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Troubleshooting VISITview Training Sessions

Updated 6/1/2009

For instructors:

• The server is probably down if:
  • theBig Red Pointer does not appear initially
  • A message: Cannot contact server appears on the screen
  • you click on the screen and the BRP does not move to that position
  • you are running the Status Window, and the status does not update every 10 seconds (minimum)
• If the server is or goes down:
  1. Have everyone (including yourself) stop the current session by closing the Client window.
  2. Run one of the alternate batch files to connect to a different server.
• A site may have the wrong lesson file or be using the wrong batch file if:
  • Everyone else has the BRP and can see your page changes and/or annotations, yet the site can verify their Internet connection is OK (for example, they can access remote web sites using Netscape or IE).
• If a site is using the wrong lesson or batch file:
  1. if they have it on disk, have them just run the batch file from that directory
  2. if they do not have the correct files, they need to try to download and install them and re-join the lesson.
  3. otherwise, they will have to reschedule.
• A site may have a firewall problem or a networking problem if:
  • they do not see the Big Red Pointer, or get a "cannot contact server" error message, but everyone else is fine
  • everyone else can see your page changes and/or annotations.
• If a site has a firewall or networking problem:
  1. they should contact their local network administrator
  2. they should run the visitlocal.bat file and turn their own pages

For students:

• You may be using the wrong lesson file (sometimes lessons do get updated) or be using the wrong batch file to start your lesson, if:
  • initially the Big Red Pointer appears on the screen, but none of the slides show up
  • you click your mouse button at some location on the screen and the Big Red Pointer moves
  • none of the annotations show up on your screen
• If you have the wrong lesson file:
  • if you have a copy of the correct one on disk, just switch to it and run the batch file
  • if you do not have a copy on disk, you can try to download it, install it and rejoin the lesson
  • otherwise, you'll probably need to reschedule for a different day & time
• If you are using the wrong batch file:
  1. close the window and run the correct batch file.
• You are not connected to the server if:
  • If the Big Red Pointer does not show up on the screen initially
  • you get an error message about Cannot contact server
• If you are not initially connected to the server:
  1. verify that you are using the correct batch file
  2. if you are, you may have a local network or firewall problem -- contact your network administrator
  3. you may be able to continue the lesson using the visitlocal.bat file -- but you will not be able to see any of the instructor's annotations.
• You may have lost connection to the server during the lesson, if:
  • the instructor is changing pages, drawing on the screen or doing other actions that you are no longer seeing, assume you have lost connection to the server.
  • you suddenly get an error message on the screen
  • your system seems to have "locked up"
• If you loose connection to the server:
  1. stop your current session by closing the window
  2. close all other active applications (you may have run out of memory)
  3. rerun the batch file (like visit.bat)
  4. if that fails to re-connect you to the session, let the instructor know. You may have to run "visitlocal.bat" and "turn your own pages", if you cannot get reconnected.