Loss of connection to Power PMAC 465 in my app but not otherwise

[HJTrost]

I am working on converting my Turbo PMAC software to Power PMAC and have made some good progress.  My application program starts, initialized the 3-stage system (Cartesian x, y z) and makes abs-linear moves, abs-rapid moves and velocity jog oves just fine.  Homing is also under control.

My problem is that as soon as I take a 1 minute break before asking for the next move, the controller does not respond any longer - actually, no command goes through to the controller.

I have a Power PMAC Clipper 465.  My control program sits on a Windows 10 laptop.  I use the libssh2 implementation from Observatory Sciences to let my control program talk to the PMAC.  OF the many "system" calls in the Observatory Sciences package, I use just 3:
     _connect(192.168.0.200, root, password, 22, use-minus-2)
     _sendCommand(command,reply)
     _disconnect()

When the accident happens, _sendCommand reports no bytes written.  One level down in the package, this function attempts writing by a call to
     _write(buffer, buffersize, byteswritten, timeout)
which issues the report that _sendCommand offers.

The calling continues into
     SSHDriver::write(buffer, buffersize, byteswritten, timeout)

and that finally calls
     libssh2_channel_write(channel, buffer, buffersize)

This function is part of the libssh2 library, specifically version 1.4.3, of which Observatory Sciences included the finished DLL but no source.  It reports an error -43, which I found in another source (for libssh2 1.10.0) to be named LIBSSH2_ERROR_SOCKET_RECV.

At this point I have to close my program - the _disconnect() call apparently succeeds.  Starting my application right away does also work, same whole story, so disconnect/connect clears the problem.  That is of course not anacceptable behavior.

If I keep a terminal window open on my laptop, I can ping the controller just fine after the accident has happened.  If I start the Power PMAC IDE before my application program and just let it sit (connected to the PMAC), it will take and execute a simple jog command like #1j:50000 (about 37 mm distance) after the accident has happened.

The Power PMAC IDE does not show any such behavior, it survices tea time just fine.

Question: Has anybody seen this or similar behavior before, and if so, what was the solution?

Cheers,      Jochen

[leandro.martins]

Hello @HJTrost

Your problem seems similar to the described on this topic:

It might worth to try increase the ClientAliveInterval setting, or setting to 0 to disable the timeout.

[HJTrost]

Leandro,

it sure looks like it.  However:

I do not have the selection "Tools -> Options -> Power PMAC -> Communication Settings available.

There are no entries ClientAliveCountMax or ClientAliveInterval in /etc/ssh/ssh_config.

There is an entry "ConnectTimeout 0" in /etc/ssh/ssh_config.

I am working with Power PMAC IDE 4.4.0.99 with firmware 2.5.2.0.  I have a newer version of the IDE at hand but not a 2.6.x version of the firmware, and the newer IDE does not like the 2.5.x firmware.

My host system is Windows 10 but my application program is 32-bit, having a 25+ year history of development in it.

So what are my options now?

[HJTrost]

More trials.

ClientAliveCountMax=3 and ClientAliveInterval=15 are in /etc/ssh/sshd_config.  Setting ClientAliveInterval=150, uploading it with my WinSCP FTP client and the running my application does not change my results, i.e., after a wait time of 60 seconds I do not get a response anymore.  I tried successively 15, 20, 25, ... , 65 seconds, and at 65 seconds the accident happened.  If I power-cycle the PMAC, the uploaded version of sshd_config has reverted to the old original (imported from /.readonly/etc/ssh/sshd_config ?).  As my application logs in separately from the FTP client (and Putty which I have open for looking), where does it get its settings?

Cheers,            Jochen

[leandro.martins]

10 hours ago, HJTrost said:

If I power-cycle the PMAC, the uploaded version of sshd_config has reverted to the old original (imported from /.readonly/etc/ssh/sshd_config ?). 

Yes, to make it permanent it will be necessary to apply those changes in the .readonly.

I'm without ideas, maybe someone from ODT will help you more.

Anyway, I would suggest to send an email to the support, since it could be a problem of incompatibility between the Power PMAC FW and the SSH application.

[HJTrost]

As I am now working with a CK3C AX1100 and PMAC IDE 4.6.0.14 and still observe the same problem, I revisited the topic (SSH Timeout) that Leandro pointed to in one of his answers.  It does indeed solve my problem.  I set ClientAliveInterval=0 through the IDE as shown there, and it even takes care of making it permanent.  The earlier version of the PMAC IDE that I was using (4.4.0.99) does not offer this access to the Client-Alive parameters.

[steve.milici]

Edit the “/.readonly/etc/ssh/sshd_config” to make it permanent.