Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!cunixa.cc.columbia.edu!das15
From: das15@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Douglas A Scott)
Subject: Re: Digital Librarian under 2.0
Message-ID: <1991Apr13.033451.9295@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Keywords: 2.0, 2.1, indexing, Librarian
Sender: usenet@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (The Network News)
Nntp-Posting-Host: cunixa.cc.columbia.edu
Reply-To: das15@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Douglas A Scott)
Organization: Columbia University
References: <1991Apr11.065359.23123@leland.Stanford.EDU>
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 1991 03:34:51 GMT

I thought I might summarize the workarounds I have been taught or have
learned for getting indexing to work in Librarian under 2.0.  I should
add that I am using 2.1 now, and am not exactly sure whether anything
was actually fixed in Librarian in 2.1 (the general concensus is no).

First problem: Indexing dies somewhere before finishing.
There are at least two different problems here, actually.  ixBuild
seems unable to follow linked directories, first of all.  Secondly, it
will often die if it runs across empty (zero size) files among those
being indexed (this seems not to happen under 2.1 though).  Thirdly,
ixBuild sometimes just goes nuts and starts indexing your home
directory (yes, go in and look for a .index dir in your home dir)
rather than the correct one.

Solutions:
1) Make sure that the dir and all subdirs you wish to index are
read/searchable by all.  Files must be readable.

2) Make sure that if there is already a .index dir there (from earlier tries
or OS versions) that it is set read/write/search for all ("chmod 777 .index").

3) If it still doesnt work, make sure there are no empty files being indexed.

4) Last step is to hardwire the arguments that get passed to ixBuild by DL:
	a) create a file in the .index dir called "ixBuildOptions".
	b) put the following line in it:

-F -V [full_path_name_of_dir_to_index]

for example, "-F -V /LocalLibrary/Literature/Bible"

	c) remove the index.ixif file that is there, and
	
	d) go back and try to index again.

Regarding updating of indices that have already been made:
Under 2.0 I was never able to do this, as far as I can remember.  Under 2.1,
at least after taking the above measures into consideration, I has no trouble
updating a very large index (a year of comp.sys.next!)--much to my delight.

I hope this is all of help to some people...wish I has known it all when I
started working with 2.0.

___________________________________________________________________________
Douglas Scott
zardoz!doug%woof.columbia.edu
