PF Crash on live & Pre-recorded programs

[K-Rock Europe]

We recently started using ProppFrexx for our radio.

Normal nonstop programming runs smoothly.
We only have problems with presented programs. Both Live from a remote studio and pre-recorded programs. Over time PF hangs. It is impossible to say when PF will hang. Sometimes after 20 minutes, but it is also possible after 40, 45 and yesterday after 110 minutes. You have to close PF and restart it and then everything will be fine for a while.

Our live programs are streamed from various studios via a VPN to our ICECAST2 server. There the PF server picks up the signal in PF.

Synicated programs are on the PF server itself, but the same problem there too.

I have looked in the logs of the PF Server (Windows 11) but there are no significant errors.

Could this problem be caused by Windows 11? If so, I will have to install Windows Server 2022. Or has anyone had the same problem and is there another solution?


Ruud

[radio42]

When there is no entry in the Error.log, it seems a general driver or OS issue, e.g. from the audio driver.
If this is related to an OS version can not be answered, as I don't know the root cause or issue.

But there must be a difference between your live/pre-recorded (which hang) AND your non-stop programs (which runs smoothly).
A typical difference might be the audio device (the mixer input or output channels) being used?
Can you spot any (other) difference?

[K-Rock Europe]

The only difference is that the pre-recorded programs and the live programs are lang files.
The settings in ProppFrexx are the same for non-stop programming and live/pre-recorded programming
Live programs are picked up from an icecast2 server [LiveStudio]->[IceCast2Server]->[PropFrexx]
Pre-recorded programs are FLAC or MP3 files located on the ProppFrexx Server

Later this year we're gonna use AoIP (Audio over IP) to connect remote studio's and the Main Studio

At the moment we're use Windows 11 but next week we install Windows 2022 server as OS.

Ruud

[K-Rock Europe]

I think I have found a solution to the problem where PF hangs when a live program or a pre-recorded program is running. I had a playlist with only one file in it, the program that had to run. Now have a playlist for each program with the first option being the program that should be running, supplemented with a number of tracks from the music library.

Ruud

[radio42]

Good that you found a solution.
But that would not lead to a ‚crash‘, but probably to some dead air. However, if it solves your issue - I am glad.

[K-Rock Europe]

Solution was no solution after all.
Normal non-stop programming is working fine. No problems at all.

The problem arises when live programs or prerecorded programs are running. Over time, ProppFrexx takes hold. The clock in ProppFrexx has stopped and the program must be closed. The problem lies somewhere in ProppFrexx (perhaps in combination with Windows 11) because only PF needs to be closed and then restarted. Don't think that the whole of PF has crashed because the program can be closed normally and also asks you to save certain things.

It then restarts the program properly (unfortunately at the beginning and not at the point where it got stuck.)
Unfortunately, there is no mention of PF in the EvntVwr.
The last option now is to switch from Windows 11 to Windows Server 2022

For the record: PC is a Lenovo IdeaCentre 5 (12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-12400 2.50 GHz / 8G Memory)

Ruud

[radio42]

I am a bit confused, as you wrote: "I think I have found a solution to the problem..." and the described your solution?!

Regardless,
It seems, that ProppFrexx is NOT crashing, but it is kind of not responding correctly anymore - the UI looks blocked!
Otherwise you would not be able to close the application.

When you restart a program it by default rolls forward all script lines to the current time. But when you schedule in a single script line an entire playlist already, this single script-line can of course not be continue where it go stuck.

As said, as there is NO error in ProppFrexx, NOR in the Windows Event viewer AND as ProppFrexx is still responsing and can even be closed, I must assume, that here is NO crash or error happening at all! Something must be 'blocking' ProppFrexx!

I am also very sure, that this 'blocking' must be somewhere in your configuration of the 'pre-recorded' or 'live' programs (whatever that exactly is)?!
So you MUST compare such configuration with the 'non-stop programs'!

My guess is, that you are somewhere using some special control-commands with such programs (live and pre-recorded), which you don't use with non-stop programs - or that you use other hardware, which you don't use with non-senariosctop programs.
And that these commands or lets say it in general the difference is causing the blocking situation.

By default many users do use non-stop or live/pre-programmed environments and that is working fine.
It as such must be something in your configuaration.
As said, I guess it might be a control-command you are using.

Please try to disable all commands in our pre-recorded, enable temporarily the 'Debug Logging' to investigate... there must be a difference.
But of course I can not tell what has been configured or used incorrectly...

[K-Rock Europe]

Hi, Bernd,

The way I start pre-recorded programs is
LoadFolder D:\programs\BotP\
or
LoadFile D:\programs\100%\100%.mp3
LoadFile D:\programs\100%\100%.flac

live programs are loaded as:
LoadPlaylist d:\programs\Live\RockBitch.m3u

in the RockBitch.m3u

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1,Any
http://192.168.1.12:8000/Prog1

or the program is loaded via ModStream_Watcher

MODSTREAM_WATCHER_START http://192.168.1.12:8000/Prog2|120|true|false|Psalm69
MODSTREAM_WATCHER_STOP

No other command are used.

The times when PF stopped audio playing are irregular.
Saturday PF stopped playing after 170 minutes after programstart
Sunday PF stopped playing prog1 after 112 minutes after programstart
Sunday PF stopped playing prog2 after 88 minutes after programstart


On the server side;
All energy savings on the server are disabled.
Windows updates are disabled

Right now I can't put my finger on it

Ruud

[radio42]

You directly START and immediately STOP the ModStream Watcher?
Maybe you have some command in a loop? Hard to say from here.
Hard to say from here? Maybe you play hundred of very small tracks in a row? Hard to say from here.

As said, you might temporarily enable the "Debug Logging" feature (see More Stuff) - let it run til the issue arrises (shouldn't take long according to your description) and then disable it again. Upload the log here (or send it to me directly).
Also monitor your memory consumption and CPU usage over that time - maybe it is dramatically increasing during that time?

[K-Rock Europe]

Changed from Windows 11 to Windows Server 2022 and the problem is solved.
Live and pre-recorded programs are played in full.. no restarts needed anymore.

Now it's fine-tuning...


Ruud