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Server on RaspPi stops working/becomes corrupt after a few weeks.

DumaruDumaru
in Repetier-Server
I have been using Repetier-Server on a Raspberry pi for a few years now. Over the past year I have been having an issue with the install on Raspberry Pi 3B becoming corrupt. I have just been dealing with it, reinstalling and setting up Repetier-Server again from scratch when it happens. I Thought it might have been just an issue with my Raspberry Pi / SD Card. Earlier this year I got a couple new Raspberry Pi 3's and new 32GB sd cards. Have tried them in different configurations and they still seem to fail after a couple weeks.

What Happens:
-Server works fine for about 2-3 weeks.
-Server starts having issues staying operational. Get an error on raspberry pi screen saying "Oops I seem to have lost connection, trying to resolve issue now" (or something along those lines)
-Rebooting the pi fixes that issue.
-After rebooting the pi to fix the disconnet/crash/'Oops' issue several times, the raspberry pi will no longer boot into Repetier server, and will just sit at a terminal login screen.

Any suggestions?
Any way to quickly repair an install of repetier-server through terminal, or do I have to always just flash a new image?
Any way to find crash logs on my pi to provide better information?
Should I just give up on Raspberry Pi and get a computer running windows specifically for my printers?

Thank you!

Comments

  • RepetierRepetier
    Always shutdown pi before unpowering so you get no corrupt sd card. Also check power supply as described here:
    https://www.repetier-server.com/knowledgebase/undervoltage-and-throtteling-of-pi/
    it is often source or problems like wifi disconnect and other problems. It can also depend on sd cards. Had some where it degraded fast but most sd cards last years for me.
  • DumaruDumaru
    I shall get a new power supply ordered with a proper 3A. The ones I have are the Cana Kit 2.5A 5V's.

    Issue with shutting it down is when the error happens, there is no access to be able to properly shut it off. Unable to connect since it drops from Wifi, and the touch screen just shows the "Oops" message. So unplugging and plugging back in has been the only option. I will see how the power supply and masking those pins go.

    Thank you.
  • RepetierRepetier
    Did you query linux with the command to check if you have power issues? Best after a while - does not always happen directly. But hope new supply works better.
  • wabbitguywabbitguy
    edited May 2020
    I've had the same issue with the SD cards (various types) having issues after a few months, using 5.2V 3A supply and headless server (no display). Hard wired to ethernet. I've always used the "shut down" to power it off.

    There should be an easy way to restore all the settings than having to copy files back to the SD card. I.e. backup/restore complete settings. I.e. projects, settings and complete history should be able to be simply backed up and restored. In addition when I have duplicate printers connected, when I create a new printer, the options should be create from scratch, restore from backup, or duplicate from existing. Or maybe some of that is there but I'd missed it.

    Lastly, what about if I wanted to simply boot from the SD card then run from an attached PiDrive or attached USB drive (not a flash drive but SSD). Is that possible to do? I'm thinking anything has too be more reliable than these microSD cards.

    Mel
    ---
  • RepetierRepetier
    If you have the pro version you can use Repetier-Server Monitor to selectively backup the data stored in repetier-server.

    You can also use a simple link to point /var/lib/Repetier-Server to an other driver as long as it is mounted when server starts. That way all data goes to that external drive. Have tested this with an usb drive and it worked.
  • ParkerParker
    So I've been experiencing the same issue. We are running 8 Repetier servers, all on Raspberry Pi 3B+s

    After a couple months, or in some cases a couple weeks, the SD cards seem to corrupt and become totally unusable. I can't even format the drive, it just bricks my windows or linux machine the moment I plug them in. 

    At first I was also just dealing with this issue, it was annoying when a server went down, but it was only 1 or 2 every couple months. Now, the servers had been idle for quite some time as no one had been in office due to the whole Covid thing, and when I came back in 4 of our 8 servers are dead in this way. At this point it's starting to frustrate me, as that's a lot of SD cards we are burning and I don't see why. The bigger annoyance is just wanting to make a fast trip in and out of the office to set up some prints, only to find I have a much larger headache on my hands.

    Are there any updates or solutions to this yet? It has been happening for about 6 or 8 months for me. Servers were of various versions, all running the Pi edition.

    2 are on 3Amp supplies, the rest are on the 2.5amp ones that we got from Canakit when we bought the pis from them. They are all also running on Ethernet and not wireless, with no displays.
  • RepetierRepetier
    We learned at least how to detect undervoltage problems and show them in 0.94.1 in the bolt menu as described here:
    https://www.repetier-server.com/knowledgebase/undervoltage-and-throtteling-of-pi/

    which also provides solutions.
    The other thing is I read that  sd companies suggest using high endurance sd cards for the raspberry pi.
    And of course always shut down before deactivating the pi.

    The main problem as I understand is that sd cards have no battery buffer so if power off hits them e.g. while doing wear leveling the process is interrupted and that cause follow up problems until it gets unusable.
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