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A. Known Problems and Common Errors

This chapter lists some common problems and error messages that users have run into. You will learn how to figure out what the problem is, and what to do to solve it. You will also find proper solutions to some common problems.

A.1 What to do if you Encounter an Error

When you run into problems, the first thing you should do is try to figure out exactly which feature of Osprey is causing the problem. For example, if you are manipulating a network, and you encounter a problem, try to duplicate exactly what you were doing to see if the error occurs again. If you can duplicate the error, record the steps required to reproduce the error, and send a bug report to the Osprey development team (see section 1.4 Contact Information). By apprising us of errors you encounter, you help us to troubleshoot problems and help to make Osprey a better application. The following is a listing of the minimum PC hardware required for running Osprey.

- Does your computer meet The Osprey Network Visualization Systems minimum system requirements?
  - Osprey requires the following system hardware as a minimum for running the application:
    - Pentium III 600 Mhz CPU or equivalent
    - 128 MB of RAM / Memory
    - 50 MB of Available Hard drive space
    - A Broadband ( cable/ADSL ) internet connection
- Does your computer seem to run the Osprey Network Visualization System slowly?
  - Although Osprey will run with the above hardware configuration, this system is not recommended. For optimal performance of Osprey, use a computer that meets the following system requirements.
    - Pentium III 1000+ Mhz CPU or equivalent
    - 256 MB of RAM / Memory
    - 50 MB of Available Hard drive space
    - A T1 or Greater Internet Connection

A.2 The Osprey Error Log

Osprey maintains a running log of errors that occur while running the application. This log is contained inside the directory "Logs", inside the Osprey installation directory. If you encounter an error, and wish to apprise the Osprey team of the problem, please send us this log file. For more information, see section A.3 Reporting Errors to the Osprey Team.

A.3 Reporting Errors to the Osprey Team

If you encounter an error, we would like to know about it. Writing a good bug report takes patience, but doing it right the first time saves time for us and for you. A good bug report containing a step by step procedure for duplicating the bug will make it very likely that we will fix it in the next release. This section will help you write your report correctly so that you don't waste your time doing things that may not help us much or at all.

We encourage everyone who encounters an error, be it small or large, to report the bug to us as soon as possible. All bug reports should contain the following key pieces of information to help us best isolate the cause of the problem:

- the time and date that the bug occurred
- a step by step procedure for duplicating the error (i.e. do this, then this, then that, and the program will crash)
- a copy of the error log ( see section A.2 The Osprey Error Log )

Note: The normal place to report bugs and problems is ospreyadmin@mshri.on.ca. If you are not running the latest copy of Osprey, we highly recommend upgrading to the latest version and trying the problem again to see if we have already fixed the problem.

A.4 Known Problems

The following section describes some problems known to the Osprey development team. These problems are not errors, but they are issues you should be aware of when using the application.

Really long screen names may exceed the size of the graph area

- When changing the visible screen name of a gene in Osprey, names consisting of too many characters may cause the screen name to exceed the bounds of the graph. If this occurs, simply reduce the size of the name so that it will fit inside the graph area.

Colour index .jpg and .png files not working under Mac OS X

- When saving the index using the Mac OS X version of Osprey do not choose the .jpg or .png file types. This option currently only works using the .svg file types. We are working with Mac to figure the problem out, please check for updates.

Progress Bars using the Mac OS X version of Osprey currently not working

- When using the Mac OS X version of Osprey the progress bars are not working properly. We have submitted a bug report to the Mac developers and expect to fix the problem shortly.

A.5 Common Errors

This section lists some errors that users frequently get. You will find descriptions of the errors, and how to solve the problem here.

A.5.1 Unable to Install Osprey under a Windows 2000, NT, or XP

In order to install Osprey, you must be using an account that has Administrative rights so that the installer will be able to write to the Windows registry. If you are unsure whether your account has these privileges, contact your system administrator who will be able to advise you on your account status.

A.5.2 Unable to Add Interactions

If you are unable to add interactions to your network by querying The GRID, the most likely problem is that you do not have an active connection to the internet. Close Osprey, make sure that you internet connection is active, and try running Osprey again to see if you can establish a connection to The GRID.

The Osprey Administrator
E-mail: ospreyadmin@mshri.on.ca

Copyright ©2002 Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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