Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?

3mm · 9 Mar 2021, 05:23

Anybody know how to connect an Ubuntu LInux PC directly to a DUET3D EtherNet controller using only an EtherNet cable without using a router? I have looking around, somebody has probably figured out how to do it. Any help would be appreciated.

I desire to use DUET Web Broswer user interface with that arrangement.

Does such a configuration require a cross-over cable, among the other things?

Thanks in advance

3mm

fcwilt · 9 Mar 2021, 06:18

@3mm

Well either the Duet or the PC would have to have auto configuring network connectors.

If neither does then a cross-over cable would be needed - or a small network switch.

Frederick

droftarts · 9 Mar 2021, 06:28

@3mm you need to configure the Linux PC’s Ethernet and the Duet to different static IP addresses that are in the same sub domain. See https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/Setting_up_networking_on_Duet#Section_Wired_direct_connection

Ian

droftarts · 9 Mar 2021, 06:34

@fcwilt said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

@3mm

Well either the Duet or the PC would have to have auto configuring network connectors.

No. You have to set both to static IP addresses, as there’s no DHCP server to allocate the IP address when connected by a single cable.

If neither does then a cross-over cable would be needed - or a small network switch.

No, you don’t need a crossover cable, Duet and PC network adapter will auto negotiate that. You shouldn’t need a switch or hub either.

Ian

fcwilt · 9 Mar 2021, 06:39

@droftarts said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

Did you actually read what I posted?

I specifically stated that a cross-over cable or switch would only be needed if neither the Duet or the PC had an auto-configuring network port.

The OP asked about the need for a cross-over cable and that is the issue I addressed.

I assumed the OP understood about IP address issues.

Frederick

droftarts · 9 Mar 2021, 06:50

@fcwilt said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

@droftarts said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

Did you actually read what I posted?

Of course.

I specifically stated that a cross-over cable or switch would only be needed if neither the Duet or the PC had an auto-configuring network port.

The OP asked about the need for a cross-over cable and that is the issue I addressed.

That was his second question. It wasn’t clear what you were referring to.

I assumed the OP understood about IP address issues.

Big assumption!

Ian

droftarts · 9 Mar 2021, 07:01

@3mm here’s a guide to setting a static IP address in Ubuntu. https://linuxize.com/post/how-to-configure-static-ip-address-on-ubuntu-20-04/
The first part is how to do it in terminal, later in the article it shows how to do it in the GUI, much easier!

See my earlier link for how to set up the Duet.

Ian

3mm · 9 Mar 2021, 10:28

@droftarts

Excellent. Thank you so much!

Best Regards

3mm

3mm · 11 Mar 2021, 07:13

@droftarts

Hi, after screwing around quite a bit and reading the URLs you cited and a few others derived from those you cited, I was able to connect the NoteBook running Ububut 14.04 Linux, directly (using a straight through CAT5e cable) to the DUET-EtherNet (v2) controller, via static IPv4 configuration. However, it wont stay connected. It acts like a timing problem? I'm wondering what the minimum version of (FireFox) web-browser is required? And maybe, is there a time-out retry setting somewhere in the controller firmware? It occurs to me that the NoteBook, a Dell "Inspiron Mini 1012" just might be too old...too slow. I have a marketing brochure dated 1999 for that model.

Any ideas to what might be a solution? I've changed cables; fiddled around with settings in the Linux. I may try changing to a more recent PC with a more recent version of Linux.

Thanks in advance for your time in this matter.

3mm

gaweyo · 11 Mar 2021, 09:00

@3mm said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

However, it wont stay connected.

sounds like you might have dhcp client still running, does the IP for the PC change when it stops working or does it say static? i

droftarts · 11 Mar 2021, 09:18

@3mm Is the netbook connected by WiFi to your network as well? If so, what IP addresses are the wired and wireless connections configured to? Most likely you have set the wired Ethernet in the same range as the WiFi. To check each one, see https://help.ubuntu.com/stable/ubuntu-help/net-findip.html.en

You can also use the terminal command ip a to list IP addresses.

Ian

3mm · 3 Nov 2021, 10:24

@gaweyo

sounds like you might have dhcp client still
running, does the IP for the PC change
when it stops working or does it say static?

No. But thanks for the reply.

@droftarts

Is the netbook connected by WiFi to your network as well?
No. WiFi is disabled.

I have further information. When the NoteBook connects to the DUET-E controller & the Web-Console, EtherNet/Controller stays connected so long as there is not a lot of I/O hand-shaking. For instance, I can issue motion commands via the web-interface without any disconnects, but when I click the 'G-Code Files' tab, sometimes it'll load the page and then disconnect, other times it'll instantly disconnect. The only way I can reconnect and have a stable connection is power-cycling the DUET-E (EtherNet) v1.02 controller.

When the connection crashes, the WebConsole emits an error message:

! Request Timeout
The last HTTP request has timed out. Please make sure the connection between your
device and the board is not interrupted.

DUET-E Controller Info:

(old)
Duet 2 WiFi/EtherNet Board (v1.02)
Firmware: 2.03 (2019-06-13b2)
Web Interface: 1.21

The settings in the DUET-E controller are:

M552 S0 ; Disable network
; ----------------- static IP direct connect via CAT5e cable DUET-E controller config ------------
M552 P192.168.2.2     ; Static IP Addr - DUET's IP Addr
M553 P255.255.255.0 ; NetMask 
M552 S1                      ; Enable network

The settings in Ubuntu 14.04 Linux - /etc/network/interfaces file are:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0 
iface eth0 inet static
     address 192.168.2.1
     netmask 255.255.255.0

While in the Ubuntu DeskTop 'NetworkManager' taskbar dialog
the IPv4 Settings are:

  Address: 192.168.2.1
  Netmask: 255.255.255.0
  Gateway:   0.0.0.0

I think this should be working.

Maybe its a really old DUET-E firmware version problem thats been fixed? The NoteBook Linux seems to be doing something that may be
scrambling the controller logic?? It isn't a perfect world. Although these DUET products are very good IMO. I was lucky finding you guys. Thanks.

3mm

dc42 · 11 Mar 2021, 10:25

@3mm said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

Maybe its a really old DUET-E firmware version problem thats been fixed?

Please run M122 and post the resulting report here.
It may help us diagnose this if you install WireShark on the notebook, capture the data to/from the Duet and stop the capture immediately after a disconnection. Then attach the capture file to a post.

droftarts · 3 Nov 2021, 12:13

@3mm It's possible it's a firmware bug, as you're on RRF 2.03. Updating to 2.05.1 would be sensible, and shouldn't require you to make any changes (caveat: from memory!).

What version of DWC are you using? I think you said you're using Firefox as your browser, but I'm not sure we have tested what version would be compatible. I'd generally say to use the latest available.

It's also possible that it's an SD card issue; sharing the M122 response as @dc42 suggests might show if that's a problem (you can connect via USB to get this, if it's not working in the browser). Try a new one, or reformat the old one after copying the files off it. See https://duet3d.dozuki.com/Wiki/SD_Card for specification, formatting etc.

Ian

3mm · 11 Mar 2021, 11:54

@dc42 said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

@3mm said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

Maybe its a really old DUET-E firmware version problem thats been fixed?

Please run M122 and post the resulting report here.

It may help us diagnose this if you install WireShark on the notebook, capture the data to/from the Duet and stop the capture immediately after a disconnection. Then attach the capture file to a post.

Hi DC42,

I down-loaded & installed WireShark on the Linux box, now I gotta fiddle around a bit to use it, and tomorrow I'll upload the M122 output, gotta hit the sack, its 4:00am here in LA, and I have a meeting with pirate atty (aren't they all?) tomorrow. Thanks for your attention to this matter.

3mm

3mm · 19 Mar 2021, 07:41

@3mm said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

@dc42 said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

@3mm said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

Maybe its a really old DUET-E firmware version problem thats been fixed?

Please run M122 and post the resulting report here.

It may help us diagnose this if you install WireShark on the notebook, capture the data to/from the Duet and stop the capture immediately after a disconnection. Then attach the capture file to a post.

Hi DC42,

I down-loaded & installed WireShark on the Linux box, now I gotta fiddle around a bit to use it, and tomorrow I'll upload the M122 output, gotta hit the sack, its 4:00am here in LA, and I have a meeting with pirate atty (aren't they all?) tomorrow. Thanks for your attention to this matter.

3mm

Hi DC42,

<sigh> Well, the version of Ubuntu and the age of the Dell NoteBook running ubuntu 14.04 LTS that I was trying to use with the DUET-E controller, and then later install WireShark into...not a good fit, it just did not work correctly. So, now that I've changed to a HP 8640P LapTop, and have installed the latest xubuntu (ubuntu 20.04.10 LTS) Linux operating system and installed the latest WireShark, --those peices are working properly together. The for WebControl, FireFox version: 86.0 (64bit) Ubuntu canonical - 1.0, which is a fairly recent version.

I now am able to finally cause the new laptop+ubuntu OS to connect to the DUET-E controller, (using NetPlan) I finally have been able to acquire the WireShark diagnostic traffic file that you requested.

So now, just as before, everytime I connect (via static IP & a direct EtherNet CAT5 cable) from the LapTop to the DUET-E controller, the connection remains functioning (40 + minutes, while moving the hot-end, setting the temps, heating things up, etc) as long as I do not access the G-Code Files directory which loads and displays all the files. The EtherNet remains connected for around 5 seconds and then drops the connection and emits an 'HTTP timeout error'. The only way I can reconnect is to power-cycle the DUET-E controller.

The LapTop IP Address: 192.168.2.1/24 (the /24 is required by ubuntu)
DUET-E Controller Addr: 192.168.2.2/24 (ditto)
NetMask: 255.255.255.0

network configuration file: /etc/netplan/99_config.yaml

  network:
    version: 2
    renderer: networkd
      ethernets:
        enp0s25:
          addresses: 
                 - 192.168.2.1/24
                 - 192.168.2.2/24

sudo netplan apply<cr>

M122 Status List:
M122 Status List.txt

WireShark Diagnostic (dropout occurs around 1331) file - Rename file from .txt to .pcapng:
EtherNet_DropOuts_Around_1331_pcapng.txt

Thanks in advance for your help.

3mm

droftarts · 19 Mar 2021, 12:17

@3mm Thanks for the information. You didn't update to 2.05.1? The M122 command reports "Used output buffers: 6 of 24 (8 max)", which is high. There were quite a lot of fixes in later RRF 2.x versions for this issue.

To update, you should be able to upload this file to DWC: https://github.com/Duet3D/RepRapFirmware/releases/download/2.05.1/Duet2Firmware-2.05.1.zip
Download it as a zip (don't unzip it), and upload it to the Duet via DWC > Settings > General > Upload Files button.

Note that this WILL update DWC to version 2.x, which is a bit different from 1.x. You can go back to 1.x if you prefer it.

Ian

SupraGuy · 19 Mar 2021, 17:36

Crossover cable issue has been addressed.

If I were dealing with a Linux PC, I'd probably use a separate network card and configure DHCP on that interface.

Google gave me a basic link to configure it here

This also allows you to use it with a switch for other network functions for things that you might not want connected to the Internet. You can also edit the configuration file to always assign the same IP address by MAC address, allowing you to always be able to find any given host by IP address, when desired.

My ISP router doesn't support assigning addresses to devices, so I shut off it's DHCP server entirely, and have set up DHCP services on a Linux machine so that I can always find things like my MotionEye cameras, the Duet, and a few other things on the network.

Edit: The advantage to doing it this way is that you can still take the Duet based printer somewhere else and still easily connect it to most networks.

3mm · 21 Mar 2021, 16:02

@droftarts said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

@3mm Thanks for the information. You didn't update to 2.05.1? The M122 command reports "Used output buffers: 6 of 24 (8 max)", which is high. There were quite a lot of fixes in later RRF 2.x versions for this issue.

To update, you should be able to upload this file to DWC: https://github.com/Duet3D/RepRapFirmware/releases/download/2.05.1/Duet2Firmware-2.05.1.zip
Download it as a zip (don't unzip it), and upload it to the Duet via DWC > Settings > General > Upload Files button.

Note that this WILL update DWC to version 2.x, which is a bit different from 1.x. You can go back to 1.x if you prefer it.

Ian

Thank you for your time in this matter and for the update link. I'll give it a whirl... In the mean time, I have successfully broken the Linux software connection point. I can not cause the EtherNet port to talk to the InterNet or to the printer. There is a bug in the mapping (NetPlan) software and it broke something for which I can not find any documentation. I chose xubuntu as it sports a smaller memory usage footprint than the standard ubuntu version. Only there is a problem, that port of Linux is poorly documented, does not have a large user community AND they changed a lot of the ways Linux operates AND it is really buggy! In my opinion. So, I'm going to overwrite it with a ubuntu 20.04.10 LTS OS, to try to get back to a standard Linux normalicy, so if there is a problem, I'll be able to find literature for it.

Thanks a lot...3mm

3mm · 21 Mar 2021, 16:10

@SupraGuy said in Connect Ubuntu PC Directly to DUET EtherNet Without a Router?:

Crossover cable issue has been addressed.

If I were dealing with a Linux PC, I'd probably use a separate network card and configure DHCP on that interface.

Google gave me a basic link to configure it here

This also allows you to use it with a switch for other network functions for things that you might not want connected to the Internet. You can also edit the configuration file to always assign the same IP address by MAC address, allowing you to always be able to find any given host by IP address, when desired.

My ISP router doesn't support assigning addresses to devices, so I shut off it's DHCP server entirely, and have set up DHCP services on a Linux machine so that I can always find things like my MotionEye cameras, the Duet, and a few other things on the network.

Edit: The advantage to doing it this way is that you can still take the Duet based printer somewhere else and still easily connect it to most networks.

@SupraGuy

Unfortunately, my PC is a laptop, and actually I did try (using ubuntu 14.04 LTS) the DHCP method, but I was suffering the EtherNet dropout problem and DC42 asked that I capture the failure modality using WireShark, which I was unable to cause to work properly with that version of Linux. So I dug out an HP-8640p LapTop onto which I loaded a different version Linux OS & WireShark. However I could not cause that configuration to easily swap between static IP and DHCP, as I would like to be able to connect the LapTop to the InterNet occasionally, and other times only to the printer. Then I broke that OS somehow and I've given up trying to resolve that problem, I'm just going to rebuild the OS with a standard Ubuntu 20.04.10 LTS Linux. The Net Mapping (NetPlan) software is very powerful, but seems a bit sketchy, in my opinion.

Thanks for your suggestions - 3mm