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Using its_sysinfo to identify firmware asserts on JCT boards

Symptom

Sometimes when troubleshooting an issue, it is necessary to identify whether a firmware assert has occurred.  The main symptoms that indicate a possible firmware assert are:

1) Multiple channels fail simultaneously
2) Problem can be resolved by re-downloading boards

Procedure:

When the firmware of a Dialogic® JCT-series Media Board asserts, it writes what info it can about the assert into shared memory.  The its_sysinfo.exe utility that comes with the Dialogic® System Release automatically collects a dump of this memory space.  

To detect whether a firmware assert has occurred:

1) Ensure that the board is still in the failed state.  Re-downloading the boards will clean the memory and eliminate any stored information pertaining to asserts

2) Run its_sysinfo.exe

3) Check the its_sysinfo.htm file

For most boards, the assert area is at memory address 0x7e00, so search the entire .htm file for 0x7e00.  The first 3 hex bytes on that line will identify whether any problems occurred with the firmware.  Note: 4 port boards such as the D4PCIU series of boards have only 8K of shared memory, and the assert area is at 0x1e00 instead.

Possible patterns are:

00 00 00 -- No problems
01 00 01 -- Firmware assert occurred
02 00 01 -- Firmware warning occured.  This may be benign, or may be a problem.  Tech support may be needed to identify whether this is root cause.

Example of assert area showing firmware assert:

e2007e00H  01 00 01 00 00 00 04 00-00 00 00 00 03 00 02 00  ................
e2007e10H  41 92 41 92 5b 93 5a 01-68 00 fa 06 49 00 a8 01  A.A.[.Z.h...I...
e2007e20H  fa 06 61 6c 6c 6f 63 2e-63 00 55 8b ec c9 cb 55  ..alloc.c.U....U
e2007e30H  8b ec 57 bf 01 00 8b c7-5f c9 cb 55 8b ec 0e 68  ..W....._..U...h

Product List:

Dialogic® JCT-series Media Boards