AnswerBook2 Documentation Server Version 1.4 Release Notes

These release notes apply to the AnswerBook2 server provided on the Solaris Resource Manager product CD. This server should be used on the Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7 5/99 releases.

Major New Features

Icons Replaced With Text

Common navigational functions, such as those used to go to the main page of the AnswerBook2 Library or to Print, are now identified with appropriate text rather than icons.

Added Ability to Search and View Collection-Level Information

Users can now access and search information by AnswerBook2 "collections" (a collection of related books). To access collection-level information, click on a collection title on the Library page or click on the collection title displayed just below the navigation area on any book page. To search within a collection, choose the option "Search this Collection" from the search pop-up menu when appropriate.

Documentation Errata

ab2admin Man Page Is Out-of-Date (4195648)

The ab2admin man page included with the Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7 operating environments and accessed through the man command is slightly out-of-date with the AnswerBook2 version 1.4 server.

For current information, see the ab2admin man page included with the AnswerBook2 Help Collection and available through a web browser.

Instructions for Running an AnswerBook2 Server as a CGI Process on an Existing Web Server May Be Incorrect, Depending on Your Server's Configuration (4196931)

The procedural information given in the online Help for "Running the AnswerBook2 Server as a CGI Process" subsection "To Change to Sun WebServer Using CGI" works as described in some environments, but might not be applicable to others.

As stated in the Help, specific details differ by web server. If you use this procedure, you should be thoroughly familiar with your Sun WebServer setup and be able to recognize when your files differ from those identified in the written instructions.

Verification Steps in Procedures for Running an AnswerBook2 Server as a CGI Process Show an Incorrect Path

The configuration of the AnswerBook2 server changed, but the procedure still refers to an old path. In Step 3 of the Netscape^TM Server and Sun WebServer procedures, the path to /Help/C/Help/books/Help is incorrect.

The correct path is /Help/C/Help/books/AB2ADMIN.

Installation and Administration Issues

Upgrading an Existing AnswerBook2 Server

If an AnswerBook2 server is already installed on your system and you want to install a newer version of the server software, shut down the existing server and remove it from your system before installing the new server software. Use the following commands:

# /usr/lib/ab2/bin/ab2admin -o stop
# pkgrm SUNWab2r SUNWab2s SUNWab2u

Dependency on iconv (4204219)

The Solaris operating environment uses the iconv utility to convert characters from one code set to another. For the AnswerBook2 server to properly respond to requests from clients in non-English locales (such as European or Asian locales), you must have the iconv packages installed on the server's system. These iconv packages must be installed before you install the AnswerBook2 server software packages:

If all the iconv packages are not installed, you will see a "dependency" warning when you install the SUNWab2u package. Also, the Library page for this server will not display properly (collection titles may be strung together with no book titles displayed). In addition, users might see an Internal Server Plugin Error/TCL script exception error.

The solution is to install the iconv packages before you install the AnswerBook2 server software packages. If you install the AnswerBook2 packages first, you will have to remove and reinstall them after you install the iconv packages.

For Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7, the iconv packages are available on the Solaris Software CD. Note that the iconv packages are part of the Developer System Support cluster, which can be a different system cluster from what is installed on your system (for example, you might have installed the End User System Support cluster on your system).

During Installation, the AnswerBook2 Server Starts Up in the C Locale (4202215)

The pkgadd utility is not able to pass environment variables to its child processes. Thus, when you install the AnswerBook2 server software or document collections, the post-install process starts up the AnswerBook2 server in the C locale.

The workaround is to run the AnswerBook2 server in a locale other than C. This is done by restarting the server using the AnswerBook2 administration interface. Use the following commands:

# /usr/lib/ab2/bin/ab2admin -o stop
# /usr/lib/ab2/bin/ab2admin -o start

AnswerBook2 Server Does Not Support Use of pkgadd -R Option

The pkgadd(1M) man page says to use the -R option of the pkgadd utility to relocate a package. Using this option when installing the AnswerBook2 server software gives unexpected results.

The workaround for installing the AnswerBook2 server software in a location other than the default is to use the following format of the pkgadd command:

# pkgadd -a none -d . SUNWab2u

Do not relocate the SUNWab2r and SUNWab2s packages.

Runtime Issues and Known Bugs

AnswerBook2 Print Function Disabled for Asian Locales (4163661)

The AnswerBook2 Print function does not work for Asian (Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese) documents.

The workaround for printing AnswerBook2 pages in these locales is to use your browser's print function.

Searches That Include a Reserved Word and Punctuation Fail (4191564)

If you search for a reserved word in combination with valid punctuation (such as in.ftpd or in.named), the AnswerBook2 server does not find what you expected it to find. It may return "No matches found," even though matches exist.

As a workaround, because words such as "in" are reserved by the search engine, you must enclose them in double-quotes to search for them. For example: Search for "in.ftpd" rather than in.ftpd.

Related Product Issues

Launching AnswerBook2 Administration in a Browser From CDE or OpenWindows Running the Solaris 2.6 or Solaris 7 Operating Environment (4191114)

In the Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7 operating environments, invoking /usr/dt/bin/answerbook2_admin at the command line launches a web browser with the URL for the AnswerBook2 Administration page on the local AnswerBook2 Documentation Server. You can also access this function from the CDE Front Panel --> Applications --> System_Admin --> AnswerBook2 Admin icon.

If you try to access this function for a Solaris 7 or AnswerBook2 version 1.4 server from a system running the Solaris 2.6 operating environment (or the reverse), it fails with an error message. The following table identifies the version of the answerbook2_admin command (by operating environment) and its relationship to the version of the AnswerBook2 Documentation Server.

If you launch /usr/dt/bin/answerbook2_admin from the Solaris 2.6 operating environment and the AnswerBook2 server is the Solaris 2.6 version (AnswerBook2 version 1.0.1), the command works as expected. Similarly, if you launch this command from the Solaris 7 operating environment and the AnswerBook2 server is either version 1.2 or version 1.4, there is no error.

The workaround for a Solaris 2.6 server is to enter the URL http://localhost:8888/cgi-bin/admin/admin. For a Solaris 7 server, enter the URL http://localhost:8888/ab2/@Ab2Admin.

Unexpected Search Results Behavior Using Microsoft Internet Explorer

Using the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser, if you perform a search and click to go to a page that should contain the search term, the page displays but does not necessarily show you the search term. The search term is not highlighted.

The workaround is to reload the page in the browser.