GLAST Trouble Shooting and Common Problems

The existing documentation may in some cases be insufficient.  The following is a list of common problems, along with possible symptoms and fixes for these problems.

1) ssh isn't working properly

• Possible symptom: Try issuing a command like "ssh -v noric01.slac.stanford.edu date".  If you are queried for a password, then something is wrong with ssh.  Using the -v option will cause ssh to print debugging messages, which may be of help in tracking down bugs.
• Possible problem: The write permission on your authorized_keys or identity.pub files on the SLAC machine aren't correctly set.  One collaborator had group write access enabled for his authorized_keys and identity.pub files in his .ssh/.public directory on the norics.  Doing 

  chmod g-w authorized_keys

  chmod g-w identity.pub 

  fixed the problem he was having.

  Possible symptom:  When executing a ssh command, you receive a message such as:  "timeout in locking authority file .Xauthority"

• Possible Fix:  You need a config file in your .ssh folder on your local machine.
  Copy the file /etc/ssh/ssh_config to your $HOME/.ssh directory. 
  Rename the file "config"
  Edit the config file and add the following:
  Host centaurusa.slac.stanford.edu
  ForwardAgent no
  ForwardX11 no
  FallBackToRsh no
  Protocol 2,1

2) CVS isn't working properly

• Possible problem: you're using an old version of cvs. Use the command "cvs -v" to check the version.  It should be about 1.10 or higher.
• Possible problem: you don't have group permission for the glast nfs space.  To check this log on to a unix SLAC machine and type " ypcat group | grep glground ".  This will give a list of the users who have the proper permission. Scan for your name.
• Possible problem: you get a message like "cvs server: failed to create lock directory for `/cvs//TkrRecon' " when trying to check a package out of the repository.  This often means that the file permissions have not been properly set for that package.  Contact the package owner.

4) CMT isn't working properly

• Possible problem: you've just checked out a fresh copy of CMT (on Windows).  You follow the instructions to build it using the dsw file, but you get some error about not being able to find a cmt.h file.  This problem is caused by trying to build the Release version of CMT.  Go to Projects -> Setting and make sure you are trying to build the Debug version.

3) VCMT isn't working properly

• Possible problem: when you click on a link (in an email or icq) to open a new Explorer window, it tries to use VCMT, thereby crashing the program.  To fix this go to tools -> internet options -> advanced and deselect "re-use windows for launcing shortcuts"
• Possible problem: VCMT cannot deal with path names that use blank spaces (such as "Program Files", so avoid putting packages or external libraries in such paths.
• Possible problem:  when closing VCMT you get an application error saying 'The instruction at "0x77f6ce0c" referenced ...'.  This is not a problem, just a bug; everyone gets that error.
• Possible problem:  When doing a setup in VCMT, you recieve an error message that the msdev file had errors.
  Try closing VCMT and restarting it.

If you've experienced a problem, which you feel would be of general interest to others, feel free to let Karl Young (kyoung@slac.stanford.edu) know about it.

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Last Modified: December 02, 2002