Unable to view network properties (TZ-1889)

[JonahMMay]

Checklist

• Checked the issue tracker for similar issues to ensure this is not a duplicate
• Read the documentation to confirm the issue is not addressed there and your configuration is set correctly
• Tested with the latest version to ensure the issue hasn't been fixed

How often does this bug occurs?

always

Expected behavior

I created two ESP Thread BRs using the dev kit and flashed them with esp-idf v5.4.2. I'm seeing a few oddities. Most notably, all values under "Thread Network Status" show unknown after joining them to a Thread network that was originally just a single HomePod Mini. I've already tried this with 5.3 and 5.2 and experienced the same behaviors.

Actual behavior (suspected bug)

Trying to manually browse to /get_properties gives ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE in my browser. Clicking through the status menus also shows this in DevTools, and occasionally trying to load the Thread Network Topology does the same.

Error logs or terminal output

E (858296) web_api: get_openthread_network_properties(361): Network name is too long
E (858296) web_api: get_openthread_properties(419): Failed to get status of network
E (858296) web_api: handle_openthread_network_properties_request(439): Failed to get openthread status
E (858296) obtr_web: Failed to pack response json
E (858296) obtr_web: httpd_send_packet(354): Invalid Arguement
E (858296) obtr_web: esp_otbr_network_properties_get_handler(653): Failed to response /get_properties

Steps to reproduce the behavior

1. Build and install with esp-idf v5.4.2
2. Add the devices via the Home Assistant OTBR integration
3. Use "join to preferred network" to move the devices to a Thread network with a single HomePod mini in it

Project release version

latest

System architecture

other (details in Additional context)

Operating system

Linux

Operating system version

ESP-IDF v5.4.2

Shell

ZSH

Additional context

No response

[gytxxsy]

May I ask what the length of your network name is? If it is 16 characters, then this issue can occur. This is a bug in the esp_ot_br_server component, and we will fix it. Thank you for your contribution.

You can temporarily modify this line of code locally to ensure it works:
https://github.com/espressif/esp-thread-br/blob/main/components/esp_ot_br_server/src/esp_br_web_api.c#L361

Change

ESP_RETURN_ON_FALSE((strlen(output) + 1) < sizeof(otNetworkName), ESP_FAIL, API_TAG, "Network name is too long");

to

ESP_RETURN_ON_FALSE(strlen(output) < sizeof(otNetworkName), ESP_FAIL, API_TAG, "Network name is too long");

[JonahMMay]

Yes that was it exactly and the fix worked! I went ahead and submitted a PR for it.

I also noticed when trying to load network topology I am seeing some errors in the logs sometimes. Sometimes it still loads a partial topology, other times it returns an empty response and shows a blank topology.

E (56607) obtr_web: httpd_send_packet(356): Invalid Packet
E (56607) obtr_web: esp_otbr_network_topology_get_handler(868): Failed to response /topology
W (56617) httpd_uri: httpd_uri: uri handler execution failed

[JonahMMay]

Another thing I've noticed is it does not load the network status by default with the rest of the page. Everything says unknown until I click into another tab of it like IPv6, then click back to OverView. Then after 1-2 seconds I get a success popup and it all shows properly.

[gytxxsy]

Thank you for your contribution. This issue—along with another potential one—has already been fixed on the latest main branch. You can update esp-thread-br to get the latest code.
Regarding the issue you mentioned about not being able to retrieve the topology, I haven't been able to reproduce it on my side for now. Could you please provide a more detailed reproduction procedure? Thank you.

As for the status update issue you mentioned, that behavior is expected. Currently, simply opening the Web GUI (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:80/index.html does not actively send a /get_properties request to the border router.

[zwx1995esp]

Hi @JonahMMay, may I ask if there’s any update on this issue? Could you please provide a more detailed reproduction procedure?