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GreenMtnGringo · (This post was last modified: 03-03-2020 05:37 by GreenMtnGringo.)

Hi Simon. I am trying to update my Melco N1Z/1 from MS2 v2.0.5 to v2.0.6. I followed the instructions for "Updating MinimServer" here. Now the Melco display is stuck showing "Install in Progress ... Please wait..." with the white bar below these words sliding back and forth.

What should I do? As of now, I do not see any options other than powering down the Melco in the middle of the attempted install, but doing so without knowing what I will be left with is an unappealing prospect. Thanks.

GreenMtnGringo · 26-02-2020, 04:49

It is almost two hours since my post, above, and the "Install in Progress" message is still stuck on my Melco display. I can access the music stored on the Melco via my Auralic Aries G2 using Linn Kazoo for Mac. Also. the MinimServer 2 web interface is showing:

"MinimServer 2.0.5 update 153, Copyright © 2012-2020 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
MinimStreamer 2.0.2, Copyright © 2012-2019 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
Your license type is Trial. For more information, select the License tab."

All this is causing me to think/hope that MS2 v2.0.6 never started installing and that it could be safe to power down the Melco. I am going to do so now and hope for the best....

GreenMtnGringo · (This post was last modified: 26-02-2020 13:02 by GreenMtnGringo.)

So I hit the Power button to try to power down the Melco and ... nothing happened. The unit stayed on and the "Install in Progress" message is still stuck on my Melco display. In several years of owning this Melco the Power button has never failed to turn the unit off. Now I am really worried, as the only thing I can think of to do at this point is to pull the AC power cord out of the back of the unit. I really do not want to do that, but none of the buttons on the front -- including the Power button -- are doing anything.

Simon, please help, thanks.

EDIT: It is 11:25 PM ET and I am logging off for the evening. I will reluctantly leave my Melco on overnight with the "Install in Progress" message on the display (with no way to dim it). Simon, if you see this thread, can you please post a message as to whether I should pull the AC cord out of the back of the Melco, or what? Thanks.

simoncn · 26-02-2020, 10:55

I have not seen this myself and I don't know what could cause it. I suggest you do the following:

1) If you still have access to the Melco shared folder, copy the files in the MinimServer subfolder to another computer. These files might provide some clues to the cause of the problem.

2) Pull out the power cord. This will not cause any permament damage. The power could drop at any time and no device should be designed in a way that a power failure causes damage.

3) Power on the Melco. From the front panel, run Support > Internal Drive Check and post the results here.

4) If no errors are reported for the drive check, retry the 2.0.6 installation.

GreenMtnGringo · (This post was last modified: 26-02-2020 14:28 by GreenMtnGringo.)

Hi Simon and thanks for the response. Okay, I performed your suggested steps #s 1 to 3.

First, I copied to my MacBook Pro desktop all but three files in the Melco's MinimServer subfolder. I took a screenshot of the names of the three files I could not copy due to a lack of "permission." That screenshot is attached.

At this point, I pulled the AC power cord from the back of the Melco. It powered off immediately. I let it sit for a few minutes, reattached the power cord and powered up the Melco with the front panel power button as normal.

Next, I ran the Internal Drive Check. The first message on the Melco display stated:

Old format. It's OK to use but
'backup, re-format and restore'
will be better.

I then clicked OK and ran the Drive Check. The only message at the end stated: "Finished." The Melco then rebooted and all seems normal now (whew!).

I have not yet re-attempted the v2.0.6 installation. Based on last night's experience, I may wait for further word from you, other Melco MS2 users to check in, and/or for the release of v2.0.7.

As far as the contents of the MinimServer subfolder are concerned, as a quick sample here is the text in the minimserver-out.log file:

MinimServer 2.0.5 update 152, Copyright © 2012-2020 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
MinimStreamer 2.0.2, Copyright © 2012-2019 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
autoUpdate: installed package 'minimserver-update-153' replacing 'minimserver-update-152'
autoUpdate: relaunching
MinimServer 2.0.5 update 153, Copyright © 2012-2020 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
MinimStreamer 2.0.2, Copyright © 2012-2019 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
starting MinimServer[N1Z]
MinimServer[N1Z] is running
Startup complete - press enter to shutdown:
stopping MinimServer[N1Z]
MinimServer[N1Z] is stopped
MinimServer 2.0.5 update 153, Copyright © 2012-2020 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
MinimStreamer 2.0.2, Copyright © 2012-2019 Simon Nash. All rights reserved.
starting MinimServer[N1Z]
MinimServer[N1Z] is running
Startup complete - press enter to shutdown:

Thanks again, Simon.

simoncn · 26-02-2020, 16:39

It sounds like everything is OK now. There is no problem with your drives as a result of the forced shutdown. It is advisable to reformat your drives (as recommended by the "old format" message) but not essential. If you are planning to upgrade the machine to EX at some point in the future, there is no need to reformat now because the EX upgrade involves a reformat.

You should delete the core files. They are very old and of no value now.

The minimserver-out.log file shows that MinimServer 2.0.5 was still running after your attempt to update to 2.0.6. I have checked the MinimServer download server access logs and I see from these that something went wrong while the Melco firmware was downloading the 2.0.6 file to your IP address at 01:40:45 GMT and only part of the file was downloaded. The Melco firmware should detect this problem and report it to the user but it seems that the code in the Melco firmware that should handle this situation might not be working correctly. I will set up a test to simulate this problem and I will let you know what happens.

simoncn · 26-02-2020, 17:02

I tried the test and the Melco firmware handled it correctly. However, my test was not identical to what happened when you downloaded the file. In my test, the download length sent by the server matched the actual amount of data sent. When you had the problem, the download length sent by the server would have been greater than the actual amount of data sent, so the Melco firmware would have been waiting for the remainder of the data to arrive. There is no easy way for me to test this combination of circumstances. I will report this issue to Melco.

GreenMtnGringo · (This post was last modified: 26-02-2020 17:25 by GreenMtnGringo.)

Hi Simon and thanks very much for the detailed explanation of the situation.

Regarding the "old format" message, any idea on what the old format is and what the new format would be? Reformatting sounds like an involved process that would overwrite my music files. That is not something I would want to undertake unless there is a meaningful/material performance boost on the other end.

Also, I was not familiar with the EX upgrade option for the Melco N1Z/1. Any thoughts on whether it is worth it would be most welcome.

In the meantime, I will delete the three old "core" files and await word from you as to if/when I should attempt another update from the current MS2 v2.0.5 install. (Note: I will be away from early Thursday morning to late Sunday night, so this coming Monday would be the soonest I could attempt another update.)

Thanks.

simoncn · 26-02-2020, 17:24

The new format is ext4 and the old format is xfs. You are correct that a full backup and restore of your music files would be needed.

There is some information about the EX upgrade here. Your Melco dealer should be aware of this.

You were very unlucky to have the download problem and it is unlikely to occur again. If it does occur again, there might be a problem with your internet connection that is preventing large files from being downloaded.

I have made Melco aware of this issue.

GreenMtnGringo · (This post was last modified: 26-02-2020 17:38 by GreenMtnGringo.)

Hi Simon, great link and info, thanks.

I doubt my Internet connection was the issue, as I regularly download and upload large files. If neither you nor Melco are planning to make any back-end changes as a result of what I experienced and reported, I will attempt the update from MS2 v2.0.5 to v2.0.6 again, possibly as soon as this evening. If I do not get to it this evening, it will have to be Monday at the earliest. Thanks.