Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 Release 3.3
- Updated:
- January 11, 2016
Chapter: Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500
Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500
Logging
The ECS and LCS components are configured to log all informational, warning, and error messages to a rolling daily log file in the [ MXE install directory]/logs directory, for example: C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\logs.
Log files are local to each node. The files will be ECS01.log or LCS01.log. For Resource Manager deployments, the Resource Manager device will have both ECS and LCS log files, and the Resource Nodes will have only LCS log files. For standalone deployments, Cisco MXE 3500 will have both ECS and LCS log files.
A new log file is created each day with the date. For example, ECS01.log will be the ECS log for the first day of the month, and ECS02.log will be the ECS log for the second day of the month, and so on. Each month, the log files are overwritten during the course of the month.
Navigate to the appropriate directory path on the node, and click the log file to open it.
Note
Use a text editor to open the file. The extension may need to be mapped for the file to open with the selected text editor.
Accessing Network Shares
By default, the Folder Attendant Windows service is installed to log on and run as a Local System Account. In order for the service to access network share directories, it must be configured to log on and run as an account that has access to read and write the appropriate network share directories.
If the Cisco MXE 3500 UI returns an error when trying to access a file or directory, check the IIS impersonation account permissions. Assuming the user is starting with the default configuration, check the following two accounts:
IUSER_[your machine_name] and ASPNET
Depending on how the application tries to access the file, either one may be used. Try these steps for ASPNET. If it still does not work, try the other:
If the file is local to the machine that IIS is running on, then check the permissions on the directory and ensure the IIS account has the minimum permissions necessary. For input files this is just read, for profiles this is read/write/modify (full control can be used if necessary).
If the file is not local to the machine that IIS is running on, or if you would like more information, see:
Troubleshooting
This section includes the following topics:
Troubleshooting Steps
To isolate an issue, complete the following initial troubleshooting steps:
1. Review the log files. For Resource Manager deployments, each node has its own log files. See also: Logging.
2. Review error messages/codes to identify the problem, file name, and location.
3. With available logging information, answer the following questions:
- Is the problem intermittent or consistent?
- For Resource Manager deployments, does the problem affect only one or all nodes?
4. Review the following information to isolate the problem:
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See also: Troubleshooting FAQs.
Troubleshooting FAQs
Standalone and Resource Manager Deployments
Q. How do I determine if a problem is related to a decode or an encode?
If the error is occurring on a prefilter, the problem is a decode error. If the error is occurring on an encoder, the problem is an encode error.
Q. Why can I not see the Hosts page when I log in to the Resource Manager or standalone Cisco MXE 3500 as Administrator?
This issue is due to Internet security settings. Open Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options > Security > Local intranet. Choose "Medium" security level and apply the settings. Then, access the Hosts page again.
Resource Manager Deployments
About Installation, Upgrade, and Licensing
Q. Can I upgrade a standalone Cisco MXE 3500 to a Resource Manager or Resource Node?
No. There is no patch available to do this in Release 3.1.
Q. Why are the Resource Nodes not transcoding after I upload the software license file to the RM device?
After uploading the license file, you must configure all the nodes as Hosts in the Resource Manager. See also: Host Administration, Configuring the Host Settings.
Q. Can Resource Manager function as Resource Node and execute a transcoding task?
Resource Manager does function as one of the Resource Nodes in a group. Resource Manager executes transcoding jobs, as well as load balancing and distributing jobs across the group.
Q. How can I find out what jobs are running on the Resource Nodes?
Log in to the UI. From the Toolbox, select Monitoring > System Status to see the jobs that are running on each Resource Node. See also: Accessing the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.
Q. How do I know if a Resource Node is down?
When the Resource Node goes down or disconnects from the network, Resource Manager sends an e-mail to the system administrator if a valid SMTP server and e-mail address are configured in the System page.
Q. Can I create a watch on a Resource Node?
You can create a watch on any Resource Node, but the watch must be accessible to the Resource Manager and all other nodes in the group.
Q. Why do I get an error when I choose a media file in the UI that is local to the Resource Manager device (C:\media)?
Media files must be in a shared folder with UNC path because transcoding jobs can run on any Resource Node. You cannot choose files on a local machine (C:\media). See also: Configuring the Input and Output Media Directories.
About Nodes That Have Gone Down
Q. If a Resource Node goes down while executing a particular job, can another Resource Node execute the remaining sub-jobs?
When a Resource Node goes down, the Resource Manager redistributes its remaining jobs. Another Resource Node will start executing a sub-job from the beginning; it will not start from the middle of sub-job.
Q. If the Resource Manager goes down and is brought up, do I need to resubmit all the media files?
Yes, you must submit all the media files again.
Q. If a Resource Node goes down and is brought up, do I need to reconfigure it?
No. The Resource Node will automatically become a part of the group, and the Resource Manager will start distributing jobs when it finds that the Resource Node is up.
About Jobs That Have Failed or Are Not Executing
If a worker is failing on one node but running on others, the problem is likely a local node issue. If a worker is failing across all nodes, the problem is likely a network or Resource Manager issue.
Q. Why is a Resource Node that is configured as a Host in the Resource Manager not executing jobs?
- The Resource Node is not on the network.
- There may be a configuration issue. If you configured an SMTP server and provided an e-mail address on the Systems page, you should have received an e-mail specifying the node that is down. If that Resource Node is up and the Resource Manager is accessible to that Resource Node, then it could be configuration problem. Go to the Hosts page and verify that the “permit all” checkbox is checked for that node. See also: Configuring User Settings.
Contacting Cisco TAC
If attempts to rectify a problem fail, or if you have additional questions, please open a Service Request using the TAC Service Request Tool at:
http://tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/DefineProblem.do.
Please have your valid Cisco ID and password available. As an alternative, you may also call one of these numbers:
You can find a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts at this URL:
Reinstalling the Software
If you need to reinstall the software to recover the Cisco MXE 3500, we recommend that you back up first if possible. Follow the backup procedures in Chapter17, “Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading” Then, follow the installation procedures in Chapter18, “Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs”
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