February 19, 1999 =================================== WebSPIRS 4.03 Release Notes =================================== These release notes outline the requirements, basic installation instructions, and known bugs for WebSPIRS 4.03 for UNIX (SCO, Solaris, AIX, Linux) and Windows NT. =-=-=-=-= Contents =-=-=-=-= 1. Where to Find Additional WebSPIRS Documentation 2. What You Need to Install WebSPIRS 4.03 A. System Requirements B. The WebSPIRS Software Package C. A WebSPIRS-Compatible Browser D. ERL Server Information 3. Installing WebSPIRS 4.03 A. On UNIX (SCO, Solaris, AIX, Linux) B. On Windows NT 4. Changes since WebSPIRS 4.0 5. Known Issues/Bugs 6. Contacting SilverPlatter Technical Support =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. Where to Find Additional WebSPIRS Documentation =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= In addition to these release notes, please refer to the following WebSPIRS documentation for more information: * readme.txt: tells you how to connect to the ERL server, start WebSPIRS and connect with a browser. You'll find this file in the /webspirs/bin/ directory after you install the WebSPIRS software. * WebSPIRS 4 Implementor's Guide: provides detailed information on installing and configuring WebSPIRS. A local copy is installed on your machine (/webspirs/url/doc/wsig_toc.htm) along with the WebSPIRS software. * WebSPIRS 4.03 online Help system: provides detailed, user-oriented information on searching with WebSPIRS 4.03. * WebSPIRS 4 Users' Manual: shows users how to get started with basic WebSPIRS searching. You can find this guide on the SilverPlatter's home page (http://wwww.silverplatter.com). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2. What You Need to Install WebSPIRS 4.03 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A. System Requirements: ----------------------- ERL Server Requirements: ERL 2.09.5 or higher WebSPIRS Server Requirements: WebSPIRS v.4.03 is supported on any of the following platforms: SCO Unix Openserver v.5 Solaris v. 2.5 or v.2.6 AIX v. 4.2 NT v. 3.51 or NT v. 4.0 with Service Pack 3 Linux Red Hat v. 4.2 * 10 MB of hard disk space * 2 MB RAM + 4 MB RAM per simultaneous user NOTE: Because WebSPIRS 4.03 is not CGI-based, it does not require a separate web server to run. However, using WebSPIRS 4.03 will not prevent you from using your preferred web server for all your other web-based applications. B. The WebSPIRS Software Package: --------------------------------- The WebSPIRS 4.03 software package is available from SilverPlatter's FTP site (ftp.silverplatter.com). To download the WebSPIRS 4.03 software package: 1. Log on to your Internet account. 2. At the FTP prompt, type: open ftp.silverplatter.com. 3. Type the username and password supplied by SilverPlatter. 4. Change to the software/webspirs/ subdirectory (AIX, Linux, SCO, Solaris, or NT) that corresponds to your platform. For example, type: cd software/webspirs/Solaris (Note capitalization.) 5. Download the WebSPIRS software and related files to the appropriate directory on your machine. For example, type: get ws403 get relnotes.txt Once you download the WebSPIRS software package, you are ready to install WebSPIRS. See "Installing WebSPIRS 4.03" for more information. C. A WebSPIRS-Compatible Web Browser: ------------------------------------- WebSPIRS 4.03 has been tested using browsers running on the following platforms: * Netscape Navigator 3.01 (32-bit) or higher for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT (4.0 or higher), or the Macintosh * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (32-bit) or higher for Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT (4.0 or higher) only. (IMPORTANT: Internet Explorer for the Macintosh is not a supported web browser.) In order to insure optimal performance of the WebSPIRS 4.03 gateway, we recommend that it be used with browsers running on these platforms. You may experience problems using browsers on other platforms such as Windows 3.1 or X Windows. NOTE: The browser's JavaScript capabilities must be enabled at all times. Java must be enabled only if you subscribe to SilverPlatter full text databases that use the Table of Contents feature. D. ERL Server Information: -------------------------- You will be asked to provide the following ERL server information during the WebSPIRS installation: * Hostname or IP address of the ERL server you want WebSPIRS to access. * (UNIX only) The user account name and group name that you want to own WebSPIRS. (You can use existing user account and group names or you can create new ones.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3. Installing WebSPIRS 4.03 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NOTE: If you have a previous version of WebSPIRS installed, save copies of any files you want to keep, such as configuration or image files, to a backup directory. You should then completely remove the old installation before installing WebSPIRS 4.03. A. To Install WebSPIRS on a UNIX (SCO, Solaris, AIX, Linux) ----------------------------------------------------------- Machine: -------- 1. Log in as "root" on your machine. 2. Change to the directory that contains the WebSPIRS software package you downloaded. 3. Use the chmod command to make the package file executable. For example, type: chmod u+x ws403 4. Type ./ws403 to execute the file. When the WebSPIRS installation instructions appear, press [Enter] to continue or [Control]-[C] to quit the installation program. 5. When the SilverPlatter License Agreement appears, press the spacebar to page through the agreement or [Q] to go to the end. To continue the installation process, you must agree to the statement at the end of the license agreement: "Do you agree with the preceding License Agreement? (Yes/No)" 6. Type Yes to continue the installation. (NOTE: You must type the entire word Yes to continue the installation.) 7. On the next screen you are asked for the following setup information: o "Enter the name of an existing user account to own the WebSPIRS files [www]" You must assign ownership of the WebSPIRS files to an existing user account. For example, press [Enter] to accept the default (www) and give ownership of WebSPIRS to the user www. o "Enter the name of the group you want to own WebSPIRS." You must specify an existing group. For example, press [Enter] to accept the default (www) and give ownership of WebSPIRS to the group www. o "Enter the directory where you want to install WebSPIRS" Press [Enter] to accept the default installation directory (/user/local/etc/webspirs) or type the complete path to the directory where you want WebSPIRS installed. If the directory does not exist, the installation program will create it for you. o "Do you want WebSPIRS to automatically start when this server starts?" If you press [Enter] to accept the default (Yes), WebSPIRS will start when you start the server. If you type N, you will have to manually start WebSPIRS. 8. Once you complete these entries, WebSPIRS displays the selections you've made so far. Type Y (Yes) and press [Enter] to accept the entries and complete the installation, or type N (No) to change any of your entries. 9. Once WebSPIRS is installed, there are several configuration settings you must specify for WebSPIRS to run. o Enter a port number (above 1024) for WebSPIRS or press [Enter] to accept the default port number (8590). (NOTE: The port number must be a unique number not used by any other process.) o Enter the hostname (or IP address) of the primary ERL server you want WebSPIRS to access. The default hostname supplied by the installation program is erl2.silverplatter.com, which is SilverPlatter's guest server. (NOTE: You can always change the hostname or add additional servers in the erlclnt.cfg file. See "Connecting to the ERL Server" for more information.) 10. At the next prompt, you can enter an e-mail address for user comments about WebSPIRS. (NOTE: This is an optional setting.) o If you enter an e-mail address for user comments, you must also enter the link text that will appear on the WebSPIRS interface. 11. The next several prompts ask you to enter e-mail addresses and link text for an optional user support link. o Support E-mail Link: Specify an e-mail address for user support questions and the link text to appear on the WebSPIRS interface. o Comments E-mail Link: Specify an e-mail address for user comments and the link text to appear on the WebSPIRS interface. o Administrator E-mail: Specify the e-mail address of the person to receive automatic notifications of system errors. 12. Once you complete these entries, WebSPIRS displays your selections. If your entries are correct, type Y (Yes) and press [Enter] to accept them. Otherwise, type N (No) to make changes. 13. The final installation screen displays the complete path to the WebSPIRS directory. Once this basic installation is complete, you can start WebSPIRS. See "Starting/Stopping WebSPIRS" in the WebSPRIS 4 Implementor's Guide for more information. B. To Install WebSPIRS on a Windows NT Machine: ----------------------------------------------- 1. Change to the directory that contains the WebSPIRS software package you downloaded. 2. Run the package file (ws403.exe) to unpack the installation files and start the WebSPIRS Setup Wizard. 3. From the Welcome screen, click the Next button to proceed to the License Agreement. 4. Click Yes to agree to the terms of the license agreement. 5. From the Choose Destination Location screen, specify the destination folder for WebSPIRS (C:\Program Files\SilverPlatter Information\WebSPIRS is the default), then click Next. 6. From the Select Components screen, select the WebSPIRS components you want to install, then click Next. o Program Files includes all the files needed to run WebSPIRS, including online help. o WebSPIRS Implementor's Guide includes the WebSPIRS 4 Implementor's Guide. 7. From the Select Program Folder screen, specify a folder name for the WebSPIRS icons (WebSPIRS 4.03 is the default), then click Next. 8. Before the files are copied, your selections are displayed. You can make changes at this time by clicking Back to return to the information you want to change. If the information you entered is correct, click Next to install WebSPIRS. The installation program copies the files to the directory you specified. 9. Once the program is installed, you are asked to provide more information to properly configure the software: o Choose a valid port number (above 1024) for WebSPIRS. (The default is 8590.) This number must be unique to WebSPIRS and not used by any other process. o Enter the hostname (or IP address) of the primary ERL server you want WebSPIRS to access. By default, WebSPIRS points to erl2.silverplatter.com, SilverPlatter's Guest Server. (NOTE: You can always change the hostname or add additional servers in the erlclnt.cfg file. See "Connecting to the ERL Server" for more information.) 10. On the next several screens you can specify e-mail addresses to receive user support questions, comments, and system error notifications. (NOTE: These are all optional features. To bypass them, leave the fields blank and click Next.) o Support E-mail Link: Specify an e-mail address for user support questions and the link text to appear on the WebSPIRS interface, then click Next. o Comments E-mail Link: Specify an e-mail address for user comments and the link text to appear on the WebSPIRS interface, then click Next. o Administrator E-mail: Specify the e-mail address of the person to receive automatic notifications of system errors, then click Next. 11. WebSPIRS for Windows NT uses the Blat E-mail utility to send e-mail. If the WebSPIRS Setup program does not detect Blat on your system, it will ask you if you want to install it. o Click Yes if you want the WebSPIRS Setup program to install Blat on your system. When prompted, type the address of the SMTP server that Blat will use and return address to include when WebSPIRS e-mails records. o Click No if do not want to install Blat. For information about Blat, refer to blat.doc in the /webspirs/bin directory or visit the Blat web site (http://gepasi.dbs.aber.ac.uk/softw/blat.html). 12. A message box appears, asking if you want WebSPIRS to start automatically when the server starts. o Click Yes if you want WebSPIRS to start automatically with the server. o Click No if you want to start the WebSPIRS-d service manually. NOTE: You can change startup status at anytime through the Windows NT Services dialog box. See "Starting/Stopping WebSPIRS" for more information. 13. On the last screen, click Finish to complete the installation process. Once this basic installation is complete, you can start WebSPIRS. See "Starting/Stopping WebSPIRS" in the WebSPIRS 4 Implementor's Guide for more information. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-= 4. Changes Since WebSPIRS 4.0 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. Overall performance has been improved, with gains ranging from 20% to 60%, the greatest improvement being experienced by those connecting over a modem or over a heavily loaded network. The performance improvement have been achieved in a number of ways: (1) Optimization of the JavaScript used in the WebSPIRS pages, resulting in a significant reduction in the amount of data transferred across all WebSPIRS 4 operations. (2) Optimization of string handling when processing templates (3) Resolution of a problem caused when slow connections resulted in all other getting backed up until processing of the slow request was complete 2. A memory leakage problem associated with Netscape 4, which resulted in severe system slowdown and eventual hanging after 10-15 successive searches, has been resolved . =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5. Known Issues/Bugs =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The following issues and bugs have been identified in this version of WebSPIRS, v. 4.03: * Runaway processes ------------------------- Some users have experienced hanging WebSPIRS_user processes. There appear to be multiple causes. In some circumstances, the occurrences of these hanging webspirs_user processes can be minimized by ensuring that the default WebSPIRS and ERL server inactivity time-out's are set to their default values. The ERL default time-out is 30 minutes and the WebSPIRS default timeout is 10 minutes. Follow these steps: For ERL server this is accomplished by modifying /sproot/bin/"erlsrvr.cfg" file. Edit the file if needed to set "inactivelimit=" to 30. For the WebSPIRS server, you can modify the webspirs/bin/"webspirs_user.cfg" file. Edit the file if needed to set the "connection_wait"= to 600000 (10 Minutes) If you make set the timeout's to their default values, but continue to experience hanging webspirs_user processes, use the "kill" command to end the hanging WebSPIRS process without rebooting: a) On UNIX systems: If the webspirs_user process is using 100% CPU time on UNIX versions of WebSPIRS, you may use the UNIX kill command to end the WebSPIRS process ID. b) On NT systems: By default Windows NT server does not have the ability to "kill" a system process. However, you can obtain the "kill.exe" utility that is part of the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit. This utility will allow you to kill the hanging webspirs_user "PID" (process ID). - You can find out what the PID is by using Task Manager and selecting the "Processes" tab from them available options. - After you determine the PID for the webspirs_user.exe process, use the following example with the appropriate PID number. Example: From the command prompt: C:\>kill 282 process #282 killed NOTE: Please use caution as this will "kill" any system process ID. If you select a different process ID other than the webspirs_user, you may hang your NT server. The Resource kit including "kill.exe" is now available from Microsoft's WebSITE: http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/recommended/ntkit/default.asp * The word "Databases" is automatically stripped out of ----------------------------------------------------- headings on the Select Databases page: -------------------------------------- Avoid using the word "databases" (unless it is part of a phrase) when specifying headings for the database list on the Select Databases page. NOTE: You set these headings in the dbmenu.cfg on the ERL server. Refer to your ERL documentation for more information. * Default fields listed on the Change Display Options page -------------------------------------------------------- may not appear in all currently opened databases: ------------------------------------------------- If you go to the Change Display Options page after opening or changing databases, the fields listed after the "Display Records With Specific Fields:" option are taken from the default field list in the open databases or the webspirs_user.cfg file. If a field in the default list is not included in a particular database, it will not appear in records retrieved from that database. * Language limits set on the Search page may conflict with -------------------------------------------------------- language limits set on the Limit Your Search page: (8675) -------------------------------------------------- If you set language limits on the Search page, and then set additional language limits on the Limit Your Search page, you may get conflicting, inaccurate search results. SOLUTION: Set language limits on one page only (either the Search page or Limit Your Search page). * ERL Send Message feature does not work with WebSPIRS 4.03: -------------------------------------------------------- (8908) WebSPIRS 4.03 does not receive messages sent by the ERL server. * Index term list may display inconsistently if you switch -------------------------------------------------------- indexes: (8135) -------- If you switch indexes on the Index page without typing a term in the Term: field first, the term list at the bottom of the page may scroll to a random section of the Index instead of showing you the first term. SOLUTION: Always type a term in the Term: field before switching to another index. * General Index terms may be searched in the wrong index: (9302, 8299) ------------------------------------------------------- If you search a term from the General Index in combination with a term from any other index, WebSPIRS may incorrectly search the General Index term in one of the other indexes selected. SOLUTION: When searching terms across multiple indexes, make sure terms from the General Index are selected last. * PY (Publication Year) setting is not displayed on the Search ------------------------------------------------------------ page: (9307) ---- If you select a PY field on the Limit Your Search page, the value you select is not displayed in the Current Limits: field on the Search page. The PY setting is included in the search, and in the resulting search statement. * Language check boxes not displayed in some circumstances: -------------------------------------------------------- (9397) In some circumstances, if you change the Display Options to add "LA" as a field to display, then perform a search, the language check boxes no longer appear on the Search page, although the Results page does display the language information. * ALERTS feature does not work on UNIX platforms: (9402) ---------------------------------------------- The Alerts feature does not work on UNIX platforms. * SDI feature does not work on NT: (9403) ------------------------------- The SDI feature does not work on NT. (Although users get confirmation that the SDI has been registered, they do not receive any subsequent email messages announcing updates, or saying there are no updates.) * Using a saved search history gives incorrect results: (9487) ----------------------------------------------------- In some circumstances, if you save a search history, exit WebSPIRS and then login in again and load the search history, the search is performed incorrectly, and shows an incorrect number of records. There is a work-around which searchers may use to ensure that the Search History retains the correct logic when it is re-loaded. It requires the searcher to enter explicit parentheses around each search statement number when combining search statements. For example: If the original search is entered as follows, with parentheses explicitly entered by the searcher around each search statement which refers back to a previous search statement, the history will be re-loaded correctly: 1. eating disorders 2. men or males or boys 3. (#1) and (#2) OR 1. linear near line 2. shark or ray or rays 3. (#1) and (#2) 4. (#3) not x-ray* * Clicking on terms in Suggest page has inconsistent results: ----------------------------------------------------------- (9545) Clicking on suggested terms in the Suggest page sometimes opens the Thesaurus Select Subheadings page, and sometimes performs a search on the suggested term. * Failure to detect incompatible browser versions: (9569) ------------------------------------------------ In some circumstances, for example with Netscape 2.02 on Windows 3.1, WebSPIRS fails to report that the browser and operating system are not compatible with WebSPIRS 4.03 WebSPIRS loads the software, but reports errors when you try to perform a search. NOTE: The browsers and platforms we recommend are listed at Section 2. C. above. * Table of Contents only supports one database at a time: ------------------------------------------------------- (9574) The Table of Contents (TOC) feature does not work if you select two full-text databases to work with. If you expand the topics of the second database down to record level, you see a "Document contains no data" message. This problem occurs with databases of the same, or different, families. * WebSPIRS in IE does not recover when the ERL times out: (9599) ------------------------------------------------------- If you leave an open WebSPIRS sessions inactive for so long that the ERL server times out, WebSPIRS does not recover, and IE reports that it cannot open the internet site, even when you try to log out. SOLUTION: We encourage users to save their search histories, and log out, if they will be leaving WebSPIRS inactive for longer than the time out setting. * Resizing windows on a Mac displays the Databases page: (9608) ------------------------------------------------------- Resizing windows on a Mac can display the Databases page. * Problem updating a database: (9615) ---------------------------- When you update a database on the ERL server, you are offered the option to "force off" users connected to that database. This does not currently work with WebSPIRS and users do not receive a message. WebSPIRS continues to display records for a short period before hanging. All subsequent record displays fail. SOLUTION: We recommend that you update databases when there are no WebSPIRS users logged on, if possible, and that you use other ways of broadcasting a "Please Log Off Now" message, where possible. * Cannot access databases if one of several ERL servers is -------------------------------------------------------- shut down: (9626) ---------- If the WebSPIRS erlclnt.cfg lists two or more servers, and one of those servers is shut down, when you open WebSPIRS you see all the databases on any live servers. However, if you try to open any of these databases you get the message "Please select different databases". SOLUTION: If you need to shut down an ERL server, delete, or comment out that server entry in erlclnt.cfg. * Problems with SDIs on LINUX: (9648) ---------------------------- On LINUX, you cannot run a saved SDI if that SDI uses a database that you have not selected for your current WebSPIRS session. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6. Contacting SilverPlatter Technical Support =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you need further assistance with the WebSPIRS 4.03 software, please send an e-mail to support@silverplatter.com or contact one of SilverPlatter's regional offices: UNITED STATES: SilverPlatter Information, Inc. 100 River Ridge Drive Norwood, MA 02062 Tel: 800-343-0064 781-769-2599 Fax: 781-769-8763 ---------------------------------- LONDON: SilverPlatter Information LTD 10 Barley Mow Passage Chiswick, London W4 4PH England Tel: +44 (0) 181 585 6400 Fax: +44 (0) 181 585 6640 ---------------------------------- AMSTERDAM: SilverPlatter Information BV Nieuwe Herengracht 49 1011 RN Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)20-625 96 50 Fax: +31 (0)20-623 74 08 ---------------------------------- BERLIN: SilverPlatter Information GmbH Guentzelstrasse 63 D-10717 Berlin Germany Tel: +49 (0)30-857799-0 Fax: +49 (0)30-857799-99 ----------------------------------