Logging

You can use the DHD Communication Server to search for faulty functions in a Series 52 system. Often, the activities of the system are logged in detail or logged in a long-time recording. To make the troubleshooting successful, the following tips may help:

• Use a dedicated PC for monitoring the system. For complex systems with a high number of Global functions, there can emerge heavy network traffic that needs to be logged. To do that, use a sufficiently powerful PC that is used for this task only.
• Check the network. Before starting the logging, check the used network. You must avoid to operate DHD devices and the PC with the DHDCS in an existing office network. The data traffic in such a network can disturb the transfer of UDP messages significantly. A DHD system with several devices should have its own network segment in which also the PC with the DHDCS is running.
• If necessary, use two network adapters. If you need to remotely control the logging PC (e.g., with VNC, Timbuktu or PC Anywhere), it should be equipped with two network adapters. One should be located in the same network as the DHD devices, the other one in the general network where also the controlling PC is running.
• Make sure there is enough free disk space. Especially for long time logging, it is necessary to have enough space available for the log files. If you want to store the files on a file server, check in advance whether this works in your network as desired.
• While Log Level 0 logs only the most critical system events like reboots or I/O box reconnections, Log Level 6 is more useful for debugging. It provides additional detailed data about events like pressing a button, fader movements or control data sent from automation systems. You can change the Log Level in the Main Window for each device by right-clicking on it.

• Compress the logging files. Use an archive or compressing program like WinZip (www.winzip.com), to reduce the size of the protocol files, especially if you want to transfer the files via e-mail. By compressing, the file size is reduced to 5-10% of the original size.
• Plan the trouble shooting. Certain errors occur only under certain conditions. If you suspect such an error, try to find out, when and under which conditions it is probable. Often, an error can be related to certain times of the day or certain user procedures. Record especially at the times in question. This way, try to keep the amount of data as low as possible to make analysis easier.
• Use special software to analyse logging data. Short log files can be analysed using the Windows Editor. But if you have to search several hundred Megabyte of data for a certain message, the effort is very high. In such cases, use a software that can handle and search big text files. One of these programs is, for example Notepad++ (www.notepad-plus-plus.org). Using it, you can effectively search huge text files and extract important information.
• UNIX based operating systems (e.g., Linux, Solaris, Irix, Mac OS X, HP-UX etc.) provide specialized command line applications for such purposes. If you have to analyse big amounts of protocol data, this could be quicker and more efficient on a different operating system. Alternatively, you can also install UNIX tools on Windows. To do this, you can use Cygwin Tools (www.cygwin.com) or the Perl for for Windows, ActivePerl (www.activestate.com).

To activate or deactivate the logging for a device in the list, right-click on the selected device. In the contextual menu click Protocol ON or Protocol OFF. If you have added a device manually, also the Remove Device command is available. This way, you can remove the device from the list.