Cannot connect to server after network outage

[sixfootsideburns]

First and foremost I'm new to unraid and I promise I've tried to find answers on my own, but I'm finding it challenging to know if I'm even searching the right things.  Please be gentle with me.  In desperation I'm hoping the good people of this forum might be able to help me.  Here's what I'm running into...

 

I've been having network issues for the last few weeks at home, and every time my network goes down I'm unable to reconnect to the server once it returns.  My IP is set to static so I'm confident I'm connecting the right address.  A hard reset is the only thing that I've been able to do to return to normal operation.  I'm concerned with the impact that could have on my data though and my parity check takes almost 28 hours which isn't ideal.

 

Based on other threads I've seen for other issues I've tried plugging a monitor + KB into the server afterwards to try and reboot via command prompt, however nothing comes up ever comes up (blank screen with no signal).  After having the same issue 3-4 times with the same result I finally had the thought to plug the monitor in before I boot up to see if for some reason that made a difference.  Recently when the network went down, I plugged my monitor back in and found that there was some code displayed, but the server was unresponsive to keyboard input.  I've attached a photo of what was visible.

 

I'm on with my network issue, but I'm totally at a loss of what might be happening with unraid.  Is this just normal behavior?  Are there settings I could check?  Even if someone can give me guidance on what to search for to find answers I'll happily continue my research on my own.  I really appreciate any guidance anyone could provide!

 

Currently running unraid 6.8.3

[trurl]

Unless that static IP is reserved in the router maybe something else grabbed it. 

 

I always use DHCP and reserve my wired IPs in the router. 

[trurl]

Are you booting UEFI or legacy? 

[sixfootsideburns]

9 hours ago, trurl said:

Unless that static IP is reserved in the router maybe something else grabbed it. 

 

I always use DHCP and reserve my wired IPs in the router. 

Originally I used Automatic and only just recently changed to Static to avoid having the correct my dockers every time.  The same problem existed when I used Automatic though.

 

7 hours ago, trurl said:

Are you booting UEFI or legacy? 

UEFI

[trurl]

1 hour ago, sixfootsideburns said:

Originally I used Automatic and only just recently changed to Static to avoid having the correct my dockers every time.  The same problem existed when I used Automatic though.

If you configure your router so it reserves specific IP addresses for specific MAC addresses, then your server can use DHCP and it will always get the reserved IP and nothing else can steal it.

 

Have you been able to get it to work at all since this problem started?

 

Have you done memtest? Since you are booting UEFI simpler to use another flash drive to boot memtest86. Google it.

 

[sixfootsideburns]

12 hours ago, trurl said:

Have you been able to get it to work at all since this problem started?

 

Have you done memtest? Since you are booting UEFI simpler to use another flash drive to boot memtest86. Google it.

 

Oh yeah, the system works just fine until my network goes down and then it never reconnects.  And when I plug in a monitor so far the results have either been a blank screen or that one time it was unresponsive with the screen I left in the OP.

 

I have not run a memtest, but I certainly can.  It seems odd that memory would be a factor only when network goes out but who knows.

 

Anyone else have any thoughts?  Any potential smoking guns to investigate?

[JonathanM]

32 minutes ago, sixfootsideburns said:

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Different ethernet card?

Different Unraid version? Try 6.9 rc2

[sixfootsideburns]

That's a good idea, I'll look to try and revert to an old release this weekend.  Unfortunately a new Ethernet isn't in the cards right now, does that seem like a likely culprit?  Has anyone ever heard of something like this before?

[sixfootsideburns]

Recently the server started just locking up randomly too and is requiring restarts.  Anyone have any ideas?  Getting a bit desperate

[ChatNoir]

Did you try the other options suggested above ?

On 2/12/2021 at 5:55 PM, jonathanm said:

Different Unraid version? Try 6.9 rc2

 

On 2/12/2021 at 5:01 AM, trurl said:

Have you done memtest? Since you are booting UEFI simpler to use another flash drive to boot memtest86. Google it.

 

[Barryrod]

When you say your network goes down, please explain what you mean. What router and switches are you using? Give us a rundown of your network.

[ChatNoir]

Is the network going down whether or not your Unraid server is ON ?

 

Is the network failing because Unraid crashes or is it the other way around ?

[sixfootsideburns]

I had not tried upgrading because the server was crashing, and I was on the hunt for a flash drive that I finally found to run the memtest.  First pass looks like I have a bad stick of RAM which is both a bummer and a relief.  I'm letting the test run for awhile longer to be sure that was the only issue, but when I ran it initially it stopped the test early because of the volume of errors (10k+) which feels like a likely smoking gun?  Not sure what caused it to degrade so quickly, and I have no idea if that would attribute to my original issue, but fingers crossed.

 

Does anyone have any feedback on whether a bad stick of RAM would likely cause the server to freeze on lose of network connection?

[JonathanM]

Just now, sixfootsideburns said:

Does anyone have any feedback on whether a bad stick of RAM would likely cause the server to freeze on lose of network connection?

Bad RAM is completely unpredictable, other than the obvious of corrupted data causing random issues. Any data copied to or from a server with bad ram is suspect.

[sixfootsideburns]

19 hours ago, Barryrod said:

When you say your network goes down, please explain what you mean. What router and switches are you using? Give us a rundown of your network.

No internet access, but according to my ISP's website my modem is still connected.  Some HW info:

Modem: SurfBoard SB6183

Router: Google Home Wifi

Switch: Netgear FS105

 

Currently I do not have the IP reserved on my router, and I'm still running a Static IP in Unraid.  All equipment has been otherwise stable for quite awhile.

 

18 hours ago, ChatNoir said:

Is the network going down whether or not your Unraid server is ON ?

 

Is the network failing because Unraid crashes or is it the other way around ?

This is a great question that I don't really have the answer too.  I'll have to continue monitoring.  Is it likely that an issue with Unraid could take down the connection across my network?

 

18 hours ago, jonathanm said:

Bad RAM is completely unpredictable, other than the obvious of corrupted data causing random issues. Any data copied to or from a server with bad ram is suspect.

Great to know, thanks!  I've only dealt with a bad stick of RAM once and it was years ago.  Ultimately it led to major instability but that was it.

 

 

Thanks for the ideas from everyone.  I've pulled the bad stick of RAM and booted the server back up.  I'll continue to monitor, but if anyone has any other thoughts on the network question I'd love the feedback.  In the mean time if the server stays stable for the next day or two I'll look to upgrade to 6.9.X as suggested.

Edited February 15, 2021 by sixfootsideburns

[Barryrod]

With google home, i believe if your internet goes down, you lose ALL internal network connectivity because the actual routing is done in the cloud. I would dump the google routing and get yourself a router you can control. I believe you could still use the wifi mesh with your own router

 

I personally use a dual wan router I have full control over, and pay for internet service from AT&T and Xfinity to ensure I have internet connection. Also if I disconnect both internet connections, my internal network including my unraid and security cameras is still 100% functional. 

 

I believe we as a society are depending on cloud based services WAY too much, and it is getting worse IMO

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Barryrod

[sixfootsideburns]

Yeah I figured that solution would be pretty frowned upon by the community 😂.  Until very recently though it was worked very well with some of the most solid wifi I've experienced, not a hiccup of lag, and essentially no down time in almost 18 months.  I have more complaints with Xfinity's service than I do with the Google Hardware.  With that said, I 100% agree with your statement on cloud dependence.  It's a nerve racking trend that I also try to avoid (hence the personal server as a primary source of storage).  No security cameras on my end to manage thankfully, just the server.

 

As an update, after pulling the bad stick of RAM I booted back up and Force Checked any files in Deluge.  Deluge locked up, and when I went to restart the docker I found all my Dockers were crashing (Error 403?).  A bit of research found I likely had a corrupted docker image.  I deleted it, cleared my dockers, and set everything back up from scratch.  So far, so good.  Including! *drum roll* My original issue!  I've no idea why a bad stick of RAM would prevent reconnect on network outage but yesterday I had a connectivity blip in the middle of the day and was able to access Unraid's WebUI once my connection came back.

 

Big thanks to everyone for the support and ideas for troubleshooting.  I truly appreciate the input!

[sixfootsideburns]

As it turns out, my Deluge continues to have issues.  Something happens when I kick off a download and it causes all my dockers to crash.  Any guesses on that one?