• Introduction
• Error Log
• Debug Files
• Common Causes

Beginning with Discus 4.10.b2, an implementation similar to the CGI::Carp module is included in the Discus code. The purpose of this is to provide a friendlier and more consistent error message in the user interface, to record the cause of the error in a place where every board administrator will have access to it, and to store debugging files that can be used if DiscusWare Support wishes to examine a particular issue in greater detail.

Prior to using this document, it is assumed that:

• You have server-level access to the web server (FTP, telnet, SSH, etc.): For security reasons, error messages produced by Discus are not retrievable via the web interface. Only someone with access to the server itself can retrieve these files.

• You know where your administration directory is: Your administration directory contains the discus.conf file, and several other files and subdirectories. If you followed the recommended installation procedure, this directory will be outside of the server's web space. If you accepted suggestions of directory names from the installation procedure, the name of this directory will be "discus_admin_" followed by a string of numbers.

Each time the "Software Error" message appears in the user interface, a corresponding entry is written to the following log:

discus_admin_123456789/data/errorlog/errorlog

Note: substitute the full path to your Discus administration directory in place of discus_admin_123456789 in the example above.

The "errorlog" file is a plain text file. To view this file via FTP, download the file using ASCII mode to a directory on your computer where you can easily find it. Then, using a plain text editor such as Notepad, open this file. Newer error messages will be written at the bottom of the file.

Corresponding to each entry in the "errorlog" file, a debug file will be written. This file contains a dump of your current software version, discus.conf settings, and global options, along with all environment variables and user-entered variables (including the password, if the user entered their password and the screen to which this was submitted resulted in the error). This file is not designed to be human-readable, although its content is entirely plain text and it could be interpreted by an individual who is familiar with the Discus program.

DiscusWare support will request that you send the debug file, if it is determined that this will be helpful in identifying a problem. Please note that the contents of this file will likely provide information that could be used to access your discussion board, possibly via the administration interface. Therefore, it is important that you are certain that you are sending this file only to trusted parties.

If you are opening a support case through DiscusWare, there is a place on the technical support request form for you to upload the debug file. Please do this if you have a debug file. This will save us the step of having to ask you for it later.

For your security, please avoid scams by observing the following guidelines:

• DiscusWare's support address is support@discusware.com. We will never use any other address (e.g., a Yahoo address) for any reason (e.g., "because we are on vacation"), or request that you send something to another address.

• The debug file will be requested only if you have an open technical support case or bug report. We will never send you an e-mail requesting a debug file unless you have first asked for our help.

• You should never post a debug file on the DiscusWare Support Forum or on any other public forum. Your debug files are in plain text format so that you can copy and paste into an e-mail message, so you won't ever have to upload them to a web site or an FTP server. Note as well that there is an upload facility on the technical support request form, and you may make use of this when opening a new support case.

So to summarize, only e-mail debug files to support@discusware.com, or upload debug files to the DiscusWare technical support request form. Doing anything else with these files could be a scam that could compromise your security.

This section will contain common causes of error messages that may occur, and the solutions to those problems. If you have encountered a problem not listed here that you think would be worthwhile to document, please contact us.

• Can't locate File/Temp.pm in @INC...