[Skimmertalk] [RBN-OPS] My Red Pitaya - The mystery continues

[Bob Wilson, N6TV]

On Fri, Jun 14, 2019 at 11:03 AM Dave Pascoe KM3T <dave at km3t.org> wrote:

> 1) Check the specs on your switch. Your Gigabit switch should be able to
> achieve 1,488,095 packets per second on each of its ports. If not, find
> another switch.
>

I'm not sure where that requirement came from.  I'm using a Netgear GS105
Gigabit switch between my RP-SDR and Windows PC.  Netgear's web site and
Data Sheet do not provide a "packets per second" specification at all (see
https://www.netgear.com/business/products/switches/unmanaged/GS105.aspx#tab-techspecs),
but this site:

https://www.servethehome.com/netgear-prosafe-gs105-v4-5-port-gigabit-switch-review-small-practical/


claims the 1000 Mbps port of the GS105 provides a somewhat lower number
than what you have specified, "only" 1,480,000 packets/sec.  Close enough,
or maybe the same number, rounded?

With 15 x 192 kHz streams between RP and PC, and see a steady 155 Mbps
network load reported by the Windows Task Manager.  Obviously a 100 Mbps
connection (often indicated by LEDs above the Ethernet connectors) would
not be adequate.

I have no trouble with the Skimmers stopping; they run for months at a
time.  Windows reboots more often than the RPs.  But I have a UPS
(Uninterruptible Power Supply) on the Skimmer, the PC and the GS105 switch
because even tiny momentary power outage would probably cause the Skimmers
to drop to 0 decoders without that UPS.  An inadequate CAT cable (CAT5
instead of CAT5e or CAT6) would also cause reliability problems, or even a
"negotiation" down to 100 Mbps instead of 1 Gbps.


> 2) Your RP and Skimmer Server PC will only be stressing 2 ports on the
> switch - the ones they are attached to. The port connected to your router
> won’t be doing much.
>

That's the key point; the Router provider by your ISP (the cable modem)
will often be rebooted by them at random times, and that will make the
Skimmers stop if they are connected directly to your router instead of
connecting your PC and RP to each other through a separate switch.

One more thing.  CWSL_Tee does not like changes, so if you change skimming
speeds or bands and click Apply, the Skimmers will usually crash and you'll
need to restart them.  But they will start with the new settings.

The "Now" button on the ".ini Files" tab of the Aggregator is the easiest
way to stop and restart CW Skimmer Server and Rtty Skimmer Server in the
proper sequence after making changes.  But any secondary skimmers have to
be restarted manually after the Primary and RTTY Skimmers.

73,
Bob, N6TV


>
> Dave KM3T
>
>
> On Jun 14, 2019, at 1:36 PM, David Robbins <k1ttt.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yes, that is what I did.  A separate Ethernet switch (NOT hub!) to connect
> the rp and skimmer computer is what I did and it solved the problem… it
> also keeps all that data away from your router and anything else on the
> network that may not like congestion.
>
> David Robbins K1TTT
> e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net <k1ttt at arrl.net>
> web: http://wiki.k1ttt.net
> AR-Cluster node: telnet://k1ttt.net:7373
>
>