PI4B RO5.28 Networking

I’ve been setting up RISC OS on an original 4GB Pi 4B and run in to some network issues.

First networking only seems to correctly initialise if set to DHCP. Using manual or from hostname (hostfile and primary name server setup) does not result in the interface being set up, plus the machine hangs 30 to 100 seconds later, as I assuming something network related comes a cropper.

When using DHCP the first reboot always results in an error box that it cannot contact my routers IP address, it always then boots correctly on the second attempt after pressing retry.

I assumed some of my problems may have been due to starting with a ROD 8GB SD card, manually upgrading that to 5.28, then configuring it to boot from an SSD which was formerly running 5.27 on a ARMx6 Mini.m. But this also occured on a vanilla 5.28 !Boot. I’ve now got rid of anything Mini.m specific from my SDD !Boot and ensured it has all the changes from 5.28.

This has got me up and running, but I’d like to switch to manual network set up to improve boot time, and avoid the second boot.

I’ve got a Pi4 next to me on the desk, although I think it’s only 1GiB. It’s running the current 5.28, it’s set to obtain IP address from hostname, with default netmask. Networking is fine – I access it via VNC.

So maybe I’m not being much help, except to say it works fine here.

Rather than looking in Host Names, you should be looking in Internet, Interfaces, Broadcom GENET, Configure. (and set your manual IP address and Netmask in there.

Click the Obtain IP address manually.

Secondly, goto Internet, Routing and put the UP address of your router as the Gateway address.

You should not need any other settings (i.e do not set anything in hostnames or user uptions.)

If you are still having trouble I suggest you download a build only from ROOL. My experience is that downloading from anywhere else could be much more troublesome.

@Brian, yes its set in interfaces GENET, the only thing I didn’t set was the gateway address, I’ll try that tomorrow.

Edit: No joy even when the gateway is set, only DHCP works, anything else doesn’t set up the interface followed by a hang.

It sounds like the Internet startup script is still trying DHCP. Is it worth completely replacing !Internet from the latest HD image ZIP, deleting the startup/Config script and try to configure your fixed IP again from a blank slate so to speak?

Post the config script, so we can see what it’s doing.

With regard to the hang, the DHCP Module has some flaws, such as hanging if it can’t request an IP (Pi Zero was a good example), waiting for the max timeout (ie it’s waiting for several DHCP offers that will never come) instead of quickly taking the first offer to speed up boot time, failing to set all the IP parameters sometimes, resulting in an IP but inability to resolve/route)

When using DHCP the first reboot always results in an error box that it cannot contact my routers IP address, it always then boots correctly on the second attempt after pressing retry.

Make a note of the working IP on a working session, first (failing) boot on new session, and second boot on new session. (I’m curious what’s happening)

Make sure the LAN side of your router has no IPv6 enabled.

Static:

No joy even when the gateway is set, only DHCP works, anything else doesn’t set up the interface followed by a hang.

Bryan pointed the correct direction – i.e. To work at an IP L3 level you need

1. A unique IP in the subnet
2. A subnet mask that matches the mask of the gateway device
3. A gateway IP

To work at higher levels you also need to set the DNS server(s) 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 will make google do something useful for you.

Hang – not looked at the NTP settings but if that’s targeting a name¹ then without DNS you won’t get far.

¹ Probably uk.pool.ntp.org using the name as the servers switch around a number of IP’s

Well I’m stumped. Coming back to this, I can configure the interface for “from host name”, with netmask ‘default’, gateway and primary resolver set, and it booted up fine, network all working, and no hang.

I switched back to DHCP (no gateway and resolver blank), and despite numerous reboots no reoccurrence of DHCP failures.

I can’t even get Thump to crash showing a directory of images, which killed it every time last night.

Maybe the Pi4B has got used to running RISC OS overnight!

Thanks for everyone’s help, I will be back if it starts playing up again.

Oh, missed a question earlier so the list should be:

1. IP on a working session
2. IP (if any) on a following failing boot on new session, and second boot on new session.
3. DHCP lease time on your router

The one thing I did change on the router before trying again yesterday was associate the Pi’s MAC with an IP address from the fixed range (192.168.1.25) rather than let DHCP assign one from its pool (was 192.168.1.82)

When I had the DHCP failure I always hit the retry button to reboot, I didn’t let it go to the desktop to check what the IP address was set to, I assume it was unconfigured, but if it happens again, I’ll take a look.

The lease time on the router is 86400 seconds.

The one thing I did change on the router before trying again yesterday was associate the Pi’s MAC with an IP address from the fixed range (192.168.1.25) rather than let DHCP assign one from its pool (was 192.168.1.82)

Ah, that was where I was leading.¹

I’ve seen DHCP servers misidentify the requesting device and produce a situation the client identifies as an IP clash with another device which in normal DHCP clients causes a retry and usually a new IP. The RO DHCP doesn’t cope that well.

A combination of standard router DHCP server and RO can play up if you don’t reserve an address.

The lease time on the router is 86400 seconds.

That’s 1 day (24 hrs) – what happens if you switch the Pi off for an hour with no reserved address in the router? and similarly with a 25 hour switch off?

¹ A habit I have of leading people with questions that have them find the answer

what happens if you switch the Pi off for …. 25 hours.

I know the quote is out of context. But, what would we do for 25 hours?

I know the quote is out of context. But, what would we do for 25 hours?

Switch on one of the other ones?

But, what would we do for 25 hours?

Peace, chocolate, tranquility, chocolate, doughnuts, chocolate, talk to the wife/cat, chocolate, read a book, chocolate, Netflix, and maybe some chocolate…

But, what would we do for 25 hours?

Watch some decent TV, go for a walk twice as long as you’ve done in the past couple of months, talk to family members on a topic of mutual interest and for the other 24 hours and 45 minutes (the walk took a while) sleep.

Watch some decent TV

You’ve got a time machine? Or a humongous dish antenna that lets you receive broadcasts from Proxima Centauri? Or what?

I’ll stick to the walks…

Although the lease is 24 hours, generally once the router has allocated an address from the DHCP pool, it remembers it even if the device hasn’t been connected for months.

My DHCP pool is 192.168.1.64 to 192.168.1.253, and even I’ve not got enough Pi’s connected to cause it to reallocate a previously assigned address from the pool.

For my RISC OS boxes and Raspberry Pi’s, I’ve usually manually assigned addresses from the static pool, for histerical reasons. But I am beginning to trust DHCP enough to allow them to retreive this address from the router. For other equipment, I let the router assign an address from the DHCP pool, and later fix it to the MAC address so it doesn’t change.

I am beginning to trust DHCP enough to allow them to retreive this address from the router. For other equipment, I let the router assign an address from the DHCP pool, and later fix it to the MAC address so it doesn’t change.

I put in reservations for many items.
As to routers and problem clients most modern routers do a decent job, if there’s a problem it’s usually the client end that’s guilty.
Kyocera printers have a naff implementation that means turning off BOOTP also turns off DHCP and the delays from it trying BOOTP first and then DHCP mean it comes close to the 62-second time limit, and exceeds it when the device also has to do RADIUS authentication onto the switch.

I put in reservations for many items.

Everything in this house, and both frequent visitors, have reservations. Less frequent visitors can use DHCP.

Just saw this comment on El Reg, thought it was appropriate:

Said it before

And I’ll say it again.

I hate networking :)

Reading the entrails of a freshly killed chicken is way easier, and you get a roast dinner.