Maintenance Mode

Note: If you are planning to use maintenance mode, it is recommended that you first upgrade to Customised Firmware version 2.19 or above.

Background

Maintenance Mode has been created to enable the Humax to carry out special functions that can’t be run in normal mode. When this mode is running there will be no TV Tuner, TV Recording or Custom Firmware Graphical User Interface (GUI). On Custom Firmware Version 2.13 and later, Maintenance Mode is indicated on the Humax display as follows :- 'MAINTENANCE' on HDR and 'UtiL' on HD.

Access to this mode is via Telnet - Command line only.

When the Custom Firmware boots up it will look for a special file. If it finds this file, the Firmware will boot into Maintenance Mode and then delete the file. If the file is not found, the Firmware will boot into the normal Custom Firmware.

Notes:-

• If you normally use a USB Wi-Fi adapter as your network connection from the HD- or HDR-FOX, this may not work in Maintenance Mode. If not, try installing the wireless-helper package. If it is still not possible to obtain a Telnet connection by Wi-Fi, use a wired LAN (or other networking which connects through the Ethernet port e.g. HomePlug).
• The cooling fan may not run in early versions of the Custom Firmware when in Maintenance mode - this is fixed in CFW 2.19

Enter Telnet Menu

The first stage in entering Maintenance Mode is to access the Humax via Telnet e.g. :-

Enter 0000 <return> for system PIN

Menu version 1.12
Enter system PIN: ****

      /-------------------------\
      |  T E L N E T   M E N U  |
      \-------------------------/

  [ Humax HDR-Fox T2 (humax) 1.03.12/3.03 ]

    1 - Restart into maintenance mode.
    2 - Remove web interface password.
 stat - Show what the box is currently doing.
    x - Exit and close connection.
 rset - Reset custom firmware environment.
 srma - Set return-to-manufacturer (RMA) mode.
 diag - Run a diagnostic.
  cli - System command line (advanced users).

Please select option:

If the Telnet Menu is not present, enter the following command at the Telnet prompt :-

tmenu

NOTE:- If your Humax determines that the Web-If Mongoose web server isn't running, the Telnet Menu may display an additional option e.g. web - Reinstate web interface service, to re-start the Web-Interface, enter web and press return at the prompt.

Enter Maintenance Mode (HDR-Fox T2)

Select the first Item in this Menu e.g. 1 - Restart into maintenance mode. The Humax will close the current Telnet session, reboot and display 'MAINTENANCE' on the HDR after a short delay. The following Menu will then be displayed Note:- Fix-Disk is not available on the HD-Fox T2 :-

 Menu version 1.13
Enter system PIN: ****

      /---------------------------------------------\
      |  M A I N T E N A N C E   M O D E   M E N U  |
      \---------------------------------------------/

  [ Humax HDR-Fox T2 (humax) 1.03.12/3.03 ]

    1 - Check and repair hard disk (fix-disk).
    2 - Run short hard-disk self test.
    3 - Run long hard-disk self test.
    4 - Check self-test progress.
  epg - Clear persistent EPG data.
 dlna - Reset DLNA server database.
    x - Leave maintenance mode (Humax will restart).
 diag - Run a diagnostic.
  cli - System command line (advanced users).

Please select option:

If the Maintenance Mode Menu is not present, Fix-Disk mode can be initiated by using Telnet command line

fix-disk

Fix-Disk

Select 1) from the Maintenance Mode Menu to initiate the Fix-Disk utility :-

Please select option: 1
Any additional options (or press return for none): [See note2]
Checking partition /dev/sda3...
Checking partition /dev/sda1...
Creating swap file...
Checking partition /dev/sda2...
Are you having problems with a delete loop [Y/N]?

For the 'Are you having problems with a delete loop [Y/N]?' question, answer Yes if the Humax is constantly displaying the word 'Deleting', otherwise answer No.

Fix-Disk can find and automatically fix numerous problems, however some problems need to be fixed manually. The following bad sector error :-

Running short disk self test
Error at LBA 1812999403
Dev: /dev/sda LBA: 1812999403
LBA: 1812999403 is on partition /dev/sda2, start: 2104515, bad sector offset: 18
10894888
dumpe2fs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
Using superblock 0
Block size: 4096
LBA 1812999403 maps to file system block 226361861 on /dev/sda2

Checking to see if this block is in use...
debugfs 1.41.14 (22-Dec-2010)
/dev/sda2: Can't read an block bitmap while reading block bitmap
testb: Filesystem not open
Unknown error
Press return to continue:

would require the user to return to the Maintenance Mode Menu, select cli to get a command line prompt and then enter :-

hdparm --repair-sector 1812999403 --yes-i-know-what-i-am-doing /dev/sda

fix-disk -P

Fix-Disk Notes :-

1. Fix-disk may appear to 'freeze' for long periods. This is normal - the process can take hours
2. Option -x -c = enable e2fsck extensions and check for bad blocks / add them to the bad block list
3. If the web interface hard disk diagnostic highlights attributes 197 or 198 in red, then the additional fix-disk test/repair should run
4. After a fix-disk run it is normal to get the following message :- Some areas of the hard disk are not mounted, not all functions will be available.
5. If fix-disk enters a repetitive error loop, enter 'CTRL + ]' to escape

Maintenance Mode Notes

While in Maintenance Mode, only Telnet is functional. The following Notes are valid for the HDR-Fox T2:-

• Wi-Fi may not be supported in Maintenance mode. If it is not possible to Telnet into the Maintenance mode, use a wired LAN
• Disk are shown as /dev/sda, /dev/sdb, etc
• An external HDD found on boot will be /dev/sda and the internal HDD will be /dev/sdb
• An external HDD connected after boot will be /dev/sdb and the internal HDD will be /dev/sda
• Partitions on those disks are /dev/sda1, /dev/sda2 etc
• fdisk -lu HIDE Will display Disks and their Partitions
• df -h HIDE Will display Mounted Disks

Exit Maintenance Mode

To exit Maintenance Mode, select 'x' from the Telnet Menu or type the following :-

reboot

What is Maintenance Mode for ?

At present, it is used for checking the HDR internal disk file system and formatting USB hard disks up to 2TB (the standard Humax format only works up to 1TB).

Run a file system check on the Internal Hard Disk Drive

See notes on the fix-disk utility

Format a WD Elements 2TB USB external Hard Disk

Full Details Here

These are some extracted notes for drive = /dev/sda1 :-

• Ensure you are formatting the correct drive e.g. /dev/sda1 or /dev/sda2
• unmount drive (if Mounted already mounted) with e.g. umount /dev/sda1
• Partition the disk using fdisk -u /dev/sda1 then p to display current
• d to delect current
• n to create primary partition
• p to select primary partition
• Partition no = 1 First Sector = 2048 last sector = default
• p to display new selection e.g. Disk /dev/sda: 2000.3 GB, 2000396746752 bytes
• w to write new partition and exit fdisk
• Format new partition with mkfs.ext3 /dev/sda1
• format will will take about 20 minutes for a 2TB disk

Enter Maintenance Mode (HD-Fox T2)

After selecting option one from the Main Telnet Menu and rebooting the HD-Fox T2, the front display will show 'UtIL' after a short delay, indicating the unit is in Maintenance Mode. When a new Telnet session is started, the HD-Fox T2 will display the following :-

   /-----------------------------------------\
   | M A I N T E N A N C E  M O D E  M E N U |
   \-----------------------------------------/

  [Humax HD-Fox T2 (humaxhd) 1.02.29/2.15]

   1 - Convert USB flash drive to EXT2
   2 - Clear persistent EPG data.
   x - Leave maintenance mode (Humax will restart).
diag - Run a diagnostic.
 cli - Exit to system Command line (Advanced users).

A Guide to converting a USB flash drive to EXT2 for Custom Firmware operation is HERE