Help - System not seeing Controller

[Djmc2002]

Help!  I have 3 LOR controllers and my show has been up and running without issues since last week.  Tonight when the show started I had sections not working as expected (not working at all) so I launched the Hardware utility and 1 of my controllers (#2 in my case) is not picking up in the Hardware utility (even after reinitializing)  as if it is not present, one of the remaining controller which I had set to #3 has reverted to its old number 4.

 

When I look at the board in the controler box they are both showing steady red on the LED.  The controller that reverted to it old number will work from the Hardware utility but for obvious reasons will not work with my show as it is set out of range.

 

We did receive several inches of snow overnight but have had no power outages and my computer that drives the show seems stable.  

 

I'm at a loss of what has happened.  My initial thought was that something had become unplugged or perhaps was shorted out but with the controller reverting back to the old numbers has me stumped.  Since I noticed this problem after dark and it is 20 degrees outside and snowing I have not done much beside checking plugs and using the hardware utility at this point

 

Any ideas?  Troubleshooting idea?  HELP!!

[Jim Hans]

Check your cat 5 cables.

[Djmc2002]

This morning, I went to each controller and verified the hardware utility could see the controllers and I could use.  I then reset the unit numbers to the proper numbers.  I then went back to my main controller computer and it now seems to be working as desired.  

The larger question is remains why would the controller change back to a old number?  Is there something besides the left hand side of the hardware utility  software used to set unit id?  How do you make the change permanent?  I seems to have no problem reverting back to #4 so why is that change more permanent than when I change it to #3 or #2?

 

Frustrated!!