Full System Offline - Emergency Procedure

A full system offline means your venue cannot operate sessions. This article covers how to identify the type of outage, steps to attempt recovery, and how to communicate with players while the system is down.

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On this page:

  Identify the Type of Outage

  Step 1 - Check the Network First

  Step 2 - Check the Content Server

  Step 3 - If System is Still Down

  Communicating with Players During an Outage

  Daily Prevention Checks

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Critical - Read First

• Follow this procedure in order. Do not skip steps.
• If the system is not restored within 30 minutes, escalate to Zero Latency Client Services immediately.
• Never leave players in headsets during a system fault - guide them to stand still or remove headsets before troubleshooting.

Identify the Type of Outage

Before attempting any fixes, identify what is actually down. This determines your response.

What you see	Likely cause	Severity
Launcher shows no devices / all headsets offline	Content Server down or network issue	CRITICAL
No internet / Meraki lights red or off	Network failure	CRITICAL
Launcher won't open / Content Server PC unresponsive	Content Server hardware fault	CRITICAL
Some headsets missing, others are fine	Individual device issue, not a full outage	PARTIAL
Launcher open but game won't load	Game or streaming server issue	PARTIAL

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Step 1 - Check the Network First

Network failure is the most common cause of a full system outage. Always check the network before touching any PCs.

Important

• If the network is down, rebooting the Content Server will not help.
• Fix the network first. All ZL devices require network connectivity to function.

Step	What to do
1. Check Meraki network lights	Go to your router/switch area. All Meraki devices should show a solid white or blue LED. If any device shows red, orange, or no light, you have a network issue.
2. Check internet connectivity	On any PC, open a browser and try to load a website. If the internet is down, contact your internet provider - this is outside Zero Latency's control.
3. Power cycle the network	If internet is working but internal network devices are unreachable: turn off the Meraki switch, wait 30 seconds, turn it back on. Wait 2 minutes for devices to reconnect.

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Step 2 - Check the Content Server

The Content Server is the heart of your system. If it is offline, nothing will work.

Step	What to do
1. Check if the Content Server PC is powered on	The Content Server PC should have its power LED lit. If dark, press the power button once and wait 3 minutes for it to boot.
2. Check the Launcher	On the Game Master PC, open the ZL Launcher. If the Content Server shows as connected, your system may be recovering - wait 2 minutes.
3. Restart the Content Server	If the Launcher shows the Content Server as offline, go to the Content Server PC and perform a full Windows restart (not shutdown). Wait 3-5 minutes for all services to start.
4. Re-open the Launcher	After the Content Server has restarted, re-open the Launcher on the GM PC. Allow 2 minutes for devices to reconnect and appear.

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Step 3 - If System is Still Down

If the above steps have not resolved the issue within 15 minutes, escalate immediately to Zero Latency Client Services.

How to escalate	Details
Log a Zendesk ticket	Go to support.zerolatencyvr.com and submit a new ticket
Ticket priority	Mark as Urgent
Tags to include	content-server-offline or full-system-down
What to include	What you see in the Launcher, what steps you have already tried, any error messages visible on screen

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Communicating with Players During an Outage

If players are waiting for a session to start

1. Acknowledge immediately - "We're experiencing a technical issue with the system right now. I'm working on resolving it and will update you in [5/10] minutes."
2. Update every 5 minutes - Do not go silent. Even if there is no update, return and say "Still working on it - appreciate your patience."
3. If delay exceeds 20 minutes - Discuss options with your Team Leader. Options may include rescheduling, a voucher, or a refund. Do not make promises without Team Leader approval.

If players are mid-session when the system goes down

Safety First

• If the game freezes with players in headsets, enter the game space immediately and guide players to remove their headsets.
• Players should never be left standing in a game space with a frozen headset - they cannot see where they are.

1. Enter the game space and assist - Call out loudly: "Everyone pause - please stay still." Walk to each player and help them remove their headsets safely.
2. Guide players to the briefing area - Keep players comfortable. Offer water. Explain briefly: "Our system needs a restart - this will take a few minutes."
3. Attempt restart and resume - If the system restores quickly, offer to resume the session from as close to where they left off as the system allows.
4. Log everything - Log a Zendesk ticket with: time of failure, game title, players affected, what you attempted, and outcome.

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Daily Prevention Checks

Most full system outages can be prevented with consistent daily checks:

• Power on the Content Server at least 10 minutes before the first session
• Verify all devices show as connected in the Launcher before opening to players
• Check that Meraki network lights are all showing healthy status
• Run a test session on opening to confirm everything is functioning
• Never perform Windows updates or system restarts during operating hours

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Article Keywords/Phrases:

Full system offline
System down
Content server offline
All headsets offline
Launcher not working
Emergency procedure
System outage