P-Series keeps rebooting over and over

Symptom

A P-Series unit reboots automatically over and over. Possibly, the video channels also show "Loading..." when they are viewed between reboots. If the user is logged in remotely, they may be getting kicked out of their client applications with a message indicating a loss of network connection.

Solution

At what point does the system reboot? The normal boot process of a P-Series will be the following screens in order:

1. 3VR Splash Screen (POST)

   • If a system reboots here, the issue is likely due to a faulty motherboard or PSU

   • Note that if the system reboots at this stage, it will be rebooting at intervals of under 10 seconds

   • Verify that the system is receiving sufficient power, and if it is, the resolution is to do a system RMA

2. Windows loading bar (White bar on bottom of screen)

   • If a system is rebooting at this screen, consider that there may be corruption on the DOM which is causing Windows to fail when attempting to load

   • If that is the case, we should do a DOM RMA

   • However, this may also be due to a failed motherboard or PSU

3. 3VR software loading in windows (System Starting..., etc), or login screen/SpotMonitor (showing "Loading..." or not displaying video, just channel names/times)

   • This usually indicates a problem with the video encoder card.

   • Before troubleshooting the video card, have the tech check the date/time of the unit. We have had one case where having the date set to a time very far into the past caused the unit to act like it had a failed video card. This is caused by the CMOS battery failing, so either that part or the system will need to be replaced.

   • If the date is correct, see P-Series and S-Series loading on all channels for steps on troubleshooting the card

   • If, after replacing the stretch card, the unit continues to reboot, RMA the system

4. 3VR software loads and runs apparently normally (Sign in screen or SpotMonitor, displays video) but the unit periodically reboots itself (every 30 minutes to several hours):

   1. In this case, the unit may be overloaded or there may be a problem with the power at the location.

      • Run the system load diagnostics and look at the number of restarts.

      • Get logs and system diagnostics from the user and look at their settings.

   2. If the system looks overloaded:

      • Resource units in the P-Series were implemented to prevent this type of issue from occurring, but we have sometimes still seen this, particularly on systems running our newer plug-ins, such as counting.

      • If the system is overloaded, reducing settings such as number of analytic channels, frame rates, number of continuous recording channels, disabling local OpCenter, etc should reduce the load to a point that will prevent the reboot from occurring.

      • Plug-ins may cause this issue, but if they do, it is a bug that we should probably address with a patch - talk to Sara or Gordy about escalating to engineering

   3. If the system does not appear to be overloaded but still is rebooting over and over every 5-10 minutes:

      • May be a problem with the power source at the location. Look for frequent dirty shutdowns in the logs which would indicate that the unit is getting inconsistent power from the UPS (universal power supply) or the outlet. Make sure the UPS is supplying sufficient power. Have them try a different UPS and/or outlet and see if the rebooting problem is resolved.