(2) DMA 2200's and (2) DMA 2100's Locking Up, But XBOX works

[pacz]

My current system includes: (2) DMA 2100's, (2) DMA 2200's, (2) XBOX's. I have the Ceton InfiniTV4 running in a dedicated HTPC. Verizon is my ISP and i have the Actiontec MI424WR-GEN2. Everything is on a static IP behind the Actiontec. MY entire network is wired gigabit.
My system has been running great for years! Last month, my Verizon Actiontec router fried itself. Came home, no internet and no lights. So, i got a new one from Verizon. Plugged it in and everything seemed to be OK.
It could just be a terrible coincidence, but all of my Linksys DMA units now freeze up after i replaced the Actiontec?? Sometimes it can be after 30 minutes or 9 hours of continuous operation. But, eventually they will all freeze. The funny thing is that the (2) XBOX's work perfectly! They never get dropped from the network after the DMA's let go.
I already have the DNS address set to 0.0.0.0. Had to do that like everyone else when Cisco shut down the server. The are all configured manually with a static IP. My network is 192.168.2.XXX.
Going into the HTPC Event Viewer, I see Event ID 117 - The Media Center Extender user was abruptly disconnected. Don't know if this helps? I have searched for weeks, but i am now at my wits end...
I think it might be the HTPC? But, i have not touched it in years! I only run WMC on this dedicated PC.
Sometimes after i power cycle the DMA, it may not come back on the network for 30 minutes.
I have reset the DMA's a few times to factory defaults. Reconfigured them with the HTPC WMC a hundred times. Still nothing!
Anyone have any ideas as to why i suddenly have (4) paper weights?
Thanks,
PACZ

[foxwood]

One thing that might be a factor is that the old Actiontec had 100Mb Ethernet ports. Does the new one have Gigabit ports?

If so, the HTPC might now be connecting to the switch at gig speeds, and somehow the extenders are not coping well with that.

[pacz]

Thanks foxwood.

The specs for the Actiontec state "support home networking speeds up to 1Gbps" on the website: http://www.actiontec.com/products/datas ... etv2-1.pdf

I just went into the Actiontec and dialed down the ports to 100 Half Duplex to see if that helps.

I'll let you know if that works.
PACZ

[DanH]

Obviously the most recent change has been the replacement of the router so I would definitely focus on that as your problem first.

You stated that "MY entire network is wired gigabit". What is the topology for switches, etc...

If possible connect all devices to the same gigabit switch (not the router as that is the newest item, right now). Verify that the PC sees it as a gigabit connection. All of the other devices (DMAs definitely, not sure about all versions of Xbox) run at 100mbps, but that is the right way to do it....otherwise all those devices pulling media at the same time will overwhelm the PC.

If that solves the problem, then connect 1 port on the gigabit switch to the Actiontec. This will allow all devices to have access to the internet through that port.

[blueiedgod]

Something does not add up. Verizon FiOS router only has 4 LAN ports, and you have at least 7 connections (2x DMA2100 + 2x DMA2200 + 2x XBOX + 1x HTPC)

Do you have additional switches? Are all of the "whole house DVR" machines connected to a switch which is then uplinked to the router?

Also, are you under the spec for the number of CPU cores in relation to the number of extenders? i.e. 1 CPU core per extender, meaning for your set up you should have 6 core CPU and at least 6 Gb of RAM. Add the TV connected to the HTPC, and you should have 7 cpu cores...


Which begs another question, since Microsoft only allows 5 extenders at once, are you attempting to have all 6 extenders (2x DMA2100 + 2x DMA220 + 2X XBOX) operate at the same time?
I have never tried to operate more than 5 extenders at the same time, but is it possible that is the reason why they are being kicked out?

[pacz]

Let me add a few important details. Sorry I didn't layout the entire topology of my network. It was setup with the help of my friend.
From the Verizon Actiontec router, i only use one of the four ports to go into a NETGEAR FS726TP 24 pt 10/100 Smart Switch w/PoE. So, all of the extenders, XBOX's, PC's, etc are patched thru the switch. Throughout the house I also have (2) Cisco WRVS4400n v2 Wireless Routers, (2) Cisco WAP4410n WAP, and a couple of Netgear Ethernet Switches.
As i mentioned above, i have the Ceton InfiniTV4 PCIe card. So, i can only connect 4 extenders at a time. I don't think it is a CPU issue.
I'm by far the furthest from a network expert, but I agree with DanH. My setup has been working flawlessly, until the old Actiontec failed. So, I already tried dialing down the ports on the new Actiontec, like foxwood recommended. We'll see what happens today. I have two TV's running now and have had no problems. But, like i said, the extenders may hold on for hours or minutes. I'll cross my fingers.

[foxwood]

From the Verizon Actiontec router, i only use one of the four ports to go into a NETGEAR FS726TP 24 pt 10/100 Smart Switch w/PoE. So, all of the extenders, XBOX's, PC's, etc are patched thru the switch.

If everything connects through this Netgear switch, and the ActionTec is only used for Internet access, and doesn't handle any internal traffic, then I don't think my suggestion is going to make any difference. If I understand you correctly, you could unplug the Actiontec entirely, and all of your Extender connections would keep working, you just wouldn't be able to access the internet any more?

[pacz]

Correct. The Actiontec is only used for internet. I know, it doesn't make sense, but at this point I'm willing to try anything! Ready to throw everything in the trash and go back to paying Verizon their ridiculous STB fees.
Extenders lasted 14 hours yesterday and then crashed last night.
Did a system restore on the HTPC this morning. Lets see what happens now.
PACZ

[blueiedgod]

4x20 mpbs = 80 mbps, if there is any other internal traffic, you may be pegging the netgear switch. It may just be a coincidence that it started happening after the router was replaced, but look into getting a gigabit switch.

Meanwhile, connect the HTPC, and the linksys extenders to the Actiontec router. The new one should have gigabit ports. While the DMA's are 100 mbps only, the traffic between the HTPC (if it has gigabit NIC) may be too much for the netgear switch.

Try and see what happens.


Also, are the DMA's seem to be disconnecting at night (or more importantly, within the time frame you set up your HTPC to perform optimization and updates)? I notcied that when HTPC updates and reboots, XBOX reconnects automatically, but Linksys extenders don't.

[pacz]

Thanks blueiedgod. I'll try anything at this point. System restore on the HTPC didn't help at all.

I just plugged the HTPC and one of the DMA extenders into the Actiontec to see what happens.

Let me add. The extenders are not crashing only at night. They will crash randomly throughout the day.

Does anyone think there was a Windows Update that screwed up my HTPC? Again, the HTPC and extenders are somewhat separated from the Actiontec. I just can't let go if the fact that my setup has worked flawlessly for 4 years! Maybe the HTPC is dated?

Another point to add. Sometimes when the extenders freeze up, they will occasionally not come back to the network. I can power cycle them a hundred times and they will just sit on the "communicating with pc" screen for hours. It's almost like the HTPC is not allowing them back into the network pool.

PACZ

[blueiedgod]

Thanks blueiedgod. I'll try anything at this point. System restore on the HTPC didn't help at all.

I just plugged the HTPC and one of the DMA extenders into the Actiontec to see what happens.

Let me add. The extenders are not crashing only at night. They will crash randomly throughout the day.

Does anyone think there was a Windows Update that screwed up my HTPC? Again, the HTPC and extenders are somewhat separated from the Actiontec. I just can't let go if the fact that my setup has worked flawlessly for 4 years! Maybe the HTPC is dated?

Another point to add. Sometimes when the extenders freeze up, they will occasionally not come back to the network. I can power cycle them a hundred times and they will just sit on the "communicating with pc" screen for hours. It's almost like the HTPC is not allowing them back into the network pool.

PACZ

Could it be that NIC in the extender(s) is dyeing?

[yumyum]

Were you ever able to resolve this?

I am having this exact same issue with a DMA2200 in my setup. Xbox 360's work great, but DMA2200 is freezing up after some period of time and the Event Viewer shows ID 117. Strangely, my CPU also seems to be much higher when the DMA2200 is connected, however it is the System process that is the culprit (not the typically wmpnetwk or other media center related processes). I looked into the System CPU spike and show that Intelppm.sys seems to be the majority of the utilization. Might be completely unrelated, but I am otherwise at a loss for why this is happening.

I also have an Actiontec Router (MI424WR-GEN3I), but this had been working well for the past year since I had FiOS installed.

Would appreciate any feedback or ideas.

[blueiedgod]

Were you ever able to resolve this?

I am having this exact same issue with a DMA2200 in my setup. Xbox 360's work great, but DMA2200 is freezing up after some period of time and the Event Viewer shows ID 117. Strangely, my CPU also seems to be much higher when the DMA2200 is connected, however it is the System process that is the culprit (not the typically wmpnetwk or other media center related processes). I looked into the System CPU spike and show that Intelppm.sys seems to be the majority of the utilization. Might be completely unrelated, but I am otherwise at a loss for why this is happening.

I also have an Actiontec Router (MI424WR-GEN3I), but this had been working well for the past year since I had FiOS installed.

Would appreciate any feedback or ideas.

In "Task Manager", under "Processes", you can click on "Show processes from all users" and then look for user that ends with MCX. That is your extender. You can then see exactly what processes extender is using your CPU for.

[QingGuy]

Were you ever able to resolve this?

Yes was this solved and if so would you mind updating? I'm having similar issues.

[yumyum]

I factory reset the Linksys, deleted the Extender from Media Center and setup like brand new. It seems to be working better, but still not perfect. So badly wish they would just allow the Xbox One to be a Media Center Extender

[hokie21]

I'm having the same issues. Any update on a resolution to this?

Watching the DMA2200 with Wireshark, I see it just sitting there and not transmitting anything when it is "waiting for PC." I also sometimes see it say that it "can't find the network," but I can ping it just fine while it is saying this. I'm also seeing the event 117 disconnect message.

As expected, there is lots of transmit traffic from the DMA2200 in the cases just prior to when it starts to work. SSDP multicast traffic, checking for new firmware, etc.

I was using 2 DMA2200s for 6-8 months with no issues whatsoever. Now I'm rebooting, re-pairing or playing with them constantly trying to get them to work.

[yumyum]

I gave up. Bought a new Xbox 360 E on Amazon for $180 and officially retired the Linksys. This way I could also migrate to Windows 8 at some point if I want and still have all my extenders work.

On another note, if anyone is interested in trying to solve this issue, I have a Linksys DMA2200 I am happy to donate to the cause.

[hokie21]

The issue was solved. No DMA2200 lockups since the work-around was implemented. http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=8&t=6973