mreg376

Q: Why does updating/restart require unplugging?

I have the "new" Airport Time Capsule and it is working perfectly.  However, after it has been in operation for an extended period, such as a few weeks or months and I try to make changes such as adding IP reservations, when it goes to "update" it hangs with the amber light on.  If I unplug it and then replug it in it boots normally, the changes are there and it is perfectly fine again.  And, if I make similar changes right after plugging it back in the updates/restarts without my having to unplug it. 

 

Anyone know why it is hanging up upon changes after it's been operating for a while?

 

Thanks. 

Posted on Feb 17, 2016 7:43 AM

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Q: Why does updating/restart require unplugging?

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  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Feb 17, 2016 1:07 PM in response to mreg376
    Level 9 (52,541 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 17, 2016 1:07 PM in response to mreg376

    No, I have not heard of that behaviour before. At least not in isolation from more major issues with Internet failing as well.

     

    Is your internet fine.. just cannot make changes??

     

    It suggests to me a memory leak, where over time the TC is being squeezed down to minimal available memory and the necessary memory to make a configuration change is unavailable.

     

    OR

     

    The IP table is full due to incompatibility with the modem.

     

    What is the setup? What modem, make and model please??

     

    Some cable modems are known problematic.

  • by To_Mi,Apple recommended

    To_Mi To_Mi Feb 17, 2016 1:33 PM in response to mreg376
    Level 2 (351 points)
    iLife
    Feb 17, 2016 1:33 PM in response to mreg376

    Solid amber light means the AP is booting.

    AirPort base stations: About AirPort base station status lights (LED) - Apple Support

    Changing configuration requires AP to reboot - restart the system under new configuration.

    How long is your AP with amber light?

  • by mreg376,

    mreg376 mreg376 Feb 17, 2016 2:39 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 17, 2016 2:39 PM in response to LaPastenague

    It's the Netgear CM500, Time Warner Cable (Internet only).  Everything else is working perfectly.  I'm getting more than the full speed I pay for (300/20), and the Time Capsule has otherwise been 100% reliable since I got it five months ago -- no down time, no reboots (other than when I wanted to make a change), no dropped connections, very fast wifi.

  • by mreg376,

    mreg376 mreg376 Feb 17, 2016 2:38 PM in response to To_Mi
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 17, 2016 2:38 PM in response to To_Mi

    I know what the amber light means, and I know how to use the device.

     

    As soon as I click "Update" the amber light goes on and stays on.  That's it.  After about 15-20 minutes I lost patience and pulled the plug.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Feb 17, 2016 6:21 PM in response to mreg376
    Level 9 (52,541 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 17, 2016 6:21 PM in response to mreg376

    Ok.. you are probably going to have issues due to the kind of modem.. although your Netgear is not one of the worst ones, it gets occasional mention.

     

    Unfortunately to understand why there is a problem we need info that is not available since apple made the new airport utility v6 with no logging and very little device info.. although hidden away in there is a heap of stuff that is sent to apple on your behalf.

     

    I would export the config before you make a change.. see if anything shows up but it is unlikely.

     

    The other thing you can do with the TC open in airport utility, go to the diagnostics.

     

    diagnostics1.png

     

    Thermal is important because a lot of stuff happens when it overheats.

    diagnostics2.jpg

     

    The most useful is probably the system info.. although to interpret the info I am going to need to tap into systems.. and guess.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-02-18 at 12.44.12 PM.png

     

    What I am interested in mostly is memory.. of course CPU hitting 100% is a killer.

     

    Now I am trying to interpret what that line of numbers means.. by tapping into the console (this is not possible to normal humans)

     

    # top -bt

    load averages:  0.62,  0.19,  0.13;             

    up 15+03:15:03       10:55:24

    131 threads: 5 idle, 124 sleeping, 1 zombie, 1 on CPU

    CPU states:  1.0% user,  0.0% nice, 20.8% system,  0.0% interrupt, 78.2% idle

    Memory: 25M Act, 128K Wired, 6656K Exec, 572K File, 153M Free

     

    If I ignore the 0 value.. from the airport utility..

    that seems to tie up pretty well.. so the last number is free memory.

  • by guillaume.lachaud,

    guillaume.lachaud guillaume.lachaud Feb 18, 2016 1:44 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 18, 2016 1:44 PM in response to LaPastenague

    I have the exact same issue. My TC is slightly older I think (bought it 1 year and a half ago, 3TB model) but anytime I reboot it manually through AirPort utility, it will get stuck rebooting. Unplugging from power always solves the issue, boots just fine after.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Feb 18, 2016 2:20 PM in response to guillaume.lachaud
    Level 9 (52,541 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 18, 2016 2:20 PM in response to guillaume.lachaud

    guillaume.lachaud wrote:

     

    I have the exact same issue. My TC is slightly older I think (bought it 1 year and a half ago, 3TB model) but anytime I reboot it manually through AirPort utility, it will get stuck rebooting. Unplugging from power always solves the issue, boots just fine after.

    It has a fault.. take it back to apple for replacement.

     

    Many of them have faulty power supplies. So it can be any number of issues.

     

    Applecare will cover it for up to 3 years.. if you are out of normal warranty and have no applecare.. buy an Apple TV.. don't unwrap it.. buy applecare for the appleTV.. get the TC replaced.. return the Apple TV for refund.

  • by mreg376,Apple recommended

    mreg376 mreg376 Feb 18, 2016 5:53 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 18, 2016 5:53 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Actually I have looked and can find no reports of failed power supplies in the latest generation Extreme/Time Capsule.  I did originally configure my Time Capsule using Airport Utility 5.6 on a Windows PC and I have read since that usage of that old version could be problematic.  So tonight I've reset the device to factory defaults and set it up again.  Maybe there was some bad setting floating around.  I have some time left on the warranty so I have time to experiment.  And the fact is that aside from the restarting issue the Time Capsule has been doing its job.  I'll report back.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Feb 18, 2016 5:59 PM in response to mreg376
    Level 9 (52,541 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 18, 2016 5:59 PM in response to mreg376

    Failed power supply issue. There are multiple posts.. here is just one with 5 pages of responses.

     

    Have a look on ebay for Time Capsule power supply and you will find them selling loads of supplies for Gen1-4 as well as Gen5 TC and Gen6 AE which are identical.

     

    My Airport Extreme intermittently shuts down completely.

  • by mreg376,

    mreg376 mreg376 Feb 18, 2016 6:10 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Wireless
    Feb 18, 2016 6:10 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Wow.  Yes, there are plenty of complaints.  All I can say at this point is that I am happy that I have not seen any of the same symptoms.  But I'll keep an eye on it.

  • by guillaume.lachaud,

    guillaume.lachaud guillaume.lachaud Feb 18, 2016 7:54 PM in response to mreg376
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 18, 2016 7:54 PM in response to mreg376

    Same for me. This is my only complaint and I will rather keep my current unit than loosing days and my backups to get it replaced.