IDE hangs on startup: "dial tcp: lookup downloads.arduino.cc: no such host"

[fiqanna]

Continuing the discussion from Arduino 2.0.3 stuck on loading screen:

@ptillisch

I'm going to ask you to post some additional information that might help us to identify the problem.

Please do this:

Hi ptillisch,
I have similar problem, please help. Below are the log, but only allowed 4 lines as a new user:

C:\Users\LENOVO\AppData\Local\Programs\Arduino IDE> Arduino IDE 2.2.1
Checking for frontend application configuration customizations. Module path: C:\Users\LENOVO\AppData\Local\Programs\Arduino IDE\resources\app\lib\backend\electron-main.js, destination 'package.json': 

[ptillisch]

Hi @fiqanna. We need the full log content. The snippet you provided doesn't contain any useful information.

@fiqanna

only allowed 4 lines as a new user

This is incorrect. There is no special maximum post length restriction for new users. They can make post of up to 120000 characters just like ever other user.

However, it does sometimes happen that the log output produced by Arduino IDE exceeds this limit. In that case, you can instead save it to a .txt file and then attach that file to a reply here:

1. Open any text editor program.
2. Paste the copied output into the text editor.
3. Save the file in .txt format.
4. Open a forum reply here by clicking the "Reply" button.
5. Click the "Upload" icon () on the post composer toolbar:
   
   A dialog will open.
6. In the dialog, select the .txt file you saved.
7. Click the "Open" button.
8. Click the "Reply" button to publish the post.

Alternatively, instead of using the "Upload" icon on the post composer toolbar as described in steps (5) - (7) above, you can simply drag and drop the .txt file onto the post composer field to attach it.

[fiqanna]

Thank for response. Here is the attachment
Windows PowerShell.txt (17.6 KB)

[ptillisch]

This is the relevant section of the logs from the Windows PowerShell.txt file you shared:

@fiqanna

2023-11-18T09:37:46.880Z root ERROR Detected an error response during the gRPC core client initialization: code: 3, message: Error downloading index 'https://downloads.arduino.cc/libraries/library_index.tar.bz2': Get "https://downloads.arduino.cc/libraries/library_index.tar.bz2": dial tcp: lookup downloads.arduino.cc: no such host
2023-11-18T09:37:47.002Z root ERROR Detected an error response during the gRPC core client initialization: code: 9, message: Loading index file: loading json index file C:\Users\LENOVO\AppData\Local\Arduino15\package_index.json: open C:\Users\LENOVO\AppData\Local\Arduino15\package_index.json: The system cannot find the file specified.
2023-11-18T09:37:47.035Z root ERROR Detected an error response during the gRPC core client initialization: code: 9, message: Error loading hardware platform: discovery builtin:serial-discovery not found
2023-11-18T09:37:47.060Z root ERROR Detected an error response during the gRPC core client initialization: code: 9, message: Error loading hardware platform: discovery builtin:mdns-discovery not found
2023-11-18T09:37:47.068Z root ERROR Detected an error response during the gRPC core client initialization: code: 9, message: Loading index file: reading library_index.json: open C:\Users\LENOVO\AppData\Local\Arduino15\library_index.json: The system cannot find the file specified.
2023-11-18T09:37:47.147Z root ERROR The primary packages indexes are missing. Running indexes update before initializing the core gRPC client The index of the cores and libraries must be updated before initializing the core gRPC client.

On the first run after a fresh installation, Arduino IDE downloads some additional essential components from the Internet and installs them. If it can't install those components then the startup fails. So the computer must have access to the Internet on the first startup.

The errors indicate Arduino IDE is not able to access the Internet. If it is not already, please connect your computer to the Internet, close the Arduino IDE window, then start Arduino IDE again. This time it should start up successfully.

After that first run, an Internet connection is not required. However, there are some supplemental features such as "Library Manager" that have an inherent dependency on the Internet. Those features will not be usable while your computer is offline. But the essential functionality of editing, compiling, and uploading sketches will be available even without an Internet connection.

[fiqanna]

Thanks @ptillisch, it works. Last experience installing Anduino IDE on Win 7, does not connect with internet, it run - of course that was older version.
But, thank again for your help.

[ptillisch]

You are welcome. I'm glad it is working now.

@fiqanna

Last experience installing Anduino IDE on Win 7, does not connect with internet, it run - of course that was older version.

Yeah, Arduino IDE 1.x did not have this first run dependency on an Internet connection (though it would have the same loss of Internet-dependent features as Arduino IDE 2.x once running). This was accomplished by bundling all additional components with the Arduino IDE 1.x installation.

That approach posed two problems:

• The bundled components were from the time of the IDE release, meaning the users often missed important enhancements and fixes made to those components since the time of the IDE release.
• The only way to distribute a new release of any component was an entire new release of the IDE. In cases where there wasn't a compelling reason to make a new release of the IDE application itself, making such releases was wasteful of the developers' time and wasteful of Arduino's bandwidth.

With the new system, users always have the latest version of the components and distributing new releases of those components is much easier and more efficient for Arduino.

Regards,
Per

[ptillisch]

I should add that, even if there are good reasons for the first run Internet connection dependency, we need to improve the user experience in the case where that dependency is not met.

The hang on startup under these conditions is actually a bug in Arduino IDE, which is tracked by the developers here:

First run hangs if IDE can't access Internet

Prior to that regression, Arduino IDE was able to start up fully and display a message that communicated to the users that the IDE required access to the Internet to be in a fully functional state. Even though that intended behavior is a significantly better user experience than the current hang, it might be that it could be improved even further from that. This task is tracked by the Arduino IDE developers here:

Communicate first run Internet access requirement to user

[fiqanna]

Noted.

Thanks.