Faximum TechNote #099

Faximum TechNote #099

(http://www.faximum.com/technotes/099)

TITLE:    #099 - Problems with Faximum ELS/PLUS default database

KEYWORDS: default database

RELEASE:  Faximum ELS/PLUS

CLASSIFICATION: Intel-EP

PROBLEM:  User reports that attempts to run Faximum results in an error
	  message "Cannot open your default database".

CAUSE:	  There are several possible causes:
		(a) the default database is corrupt or missing;
		(b) the database database is corrupt or missing; or
		(c) the preferences file is corrupt.

SOLUTION: If this problem is happening with a new user who is running
	  the Faximum software for the first time (or an past user who
	  does not care about preserving any  of the configuration 
	  information he may after previously entered) then the problem 
	  might be caused by files in the user's home directory that 
	  are being confused with Faximum configuration files.

	  Check to see if the user has a .faxrc file and/or a directory
	  called "fax" in their $HOME directory. If they have, check to 
	  see if they contain information that is unrelated to Faximum 
	  and which your user deems important.

	  If these files are important and are unrelated to Faximum then
	  you will need to contact Faximum Software Technical Support as
	  there is a conflict between the file names the Faximum software
	  wants to use and those your user already has.

	  If these files are not important or seem to be Faximum related
	  then the easiest solution to the problem (if this is a first-time
	  Faximum user or a user who does not wish to preserve his existing
	  Faximum configuration and database files) is to remove these 
	  files by running:

	  	rm -r $HOME/fax .faxrc
	
	  and then run the Faximum character-based interface 
	  (/opt/faximum/bin/fax or /usr/faximum/bin/fax or /usr/fax/bin/fax,
	  depending on the version of the software you have).

	  This will recreate the files necessary for Faximum to run and
	  ought to resolve the problem. If, after running the user interface,
	  you still get the "Cannot open..." error message, please contact
	  Faximum Software Technical Support.


	  If, on the other hand, the user has been using the 
	  Faxiimum software successfully for some period of time and is
	  only now encountering the error message shown above, then it is
	  probably necessary to fix the problem rather than remove the
	  files which risks losing important configuration information the
	  user has previously entered. The following steps outline the
	  procedure for doing this.

	  Follow these steps to determine which of the possible causes 
	  (listed above) is responsible for the problem.

	  1. Change into your fax database directory:
		cd
		cd fax/database
	
	  2. Create a backup copy of your databases.
		tar cvf /tmp/fsb.tar .
	
	  3. Run the database check program on your databases:
		/usr/fax/lib/dcheck database
		/usr/fax/lib/dcheck people
		/usr/fax/lib/dcheck company
	
	     Respond yes to all questions. Re-run the dcheck program on
	     any databases that had to be repaired to ensure that they
	     are now correct.
	

	  If the dcheck program is unable to repair the databases, please
	  report this to Faximum Technical Support.

	  If the dcheck program does not find anything wrong with your
	  databases or if repairing the databases did not resolve the
	  problem, then please check the following:

	  1.  Examine the file called:
		.faxrc
	      in your home directory and look for a line similar to:
		default-database = default
	      
	      If the right-hand side is not "default" then it ought to
	      be the correct name of another database which you have
	      defined.
	
	  2.  Examine the contents of your database database:
		  cd
		  cd fax/database
		  /usr/fax/lib/dumpdatabase database

	      The output of this command ought to look something like:

		  default:/fax/database/people:/fax/database/company
	
	      If you have defined other databases then additional lines
	      may appear.  If the database does not appear similar to the
	      above, either correct the database by using the 
	      Administration->Databases->Databases menu option (see the
	      Reference Manual) or send the output of the dumpdatabase
	      command to Faximum Technical Support for analysis.
	

	  If you are unable to resolve the problem then please fax or
	  e-mail a copy of the .faxrc file and the output of the dumpdatabase
	  command to Faximum Technical Support.


LAST UPDATED: Wed Apr 16 15:41:10 PDT 2003
Tech Note: 099 - Copyright 1995-2003 Faximum Software Inc., All Rights Reserved.
The complete set of Faximum TechNotes are available on the Internet at 
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© Copyright 2003 Faximum Software Inc. All Rights Reserved.