Troubleshooting

Interleaf QuickSilver Frequently asked questions

Troubleshooting?

This section describes the following troubleshooting procedures:

  • recovering from QuickSilver crashes
  • describing a problem you cannot fix to the Interleaf Customer Support Center


This section also contains explanations of Interleaf Desktop Utility (IDU) messages.

To Recover from a QuickSilver Crash
This topic provides steps to recover from a QuickSilver crash indicated with a message box.
Crashes can destroy open files. However, you can usually recover all but the most recent changes to users' files from the checkpoint or crash files that QuickSilver creates automatically.

NOTE: To prevent a serious crash from destroying much more than one day's work, make daily tape backups of the files that are important to you.
Though QuickSilver crashes are the most common type of crash, they should not be frequent. If you have as many as two or three crashes in a week, contact the Interleaf Customer Support Center.

To recover from a message box crash:

  • Select Continue.
  • If the message box disappears, save any open documents and resume your work.
  • If the message box reappears, select File.
    For each document in which changes were made, QuickSilver asks whether to save that document in a crash file. Choose Yes to save the changes. If you choose No, the most recent .ildoc version becomes the most recent copy.
  • When you see the message box again, select Exit.
  • (Windows) After QuickSilver closes, reopen the desktop from the Program Manager.
    (UNIX) When you see the operating system prompt, reopen the desktop.


If there is a crash file for a document, QuickSilver informs you that the crash file exists when you try to open that document.
A message asks you whether to open the crash file or the existing document file. Unless you have a good reason for not doing so, open the crash file; it probably contains your most recent work. The next time you save the document, this version becomes the document version.
If no crash file exists, there may still be a chance to recover work from the most recent checkpoint file for the document. To do this, select the checkpoint file at the message box.

To Recover from a Hang
A hang usually causes QuickSilver to "freeze up," that is, to stop responding to mouse clicks or keystrokes that you type. If the QuickSilver cursor is unresponsive and the window manager cursor is active, choose Refresh from the window menu.

Caution: Do not turn off your workstation after a hang; you may damage filesystems.

To recover from a hang (Windows):
Use the Windows Task Manager to end the QuickSilver task.

(UNIX) The following procedures provide instructions that may help in the event of a hung process.
To recover from a hang using CTRL + z (UNIX):

  • Interrupt QuickSilver by pressing CTRL + z.
  • Click Exit and reopen the desktop.


If CTRL + z does not produce a message box and you can access another window on the hung workstation, continue to the next procedure.
If you cannot access another window on the hung workstation, attempt to remotely log in from another workstation and kill the QuickSilver processes.
If the problem is not fixed, return to the hung workstation and execute the keyboard reboot command or press the reset button.

To recover from a hang by terminating the process (UNIX):

  • In another window on the hung workstation, list the processes that are running.
    Or.. Log in to another workstation as root, and log in to the hung workstation remotely.
    If you cannot log in to the hung workstation, return to the hung workstation and execute the keyboard reboot command or press the reset button.
  • In the display, look for entries owned by the user whose workstation is hung. Pick out the one that lists ileaf in the command column and find its process ID number.
  • Terminate the process.
  • Check the workstation or window that was hung. If the problem is fixed, you will see a message indicating that the process has been killed.
  • If the problem is not fixed, identify the Motif window manager and X server process ID numbers and terminate each process.
  • Check the workstation or window that was hung. If the problem is fixed, you will see a message indicating that the process has been killed.
  • Reopen the desktop.
  • If the problem is not fixed, return to the remote workstation or window and shut down and reboot the workstation that is hung.



Interleaf Desktop Utility Messages
The following error messages indicate problems that prevent the utility from running. The description of each error message indicates the most likely problem and suggests solutions.

NOTE: The lists are not exhaustive; they do not contain self-explanatory error messages.

Error Message-- Meaning/Solution

  • You must specify exactly one of the -c, -h, -i, -k, -p, -t, or -x options.-- You either failed to specify one of the switches listed or failed to specify more than one of the switches listed. Execute the command again using one of the switches listed.
  • Unexpected EOF on IDU file.-- An unexpected end-of-file marker appeared in the IDU file when you used the -t or -x switch. This usually means you have an incomplete IDU file; perhaps the disk was full when the file was created.
  • Illegal option optionswitch.-- You have used an undefined option switch. Run the command again without the illegal option switch.
  • Filename not found in IDU file.-- While extracting files from an IDU file, IDU did not find one of the files in the list you supplied. Use the -t options to see what files are in the IDU file.
  • Could not open IDU file filename: No such file or directory.-- IDU cannot open the input file because the file does not exist, you misspelled the filename, or you do not have necessary permissions.
  • This doesn't look like an IDU file.-- Either the file being processed is not an IDU file or header information in the file being processed is incorrect.


Warning or Information Messages
Error Message-- Meaning/Solution

  • Link linkname not included.-- When creating the IDU file, the utility encountered a link and did not include it. If you want to include links, use the -l or -ll switch.
  • All document related files will be added.-- You have used the -a switch, so all related files (including checkpoint, backup, crash, and work-in-progress files) will be added to the IDU file.
  • No document related files will be added.-- You have used the -z switch.
  • This doesn't look like an IDU file. Skipping to next file header.-- Header information in the file being processed is incorrect, but the utility was able to recover from the error.


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