VESTA: Spectracom/Orolia/Safran NetClock 9483: Device Failure Resolution


Issue

Problem: Spectracom NetClock is Unresponsive

ex: When network devices are not syncing network time and techs are unable to SSH into the device and/or access the webUI

 

Background:

In the instance that a site's NetClock 9483 device becomes unresponsive, it may be likely that the SSD card that acts as the device's hard drive is full.  The issue may also be compounded by outdated firmware versions that cause SSD's to fail prematurely. The steps in this KB will provide guidance for resolving NetClock failures related to drive space and/or firmware upgrades

Resolution

Table of Contents

 


Orolia 9483 NetClock Online User Manual: https://safran-navigation-timing.com/manuals/NC/Content/_Global/Topics/SETUP_Sha/2_INSTALL_intro.htm

 

Accessing the NetClock OS via SSH

 

  1. Attempt to SSH into the NetClock
    1. Open Putty and connect to device (usually xxx.xxx.xxx.243)
    2. Username should be: spadmin  or  admin
    3. Password should be: admin123

     NOTE: It is not uncommon for the device to reply to ping and even allow the SSH connection, but not prompt for a username or password.  If this is the case, skip to the "Accessing the NetClock's webUI" section of the article

 

 

Check Available Drive Space

 

  1. Run df –h    (Use % should be less than 70%)

 

Image 1.png

 

   2. Access the device's webUI to attempt to clean-up drive  -or

   3. If you can access via SSH/Putty get to home/spectracom folder and remove large updates to clear space.

        >Remove any updates that end in tar.gz

Image 2.png        

Image 3.png

 

  4.  Run the clearlogs command 'clearlogs'

  5.  Run the clearstats command 'clearstats'

  6.  verify space saved via df -h command

 

 

Accessing the NetClock's webUI

 

  1. Open a Chrome or Firefox browser from the site's MGT PC or other applicable Windows PC/Server
  2. Browse to xxx.xxx.xxx.243
    1. Username should be: spadmin or admin
    2. Password should be: admin123
  3. If the webUI is not accessible it may be necessary to powercycle the device
    1. If a powercycle is necessary, request that the onsite tech disconnect the power cable for 60 seconds and then reconnect the power cable

 

NOTE: If the device is still unresponsive following a powercycle, skip to the "Request a new SSD Card…" section of the article

  1. If the webUI is accessible proceed to checking the device's firmware version

 

  

 

Check the Firmware Version

 

  1. From the NetClock's webUI click on the TOOLS button and then select Update/Backup

 

Image 4.png

 

  

                     2. Check the firmware version

 

Image 5.png

 

     3.  If the FW version is older than v5.8.2, request a new SSD Card from Orolia/Spectracom Tech Support (see "Request a new SSD Card…" section of the article) and then proceed to the "Clear All Logs and Stats" section of the article

 

                  4.  If the FW version is v5.8.4 or newer proceed to the "Clear All Logs and Stats" section of the article

  

 

Clear All Logs and Stats

 

  1. From the Upgrades page of the webUI click on the Clear All Logs button and follow prompts to clear the logs

 

Image 6.png

 

Image 7.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   2.  When the log cleanup is completed, click on the Clear All Stats button and follow prompts to clear the stats

 

Image 8.png

 

 

 

Deleting old Update Files

 

Update files used in previously executed software upgrades are stored in the home/spectracom directory. You can delete them individually via the Web UI (they are no longer used by the System, after the update has been applied).

To delete each update file:

  1.  In the Web UI, navigate to Tools > Upgrade/Backup. 

 

             2. Click on the button Update System Software in the top-left corner. The Upgrade System Software window will open. The drop-down list will display each update file currently stored in the Compact Flash Card.

 

Image 9.png

 

3.  Select the file to be deleted, and check the Delete Upgrade File checkbox. Then click Submit.

4.  Repeat this process to delete any other listed update file.

 

 

Using the Disk Cleanup Patch

 

Under some circumstances, clearing logs and stats conventionally via the Web UI (as described in the previous sections of the article) will require an additional step in order to achieve an optimum restoration of disk space. Orolia/Spectracom provides a Disk Cleanup Patch that can be downloaded from https://files.spectracom.com/public-downloads/updatecleaner-securesyncnetclock-9400, and run from within the Web UI. This Patch will clean items that are not user accessible otherwise.

  1. After downloading the Disk Cleanup Patch, Save and extract it to a known location on the local PC/Server
  2. Navigate to TOOLS > SYSTEM: Upgrade/Backup 
  3. From the ACTIONS panel, click on Update System Software., to open the Upgrade System Software window

 

Image 10.png

 

     4. Click Upload New File, and navigate to the location where you saved/extracted the file updateCleaner.tar.gz in Step 1.

     5. Once the file has been uploaded, in the Upgrade System Software window, select the Perform Upgrade option.

 

Image 11.png

 

      6.  Once you have clicked Submit, the In Progress window will be displayed until the cleanup process has been completed. This may take several minutes.

 

      7.  When the cleanup has been completed, the STATUS will change from Processing to Failed. This is because the cleanup script utilizes the Upgrade Process, and even though the cleanup was successful, the system detects that no upgrade was performed, and hence reports a Failed Status.

 

 

Image 12.png

      8.  Since the unit was rebooted during the cleanup, you will be asked to log back into the Web UI

      9.  To verify successful cleanup, navigate back to TOOLS > SYSTEM: Upgrade/Backup, and take note again of the Percent value in the Disk Status panel (as in Step 2.). If the number displayed now is smaller than the number shown before the cleanup, the procedure was successful.

    10.  Proceed to the "Upgrading the Firmware" section of the article

 

Upgrading the Firmware

 

Note: If a new SSD is being ordered for the NetClock, postpone the FW upgrade until the new drive is installed.

  1. Navigate to https://files.spectracom.com/public-downloads/latest-securesync-netclock-files
  2. Download the latest .tar.gz file and save it to a known location on the local PC/Server
  3. Download the NetClock SW Instructions .pdf
  4. Follow the instructions in the PDF to update the NetClock FW 

 

 

 

Terms of Use Disclaimer - The information provided in this article is intended to help guide customers on how to address situations that they may encounter with their products. Care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site. Motorola Solutions Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries, including but not limited to Motorola Solutions Connectivity, Inc., assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this article, or any data or configuration loss that may result by employing this information, which is provided “as is” and “as available”, with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness. By using this article, you agree to these terms and conditions