Sometimes boots with broken/slow network connectivity

1st Official Post

    Hello,
    I have this problem with LibreElec Jarvis x86-64 running on an Atom/Ion system: sometimes (maybe 1 in 10 boots) my HTPC boots up with very laggy network connectivity.

    I use 'update library on startup' and upon hitting the Kodi homescreen it is immediately apparent that there is a problem - a library scan which normally takes 5-10s can take several minutes. If I try to play a video file (stored on local network and accessed via SMB) it will just freeze or hang for several minutes...maybe it will reach the playback screen but stutter immensely.

    It seems like it is booting with severely broken or severely slow network connectivity - although that is just my impression of the problem, I cannot say for sure if this is what is happening.

    A reboot fixes the problem, it comes back up with normal connectivity.

    The problem also occured with OpenELEC 6.0 and some previous versions, I can't recall exactly how far back it goes.

    I know there is a known problem where Kodi boots too fast, before the network is ready. However I use the 'wait for network' option in LE and it makes no difference. It proceeds past this 'waiting for network' dialogue in 1-2s.

    My system is an Atom230/Ion system, connected to my LAN via homeplug adapter. The use of homeplug may be a factor in the problem - perhaps they take some seconds to 'wake up' and establish link rate - but I have another Atom/Ion LE system also connected via identical homeplug and this system is 100% stable, for several years it has never experienced this problem.

    In the attached log it occurs at the boot around 20:34 on Sep 27th

    Does this describe any known issues?

    Thanks

    Edited once, last by trent (September 27, 2016 at 9:09 PM).

    • Official Post

    Is the 'Wait for network' option enabled in the Settings Addon, just to make sure you the network connect up during boot time?

    "The use of homeplug may be a factor in the problem". It can indeed. Some even perform worse than a wireless connection.

    Quote from Klojum


    Is the 'Wait for network' option enabled in the Settings Addon, just to make sure you the network connect up during boot time?

    "The use of homeplug may be a factor in the problem". It can indeed. Some even perform worse than a wireless connection.

    Yes, 'wait for network' is enabled. It makes no difference and the 'waiting for network' dialogue lasts only 1-2s before boot continues.

    Regarding this feature - what does LE do to verify network connectivity? Does it ping an outside address? Is it possible for me to create some kind of more thorough check of connectivity before proceeding with boot?

    When I say my homeplugs may be part of the problem - I refer to their 'wake up' procedure rather than general performance. The performance when operational is fine and I regularly watch full BD (40Mbps) with no stuttering. But upon boot I believe they take some seconds to wake up, talk to each other, negotiate PHY rate, decide who is master etc, and establish a connection. So knowing that LE experiences problems if it boots before the network is ready, I have a hunch that perhaps this wake up procedure might be causing the problem.

    The fact that the problem is instantly fixed with a LE reboot suggests to me that LE is the main problem, although it is definitely possible that the homeplugs are a factor. If they were not 100% 'ready' by the time LE booted, could LE be 'stuck' in some degraded network mode?

    Edited once, last by trent (September 28, 2016 at 1:56 AM).