DSS200 Error connecting to Media Block

[Philip Jones]

I have this error on one of my DSS200s with Cat862. The error seems to have appeared following a brief power outage.

I've rebooted the server multiple times but always the same result.

The link cable connection does have flashing lights (and when I disconnect it the server throws up a Red 'Link cable disconnected' error).

I tried putting a cable directly from the server to the internal network connection, but that didn't work either.

I've tried connected to the cat862 by USB cable and the Dolby software but it won't see the cat862.

Does anyone have any ideas, or does it sound like something in the cat862 has given up?

[Steve Guttag]

If the Software Update Utility doesn't see the CAT862...it is pretty much done.

Ensure that when you power cycle things, you leave it off for a minute to ensure that the CAT862 powers all of the way down. When it powers up if you still cannot connect via USB (and verify that your computer/software/USB cable are working on another server as I've seen incompatibilities), that's it, your server is done.

[Leo Enticknap]

Make sure that the USB driver on your computer is OK, though. If it's Windows 10 or 11, when you install the Media Block or Software Update app, you ideally need the most recent version that includes a signed certificate for the USB driver (there is a workaround that enables you to use the older version and have Windows ignore driver signature verification, but it's fiddly). If you simply install the older version and click f-off to all the error messages, the result will be that the app will see devices through a network connection, but not via USB. If you are certain that the USB driver is OK and the computer still won't see the cat862, then like Steve wrote - I'm afraid it's gone into FIPS lock and is unrepairable.

[Philip Jones]

I feared as much. I connected to one of our other cat862s just to make sure it wasn't the laptop\cable and that worked straight away.

Is there any use for the server at all? Can it show unencrypted content, or is it completely useless? Luckily it was for our outdoor screen and we don't start our season until July so we have a little time to sort a replacement.

[Steve Guttag]

It cannot show any content (the mediablock is where picture and sound leave the server). It can be a parts donor (power supplies, motherboard, PSU distribution...etc.) It can be turned, for the most part, in to a DSL200 by changing the RAID card, multilane cable and adding two drives (I've done that...thus far, the only hiccup has been it won't take a remote software update but local updates via CD-ROM still work...but that hasn't been an issue).

Sadly, I'm seeing CAT862 failures at a trickle now (just had one this past week) as well as CAT745s, and GDC's equivalents (SX-2001, SX-2000AR's IMB). I remember when they came out the expected longevity was 5-7 years on the servers. Most have exceeded that, by a fair margin. I've definitely have had enough life on them that the BIOS batteries have gone "flat." If you ever get a DSS200 that seems to be going crazy and not booting up right or at all..check the BIOS battery...when it gets too low...more than just the date/Power On after power loss gets forgotten. A new battery and it can spring back to life.

[Leo Enticknap]

I had several DSS servers with that failure mode after covid. Miraculously, the media block batteries (both 862 and 745) had survived a year or more of no power, but the BIOS battery on the server motherboard was flat. A specific issue is that if the motherboard's BIOS clock is out from the media block's clock by more than a relatively small time period, the server will refuse to connect to the media block. Setting the BIOS clock to the correct time (in UTC) fixes it, if the media block is still OK.

In addition to being a non-media block parts donor or converting it to a DSL, it could also be converted into a NAS for additional storage in the booth. This could be useful if you like to keep a large collection of DCPs available, or occasionally run large festivals or that sort of thing. I have installed Open Media Vault on a former DSS100 and DSS200, with pretty good results.

[Marcel Birgelen]

The irony is that, if it wasn't for the customized hardware in there, the media blocks, machines like the DDS200 could still be good for another 5 to 7 years (and maybe even beyond), as everything in there is pretty much off-the-shelf PC server hardware and there are plenty of spare parts around.

[Leo Enticknap]

I hear you. I am all for maintaining anything electronic and mechanical for as long as it does what is required of it, and maintenance vs. replacement is not cost prohibitive. My first car after emigrating to the USA was a 1999 Civic that had 406K miles on it by the time it was stolen from the parking garage of San Bernardino's Metrolink station on a day I made the ill-advised decision to give myself a day off driving and take the train into LA. If that hadn't happened, I'd likely still be driving it, and it would be at somewhere between 550-600K. The PC in my office is a 2007 Dell, that has had a new power supply, new hard drives, an extra 4GB of RAM, and a graphics card to enable dual monitors installed. It is still completely reliable and runs W10 quite happily: I will likely continue to use it until W10 support ends in 2025, at which time it will become a security risk to leave it online.

But as for media blocks and IMBs, our hands are tied. Because of the DCI and FIPS restrictions, if they fail and the OEM no longer provides a recertification service they, and the servers they are designed to work with, are done. All you can do is repurpose the rack server for something else, if there is a separate rack server. The oligopoly that controls the DCP server/media block market here (Dolby, GDC, and Barco) have decided to aggressively force-obsolete their older models. We, as integrators and end users, have no control over that.