ITS boot problems

[wjegr...@gmail.com]

Not sure what's going on, but I'm finding it basically impossible to launch ITS. TOPS-10 works fine, so the simulator is working. Symptom - pdpcontrol start 1 (or using the switch setting), the initial load loop doesn't start, brief flicker of lamps, then goes into stop state. I've had it actually boot only once, that time ITS worked. So there is some issue with the initial startup. I am running headless on a Pi 5, connecting via VNC. Anyone seen this, or have any suggestions? I did update the boot images yesterday.

Also, even the one time ITS booted, running minsky displayed absolutely nothing in the tv11 window, even though it was clearly running. I'll take a look at the shell scripts this morning, see if there's a clue there.

Finally, the pdp10 doesn't start on login, but I suspect this is because of the headless connection, minor detail.

[Mitchell Wolrich]

VNC in, then:

start terminal session, then

pdpcontrol stop (to stop blinky from running)

pdpcontrol start 1

pdp telcon

type "ITS" [return] (ESCAPE) G

ITS will now startup..

you can also select "other", then "pdp-10 view" and you get the telcon window, a TV11 window, a KA10 window, and a shell all in one, which is what I do

Mitch

[wjegr...@gmail.com]

Nope. pdpcontrol start 1 fails, loader doesn't start. Can't find any logs. 10 goes into 'stop' mode.

[wjegr...@gmail.com]

In fact, pidp10 isn't running after the brief startup. Screen prog is. screen -ls pidp10 reports no sockets found. Reports running pidp10 if I start blinky instead (or TOPS-10). So something in the ITS initial boot seems to be crashing pidp10. I nuked /opt/pidp10, did a new install, same issue.

[amp...@gmail.com]

Your solution might be what Richard C suggested on this list on 2024-04-25:

 

On Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 11:26 AM UTC-4 Richard C wrote:

> For default, all switches should be up in the front, and down in the back (back being the lighted panel). Front being toward the operator.
>
>> On Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 10:45:44 AM UTC-4 tube...@gmail.com wrote:
>> Thank you so much!  That was it!  Mine was pre-assembled, and came with all switches set to "on".
>> I just set both the "Sing Inst" and "Sing Cycle" switches off, and it worked.

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[wjegr...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 8:32:04 AM UTC-4 amp...@gmail.com wrote:

Your solution might be what Richard C suggested on this list on 2024-04-25:

No joy, that's my current switch settings. I also verified that the switches are all working properly via the test program. Very strange. I am running the rPi os, version bookworm.

[oscarv]

This sounds like an important bug.

Maybe it is related to the comment I just read, about the newest install adding the lines...

[autostart]
pidp = pdpcontrol start

In the file

~/.config/wayfire.ini

...twice if you did the software install headless. I did not catch that, as I've always used the Pi's HDMI/keyboard route.

Can you check for that? I will anyway fix that bug today.

Install using HDMI monitor/USB keyboard works fine, but headless, I will fix today.

Kind regards,

Oscar.

[Steve Pitcher]

I saw my pdp = pdpcontrol start

THREE  times in my wayfire.ini.

[oscarv]

Steve,

On Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 10:34:29 PM UTC+2 stpit...@gmail.com wrote:

I saw my pdp = pdpcontrol start

THREE  times in my wayfire.ini.

Yes, that was the bug I introduced on Monday. It should actually not cause an issue (no thanks to me though). 

But it is fixed now, see this earlier post from today: https://groups.google.com/g/pidp-10/c/GO2f9weHEJQ/m/V9BlrjLJAAAJ

Kind regards,

Oscar.

 

[oscarv]

Hi,

On Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 12:55:58 PM UTC+2 wjegr...@gmail.com wrote:

Not sure what's going on, but I'm finding it basically impossible to launch ITS.

Just to make sure you're on the latest software update, can you do these steps so you have today's update:

https://groups.google.com/g/pidp-10/c/GO2f9weHEJQ/m/V9BlrjLJAAAJ

Would you mind emailing me at oscar.v...@hotmail.com to figure out what the problem is, I am quicker to respond there. 

I'd like to fix the issue, it seems to be something very specific. The software seems to run fine for others in the field, making your problem hard to reproduce - or was it Monday's bug?

From the top of my head:

• you do know about having to press STOP, then READ IN, to get the ITS boot script going on when you use pdpcontrol start (sans the 1 behind it)? As you can run TOPS-10, and that step is only for ITS, that might be it?
• did you install the Bookworm version of Raspberry Pi OS? Not the older version?
• anything else installed on the Pi, or was a freshly created SD card used?
• did you run the install process on Wayland, X11, or over ssh (headless)? Regardless, should work, but might give me some pointers. Did you change from Wayland to X11 (should work though).
  
  
• the quickest fix would be to just delete the pidp-directory and reinstall afresh:
  pdpcontrol stop
  cd /opt
  sudo rm -r pidp10
  sudo git clone https://github.com/obsolescence/pidp10
  /opt/pidp10/install/install.sh
  
  (apologies for describing in baby steps, I'm just trying to be precise :) )

 Please let me know - I'd like to solve this puzzle!

Kind regards,

Oscar.

[wjegr...@gmail.com]

Ok, ITS is booting again, for no particular reason. I nuked the /opt/pidp10 dir, completely reloaded, rebooted. Second time I tried this, but now I know I have all the current stuff. ITS now comes up, and the new remote rdp terminals are also working great in Win 10. I'm using tv11 remotely, chess is running. More testing to come.

[wjegr...@gmail.com]

I've determined how to reproduce the issue, if not the underlying cause. On my system (headless, X11, rPi 5, bookworm) ITS will start once. After a shutdown, it will not restart unless the rPi is rebooted. Not convenient.

[oscarv]

On Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 4:29:56 PM UTC+2 wjegr...@gmail.com wrote:

I've determined how to reproduce the issue, if not the underlying cause. On my system (headless, X11, rPi 5, bookworm) ITS will start once. After a shutdown, it will not restart unless the rPi is rebooted. Not convenient.

Yes, that is now solved with the bug fix of yesterday, see the post and also the just-updated manual.

(The new version of the manual is worth re-downloading from the yellow bar at the top of the Google Group overview, many improvements again)

If you install headless and afterwards use the Wayland GUI, you need to rerun the 'autostart?' section of the install script. 

Also,

If you flip the Pi's configuration over from Wayland to X11 or vice versa, rerun the 'autostart' section of the install script.

Explanation: because running headless, the install script can't know you will use Wayland. And Wayland annoyingly wants to autostart programs on its own, the 'classic' autostart approach with an entry in .profile breaks GUI programs.

(I don't want the install script to force a swap into X11. Because Wayland, for better or for worse, is the new standard. So I recommend Wayland as the default for the PiDP-10 unless you want to change the Pi back to X11 yourself).

Solved! Thank you for the warning.

Kind regards,

Oscar.