This is a very common call that we receive. The call is that the (IMB) server is not responding to input from the web GUI. This is a common complaint from servers that use a web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer or Edge) for control such as the GDC SR-1000 and the Dolby IMX-x000 family.
This is a very simple problem that is very easy to fix. An IMB server draws its power from the host projector. With most projectors, certain model Christies being excluded, when the projector is SHUTDOWN or put in STANDBY, power to the server is cut abruptly, much like yanking the power cord out of a desktop computer. The correct procedure is to use the SHUTDOWN command on the server prior to shutting down the projector. There is a SHUTDOWN button on the DASHBOARD screen of the GDC server or the red power button on the top right of the Dolby IMS-x000 screen. Once this button is pressed, the server commences a normal and safe shutdown that takes a couple of minutes. There are two important points to note here:
- This is the proper procedure for safely shutting down the server BEFORE turning off the projector. It is what is mandated by the server manufacturers.
- Once the shutdown has been initiated, the only way to turn the server back on is to power cycle the projector
It is the second of those points that is the most pertinent here. The most frequent cause of the call is because the server had been shutdown at some prior time. Attempting to connect to the server once it has been SHUTDOWN will return either no webpage or a cached page that stays on Application Loading, Connecting or some other message that doesn't change or update. The fix is to power cycle the projector. Once the projector has been power cycled, the projector will wake up and then the server will follow. Note that this procedure may take up to five minutes.
One NEC and most Christie projectors the projector shutdown places the projector in a standby mode. Bringing the projector from operational mode to standby and back will resolve this issue. On certain Christies, such as the Solaria One and the CP-2208, there is an internal menu option that may have been set by your service company that allows the server to be powered with the projector in STANDBY. On these projectors, power must be physically removed from the projector to initiate the power cycle. Barco projectors require a complete power down to power cycle for the server restart.
While there are other possible causes for this problem, in the vast majority of cases, the server has been previously intentionally or inadvertently been shutdown and is the cause of the problem.