How to manually extract programming from system with 2 main repeaters

I ran into a scenario that up till now I had only worried about in theory. I was there to troubleshoot an issue which kind of resolved itself but given that the house has some 160 devices (according to the Connect app and temporary access), and all the dimmers are RR-6D dimmers, at some point I will need to get in there to upgrade the dimmers to a more LED friendly dimmer.

I should mention that the networking in this house is a MESS. Due to working from home, they have both cable and fiber from two different ISPs with two different networks! I don't want to give any more information about the house in case someone can recognize it but this isn't a normal house so my access is limited and I'm watched like a hawk at all times so the less poking around I do the better. I'm an electrical guy and not a network guy but I've seen enough panel rooms to know that I don't want to change or break anything here because it's a mix of "fancy" network gear mixed in with Best Buy type stuff and it didn't look very professional. For all I know, multi-cast might be disabled. This is what I tried:

• Opened cabinet and found Lutron Main repeater and connect bridge. Great!
• Connected with WIFI first to see if I could get lucky - it's happened before.
• Used an IP scanner and found 2 Lutron devices- first assumed it was the main repeater and the connect bridge
• typed the ip address for the main repeater that had the mac address of the main repeater and found that it was using firmware version 12.0
• downloaded version 12. Ra2 software and attemped to extract. Software found the main repeater along with a 2nd main repeater but could not extract from either. I'm guessing connect bridge shows up as a non-Lutron device on the network.
• Tried connecting via ethernet cable to the same switch the first main repeater was connected to - again, could not extract. "Repeater not responding"
• turned off firewall settings on my laptop tried again...still nothing. Tried the other repeater- nothing
• Restarted my computer and tried again just in case - got an error that the 2nd main repeater was in safe mode now and I'd need to unplug it and plug it back in.
• found 2nd main repeater on an other floor under a desk connected to a switch on the floor with all the LEDs red on it. Unplugged, plugged back in
• Tried extracting the program from the main repeaters from that switch hoping it would be physically closer and perhaps easier - this time the software couldn't even see the main repeaters.

The guy who had hired me knows the guy who installed the system who no longer has access to the latest software (I'm guessing once they made people put in their credentials, he no longer could do inclusive) has a copy of the database so I will HOPEFULLY get a copy of the last database, but there is a chance I have to get nitty and gritty to extract this.

In the past when dealing with this sort of thing, I would be talked through setting up manual IP address on my laptop's network adapter and then connect to the main repeater directly and find the main repeater and change its network settings to match my manual settings and then extract it, but this time around I know what the IP address of the main repeater is- i just don't know if it's DHCP or static. They have a Savant system in the hosue too so I'm leaning towards static, but not sure. The thing is though, I don't want to change it and break any links. so here are my questions:

1. Since this is a two main repeater system, can I unplug just one and do the above? In other words, does each main repeater have the entire copy of the database?
2. If I do extract the entire program, will it preserve the original network settings? ie. if it was static, keep the original address and static designation and if it's DHCP, keep it as DHCP?
3. Any other suggestions?

When you connect to the network and click "Find Main Repeater" it should tell you if it is DHCP or static.

Note the IP address and switch to static. You will probably have to change the IP address back to the DHCP address. Click advanced and change communications to "use repeater address." Try extracting again.

As a last resort, you could take the repeaters and plug them and your computer into a separate switch. You will have to set your computer address to match the repeaters. If the repeaters are DHCP you could use a router and not have to change your computer address. I have an old router that I keep for programming when the network isn't up yet. It's so old I think it only supports A/B.

I'm not sure about RA2 but with HomeWorks Lutron uses some algorithm to split the program between processors. I suspect they do the same thing with RA so you won't be able to extract from just one main repeater.

Where would it tell me if it's DHCP or static? When I find the repeater in the extraction screen or when I have a dummy file and look for the repeaters? But yeah I have a couple of old linksys routers that I use for last resort methods too! I guess I'll wait and see if they have the file and if not, resort to medieval methods.

What I like about QS processors is that they have 2 ethernet ports and for extraction, I would plug into the extra one on the 2nd processor and it would always work, even if it had trouble on the other switches.

When you click on the communication link, if it only says multicast it is DHCP. If says multicast and repeater address it is static.

This has happened to me before, here is what worked for me. I downloaded the same SW version, as you have done. I then reinstalled to OS in each main repeater, one at a time, connecting them directly to my laptop. I saved the files as a CYA. When I reconnected them to the network and had my laptop wired to the same network it found them, yay! Saved the file again and then upgraded both Main Repeaters to 12.10. Transferred the files after I re-connected the bridge to the system.
My issues all started with a network loop that screwed everything up. Button presses would sometimes take 30 in to go in effect.
I use Fing to see what is on the network, curious as to what others use.

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Originally Posted by Bill13

This has happened to me before, here is what worked for me. I downloaded the same SW version, as you have done. I then reinstalled to OS in each main repeater, one at a time, connecting them directly to my laptop. I saved the files as a CYA. When I reconnected them to the network and had my laptop wired to the same network it found them, yay! Saved the file again and then upgraded both Main Repeaters to 12.10. Transferred the files after I re-connected the bridge to the system.
My issues all started with a network loop that screwed everything up. Button presses would sometimes take 30 in to go in effect.
I use Fing to see what is on the network, curious as to what others use.

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The problem is I don't have a copy of the database so if I do anything that will wipe it off the main repeater, I will be REALLY up the creek! I haven't heard back from them yet so I haven't had a chance to try anything again but I'm still open to ideas.

Ok, I was able to extract the programming. Apparently, the entire copy of the database is on each repeater so I was able to create a dummy file, manually connect, change the IP address, then extract.