iBoots are IP addressable, remote power cycling devices. There is one each for the Computer Room Black Box (crbb), On-Instrument Black Box (oibb), and the Matchbox (mbox). They allow recovery from most server crashes much quicker than before.
Most users will only need to check the iBoots' status (e.g. to release the telescope). There are two ways to do this:
setting nirspec_mbox_query = 1 (wait)
nirspec_mbox_status = ON
setting nirspec_oibb_query = 1 (wait)
nirspec_oibb_status = ON
setting nirspec_crbb_query = 1 (wait)
nirspec_crbb_status = ON
Please seek out the support astronomer if you do not see this output!
If you do not receive the "ON" response from one of the 3 communication chain devices (mbox, oibb, crbb), something needs a power cycle. Generally, it will be the network router which that device's iBoot is plugged in to.
The iBoot for the computer room black box has been fickle lately and non-responsive. Typically, there is nothing wrong with the actual black box, but with the iBoot. A simple power cycle of the network router ONLY usually fixes the problem. This fix does not affect the instrument and can be done while the nirspec_server_bin is running.
The iBoot called crbb (computer room black box) is in the K2 computer room. It controls the black box labeled "NIRSPEC TRANSPUTER". Please see a wide-angle photo here. The iBoot is the literal black box (See Photo) on top of the stack of Black Box-brand SCSI bus extenders. The network router is the blue Linksys box under the iBoot. To power cycle these two devices, you will need to unplug their power cables.
The iBoots called mbox (matchbox) and oibb (on-instrument black box) are both at the instrument on the RNAS platform. There are inline switches for these two iBoots at NIRSPEC on RNAS. See a picture here.
If a power cycle of ONLY the network router or ONLY the iBoot doesn't fix the problem, both devices must be cycled. For the crbb, the router is in the computer room, right beneath to the iBoot itself. For the mbox and oibb, both devices are on a single network switch, behind (in a network traffic sense) a router. The router is located in the K2 AO Electronics Vault near the top of the rack that has the keyboard and monitor. See a wide angle picture and a close-up picture.
The order for the power cylcing is:
Within a few seconds, the support astronomer should be able to confirm that these actions fixed the problem. Thanks for your help!
