Spontaneous loss of all modules on two CAP1 devices

Support RACHEL-Plus 1.0 (2015 - 2016)
#1

I successfully did a USB reset of my CAP1 device in Canada and loaded up all of the latest modules before heading here to Tanzania to swap out or sync with the CAP1 device here.

I arrived to discover that the CAP1 device here had lost all of its modules, leaving only “kiwix” remaining in the /media/RACHEL directory, not even /media/RACHEL/rachel existed. Connecting with a browser to the device from power-on reports “404 Not Found”. I thought this might have been the fault of someone local.

So I did a USB reset of the device here and it powered up just fine. All I needed to do was add the modules.

So I put both of my devices on one network and tried to rsync the content from the Canadian box to the Tanzanian box. This was less than successful because a number of the files wouldn’t get copied because of an “input/output error” that wasn’t specific in helping. Same report when using scp instead of rsync. Many of the files were copied, but, specifically, rachel-index.php wasn’t getting copied and so the module manager reported the directories as being incomplete and not able to be used.

I rebooted the Canadian device and all of a sudden it reported “404 Not Found”. Sure enough, all of the /media/RACHEL subdirectories have disappeared except for a “kiwix” directory. Now I cannot use either of the boxes because I’ve lost my module content.

So I no longer blame the locals for wiping the box.

I now have to bring both boxes back to Canada to reset them with an affordable Internet connection.

What is it that we are doing that is triggering the spontaneous loss of modules and other content?

Thank you for any guidance!

. . . . . Ken

#2

Hi Ken,

I’m sorry to hear about this!

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a CAP1 device, but if I had to guess, you’re having HDD issues.

There is an 8GB eMMC in CAP1 which hosts the operating system and potentially the kiwix databases. The HDD would host the content.

It seems like the HDD is not getting recognized at boot either regularly, or sporadically, which can be a sign of HDD failure.

That’s my best guess but I can’t really diagnose it without the devices and some time.

Best,
Jeremy

#3

Thank you for this guidance. It satisfies the evidence. I’ll pull it apart and replace the hard disk on one of the two and see what happens. If that works, then I’ll do the same with the other.

#4

Hi @gkholman – our forums were down over the weekend, did you have any luck with this?

#5

I’m only just home now from Tanzania, @jeremy, and I haven’t been to the store, yet, to buy the replacement hard drive. Sometime in the next weeks. First I have to recover from being away for a month. And the next staff member to head back to Tanzania doesn’t do so until October, so the community centre will have to do without until they get there.