General Troubleshooting Guide

In order to troubleshoot a non-connective RIPE-Atlas Probe, go through these Items from top to bottom, until the problem is solved. The procedure is geared towards a typical "at home" scenario with a Version 3 probe connected to a cable/DSL router which supplies the probe with IP address and DNS configuration by DHCP and does not limit outgoing connections from the probe to the Internet. It is also geared towards a hoster without much technical background in IP networking.

Check for hints on the probe's webpage

Webpage is at https://atlas.ripe.net/probes/<probeID>/ Note that you will need to login to RIPE in order to access or change the details.

General Tab
- system tags
Network Tab
- Connection History
- SOS History
Status Tab

Check that the probe's LEDs show the expected state

See https://atlas.ripe.net/about/faq/#what-do-the-lights-on-the-side-of-the-probe-mean

Check the Troubleshooting articles in the FAQ

See https://atlas.ripe.net/about/faq/#troubleshooting

Re-format the thumbdrive

Remove power and thumbdrive from probe. Reconnect power, checking LED status as above. After 10 minutes, reconnect Thumb drive. After an hour, check Probe status on the webpage.

If the probe still does not connect, a filesystem on the thumbdrive may be corrupted in a way that disrupts the probe's functionality and prevents correction. Try to wipe the thumbdrive (you may include the partition table) using another computer. Have the probe re-format the drive as described above.

If you experience trouble wiping the thumbdrive (e.g. the drive is read-only), replace it (see next section).

Note: There is no way to externally check the filesystems on a probe's thumbdrive, as they are encrypted. There will typically be 3 partitions totaling around 3GB, but the filesystems within these cannot be mounted or checked except by the probe itself, which has the encryption keys.

Replace the thumbdrive

Deploy a functioning usb drive of at least 4GB capacity as described under "Re-format the thumbdrive".

Note: In general, the probe doesn't care what is on the USB stick, so wiping or formatting it beforehand is not required. Plugging it into the probe after bootup will cause the stick to be formatted, so take care not to use one with needed files on it.

Replace Probe

Contact atlas@ripe.net for instructions on having the probe replaced.

Additional Hints for specialists and/or special cases

If your probe is connected in a special way, such as with a static IP, behind a firewall which limits outgoing connections, or if you have IP networking knowldedge and troubleshooting tools at your disposal, please see these additional hints.

Static IP

Scenario: You have explicitly configured your probe with a static IP address and static dns resolver(s).

Tools/Knowledge required: ...

...

Firewall

Scenario: Your probe is deployed behind a firewall that may limit some or all connections from the probe to the Internet.

Tools/Knowledge required: ...

...

Sniffing

Scenario: any.

Tools/Knowledge required: You have a sniffing tool at your disposal, know how to use it, are allowed to deploy it in the network in question and know how to interpret its results.

...