Help! My Z3 is messed up!
Posted By: DdlV
Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 05:50
Hi jcl.
I have 1.34 Z12 and Z3 running on a VPS. Over the weekend something happened and they hung - apparently Z3 hung badly. When I checked after the weekend neither was running. I had to force-close both instances. Now when I try to start Z3 it never completes the FXCM login. If I start Z12 first it starts up OK, but when Z3 tries to start Z12 hangs. If I force-close Z3, Z12 functions normally again.
How do I fix Z3?!
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 13:23
Hmm, if Z12 works then it is not some connection issue. Maybe the Z3.trd file is damaged? Delete that file and start again.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 14:00
Renamed z3.trd to z3.trd.damaged & tried to start - same result - FXCM login hangs just producing dots. No new z3.trd created.
Z3_<asset>diag.txt shows:
Z3 (oP group) ..
FXCM.dll => FXCM plugin mounted
Login FXCM 0->2
Login FXCM..
BrokerLogin
Login Realses st ...................
Now what?
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 16:34
The .trd file is the only file that could be affected by a previous session. If it's not the .trd, then something else happened with your Zorro installation at the weekend crash, or maybe with the whole VPS. Next step would be installing the latest Zorro version and starting Z3 again.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 18:36
I have reinstalled 1.34 and the problem persists. I can login fine to the account via TS. If I put a bad password into Zorro the login fails as expected. The only problem is using the correct login information in Zorro.
Besides the .trd file, is Zorro maintaining API info somewhere else which could be causing the problem? Does Zorro produce any API logs?
Thanks.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 18:49
Also, in the diag.txt snippet above, what does the "ses st" after "Login Real" signify? Normally "Login Real" is followed by a colon, a number, & a ms count...
Thanks.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/11/16 22:44
FXCM reports successful logins on their side. So Zorro evidently isn't recognizing this success. Perhaps something unexpected is being returned causing the "ses st"?
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/12/16 17:57
No, the "ses st" is a normal debug message indicating initialisation of the FXCM API. The login is also executed, otherwise you would not see any dots, but some subsequent API call hangs.
The next step, when damaged Zorro and FXCM files can be really excluded as the reason of the problem, would be looking for damage in the Windows system. Check in the event log what really happened with your VPS last weekend. Ask your VPS provider if he has a backup and can reset your VPS to the state of last week.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/12/16 18:12
Thanks jcl.
I will look, but actually don't expect to find anything...
Also, don't understand how it could be a Windows/server level problem given that Z12 is working fine on the same VPS (installed in a different folder).
After the successful login is the next step price download? Could a history file be damaged?
The only other thing I remember is clicking the Zorro window during Weekend when the connection box was grey - could this have hung something up?
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/12/16 20:49
No, a damaged history file has no effect on logging in to the broker. And I don't see how it matters anyway - if Zorro A does not work anymore and Zorro B does, then obviously some file of Zorro A is broken. So a simple reinstallation solves that problem, or even just copying Zorro B over to Zorto A. I do not really see what other advice I could give you here.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/12/16 21:55
No, not logging into the broker - both you & FXCM confirm that is happening OK. So the problem occurs after that. Perhaps at price history download?
Is there a debug setting that will print in the log/diag every broker API call that is executed so I can see which one is failing? Or can you tell me what calls happen between login and the print of the login timestamp in the Zorro window? The problem appears to be between these 2 events...
I have already tried the (simple) reinstalling Zorro after trying removing .trd - neither resolved the problem.
Thanks.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 08:48
Also tried:
Removing entire Log folder. Same problem.
Removing entire History folder. Zorro complains about not finding AssetFix.dta, but still allows Trade to be pushed. Same problem.
What is the fxcm dll interaction between Zorros? At about the 5th dot on the Z3 Zorro, the Z12 Zorro window shifts slightly and stops updating. It remains frozen until the Z3 Zorro (which continues printing dots) is killed, then returns to its original position and resumes updating. Sure seems like a dll/api problem...
FXCM will not assist further without API logs...
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:20
I do not know how FXCM DLLs interact, but I don't think that they do interact at all.
Zorro instances do interact with each other when they write into shared files, for instance into logs or into the trade CSV file. In such a case any Zorro instance waits until the other Zorro instance has finished writing.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:26
VPS Event Viewer shows no errors all weekend through now. (Except Zorro Z3 hanging...
)
VPS has been rebooted.
Any way to get the API logs out of Zorro?
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:27
You mean the diagnostics file? It's in the log folder.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:28
No shared files at the Zorro level - Z3 and Z12 are in separate folders.
DLL(s) have shared files/memory?
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:29
No - I mean something more detailed that shows each API call and its success or failure.
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:30
No, but it does not matter if they are in separate folders. They still wait for each other, since Zorro has no way to know if another Zorro was started from the same or from a different folder. - There is no other API log beside the diag file.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:40
I don't understand. Z3 and Z12 are completely separated into different folders - no files are shared. Why would there be any waiting? Only 1 Zorro writes to any 1 file...
Re. logs, the diag is not detailed enough - there is no indication at all as to what is hanging or why. Can you provide a list of what API calls are made between the successful login (which is happening) and the printing of the login timestamp (which is not happening)?
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 09:56
There are ~ 30 API calls after the login, for initialising further API parts. But I don't think it helps you much when you knew which one crashes. If some program component is permanently damaged, any call into that module can crash. As long as you don't know which file or files are affected, the simplest solution is re-installing your system back to the previous working version. Your VPS provider has certainly a backup.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/13/16 19:49
Thanks jcl, but I don't believe the VPS is the problem. I have further done the following:
On a completely different computer I have done a fresh install of 1.40.2. I have on this computer run Download on the Z12 account with no problem to verify the install. On this computer running Download on the Z3 account fails as follows (quite different from how 1.34.1 fails, but still failing):
"Login FXCM" prints in the window followed by 2 dots, then nothing. I have waited up to 1 hour to verify nothing further happens. Stop is still available so I click it. Then "!Can't open tables!" and "Can't connect!" are printed. At least this Zorro version doesn't hang completely. diag.txt contains:
xxx
Unload prices
Download compiling..............
Functions.. checks..
Login FXCM 0->2
Login FXCM..
BrokerLogin
!
Login Real
!ses
!st
!Can't open tables! : 0 2910687.918900 ms
Can't connect!
Raus
Neural
Close files
xxx
Does this help to identify the problem?
Thanks.
Posted By: GPEngine
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/14/16 04:30
My 1.40.0 Z7 demo deployment did not resume trading at the end of the weekend.
I pressed [Stop] then, No, then No, and this seemed to jostle it.
[Fri 08.01.16 17:04] 50018 +7 +8 /'''''
[Fri 08.01.16 18:01] 50017 +7 +7 /'''''
[Fri 08.01.16 19:04] 50018 +7 +8 /'''''
Friday 08.01.16 Profit +8.36 ----
Weekend at 08.01. 20:00.....................................
FXCM.dll => FXCM plugin mounted
Login FXCM.. at UTC 14.01. 04:28
Weekend ends at 14.01. 04:27
[Thu 14.01.16 04:28] 50014 +7 +4 /''''
[GBP/USD:PA:S0939] Short 2@1.4402 Risk 30$ tl
[GBP/USD:PG:S6614] Cover 5@1.4402: +67.75 at 04:25
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/14/16 08:37
Use the recent version. 1.40.0 was a pre-version with bugs. This is probably not the reason, though. We had been notified by 2 other users that their FXCM connection badly crashed last weekend.
Ddlv: Do I interpret you right that your problem was not Z3, or a certain Zorro folder, but a certain account that does not allow connection anymore since last week?
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/14/16 15:59
My Z12 account functions fine from multiple machines via both Zorro (API) and TS.
Since the weekend, my Z3 account does not work from Zorro (API) from at least 2 machines, one with Z3 data, the other without any Z3 .trd or anything else - a fresh install trying Download. However, this account can be accessed fine from TS. The problem is only with Zorro/API.
So, the failure is occurring only on the Z3 account, and only with Zorro (API). Since the failure occurs with multiple strategies, it appears Z3 per se is not the issue. Since the failure occurs on multiple machines, it appears the VPS is not the issue.
FXCM API support is asking to talk to Zorro support directly - what contact should I give them?
Thanks.
Posted By: JeyKey II
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/15/16 11:59
Hab auch jedesmal Probleme beim Einloggen. Funktioniert selten auf Anhieb.
Dieses Problem besteht bei jeder Strategy, ob Z3 oder Z12 und auch schon seit einigen Zorro-Versionen.
Ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass nach dem Starten von Zorro, das Passwort-Eingabefeld nicht "empty" ist. Mit anderen Worten, nicht sichtbare Zeichen darin versteckt sind.
Ich hab festgestellt, nach fehlgeschlagenem Logging, Zorro neu zu starten, dann mit Backspace-Taste oder Delete-Taste das Eingabefeld "räumen", dann Passwort eingeben. Dannach funktioniert das Einloggen.
Kann aber reiner Zufall sein.
Zumindest hat es bei mir immer geholfen.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/15/16 13:32
Unsichtbare Zeichen im Eingabefeld verhindern natürlich den Login, das würde sich dann aber in einer Fehlermeldung äußern und nicht im "Aufhängen" der API.
DdlV: give them the op group support address. We had meanwhile reports that several people also experienced a weekend crash of the FXCM API, so something apparently happened with one of their servers. But no one so far had an account that persistently crashes on login.
Is there anything unusual with this account? For instance, single session only, or some particular access restriction?
If nothing helps and the mystery persists, you could continue as follows. Open a new account with FXCM, and transfer all funds from the non-working account to the new account, except for maybe one dollar so that the old account stays open. Then change the password of that account and give us access. We will then debug the login process and can at least provide some info to FXCM what happened, in hope that they can fix it.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/15/16 16:04
The Z3 account is in the Markets part of FXCM and runs on a different server than the Z12 UK account. It is supposed to be multiple access, as I recall, but I don't think that matters?
I will give FXCM the OP Group support email...
Re. giving you access, the account has 2 open Zorro trades - I would have to close them manually, right?
Or, I could give you access to the account now, and then change the password later when the problem is resolved?
Thanks.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/22/16 16:33
Hi jcl & all,
First, thanks to jcl for all the help so far!
For the benefit of others who may come upon this thread, this issue has been escalated to FXCM's developers as a possible bug on their side. They have given no ETA for resolution.
At today's end, it will be 2 WEEKS without API=Zorro access to the account! Initially expecting a quick resolution I just occasionally monitored the open trades through TS, prepared to cancel them if they went too bad. So far they haven't, but of course anything could have happened at a time I wasn't looking. So, this wasn't really an ideal course of action.
jcl, how should a situation of API failure like this be handled? Would the recommended way be to set Stops in TS? At any particular value? In the case of the Z systems, we don't know what stops are in the strategy - only the catastrophic one. When the API began working again, would Zorro automatically update/remove any manually added Stops?
Thanks.
Posted By: MatPed
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/22/16 16:42
Thank you for your info
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/25/16 10:05
It would indeed make sense to manually place stops as long as the account can not be controlled with Zorro. You can see the stops on the status page - take them from the virtual trades, not from the pool trades that have no stops. But I would probably just manually close the trades in such a situation, since it is unclear how long FXCM will need to fix the problem.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/26/16 17:20
Thanks jcl. The Z3 status page seems to have only real trades, with IDs and Stops listed - use those Stops? For example, XAU/USD Entry=1094, Stop=1055.
Thanks.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/28/16 23:59
Hi jcl. It doesn't matter for this time (I was able to close the open trades without loss!
), but for the future I'd appreciate confirmation that the (only) Stops listed on the Z3 status page are the Stops to use.
FYI, the latest is that FXCM had me create a new account, close the positions, and xfer the funds to the new account. I've done that and the new account also hangs.
I mistakenly started the new account with the old .trd file; but it (now) hangs even without a .trd file - just like the old account
.
So either using a bad .trd file hangs the API, or there's something wrong with my user-level setup at FXCM. I have emailed them again.
*sigh*
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/29/16 12:03
It is probably the same bug. A wrong .trd file does not matter - when the trades are not found, you'll see an error message, but it won't hang. - Yes, Z3 has no virtual hedging. You can see this on the status page: virtual trades are listed in italics. So the Z3 stops are real.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 01/29/16 19:25
Thanks jcl. FXCM has given me no info regarding the bug, so all I know is it seems to be specific to my accounts, at least in severity of impact. I don't know what triggers it, so theorized it may yet have something to do with a corrupted .trd, since the same .trd has been used on both accounts. Either that or it's some setting they have for me at the user level, and hence affecting both accounts (and all future accounts too? Leaving me totally dead in the water?
).
Thanks. Have a great weekend!
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 03/08/16 01:47
Hi jcl. The latest in my saga is the creation of a completely separate new Markets account that supposedly has no relation to any of my prior accounts. When attempting to Trade on this account Zorro is unable to login, posting this:
Z3 (oP group) ..
FXCM.dll => FXCM plugin mounted
Login FXCM....
Broker: Login - Wrong user name or password
ORA-06512: at "U10R22.API", line 429
ORA-06512: at line 1
Can't connect!
However the user name and password work fine on MyFXCM. There is no .trd file yet. Any ideas what could cause this?
Thanks.
Posted By: jcl
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 03/08/16 17:02
I get the same error when I log in to FXCM with the right user name, but a wrong password. I can't say what else could cause this; you must again contact FXCM. Maybe it's still the same problem as with your previous account.
Posted By: DdlV
Re: Help! My Z3 is messed up! - 03/22/16 04:03
Hi jcl (& others). Finally a bit of success. The login problem was due to FXCM creating a Mini account, not a Standard account. Why they did this is unknown. Why the misleading error message is unknown. Why it took so long for them to identify this as the problem and resolve it is unknown. Whether the success on this new account means the api bug that caused the problem in the first place has been fixed is unknown.
In any case, I finally have a working Markets account/login again!
Now, what have I missed while my Z3 has been disabled?
Has everyone made tons of $$$ with the move in gold (& other assets)?!
Thanks.