the system IP address and then using PMVNC / VNC Viewer to connect to the system. PMVNC of course is in the Startup folder.

So, I need to setup a delayed startup for eCenter or just manually start eCenter for now.

Thanks,
-Todd
Todd J Simpson (IT Consultant)
Business Automation Technologies
(Professional Products and Services.  Business to Business...)

ivan

Hi Todd,

Just a thought but you could use a simple 2 port KVM switch which should cover the need to have physical devices plugged in.

ivan

DougB

QuoteSo, I need to setup a delayed startup for eCenter or just manually start eCenter for now.

I always use REXX AutoStart:

http://www.7cities.net/~mckinnis/rxautost/index.html

It seems to be necessary when you have more than about 4 items in the startup folder. Unfortunately, it doesn't always help, if the startup conflict occurs before STARTUP.CMD gets executed (A startup conflict can actually cause STARTUP.CMD to fail to run).

I actually had that problem when I installed eCS 2.1 to one of my systems. Not loading eCenter allowed me to proceed, and get a few more programs installed, then it happened again. Putting eCenter back into the mix fixed it long enough to get more things installed. The final fix (actually a work around) was to use REXX AutoStart.

See eCS bug tracker incident 3072 for more details. Your symptoms may not be exactly the same, but I am pretty sure that it is the same cause.

NNYITGuy

Thank you everyone. For now I am tethering a PS/2 keyboard to get my testing for this remote server solution moving on other directions. I know the this can be solved, but I need to make progress in other areas.

I have another identical setup that can be tested in the shop at a later time.

Thanks again,
-Todd
Todd J Simpson (IT Consultant)
Business Automation Technologies
(Professional Products and Services.  Business to Business...)