Chapter 12 Troubleshooting

This chapter contains troubleshooting information for some of the following issues that you may face when you are working with Web Space Server.

• Troubleshooting for Installation Issues

• Troubleshooting for Issues Related With Accessing the HTTP Instance

• Troubleshooting for Issues Related With User Activities

• Troubleshooting for Issues Related With Installing Plugins

• Troubleshooting for the Issues in Choosing the Logo Size

• Common Questions

Troubleshooting for Installation Issues

If you are deploying Web Space Server on an existing installation of GlassFish, you need to determine the install location of GlassFish. If GlassFish is installed at the root directory, you can deploy Web Space Server either at the root directory or at the user directory. If GlassFish is installed at your user directory, you must install Web Space Server at the same user directory.

If the JDK, GlassFish, and Web Space Serversoftware are all installed,Web Space Server is at the top layer, GlassFish is in the middle layer, and JDK is in the bottom layer. When you are using the GlassFish Web Space Server bundle, you need to determine the install location of JDK. If JDK is at the root directory, you can install the bundle either at the root directory or at your user directory. If JDK is installed at the user directory, you need to install the bundle at the same directory.

It is a good practice to have your GlassFish installation dedicated only for running Web Space Server.

Suppose you have JDK 1.5 installed in the root directory and you have installed JDK 1.6 in your user directory. Because Web Space Server often works better on a more recent JDK version, you might want to override the installation at the root directory.

To Reset the JAVA_HOME Variable to the User Directory

1. Type the following commands in a terminal window:

   export JAVA_HOME JDK-install-dir
   export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH

2. To verify the change, type the following command:

   echo $JAVA_HOME

   The new directory should be listed.

To Set the JAVA_HOME Environment Variable to the User Directory on Non Solaris Operating Systems

1. Open the GlassFish-install-dir/config/asenv.conf/asenv.bat file.

2. Set the AS_JAVA variable to the JDK 1.6 user installation.

3. Reinstall the Web Space Server bundle and start the domain.

Troubleshooting for Issues Related With Accessing the HTTP Instance

You can access the HTTP instance for the Web Space Server installation on your machine at http://localhost:8080/. In case you are installing Web Space Server on a remote machine, you access the HTTP instance at http://<machine-name>:8080/.

Troubleshooting for Issues Related With User Activities

Users may face some issues when they are working with Web Space Server. Workaround for those issues are discussed in this section.

To Create a Private Page

If your user account has only public pages and you want to add a private page to it, perform the following procedure.

1. Choose Control Panel from the Welcome menu.

2. Click My Pages under My Account.

3. Click the Private Pages tab.

4. Type a name for the page and click the Add Page button.

Troubleshooting for Issues Related With Installing Plugins

The property called auto.deploy.dest.dir is essential for installing plugins. If you are failing to install plugins, the reason can be that the property is not defined properly. GlassFish defines the hot deploy folder as a folder called autodeploy inside of the domain folder in which your server is running. By default, this is in <Glassfish Home>/domains/domain1/autodeploy. JBoss defines the hot deploy folder as a root folder inside of the particular server configuration you are using. By default, this is in <JBoss Home>/server/default/deploy. WebLogic defines this folder inside of the domain directory. By default, this is in <Bea Home>/user_projects/domains/<domain name>/ autodeploy.

You need to first determine where the hot deploy folder is for the container you are running. Consult your product documentation for this. Once you have this value, there are two places in which you can set it: the portal-ext.properties file and in the Plugin Installer portlet.

To change this setting in the portal-ext.properties file, browse to <ROOT>/webspace-for-gfv2/var/webspace/war-workspace/customs/webspace/WEB-INF/classes folder. Here you will find the portal-ext.properties file. Open this file in a text editor and look for the property auto.deploy.dest.dir. If it does not appear in the file, you can add it. After this, navigate to <ROOT>/webspace-for-gfv2/var/webspace/war-workspace, and run ant -f synchronize.xml. The safest way to set this property is to define the property using an absolute path from the root of your file system to your application server's hot deploy folder. For example, if you are using GlassFish, and you have the server installed in /java/glassfish, your auto.deploy.dest.dir property would look like the following:

auto.deploy.dest.dir=/java/glassfish/domains/domain1/autodeploy

Remember, if you are on a Windows system, use forward slashes instead of back slashes, like so:

auto.deploy.dest.dir=C:/java/glassfish/domains/domain1/autodeploy

Save the file and then restart your container. Now plugins should install correctly.

Troubleshooting for the Issues in Choosing the Logo Size

You can change the logo for the Community from Control Panel -> Portal -> Settings. You need to be cautious about the size of the logo image. A logo of big size, for example, a logo with the size 600*600 pixels can adversely affect the functioning of the portal.

Try to use a logo with minimal size.

Common Questions

The following are some commonly asked questions about Web Space Server software.

What databases does Web Space Server support?

HSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL, and Oracle 10g.

What is the recommended JDK version to use with Web Space Server?

JDK 1.6.0_07 or later. Also make sure that Ant 1.7.0 is installed on the machine on which you are installing Web Space Server.

What size image should I use for my site logo?

Your site logo should not be larger than 50 x 50 pixels.

What is the recommended amount of memory (RAM) to use with Web Space Server?

The machine on which a Web Space Server server is running should have a minimum of 2GB RAM. Client machines connecting to a Web Space Server site should have a minimum of 1GB RAM.

Which are the most recommended web browsers for Web Space Server?

Sun GlassFish Web Space Server is best suited for running on Firefox 2.x and Firefox 3.x (on all platforms), any of the recent versions of Internet Explorer (on Windows) and Safari (on MacOS), and all other popular web browsers.

On what port does Web Space Server run?

By default, Web Space Server runs on port 8080. The port can be changed later, but the Web Space Server installation program runs on port 8080, so this port must be free before you start the installation process. If you are upgrading from a previous Web Space Server installation, be sure to stop any running GlassFish domains before proceeding.

How to create a custom portlet bundle?

You can use Add Application to add portlets and widgets to a page. You can add portlets and widgets to the public pages and private pages of Communities and Organizations and propagate those Communities and organizations to production environment. the portlets and widgets thus bundled with a Community or an Organization can be considered as custom portlet bundles.

How the Delegated Administration feature works in Sun GlassFish Web Space Server?

Admin users can delegate portlets to other users by adding portlets to their public page. The admin users can add portlets by selecting Add Application from the Welcome menu. All users can access a portlet which is on the public page of the admin user.

How you can chat and make calls using the Web Space Server?

You can chat and make calls using Sun GlassFish Web Space Server. Chat feature is readily integrated with the product. You can make calls using Web Space Server by installing the CALL-WEB add-on. See, Sun GlassFish Web Space Server 10.0 CALL-WEB Add-On Guide.