new eSata Sheeva UBIFS sometimes boots, sometimes not

[chbuka]

Hello!

I have problems with my new, not modified plug, just out of the box.

Somtimes all is well. It boots from internal NAND and I can log in via ethernet or serial console.

Sometimes I can only log in over the serial cable. I found than a Marvell> prompt. When I only type "boot" or "reset" it starts from internal NAND and all is fine.

Somtimes I can even not log in via serial or it stucks in reading from NAND or in booting the linux kernel.

It seems to me, that he/she? starts again after I have disconnected power for a longer time. (Seems to need hours)

And the LED's? I dont know, what they mean! Sometimes there is only one green LED (besides the one from ethernet), sometimes there are one blue and one orange LED. Sometimes there are even no lights one the ethernet port? What does the LEDs say to me? I have no idea.

BTW: The litte hole besides the SD card slot: Is that for reset? With a paper clip? ( I've not tried yet, because i fear a short circuit) I

Attached is the console output from last hours with a succesfull boot at end.
(WARNING! non printable characters and over-long lines!!)

[NewIT_Marcus]

I don't fully understand what symptoms you are reporting.

Availability via ssh is of course dependent upon your ethernet settings. If your Sheevaplug is configured to obtain an IP address by DHCP, for instance, you must have a DHCP server available.

The bootlog (and shutdown log) that you attached is perfectly normal, assuming that you issued a shutdown command via another (ssh?) session. Occasionally booting will be delayed by checking a hard drive, if you have an ext disk attached and auto mounted.

If you are saying that your plug occasionally restarts / reboots, that might be a PSU issue. But there may be other reasons, depending upon how you have configured your plug.

The hole is for resetting the Sheevaplug (with a paper clip, for instance), as you surmised.

[chbuka]

Thanks for your answer, NewIT_Marcus!

I' ll try to claryfy!

Connected to the sheeva: only ethernet, and serial console (power of course)
There is a dhcp server, when the plug is booting to debian, he is always getting the same IP and i have no problem to find it!

There was no other access to the plug during the log I attached!

My problem in few words: Sometimes the plug boots to debian, somtimes only to UBoot and sometimes it is not booting at all ( that means: it  is not accessable via serial console and not via ethernet (no response to ping))

I' ve made some new test this evening. The plug was disconneted from power since yesterday evening. So this is the continuation to the log i posted yesterday:

I connected console, powered on,
Some failure in communication during start up, i think that's normal
but there is only U-boot, not debian!!

okay, after reset debian bootet without interaction !
and i was making a shutdown - h
I disconnected power then for 2 minutes and conneted it  again

now only one green led is lighting, ( before it was one blue and one orange i think)
no access to sheeva, I aborted communication window and
started again the communication

again no access, I closed picocom correctly
disconnected USB cable from Desktop to reset terminal device (does that make sense?)
and connected again

again no access, again picocom closed
rebooted Desktop to avoid problems with terminal device
( Destop scanned disk automaticly on this startup, so the longer delay about 7min)
and opend terminal again

no access at all, even not UBoot

TO RESUME:
First it booted to Uboot
on reset it bootet do debian
after shutdown it booted not at all!!!!

Who can help me ? Is y device faulty?? I have not changed the software (beside some 'apt-get install's which I have uninstalled again)

[NewIT_Marcus]

The things that are most likely to be problematic are:

• The PSU
• The SD card

In the case of the PSU, we commonly read reports of unexpected behaviour of the lights.

As for the SD card, we sometimes read about cards that don't work at all, and we also sometimes find cards that work intermittently. But the way I read it, you aren't using (or even trying to use) an SD card. Your reference to Debian suggests to me that you either put Debian onto the NAND yourself, or you bought a plug that was preconfigured that way. My advice would vary, depending upon which condition is true.

However, you mentioned issues with the lights, and that does raise the possibility of a PSU problem. (It might also be worthwhile using a different wall outlet. We had one problem when we first started selling Sheevaplugs with a customer whose mains supply seemed to be at the heart of their problems).

[chbuka]

Thanks!

Debian was on the device as i bought it on 14. March from NewIT, orderNo 4932. I have not changed software or hardware.

chbuka
(I'm in hurry)

[NewIT_Marcus]

Please contact jason@newit.co.uk to arrange for a replacement plug. It seems to me that the problem is either with the PSU or with the installation of Debian.