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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Problems with two scopes running in parallel

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Hi all,
I am experiencing a strange behavior that I cannot explain currently. This happens only when I have two mounts with their own INDI server running in parallel.



The only thing that they have in common is that they share a Starlight Instruments focuser controller, that is running physically on the one scope, but it can support two focusers.

What happens is that sporadically EKOS gets totally confused, it receives informations from both mounts. This is not 1:1 reproducible, but it sometimes happens that both mounts receive slew commands. And it also happens sometimes that one of the KStars crashes.

Am I the only one seeing this effect?

Some facts about my setup: Avalon Linear & Avalon m-zero, INDI servers running on Raspberry PIs, Starlight Instruments FocusLynx with Starlight Instruments PDMS focusers.

- Wolfgang
4 years 1 day ago #51269
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So, if I understand correctly, you've got two Pis (one for each tel). You're running Indi servers on each Pi. You've got a single laptop or tablet running 2 separate instances of Kstars/Ekos (one for each tel)? If that's the case, why not just run Kstars/Ekos remotely on each Pi (along with the indi server)? This might remove any crosstalk due to having both kstars/ekos instances on the same platform. It would require a VNC style connection to each one as needed to control the tel imaging session, but would avoid any possibility of crosstalk?
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4 years 1 day ago #51286

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Well, that's exactly the weird thing: on both RPis there is a KStars/EKOS instance running on their own. From my Laptop I indeed use VNC-sessions to both of the RPIs.

There are only two connections between the two RPis: The Ethernet cable (the white cable on the picture) connecting the focus motor from the big scope to the INDI server from the small one, where the FocusLynx is running. And the INDI server from the big scope connects to the remotely running instance of FocusLynx so that I can control the focus of the big scope.

But FoxusLynx has two ports which can be controlled separately.

That's all! So in theory this must not happen.

Maybe some device snooping weaves both together...

- Wolfgang
4 years 1 day ago #51287

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I would suspect this to be Indi server cross-talk/confusion between clients and not anything to do with kstars or ekos.... The Indi client properties must have a way to differentiate when they're on the same network. Maybe the launch command for indi services needs better differentiation for cases when 2 servers are on the same network (in which case it could entangle Ekos a bit). I'll ask some other Indi folks I know for an opinion and if you don't find/solve it before I know more, I'll reply again, but I'm thinking this must be Indi (or the way Ekos launches Indi).
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4 years 23 hours ago #51289

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In both of your ekos sessions, is each profile set to be local (vs remote)? If so, then I'm at a loss to explain further. Maybe this is something that Jasem or another developer can weigh in on.... The other person I spoke to this afternoon (who also worked with INDI) also thinks this is something about INDI setup that's not quite configured right (FWIW). Doesn't mean it's a bug, but likely a setup issue.
4 years 19 hours ago #51293

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On both scopes I am using remote profiles connecting to localhost:
astro-pi (that one of the small scope having the FocusLynx)
- ZWO CCD
- FocusLynx
- Avalon StarGo
- ASI EFW

star-hunter (running the bigger scope):
- "FocusLynx F1"@astro-pi
- Avalon StarGo
- SX CCD
- MI CCD (USB)

Btw: tonight everything is running smoothly - at least until now...

- Wolfgang
4 years 18 hours ago #51295

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Last night I gave it a try with two scopes running in parallel. It worked for a while, but after some time EKOS running on the bigger scope with the focuser connected remotely got confused. It seems like it got the INDI responses from <strong>both</strong> mounts!

It seems that this problem occurs on INDI server level. My suspicion is that having two servers running a device with the same name <strong>and</strong> connecting them by invoking a device with device@host creates this problem. Just for clarity: the remote device that I connect to is the focuser, not the mount. But it seems like the mount slips through this way :-(

In the next session I will try to give the two mount devices different names. Let's see whether this helps.

- Wolfgang
Last edit: 3 years 11 months ago by Wolfgang Reissenberger.
3 years 11 months ago #51837

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I observed similar issues with the device@host method. One very annoying is that the watchdog doesn't seem to work properly in this situation, another is that Ekos is not informed when the remote driver disappears because the server is not accessible anymore. But I'll have to double check precisely in which conditions this happens.

-Eric
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3 years 11 months ago #51838

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Good to hear that I'm not alone! So let's see, maybe we can track it down together.
3 years 11 months ago #51843

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After two nights running both scopes flawlessly, it seems like ensuring unique names heals the problem. Nevertheless, it's a bug that the information is remotely published.

- Wolfgang
3 years 11 months ago #51929

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