Common problems while configuring the ACS


List of symptoms

The solutions

1. AOLserver Wrapper script

Applicable to: all AOLservers

Possible symptoms:

Solution:

You should be using a wrapper script to start AOLserver. In Quest this is usually /usr/bin/aolup or similar. ArsDigita refer to it as nsd-oracle.

Assuming you are using Oracle 8.1.6, installed in /apps/oracle/product/8.1.6 and AOLserver 2.3.3 installed in /apps/aolserver:

#bash

export NS_HOME="/apps/aolserver"
export NS_DAEMON="nsd"

export ORACLE_BASE=/apps/oracle
export ORACLE_HOME=$ORACLE_BASE/product/8.1.6
export ORACLE_SID=acs816

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib:/usr/lib

export PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin
export ORACLE_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/bin
export ORAENV_ASK=NO

export TNS_ADMIN=$ORACLE_HOME/network/admin

/apps/aolserver/bin/nsd -c /apps/aolserver/nsd.ini
Lazy copy & pasters look out! This script will be different if:
  1. Oracle is installed elsewhere
  2. you have a different Oracle SID
  3. you have a different version of Oracle
  4. AOLserver is installed elsewhere
  5. you have a different version of AOLserver

2. AOLserver Hostname

Applicable to: ACS 3.4, possibly later versions

Possible symptoms:

Solution:

Check the Hostname= entry in nsd.ini or nsd.tcl (whichever you refer to in your AOLserver wrapper script). If you aren't using DNS, try changing this to the machine's IP address.

3. ini files

Applicable to: ACS 3.4, possibly later versions

Possible symptoms:

Solution:

First of all check through the sections in nsd.ini and ad.ini to make sure they refer to the correct AOLserver virtual server. The initial templates assume the name "server1". If yours is different, do a global replace.

For example, if the [ns/servers] section in nsd.ini has the entry acs34=acs34, then your virtual server is called acs34. This means every section name in nsd.ini and ad.ini that refers to a server should refer to acs34. e.g. [ns/server/acs34/tcl] in nsd.ini or [ns/server/acs34/acs] in ad.ini.

NOTE: this assumes you are only using 1 virtual server. Obviously if you have multiple entries in your [ns/servers] section, you won't be making all sections the same because there will be a section for each virtual server.

If that isn't the problem, and you're using nsd.tcl as opposed to ad.ini, try using nsd.ini instead. I'm not sure if this is the best solution, but when I was using nsd.tcl it wasn't including the AuxConfigDir at startup (ad.ini).

4. Geo-spatial tables

Applicable to: ACS 3.4, possibly other versions

Possible symptoms:

Solution:

The script under your pageroot called install/load-geo-tables was not run before the data model was loaded. Run this, and then re-run doc/sql/load-data-model.sql (also under your pageroot).

5. Pull-down menus

Applicable to: ACS 3.4, possibly later versions

Possible symptoms:

Solution:

In ad.ini turn off the pull-down menus like this:

[ns/server/acs34/acs/pdm]
; Flag to display the administration menu bar
MenuOnAdminPagesP=0
; Flag to display the default menu bar on non-/admin pages
MenuOnUserPagesP=0

Michael Hinds, 17-NOV-2000