Frequently Asked Questions

General

  1. How do I xxx?
  2. What should I do when "it doesn't work"?

Database issues

  1. Which database systems are supported?
  2. Where is the script to create the database schema?

General

How do I xxx?
Please read the documentation below http://www.icatproject.org/mvn/site/ . It is structured by major component and then by version. If you don't find what you need in the documentation please submit this to the issue tracker or discuss it on either the main ICAT list or the developers' list .
What should I do when "it doesn't work"?

The answer may well be in the logs. Below the logs directory of your chosen domain are a number of log files including "server.log" which will show at least installation problems, "icat.log" which is the log of icat operations and there should also be log files from the authentication plugins.

Database issues

Which database systems are supported?

Any JPA supported system should work - which means almost any RDBMS. If you find exceptions please let us know.

Where is the script to create the database schema?

The schema is created automatically when the icat ear file is deployed. This works fine if no tables exist. If tables do exist it will try to create them and report an error for each table. If any table exists and has the wrong structure, it will not be replaced or updated, and ICAT will not work properly.