Dealing With Problems

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Who do I ask for help? How do I ask for help? How can I contact one of the ECEn SysOps in an emergency?	What if I can't log in? What do you do when the computer locks up? What if Viewlogic, Mentor Graphics, Matlab, or other software doesn't work?

Who do I ask for help?

This, of course, depends on the nature of the problem. If you are having problems related to a specific class or software for that class, your best bet is to ask the TAs for that class. If you are having problems with your CAEDM account or CAEDM computers, your best bet is to contact the CAEDM administrators (email winnt@et.byu.edu for problems with windows computers and unix@et.byu.edu for problems with UNIX-based machines). If the problem deals with ECEn computers, contact the ECEn SysOps for help.

How do I ask for help?

When requesting help or reporting a problem, please be as specific as possible and include as much information as you can. Include information such as error messages that appeared, what computer or computers you were using, and what you were trying to do at the time. The more information you include, the faster we'll be able to fix whatever problem you are having.

How can I contact one of the ECEn SysOps in an emergency?

See the SysOp Contact Page for complete contact information, including emergency numbers.

What if I can't log in?

It complains "Incorrect password": Check to see if your account is disabled--you may need to reenable it. This can be done from a web browser or by visiting the CAEDM Account Adders right outside the 425 lab.

It starts to log in but then dumps you out: If you have deleted your ~/hpeesof (HFSS/ADS) directory recently, you will need to delete your .dtprofile file as well. To do this, login remotely with ssh or choose Fail Safe mode from the graphical login screen. It will recreate your .dtprofile on the next login. Alternatively, the /ee drive may be full and you will simply have to try again later.

It says your "home directory cannot be found, would you like to use '/' as your home directory?": This can happen because the timeout value for mounting your home directory has been exceeded. Try hitting cancel and then logging in again. If it happens more than twice, something is probably wrong. Please contact the ECEn SysOps. If there are network difficulties it may be impossible to mount your home directory. If you would still like to log in, you may choose yes. You will not be able to access anything from your home directory, but most programs will still run.

The screen goes black after logging in: This happens occasionally on some of the machines. Contact the ECEn SysOps.

Did you power-cycle (hit the restart button or turn off) a machine recently? See the ECEn SysOps in 409 CB.

What do you do when the computer locks up?

DO NOT turn off, or power-cycle, the machine. Besides being against lab policy, you will cause serious problems for anyone that was remotely connected to the computer. If your machine is locked up (and you don't have any unsaved data!) you can try pressing ctrl-shift-break, which will kill the current login session and hopefully unfreeze the machine. Another option: Log in remotely from another computer using ssh and run

kill -1 -1

Be warned, however, that either method will probably result losing any unsaved work! If both methods fail you, contact the ECEn SysOps.

What if Viewlogic, Mentor Graphics, Matlab, or other software doesn't work?

Your first line of support for individual software packages (especially in cases where you are able to run the program but it is not behaving as expected ) is your class TA. If the TA determines that the problem has to do with the system or installation, he or she can then contact the SysOps to address the situation. SysOps are generally unable to help much with questions about the practical use of the installed tools.