Why on earth does emc not start?

[CaptainVee]

Hi Folks,

I recently bought a new laptop on which I installed lucid with emc besides win 7, for testing purposes (so no actual milling) and it worked a treat.

Today when I wanted to actually use it it would not start anymore, gave the message at the end of this post.

Could it be that there is a conflict with other linux versions? I have also installed 10.10 and somehow a kernel between 10.04 and the latest 10.10 is showing in the boot options which also starts 10.10. (not sure if this can be but I am not that familiar with linux terminology)

I also checked running the current live cd from usb, even there emc won't work!

It may be that I had not tried 10.04 after installing 10.10 so I am unsure if this problem is actually new.

Is there a fix that I can do? Going back to the old desktop is a big pain as it is unworkably slow....

Here is the error report:

Print file information:
RUN_IN_PLACE=no
EMC2_DIR=
EMC2_BIN_DIR=/usr/bin
EMC2_TCL_DIR=/usr/share/emc/tcl
EMC2_SCRIPT_DIR=
EMC2_RTLIB_DIR=/usr/realtime-2.6.32-122-rtai/modules/emc2
EMC2_CONFIG_DIR=
EMC2_LANG_DIR=/usr/share/emc/tcl/msgs
INIVAR=inivar
HALCMD=halcmd
EMC2_EMCSH=/usr/bin/wish8.5
EMC2 - 2.4.6
Machine configuration directory is '/home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1'
Machine configuration file is 'Sherline3Axis_mm.ini'
INIFILE=/home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
PARAMETER_FILE=stepper.var
EMCMOT=motmod
EMCIO=io
TASK=milltask
HALUI=
DISPLAY=axis
NML_FILE=
Starting EMC2...
Starting EMC2 server program: emcsvr
Loading Real Time OS, RTAPI, and HAL_LIB modules
Starting EMC2 IO program: io
Starting EMC2 TASK program: milltask
Starting EMC2 DISPLAY program: axis
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
waiting for s.axes
Shutting down and cleaning up EMC2...
Killing task emcsvr, PID=3268
Killing task milltask, PID=3320
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
USRMOT: ERROR: command timeout
Timeout, trying kill -9
Removing HAL_LIB, RTAPI, and Real Time OS modules
Removing NML shared memory segments
Cleanup done

Debug file information:
A configuration error is preventing emc2 from starting.
More information may be available when running from a terminal.
3268
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
3320
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:04 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:05 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:06 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:07 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
 3320 ?        R      0:07 milltask -ini /home/sven/emc2/configs/Sherline3Axis-1/Sherline3Axis_mm.ini
  PID TTY      STAT   TIME COMMAND
/usr/bin/emc: regel 358:  3320 Geëlimineerd           $EMCTASK -ini "$INIFILE"
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components

Kernel message information:
[  510.837255] I-pipe: Domain RTAI registered.
[  510.837265] RTAI[hal]: <3.8.1> mounted over IPIPE-NOTHREADS 2.6-03.
[  510.837268] RTAI[hal]: compiled with gcc version 4.4.3 (Ubuntu 4.4.3-4ubuntu5) .
[  510.837342] RTAI[hal]: mounted (IPIPE-NOTHREADS, IMMEDIATE (INTERNAL IRQs DISPATCHED), ISOL_CPUS_MASK: 0).
[  510.837345] PIPELINE layers:
[  510.837350] faa6de20 9ac15d93 RTAI 200
[  510.837353] c085cb20 0 Linux 100
[  510.864945] RTAI[malloc]: global heap size = 2097152 bytes, .
[  510.865144] RTAI[sched]: IMMEDIATE, MP, USER/KERNEL SPACE: , kstacks pool size = 524288 bytes.
[  510.865151] RTAI[sched]: hard timer type/freq = APIC/12468720(Hz); default timing: periodic; linear timed lists.
[  510.865157] RTAI[sched]: Linux timer freq = 250 (Hz), TimeBase freq = 1396387000 hz.
[  510.865160] RTAI[sched]: timer setup = 999 ns, resched latency = 2944 ns.
[  510.865252] RTAI[usi]: enabled.
[  510.912557] RTAI[math]: loaded.
[  510.998845] config string '0x0378'
[  519.360412] RTAI[math]: unloaded.
[  519.400963] SCHED releases registered named ALIEN RTGLBH
[  519.433241] RTAI[malloc]: unloaded.
[  519.533964] RTAI[sched]: unloaded (forced hard/soft/hard transitions: traps 0, syscalls 0).
[  519.538113] I-pipe: Domain RTAI unregistered.
[  519.538202] RTAI[hal]: unmounted.

[CaptainVee]

Wow, if ever there was a quick result...!

Looked up how to remove old kernels and now emc will start up again!

During boot, look up what kernels you have installed. In my case linux-image-2.6.35.28 and linux-image-2.6.35.22 (or something similar, NOT SURE IF THIS IS FACTUAL) for 10.10 and then another kernel for 10.04.

Using synaptic package manager, search for linux-image-2 and mark the oldes one('s) for removal, then apply. But be careful not to delete currently needed stuff!

[CaptainVee]

Well, not as true as first thought.

After initial sucsess this stuff has returned and it is driving me mad!

Anyone able to shed some light on to this?

I triple boot my system, win 7, ubuntu 10.04 with emc and 10.10

[CaptainVee]

Well, finally got a workable solution.

I discovered that there is a simulator version of emc. After installing that on my 10.04 partition I thought to give it a try on my main partition (10.10) And that works! You need to load specific sim configurations to be able to start emc and if I do not I get the same kind of errors I got on my 10.04 partition.

The specific sim configurations can be altered to reflect your machine's setup.

[chester88]

The original problem was probably because of an update to a new kernel version.
This pushed the old kernel down the list and loads the newest.
A real time version of EMC requires a realtime kernel.
The realtime kernel has RTAI mentioned in it.
By deleting kernels from the list, you probably got the RTAI version back in the default loaded position.
when you boot up the realtime version of EMC choose that ( RTAI) kernel from the list.

[CaptainVee]

I did keep the rtai kernel, it was updated but to another rtai. But that still kept the problem of EMC not starting everytime.

Edit: Oh, you mean that it might have still worked if I had not updated....

[cncbasher]

updating the kernel from any update will not work and makes emc unusable , this is the reason updates to or from an older version should be turned off , and rarely suceed , the problem you have is because of a multiboot linux system , any updating of one linux version has the ability of changing the other linux version librarys and shared files and especialy the kernal and RTAI libs , especialy if sharing the same harddrive .

[neilw20]

That's why I use Mach3.

[cyclestart]

Originally Posted by cncbasher problem you have is because of a multiboot linux system , any updating of one linux version has the ability of changing the other linux version librarys and shared files and especialy the kernal and RTAI libs , especialy if sharing the same harddrive .

My shop machine has 2 hard drives booting
Ubuntu 10,04 LTS (from Ubuntu)
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (from linuxcnc)
Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (from linuxcnc)
BDI something or other with emc (predates the emc Ubuntu releases ?)

The result of pack rat habits and a reluctance to reinstall certain software.
If 10.04 is updated to 12.04 via update manager down the road the older installs could be affected ? I've never considered the possibility. Thanks for the heads up.

If users download the image from linuxcnc.org and resist the eventual update manager offer of 12.04(?) things should go smoothly.

neilw20
If you're happy with Mach I'm happy for you.

[chester88]

You may allow updates. As long as you don't change major versions.
don't allow 10.04 to update to 10.10.

What I am saying is that linux loads up a kernel by position in a file.
If an update adds a new kernel the position changes and then the rtai kernel
is not loaded (and EMC needs it)
There are a few things you can do:
- edit your file so it loads from the new position - u'll have to do this each time there is a new kernel.
- make the boot process wait till u choose a kernel from a list
- make the boot process display the list for a few seconds (for u to choose) then load a default kernel.
- never allow any Kernel updates

Choosing Mach3 is fine till you find it has other problems or doesn't do what you want.
If you are saying you use Mach cause it allows updates and EMC doesn't - thats not rrue.

[Dan Falck]

Originally Posted by neilw20 That's why I use Mach3.

Trolling in the forum... lot of help that is. Good luck to all the Mach users when Microsoft switches everything over to Windows 8

[neilw20]

Regardless of Mach3 or EMC2, whatever OS, if you have something that works you need to read the upgrade notes first to see if it has anything you need.

Upgrading just for the sake of it can cause problems.
If it isn't broke why fix it?

Upgrades have some purposes.
1. Original system did not work correctly. Did the upgrade address the problem?
2. To fix bugs/deficiencies.
3. To add/remove features.
4. To make things work with later OS releases. (why did you upgrade?)
5. Old hardware obsolete. $$$
6. To make new hardware work. $$$
7. To make old software obsolete. --$$$ Solidworks is a perfect example.

and the list goes on....

Ticked none of the above? Why change it?

I am not a one eyed Mach/EMC/Windows/MAC supporter.
Choose the platform that provides the best solution for the application.

I still use Win98 (Vesa graphics) on Win7 using DOSBox with NO SOFTWARE CHANGES to stuff that has worked flawlessly for 10-15 years.
I ticked boxes 4-6. Multiple monitors is like having multiple computers. What a bonus!