[INFO] HC2 Recovery and Backup/Restore - 4.180 back

[petergebruers 1,268]

FYI a HC2 can have several possible IP:

• The DHCP assigned address used last time.
• A new DHCP address.
• The static IP you assigned.
• The static IP 192.168.81.1 = "recovery IP". This happens if you hold the "Learn Mode Button" too long (I think > 2 seconds). To recover from this situation, you have to give your PC the address 192.168.81.2 netmask 255.255.0.0 and browse to 192.168.81.1. Then you can put back the original IP or set the unit to DHCP.

The Fibaro Finder doesn't find all possible IPs.

[AutoFrank 372]

10 minutes ago, petergebruers said:

Random thoughts

• HC2 normally boots from an internal drive. You can try too boot without USB.
• HC2 RECOVERY boots from stick and that's where your backups are.
• I'm not 100% certain about the backup if the Z-Wave ship, because I didn't test it. It should be safe to erase the Z-Wave ship. You get back your devices after you load a backup.
• I'm not 100% certain about this either, but might be best to ERASE the chip. If you don't do that, running 4.X will start configuring devices and after a few minutes, all your mains powered devices will get default settings. This will cause issues with toggle/push button switches on dimmers and relays... You found out the hard way.  
• If my information is wrong, or your backup is not OK, you'll have to exclude (with the new, fresh software) and include every device and edit every scene/vd. That's why I've never tried the option "erase Z-Wave chip", unless I was planning to start from scratch. Did that twice. I didn't die. The house didn't burn down either.
• The "erase" option is also used if you want to sell your HC. Although I would do a normal exclude before that, you have to do that anyway. Not trying to tell you should sell your HC
• IDs are unlimited. Number of physical devices (with a Z-Wave chip) talking to each other in one network is 232 (if you need more, you need extra controllers). But scene IDs and device IDs are unlimited.

<no-more-wise-words-mode-ON>

Dammmmmm!

<no-more-wise-words-mode-OFF>

 

Thanks @petergebruers

 

 

 

 

it looks like the upgrade to 4.120 took as I have this 

Please login or register to see this attachment.

 

The IP seems to have stayed at what it was set before 

 

The only issue now is that it's not taking my regular login/password and the admin one isn't working either 

 

The only thing I did differently this time was when I rebooted the HC2  I physically plugged it out (I have been using the soft buttons up to now) ... maybe I should have been plugging it out sooner through out this process as opposed to just using the button to power down and power back up...

[RH_Dreambox 189]

You can also edit the file "network.conf" on the Recovery stick.

There should be only one line of text.

type=dhcp

 

Remove this lines:

type=staticIP
addressIP=192.168.81.1
mask=255.255.255.0
gateway=192.168.81.1
dns=192.168.81.1 

 

 

 

One more thing.
Your HC2 SHOULD start with the Recovery stick removed.
If not, then you could have problem with the internal boot memory.

Edited April 15, 2017 by RH_Dreambox

[AutoFrank 372]

okay ..  little better.

My username didn't work because I hadn't run the wizard (4.11) after the upgrade to 4.120 from 4.036

I completed the configuration and I can now log in to a 4.120 GUI

 

I'm now going to try a restore from my backups... 

[jimicr 90]

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Bodyart 231]

25 minutes ago, AutoFrank said:

The only thing I did differently this time was when I rebooted the HC2  I physically plugged it out (I have been using the soft buttons up to now) ... maybe I should have been plugging it out sooner through out this process as opposed to just using the button to power down and power back up...

Hi @AutoFrank,

 

I had similar situation once and when nothing seemed to help, i also switched off the power, by pulling the plug and.... i had my HC2 back again. But i wouldn't dare to recomend this optin.

In each case i hope, your system wil be up and running soon

 

[AutoFrank 372]

and its back running     

only casualty are my custom icons (which is expected)

 

Please login or register to see this attachment.

 

I still dont fully understand what happened, perhaps the last backuo I did went awry or maybe, just maybe I should have pulled the plug when I couldn't get in after that il-fated backup...

 

recovering wife confidence may take some more time 

 

Thanks everybody for your help, guidance and most all patience

 

time for coffee...

-f

 

PS - recovery of the system is almost complete but

 

 

 

[jimicr 90]

Good!!!

Can you please post the steps that worked in the end so it could help others?

 

If I had such a scare and managed to pull thru I would skip the coffee and go straight for the hard liquor

 

Glad your back and good luck with the misses  

[AutoFrank 372]

11 minutes ago, jimicr said:

Good!!!

Can you please post the steps that worked in the end so it could help others?

 

If I had such a scare and managed to pull thru I would skip the coffee and go straight for the hard liquor

 

Glad your back and good luck with the misses  

 

Thanks and good idea..

 

[AutoFrank 372]

HC2 backup didn't seem to recover

Summary of steps I took to resolve - ( I added a bit of hindsight )

 

power down HC2 using power button

 - I didn't pull out the plug but the next time I would (after I had completed an orderly shutdown using the button)  

I would then power back up and see if the UI came available. 

If not then you may need to take the recovery route (Which is what I had to do) 

 

Recovery/Restore/etc

Power down system using power button, unplug HC2 briefly)

hold recovery button (button next to power button)

press power button (and keep holding recovery button)

When the first led on front of HC2 ( on the right side ) stays on solid release the recovery button

back to browser - clear cache, wait about 20 seconds for recovery mode to activate

open up UI at IP address (if usual IP address doesn't work search for HC2 using Fing or something similar)

Recovery screen will be displayed

Select Recovery (first box on left)

Click No to reset zwave devices (some evidence suggest that this WON'T force you to exclude/include all devices but this jury is still out)

Let recovery complete and it will reboot

Close browser and clear cache and open browser at IP address 

If IP address has changed use Fing again to find

My HC recovered to 4.036 (which is pre wizard and email logins)

Open browser and login using admin/admin

All your devices wont be there but ignore that for now

Select upgrade to 4.120 (which is the latest fw for me when this happended)

Allow the upgrade to complete

close browser and clear cache

reopen you may find your email login doesn't work (if you try and generate a new password - this wont work either as your email wont be recognised)

Activate the wizard (not sure how I did this)

Complete the required steps (email, password and confirmation code sent to email)

Log into Web UI using email and password just created during wizard

The system is now at 4.120 but doesn't have your setup

Now go to the backups/restore section in the UI and select a backup to restore (I selected the second last one mainly because I had a suspicion that something went won't with my last backup)

let this restore complete

close browser, clear cache and log in

All should be okay, give the system the once over

depending on how old your last backup was you may need to reinstate the changes you made between the backup you restored and now

I had two issues at this stage but just minor 

  1) All my custom icons were missing (this was expected)

  2) Some of my fibaro dimmers (dimmer 1) had parameter 14 (switch type) a bit messed up and I had to fix.

 

 

I'll also add this to the first post so somebody won't have to search here

 

[tinman 1,070]

- you don't have to run wizard after 4.120 and before restore, you can immediately restore an backup

- in case restore was necessary to fix zwave / modules not configured and / or other zwave related things (which might happend e.g. after firmware update) then definitely do "yes" to purge zwave database. After restore, all modules will get anyway recognized.

- you might do run soft reconfiguration to get latest templates

Edited April 15, 2017 by tinman

[AutoFrank 372]

27 minutes ago, tinman said:

you don't have to run wizard after 4.120 and before restore,

 

Hi @tinman

Recovery brought me to 4.031, and I upgraded to 4.120. I had to run the wizard at that stage as I couldn't log in, admin login wasn't working and my hc2 (at that stage) hadn't been setup for email access. I couldn't find another way get access to the HC2 to do the restore.

[tinman 1,070]

then something was wrong, the admin/admin must work after fresh 4.120 installation

[AutoFrank 372]

Restructured the first post with all the information shared.....

[jimicr 90]

2 hours ago, AutoFrank said:

Restructured the first post with all the information shared.....

Thanks, Now you can open that bottle of wine and enjoy the long weekend!!

 

This is one tutorial I hope never to need.

[AutoFrank 372]

18 minutes ago, jimicr said:

Thanks, Now you can open that bottle of wine and enjoy the long weekend!!

 

This is one tutorial I hope never to need.

 

@jimicr

Thanks...

indeed, its like that insurance policy you never want to use... 

 

[Rafael Suarez 1]

Hello@AutoFrank

 

 

I'm watching your post, I'm so glad that everything has finally been solved. We are in touch.

[AutoFrank 372]

1 hour ago, Rafael Suarez said:

Hello@AutoFrank

 

 

I'm watching your post, I'm so glad that everything has finally been solved. We are in touch.

@Rafael Suarez

 

Thanks, hope fully the post will be of use to some users 

[Orgli 15]

@AutoFrank OMG, I am glad that your nightmare is over! Sounds like a great long weekend with your family

I had also a "Fibaro-Easter"...therefor I sacrificed my HCL, finally...(just to start "wife-recovery-process" on last stable backup "before dealing three days with a HCL" at the same time)

 

PS: Flower-to-wife-backup-routine was successful - faster than rebooting HC2 (I love it when a plan comes together)

[AutoFrank 372]

22 minutes ago, Orgli said:

@AutoFrank OMG, I am glad that your nightmare is over! Sounds like a great long weekend with your family

I had also a "Fibaro-Easter"...therefor I sacrificed my HCL, finally...(just to start "wife-recovery-process" on last stable backup "before dealing three days with a HCL" at the same time)

 

PS: Flower-to-wife-backup-routine was successful - faster than rebooting HC2 (I love it when a plan comes together)

 

Yep.. All part of the fun, frustration and learning.