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RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:32 am
by rfinnovations
Hi all.

Three questions:

1) Is there any way to "hard reset" the RB411U from the console interface?
2) Does the USB power reset command on the RB411UAHR reset power to the miniPCI-E module as well?
3) Failing these, does anyone have any recommendations for external hardware to reset power to the unit?? Possibly controlled via the serial console port or an HTTP interface (so I could use /tool fetch in a script)

Background:

I'm running into the same issue as others using a 3G module, where the connection is lost and power needs to be reset to the modem. We are using a miniPCI-E module (Sierra MC8785). We're also going to try out an MC8705 to see if it makes a difference.

When the connection drops out, I can't communicate with the 3G module at all. A soft reset (/system reboot) doesn't bring the connection back. I have to disconnect power to the router and reconnect to be able to communicate with the 3G module again.

We can't blame the routerboard for issues with the modems or the 3G network (I've heard other people having similar issues with completely different hardware), but I really need a way to work around this problem as our routers will be in very remote locations.

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:17 pm
by uldis
there is no way on RB411U to do a power reset of the mini-pcie card.
Can you communicate with the modem using AT commands? If yes, try to send a AT+CFUN=1,1 command and check if that helps. Also look on the forum there were some other suggestions about resetting the sierra cards.

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:29 pm
by Hotz1
there is no way on RB411U to do a power reset of the mini-pcie card.
Unless you find a software or config fix to the problem, it sounds like you need a device that will let you remotely cycle the power. Maybe power the RB411U with a RB750UP, and run a script on the 750 that cycles POE on that port when it detects the broken connection. (Assuming you can find a reliable way for the 750 to detect when the 411 is having the problem.)

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:59 am
by rfinnovations
Thanks for the replies.

uldis, when the problem occurs, the card doesn't seem to respond to any AT commands on the serial terminal. It may just be faulty (it's the first one we've tried), and we have some more on order (a newer model, but still Sierra), so we'll see if what happens.

Hotz, thanks for letting me know about the RB750UP, I hadn't seen that before! I was looking at IP enabled PDUs, but they are all so expensive. I haven't worked with PoE before, but it sounds like this could work.

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 8:36 am
by rfinnovations
Just looking at the list of devices supported by the RB750UP:

http://wiki.mikrotik.com/wiki/Manual:PoE-Out

I notice the RB411U isn't in that list, but the specs of the RB411U say it has PoE support. Can anybody confirm that this will work before I order an RB750UP? Any other things to look out for?

Thanks.

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:40 pm
by Hotz1
Just looking at the list of devices supported by the RB750UP... I notice the RB411U isn't in that list, but the specs of the RB411U say it has PoE support. Can anybody confirm that this will work before I order an RB750UP? Any other things to look out for?
While we're on the subject: despite the list, my current experience is that the RB750UP will power an RB435G when forced-on, but not auto-on. (Re)tested just now using a brand-new RB750UP and two RB435G's: one with five radios, and one straight out of the bag never before powered up. Auto-on never powered it up; changing to forced-on powered it up after a couple seconds.

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:25 am
by normis
Hello rfinnovations. The list doesn't contain all RouterBOARD devices, just ones that we have recently tested. RB411U will work, but to be sure, we can test a few RB411 series devices now, and update the list

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:10 pm
by janisk
oh, update to latest RouterOS. If you are checking with older version you might run in problem that, for example, canopy will not power on at all.

Re: RB411U - hard reset command?

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:58 am
by rfinnovations
Normis, that would be much appreciated.

Janisk, I already updated it to the the latest version, and unfortunately it didn't fix the issue. Using the same SIM card with a different make of router and different model of modem, we see a very similar problem. So it seems it's an issue with either our network carrier or Sierra modems in general.

Either way, we're interested in the RB750 as a solution.