Appliances - L1 Troubleshooting

Owned by James Helman (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Sept 30, 2020 by Arun Nair (Unlicensed)
5 min read

This page walks you through the basic level 1 troubleshooting of cloud appliances provided by RetailNext.

You can follow either the video walkthrough or the step-by-step instructions.

Video Walkthrough

Introduction

A majority of appliance related issues are either power or network connectivity related, and the intent of L1 troubleshooting is to check both of these and fix any problems found. To check power and network, you need physical access to the store infrastructure, so you need to be physically at the store or be in communication with a technician or store personnel who is at the store.

L1 troubleshooting is generally handled within the customers' IT organisation as the intimate knowledge of the store environment helps to resolve issues faster and more economically. In cases where L1 troubleshooting does not fix the problem, the issue should be escalated to RetailNext Support for more advanced L2 troubleshooting.

Preparing

Check for known issues at the store

If possible, try to find out if there are known power or network issues at the store before you visit it.

This information may have been already reported by store personnel and recorded in an internal IT/ticketing system, or you can make a quick call to the store to check with personnel on whether they are facing any power or network issues at the moment.

Collect information

Gather information on as much of the following as possible prior to your visit. If you received a health monitoring alert for an appliance issue from the RetailNext system, the alert will contain information such as the store name, appliance name, and appliance IP. It will also contain a link to the appliance's page on the RetailNext Cloud UI's Store Appliance Admin section from where you can obtain more details if needed. See https://retailnext.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/145293496 for more information about alerts.

  1. RetailNext cloud subscription information

    • Subscription URL i.e. https://acme.cloud.retailnext.net

    • Login account

  2. Details about the specific appliance(s) that are having issues

    • Appliance model

    • Appliance IP address

    • Appliance MAC address

    • Appliance username and password

    • Appliance install location

    • Issue type (appliance down? rebooting frequently? something else?)

  3. Store network setup

    • Static IP or DHCP configuration

    • DHCP server IP address, if using DHCP

    • Gateway and DNS server IP addresses, if using static IP

    • NTP server IP address

Ensure that you have the necessary tools

  1. Laptop (Windows, Mac, or Linux)

  2. The RetailNext https://retailnext.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/189399050(http://netutil.retailnext.net) installed on your laptop

  3. Ethernet cable tester

  4. Ethernet (Cat5e) cable

  5. Monitor cable (VGA or HDMI)

  6. Display port adapter

  7. Computer monitor

  8. USB Mouse and Keyboard

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1 - Locate the appliance

As a first step, find the appliance in the store. RetaiNext appliances generally have a RetailNext logo on the outside, which helps in quickly identifying them among other IT equipment in the store. If there isn't a logo, or there are multiple RetailNext appliances at the store, locate the label on the chassis that contains the MAC address of the appliance and compare that to the MAC address you obtained from the cloud.

Step 2 - Check the power

Ensure that the appliance is powered on by confirming that the power LED is illuminated. If it isn't, try pressing the power button to turn on the appliance. If that doesn't work, check the power supply to the appliance.

Note that if the LED is blinking red and/or white, usually along with audible beeps, there is a hardware issue with the appliance and it will need to be repaired or replaced.

Step 3 - Check the ethernet connection

Ensure that the appliance has an ethernet cable connected to it and that the other side of the cable is connected properly to an active switch or router. Ensure that the LEDs next to the ethernet port on the appliance as well as the switch or router are active. If the LEDs aren't active, try replacing the ethernet cable.

Step 4 - Check the appliance's local webpage

Ping the appliance's IP address from your laptop and ensure that it responds. You can obtain the appliance's IP address and login credentials from the Store Appliance Admin page in the RetailNext Cloud UI.

Open the appliance's local webpage on your browser (http://<appliance ip>), and log in using the credentials obtained from the Cloud UI. After logging in, look for any errors displayed on the appliance's webpage.

Step 5 - Check the store network (LAN)

Use an ethernet cable to connect your laptop to the same switch that the appliance is plugged into.

DHCP configuration

If the appliance is set up for DHCP, then ensure that your laptop receives a DHCP address from the store DHCP server. You can use the "ipconfig" tool on Windows, and the "ifconfig" tool on Mac/Linux to confirm this.

Static IP configuration

If the appliance is set up for static IP, then configure your laptop's ethernet interface to use a static IP in the same subnet as the appliance, and with the same Gateway and DNS IPs that the appliance is configured with. Ensure that you are able to successfully ping both the Gateway and DNS IP addresses.



Step 6 - Check the store internet (WAN)

Use the RetailNext https://retailnext.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/KB/pages/189399050 (netutil) to ensure that the store internet connection and firewall rules are configured as expected. netutil also checks the DHCP and DNS configuration on the network.

Run the tool on your laptop as instructed. Select the sensor type and the network type and then run the test. If any problems are reported, fix them and then rerun the tool to ensure that the problems have been fixed.

Step 7 - Check the console

If the appliance is still offline at this point or will not boot up, connect a monitor to it and check the output. You should see a screen similar to the one below. If you instead see an error or nothing at all, try rebooting the appliance as described in the next step.

Step 8 - Reboot the appliance

Press the power button and wait for the appliance to shut down. If the appliance doesn't shut down after a few seconds, press and hold the power button until it powers off.

Once the appliance has shut down, press the power button to start it back up. Watch the console to see if the boot up proceeds without any errors.

Summary of Steps

Below is a summary of the troubleshooting steps, in order:

  1. Locate the appliance.

  2. Check the power. Ensure that the appliance is plugged into a power source and switched on.

  3. Check the ethernet connection. Ensure the appliance is connected to a switch/router and the cable is good.

  4. Check the appliance's local webpage. Check if any errors are displayed on this page.

  5. Check the store LAN using your laptop. Notify the retail IT team if there is a problem.

  6. Check the store internet/WAN. Notify the retail IT team if there is a problem.

  7. Check the console. Look for any error messages.

  8. Reboot the appliance