Thermo interface error

David Steele · December 04, 2014, 03:46:28 PM

I encountered the attached "Error in ThermoEDSSpectraInit" red-liner last night when trying to acquire a heap of Automated points. The MDB in use has been used successfully previously to acquire ED-WD intensities for quant, so it should work....

HOWEVER in our recent attempts to overcome the Thermo EDS memory limitation constraints (a previous post) we have upgraded to a 64-bit version of Win7 and increased the internal RAM. So last night was the first attempt to use the EDS for combined ED-WD since the OS/RAM changes.

The TSPortal file seems to be in place, so I'm wondering what else (files/flags) might need to be present/activated to allow the system to function properly??

One artifact I have noticed since the OS upgrade and re-installation of NSS is the operation of the PCD/Faraday Cup when wanting to do a manual ED spectrum acquisition for simple mineral ID/confirmation - when the acquire button (the solid right-pointing arrow in the NSS toolbar) is hit, the PCD inserts (blanks the beam) then retracts to acquire the spectrum. Prior to the upgrade if the PCD was retracted the spectrum simply acquired when the go button was hit. Perhaps unrelated to the redline error but perhaps not....

I have seen a similar message when I inadvertently changed one of the flags to measure the beam current in NSS, only to find PfE produced a timeout error when trying to do combined ED-WD acquisitions. As far as I can tell all flags in NSS are the same as before but it is always possible I've missed one or more given the plethora of check buttons and windows in both PfE and NSS!

Any thoughts?

David

John Donovan · December 04, 2014, 04:03:32 PM

Quote from: David Steele on December 04, 2014, 03:46:28 PM
HOWEVER in our recent attempts to overcome the Thermo EDS memory limitation constraints (a previous post) we have upgraded to a 64-bit version of Win7 and increased the internal RAM. So last night was the first attempt to use the EDS for combined ED-WD since the OS/RAM changes.

The TSPortal file seems to be in place, so I'm wondering what else (files/flags) might need to be present/activated to allow the system to function properly??

Hi David,
Make sure you have both the Teportal.dll *and* socketdll.dll files are copied to the SysWOW64 folder for Win7 64 bit systems as described here:

http://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=125.msg494#msg494

and that these files appear nowhere else on your hard drive (except the NSS TEPortal folder).

These must be the files that come with the version of NSS that you are using. So grab them from the folder here:

Also please update Probe for EPMA, the current version is 10.5.4. it might not help, but it might, and it sure won't hurt.

But just as a sanity check, please run the NSS PortalTest.exe application in the TE Portal folder. If that test app doesn't make a connection after pressing the Connect button, then something is not set up properly in NSS.

I have found that if you use VNC for remote access it wants to use port 5800, which is what the TE Portal interface wants to use, so that got me stymied for a while. Once I changed it to 5810 in the NSSMachineSettings.ini file, all was good again.

David Steele · December 04, 2014, 11:37:11 PM

Hi All,

This issue has been resolved. The solution is to put copies of the Thermo NSS TEPortal.dll and socket.dll files in the SYSWOW64 directory on the EDS PC so PfE can find them when trying to undertake a combined ED-WD acquisition.

Thanks to John for his instructions.

David

David Steele · March 15, 2015, 10:27:14 PM

Hi All,
onwards and sideways....

The following might be of interest to anyone trying to Analyze combined ED-WD data off-line on a laptop or PC not attached to the EPMA.

The attached snipit is from my laptop on which I'm trying to (re-)Analyze combined ED-WD data acquired in January (and successfully Analyzed!)!! It's my red liner again, telling me it couldn't connect to the host (the EDS) which is NOT surprising as I (unfortunately) don't have an EDS attached to my laptop!

I've JUST updated both PfE (now v10.7.8 ) and Thermo NSS (v3.3.94) and put the newer TEPortal.dll and Socketdll.dll into the SYSWOW64 folder. I'm now wondering what I have to change in NSS (or PfE??) to tell the softwares there is NO host hardware attached and I just want it to use the ED spectra it has access to.

I haven't tried off-line combined ED-WD post-acq Analyzing previously, but it's an issue that has to be overcome as I have a number of PCs (other EPMA users) and laptops (including my own) that need to be able to do this!

Anyone else faced this dilemma??

Thanks and cheers (nearly "beer o'clock" down here...)

David
QUT JEOL 8530F

John Donovan · March 15, 2015, 10:44:28 PM

Quote from: David Steele on March 15, 2015, 10:27:14 PM
The following might be of interest to anyone trying to Analyze combined ED-WD data off-line on a laptop or PC not attached to the EPMA.

The attached snipit is from my laptop on which I'm trying to (re-)Analyze combined ED-WD data acquired in January (and successfully Analyzed!)!! It's my red liner again, telling me it couldn't connect to the host (the EDS) which is NOT surprising as I (unfortunately) don't have an EDS attached to my laptop!

I've JUST updated both PfE (now v10.7.8 ) and Thermo NSS (v3.3.94) and put the newer TEPortal.dll and Socketdll.dll into the SYSWOW64 folder. I'm now wondering what I have to change in NSS (or PfE??) to tell the softwares there is NO host hardware attached and I just want it to use the ED spectra it has access to.

I haven't tried off-line combined ED-WD post-acq Analyzing previously, but it's an issue that has to be overcome as I have a number of PCs (other EPMA users) and laptops (including my own) that need to be able to do this!

Hi David,
You have to set the IPHost keyword in the NSSMacineSettings.ini file to the loopback address as described here:

http://smf.probesoftware.com/index.php?topic=389.msg2134#msg2134

I've already asked Thermo to make the loopback address the default for offline processing and they said they would.
john

David Steele · March 16, 2015, 12:02:29 AM

Hi John,
Made the change as suggested (IPHost=127.0.0.1, see attached) but still no go

Same error: it's still trying to initialise the Thermo EDS interface (Could not connect to host) when calling function TEVB_Connect!

Your instructions make no mention of line 87 in the NSSMachineSettings.ini file TEPortal section: UseOldProtocol=false. What "OldProtocol"?? Should I also delete this line or should I also change it??

Cheers?
David

John Donovan · March 16, 2015, 08:34:41 AM

Quote from: David Steele on March 16, 2015, 12:02:29 AM
Made the change as suggested (IPHost=127.0.0.1, see attached) but still no go Same error: it's still trying to initialise the Thermo EDS interface (Could not connect to host) when calling function TEVB_Connect!

Your instructions make no mention of line 87 in the NSSMachineSettings.ini file TEPortal section: UseOldProtocol=false. What "OldProtocol"?? Should I also delete this line or should I also change it??

I don't know what UseOldProtocol is, you'll have to ask Thermo.

Did you start NSS before you tried to connect from PFE? Did you try re-booting the computer first?

David Steele · March 16, 2015, 05:23:53 PM

Thanks John. All working now on the laptop.

I had rebooted the laptop, BUT I had forgotten to start NSS and have it running before firing up PfE! On the EPMA, NSS is up and running all the time so I tend to forget about starting it on the laptop.....

More "who-man" error.... I'm only who-man (more "man" and less "who", so my dear spouse sometimes reminds me)!

Cheers,
DAvid

John Donovan · March 16, 2015, 06:00:47 PM

Quote from: David Steele on March 16, 2015, 05:23:53 PM
I had rebooted the laptop, BUT I had forgotten to start NSS and have it running before firing up PfE! On the EPMA, NSS is up and running all the time so I tend to forget about starting it on the laptop.....

Well no worries, but didn't the software prompt you asking if the NSS software was up and running?
john

David Steele · March 16, 2015, 06:42:45 PM

Alas no prompt from PfE re NSS up and running.....

Another mod for v10.7.9 (or v10.7.10)??

Thanks and cheers again,
David

John Donovan · March 16, 2015, 08:00:49 PM

Quote from: David Steele on March 16, 2015, 06:42:45 PM
Alas no prompt from PfE re NSS up and running.....

Hi David,
Note that it only asks once per app session to avoid irritating the user, so please test again.

john

David Steele · March 16, 2015, 10:32:29 PM

Hi John,
just tested the four permutations with NSS app closed (not running):
1) at the EPMA:
i) connected to hardware - no reminder, just the red liner Error 3.... couldn't connect .... function TEVB_Connect
ii) NOT connected to hardware - same as i)

2) using my laptop (offline):
iii) demo mode (pseudo-connected to hardware) - same as i and ii
iv) not connected to hardware - same as i, ii, and iii

(Four strikes and well "out" !!!)

No reminder re NSS (or Bruker?) to be open. In all cases above PfE apparently tries to initialise the EDS spectrum interface (NSS) but fails then reports the red liner in the log window...

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
DAvid

John Donovan · March 17, 2015, 08:34:54 AM

Quote from: David Steele on March 16, 2015, 10:32:29 PM
just tested the four permutations with NSS app closed (not running):
1) at the EPMA:
i) connected to hardware - no reminder, just the red liner Error 3.... couldn't connect .... function TEVB_Connect
ii) NOT connected to hardware - same as i)

2) using my laptop (offline):
iii) demo mode (pseudo-connected to hardware) - same as i and ii
iv) not connected to hardware - same as i, ii, and iii

Hi David,
Thanks for testing. These were both "off-line" tests?

But it does connect if Thermo NSS is running?

Are you running NSS on the same computer or a different computer than the PFE app(s)?
john

Probeman · March 17, 2015, 08:58:53 AM

Quote from: John Donovan on March 17, 2015, 08:34:54 AM
Are you running NSS on the same computer or a different computer than the PFE app(s)?

The point being that if the Thermo NSS app is running on a separate computer as indicated by this PROBEWIN.INI file parameter:

ThermoNSSLocalRemoteMode% = 1

Then it won't ask if NSS is running when it tries to connect.

But for off-line processing usually the Thermo NSS app is also installed on the same computer, so this flag should be set like this:

ThermoNSSLocalRemoteMode% = 0

You do have Thermo NSS installed on the off-line computer? Just use your same license number.
john

David Steele · March 17, 2015, 04:04:33 PM

Hi John,
OK....
On the EPMA NSS, PfE and the EPMA are on their own (separate) PCs talking via the Netgear hub. My two (currently) off-line PC's (a lab 'remote' data processing PC and my laptop) have the various softwares on the single PC. So the on-line (on-EPMA) and off-line hardware setups are different. The two "off-line" PC's have both PfE and NSS installed.

Everything (now) works fine on-line and off-line (i.e. on all 3 setups) if Thermo NSS is running before I open any mdb containing WD+ED intensities in PfE.

I was not aware that another flag (ThermoNSSLocalRemotemode) also has to be changed in the probewin.ini file for off-line processing. Will do that now and report back....

A comment - as time goes on I am learning that installing off-line copies of PfE on EPMA client PCs/laptops is far more involved than it initially seemed. I appreciate the necessary specifics but it's obviously not a (simple) case of "download and install the software"! I am currently generating a crib sheet for my brain and my successor here so the installation process is easier for anyone involved.....

Cheers,
David

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Thermo interface error