Retrieving Diagnostic Information (Serial Capture)
Background
This document describes how to retrieve diagnostic information from a Strato Player or Server or a Premiere Server, including 1st generation Cinema One.
NOTE: This procedure does not apply to Alto or Cinema One (2nd generation); they do not have a serial connection.
Preparation
Tools Required For Strato Systems:
Computer or laptop with standard USB-A connection
Male micro-B USB to male USB-A cable (commonly used to connect to portable electronics)
For Premiere systems:
Computer or laptop with DB-9 serial connection OR USB to DB-9 serial adapter
Female-to-female DB-9 serial null modem cable
Procedure
Strato: Connect USB of Laptop to micro-USB Port of the Kaleidescape Component
1. Turn off the Kaleidescape Strato player or server.
2. Connect the larger USB-A end of the USB cable to an available USB port on the computer.
3. Connect the micro-B USB end of the cable to the SERVICE port on the Kaleidescape Strato player or server.
4. Your computer should detect a new USB device being connected and automatically install device drivers, even without power to the Kaleidescape Strato device.
5. Note which serial port number was added. This will either be in a pop-up message or found in the Windows device manager under ports or Mac OS system information under USB.
NOTE: Do NOT turn on the Kaleidescape Strato player or server yet.
Premiere: Connect Serial Port of Laptop to Serial Port of Kaleidescape Server or Cinema One (1st Gen)
1. Turn off the Kaleidescape server or Cinema One.
2. Connect one end of the serial cable to a serial port or serial adapter on the computer.
3. Connect the other end of the cable to the CONTROL port on the Kaleidescape server or Cinema One.
NOTE: Do NOT turn on the Kaleidescape server or Cinema One yet.
Configure a Terminal Emulator
Use the following procedure to configure a terminal emulator and retrieve serial output from the Kaleidescape Strato player and server or Premiere server or 1st generation Cinema One. Several third-party emulators are available that support serial port logging applications. This document describes the procedure using PuTTY.
NOTE: PuTTY is available at http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/. If using another emulator, see Table 1 for serial parameters.
Table 1: Parameters Required to Retrieve Serial Port Log Information
Basic Options for your PuTTY Session
1. Open PuTTY on the computer. Figure 1 shows the Basic options for your PuTTY session.
2. Select the Serial radio button in the Connection type section.
3. Enter the name of the computer USB or serial port in the Serial line text box. This is usually COM4 or higher for USB ports and COM1 or COM2 for DB-9 serial ports.
4. Enter 115200 in the Speed text box.
Figure 1: Basic options for your PuTTY session
Options - Controlling Local Serial Lines
5. Click Serial under Connection in the Category section of the window. Figure 2 shows Options controlling local serial lines.
6. Verify that None is selected for Flow Control from the drop-down menu.
Figure 2: Options controlling local serial lines
Options Controlling Session Logging
7. Click Logging under Session in the Category section of the window. Figure 3 shows Options controlling session logging.
8. Select the Printable output radio button in the Session logging section.
9. Enter the log file name with a .log extension in the Log file name text box. By default, PuTTY saves the log file in the same directory as the PuTTY application. Use the Browse... button to choose a convenient location for the log file. It is recommended to include the unit serial number in the log file name.
Figure 3: Options controlling session logging
Retrieve the Diagnostic Information
Use the following procedure to retrieve the diagnostic information.
1. Click Open to open the PuTTY terminal emulation session. An error message appears if the wrong COM port (e.g., COM1) was selected or is already in use. See Figure 4. If necessary, disable any other applications that might be using the selected port.
Figure 4 Connection Error Message
2. Press the POWER button on the Kaleidescape Strato Player or server or Premiere Server.
When using a USB connection to Strato units, Putty may produce a connection error when the Strato unit is powered. Figure 5 Error Message when Strato powered.
Quickly click OK to the error message and right click on the title bar of Putty window. This will pull up a Putty menu. Select Restart Session and the capture should proceed.
3. Wait for the player, server or Cinema One to start up and reach the point where the problem occurs. This process can take several minutes. Text might or might not appear in the PuTTY window. The serial port output is saved as a text log file in the location specified in Options Controlling Session Logging, step 3 above.
4. Locate the saved log output file and email the file to support@kaleidescape.com. Be sure to include the player or server serial number along with the case number in the subject line if applicable.
