The lab2lab software has numerous retry modes to attempt to auto-recover
from problems. Errors serious enough to cause lab2lab to display an error message are classified into 4 levels.
Any error with severity higher than Warning will generate an internal email (if the system is configured to send them), as listed in the email page of the Settings screen.
|
Severity |
Explanation |
|
Warning |
This will inform anyone looking at the Director software about something which is important, but it will not stop lab2lab from functioning. Examples include: |
|
Peripheral Problem |
A peripheral device (other than the Buffer) has a problem. Examples include: |
|
Reduced Capability |
Currently this only applies to one error case; the Buffer is in error and so the system will disable the “Retain in Buffer” option on Clients and will only transport vials from Senders if there are instruments available to perform analyses immediately. |
|
System Down |
The system is in error and lab2lab will stop until the issue has been resolved. Examples include: |
If a Warning level error occurred but, before it has been acknowledged, a new error occurs of higher severity, then the new error will replace the previous warning. Hence, after acknowledging any error message it is worth looking at the log page to see if other, less serious errors preceded it.
When dealing with errors always read the message carefully. At the top of the message, it will usually display the time when the error occurred. It is possible that for errors such as loss of comms to a Sender, the issue has been resolved at the Sender and it is now back online and operational.
If lab2lab goes into error the steps to take are:
- to first diagnose what the problem is (start by reading the error messages in the Log page and then manually inspect the device where the error occurred),
- to rectify the problem
- to ensure that the new situation is correctly represented on the system. When dealing with transport failure in which the vial location is not known, you must find the physical vial (check its barcode if in doubt) and edit its location before resetting the system. Never set a vial’s location to Not in the System unless you are certain that that is true.
Besides vial transportation failures (see next section) lab2lab should only become inoperative if one of the core devices goes into error. If this happens a red error message will appear on the log page, which should specify what the problem is. If it is not easily resolved reliance will be able to assist.
During error recovery you may need to take direct control of valves and motors. Before you do this, use the Management tab in Director's Service|Settings to shut down the relevant sub-system controller (see 'lab2lab System Administrator's Manual' for details). If this is not done the controlling software may report an error, for example if a Receiver sees its Extended or Retracted position sensors change their state unexpectedly. If this happens, simply resetting it will quickly remedy the situation.
Error Recovery - 7.1 Viral transportation errors >>>