Connection Issue

Support
1

I’m having a weird issue with one of my laptops running Ableset.
My macbook pro is hanging on the “Starting server”-dialogue. If I unplug and plug in the ethernet-cable, it moves on and works as it should.

If I disconnect the ethernet-cable, and only have wifi active, the macbook connects, and works as it should.

My setup consists of a Mac Mini, Macbook Pro, PlayAudio12, MioXM, and a router all connected to a switch.

  • OS and Version: macOS Big Sur 11.7.10
  • Version of AbleSet: 2.6.7
  • Version of Ableton Live: 11.3.25
2

Hey @AndersK,

Thank you for sending along the log package! I haven’t been able to reproduce this on my end yet, which makes it harder to find a solution, but I’ll keep you posted on any progress I make.

My hunch is that this has to do with the way AbleSet tries to figure out your computer‘s IP address and host name. Does the app get stuck on “Starting server…” forever or does it actually start after a while?

I’m looking forward to your reply!

3
Hey Leo

I will test asap, and to see if it actually starts after a while.
I will get back to you tomorrow.
4
Hi again Leo

I let my setup run for about 20 hours, but my computer did not connect. It kept on showing the “Starting server” dialogue. 
As soon as I unplug the Ethernet cable it moves on, and I can then plug cable back in. Ableset can then see both machines, and my PlayAudio12 and MioXM. 

Although this is a workaround to make it work, it’s not the best solution for my setup, since it consists of a Mac Mini and a MacBook Pro, and I am using screen sharing to control the Mac mini. So when I unplug the Ethernet cable, I loose the screen sharing connection with the Mac mini.

If you want, I can record a video of what happens when I disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable.
5

Not to hijack this thread, but just pointing something out here as a software suggestion for a potential workaround: my playback rig with 2 MBPs connected via PlayAUDIO12 and ethernet will sometimes have AbleSet stuck before connecting, and the way I’m able to fix it is to go to Ableton Preferences - Link/Tempo/MIDI, set the Control Surface that says “AbleSet” to “none”, then select “AbleSet” again, and then it connects. After that, it works perfectly fine, and it’s just a strange thing that pops up when I’m setting up before a show occasionally.

6

Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely try that out to see if that also works in my case!

1 Like
7

Dealing with the same issue here. There’s some weird interaction going on between Ableset, Ableton, and the mioXM. I can’t open the Ableton session without unplugging ethernet first. After unplugging and opening the session, then Ableset isn’t able to connect (stuck on “starting server”). If I eventually find a way to get both Ableton and Ableset up at the same time, AbleNet isn’t recognizing the other host. I think the mioXM is doing something strange to Ableton/Ableset. Can’t figure out what. Been sat here for hours trying to figure it out. Anymore guesses?

8

I do have a hunch; maybe it has something to do with how the mioXM interacts on the network? I noticed that once I have the Mio booted up, it obfuscates any other network sessions/computers in the directory. Literally the only visible sessions are [I]mioD91-04, [I]mioD91-05, [I]mioD91-06, etc. My other sessions and computers disappear from the list.

Maybe it’s doing something that is overriding/preventing computers from finding each other on the network; and that’s why Ableset has trouble starting the server and finding other computers with Ablenet enabled? As soon as I turn the mio off, Ableset automatically recognizes the other host.

9

You might be onto something with this hunch!

When AbleSet starts, it checks whether your computer can be reached on the network using its hostname, e.g. playback.local. This uses Apple’s Bonjour or mDNS protocols, also used by the mioXM, to connect to your computer, so there’s a potential for interference.

There should be a time limit of 2.5 seconds to this check so if your computer takes too long to resolve your hostname, AbleSet should skip this step and just display the computer’s IP address for accessing the app.

This might fail in your setup, but I haven’t caught the error yet. If this happens on your end again, could you create a log package and send it to me? You can create one by opening AbleSet’s status window, clicking the settings icon on the top right, and then selecting “Create Log Package”. This package can be uploaded to my support inbox.

I’m looking forward to your feedback and hope I can get to the bottom of this soon!

1 Like
10

I also reached out to iConnectivity support to see if they have any insight as to this potential relationship :crossed_fingers:

11

Hey @miikaii,

Thank you for submitting your log package!

It seems like AbleSet doesn’t even get to the point where it checks whether your computer’s hostname is available on your network. It hangs a few steps before that, likely when starting the HTTP server.

One thing I noticed is that you’ve got your Wi-Fi and Ethernet network both using the same IP subnet (169.264.XXX.XXX). This is just a hunch, but if your Wi-Fi and Ethernet connect to different networks, this might lead to some issues as macOS doesn’t know which network interface to use for communicating with other devices.

If that’s the case, could you try to either disable your Wi-Fi connection and check if that makes a difference or put your Ethernet network on a different subnet, i.e. give your devices on that network IP addresses that start with two other numbers like 10.0.XXX.XXX or 192.168.XXX.XXX? That might solve the issue.

In the meantime, I’ve added more logs and will release a new beta version with these changes soon.

I hope this helps and look forward to your reply!

1 Like
12

For the most part, I’ve been experiencing the issue with WiFi disabled on all computers. I guess when I replicated the issue to grab the log package, I had left the wifi on by accident.

Showing my ignorance here, but it seems like my wifi stays in the 192.186.86.XXX subnet. The only way I know to confirm this is to look at the network details in the network preferences of the Mac(s). Is there another way to see if it’s somehow using the same IP adress as my other ethernet network?

13

Hey @miikaii,

Thank you for elaborating, then this is likely unrelated to the issue you’re describing.

If you’d like to get an overview of all network devices and their status, IP address, and subnet settings, you can run the following command in your terminal:

system_profiler SPNetworkDataType

AbleSet stores the output of this command in the log package as well, this is what it looked like on your machine when you created the first log package:

Network:

    Ethernet Maxonar:

      Type: Ethernet
      Hardware: Ethernet
      BSD Device Name: en7
      IPv4:
          Configuration Method: DHCP
      IPv6:
          Configuration Method: Automatic
      Proxies:
          Exceptions List: *.local, 169.254/16
          FTP Passive Mode: Yes
      Service Order: 0

    Ethernet Anker:

      Type: Ethernet
      Hardware: Ethernet
      BSD Device Name: en8
      IPv4 Addresses: 169.254.114.188
      IPv4:
          AdditionalRoutes:
              DestinationAddress: 169.254.114.188
              SubnetMask: 255.255.255.255
          Addresses: 169.254.114.188
          Configuration Method: Manual
          ConfirmedInterfaceName: en8
          Interface Name: en8
          Subnet Masks: 255.255.0.0
      IPv6:
          Configuration Method: Automatic
      Ethernet:
          MAC Address: 20:7b:d2:aa:77:80
          Media Options: Full Duplex
          Media Subtype: 1000baseT
      Proxies:
          Exceptions List: *.local, 169.254/16
          FTP Passive Mode: Yes
      Service Order: 1

    Wi-Fi:

      Type: AirPort
      Hardware: AirPort
      BSD Device Name: en0
      IPv4 Addresses: 169.254.203.144
      IPv4:
          AdditionalRoutes:
              DestinationAddress: 169.254.203.144
              SubnetMask: 255.255.255.255
          Addresses: 169.254.203.144
          Configuration Method: DHCP
          ConfirmedInterfaceName: en0
          Interface Name: en0
          Subnet Masks: 255.255.0.0
      IPv6:
          Configuration Method: Automatic
      Ethernet:
          MAC Address: 3c:22:fb:cf:cc:33
          Media Options: 
          Media Subtype: Auto Select
      Proxies:
          Exceptions List: *.local, 169.254/16
          FTP Passive Mode: Yes
      Service Order: 2

    Bluetooth PAN:

      Type: Ethernet
      Hardware: Ethernet
      BSD Device Name: en6
      IPv4:
          Configuration Method: DHCP
      IPv6:
          Configuration Method: Automatic
      Proxies:
          Exceptions List: *.local, 169.254/16
          FTP Passive Mode: Yes
      Service Order: 3

    Thunderbolt Bridge:

      Type: Ethernet
      Hardware: Ethernet
      BSD Device Name: bridge0
      IPv4:
          Configuration Method: DHCP
      IPv6:
          Configuration Method: Automatic
      Proxies:
          Exceptions List: *.local, 169.254/16
          FTP Passive Mode: Yes
      Service Order: 4

If you’d just like to see a list of all network interface’s IP addresses, you can also open AbleSet’s status window, click the settings icon on the top right, and then hover over “Preferred Network”. The sub-menu contains a list of all network interfaces along with their current IP address.

I hope this helps!

1 Like
14

Got it! Yeah, when my wi-fi is enabled, it reads the correct subnet (192 range). And when it’s disabled it outputs the 169.254 IP you were seeing. Thanks for this super handy to know

15

Just heard back from iConnectivity and they said they have noticed issues with their products and Ableset. Was sent a link with a firmware fix. They did say they’ve never encountered the Mio “obscuring” computers on the network and provided a couple diagnostic things to look at on my end. When I have time, I’ll troubleshoot again, and eventually try the new firmware.

1 Like
16

What firmware version did they link to?

18

I was able to do some troubleshooting today, in every scenario the Mac Mini always connected immediately.

Here are my observations:

1. mioXM, Playaudio12, MBP, Mac mini connected via ethernet switch. MBP and Mac mini connected to Playaudio12 via USB
→ MBP stuck on “Starting server”

  • Disabling/enabling Ableset as MIDI control surface on the MBP does nothing.
  • Unplugging the mioXM, while everything else stays connected, does nothing.
  • Unplugging Playaudio12, while everything else stays connected does nothing.

Unplugging ethernet cable from MBP
→ Ableset starts, and displays host as the MBP local name, and local as http://localhost

Replugging ethernet to MBP
->Host: MBP local name and remote as the MBP’s ethernet ip address.

Screen sharing of course disconnects, and the mac mini disappears from the Finder sidebar.

I can then force the screen sharing connection by using the vnc://“mac-mini-ethernet-ip-address”

—

2. (mio disconnected)Playaudio12, MBP, Mac mini connected via ethernet switch. MBP and Mac mini connected to Playaudio12 via USB.
→ MBP stuck on “Starting server”

Disconnecting the Playaudio12 ethernet from the switch → Ableset connects immediately on the MBP

The Mac mini is still present in Finder sidebar

—

3. Playaudio12 disconnected from the ethernet switch, but still connected via USB to both computers. mioXM, MBP, Mac mini connected via switch.
→ MBP stuck on “Starting server”

Disconnecting mio —> Ableset connects immediately to MBP

Mac mini still present in Finder sidebar

—

4. Playaudio12 powered off, mio powered off. MBP and Mac Mini connected to ethernet switch.
→ MBP connects immediately

Powering on the mio, changes nothing

Powering on the Playaudio, changes nothing

Mac mini still present in finder sidebar

This leads me to believe, that the issue must be with the Playaudio and mioXM.
Is interesting that the issue only appears on my MBP. It might be because it’s running Big Sur, and the Mac Mini is on Sonoma.

19

Looks like we’re having the same issue. It’s gotten so bad to the point that I can’t open a certain Ableton session with the mio connected on the network. That’s with Ableset disabled as a MIDI control surface. Ableset app open or closed, doesn’t matter. What firmware version is you’re mio running currently?

As to your question about what version they linked to, looks like a beta. 2.3.0b1

20

I just updated to version 2.3.0 on the mioXM.

I don’t think we have exactly the same issue, but it does sound like they are related, and it seems like the culprit is either the PA12 and/or mioXM.
I at least have no problem opening my sessions.

21

were you having issues pre-update?