Frequently Asked Questions - Help
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Here are some common situations you may find yourself in and how to resolve them:

  1. I can't modify a record because it says it's locked
  2. I get a message about "Session Time Out" and all my changes are gone
  3. I don't seem to have access to a record
  4. Can't remove User's Group
  5. How do I sort Full Search results by IP address?
  6. I made a change in NetDB but when I query DNS (host command or nslookup), I get the old information. Did my change go through?
  7. When I click on some people's names, I end up at the Stanford Who page with the message "No records matched your search".
  8. What are the ".nodomain" and ".sunet" domains?

1. Can't Modify a Locked Record

A locked record means that someone is accessing that record for update. The error message should give the name of the User accessing the Node. Possible solutions:

  • Another User is using the record right now. Since the User name is listed in the error message, you can contact that User by looking up their netdb record. Or you can wait - an inactive session will timeout after an hour.
  • The database has not released the lock for some reason. Submit a ticket on HelpSU .

2. Session Time out

After an hour of inactivity, sessions are automatically terminated. Any unsaved changes that you have made on a record will be lost. If you still are logged into PC- or MacLeland, you will be returned to the NetDB home page with a red message saying that your session has timed out and this is a new session.

3. Can't Access a Record

The most common reason that Users cannot modify a record is that the record is not in the same Group as the User. The record was probably created by a User whose default Group is not the same Group as other Nodes on that Network. To fix this problem, submit a ticket on HelpSU .

4. Can't remove User's default Group

Even if a User has all Groups and all records access, an active User must have at least one Group which is also the default Group. In order to remove this Group, the User must be inactive.

5. How do I sort Full Search results by IP address?

Currently, sorting by IP address is not supported in Full Search. It will be implemented in a later version. To get a list of nodes by IP address, search by IP address in Quicksearch.

6. I made a change in NetDB but when I query DNS, I get the old information. Did my change go through?

The DNS servers are updated from NetDB periodically (currently every hour just after the hour). Until the next update, DNS will give you the old info.

7. When I click on some people's names, I end up at the Stanford Who page with the message "No records matched your search".

All the people in NetDB are in the Stanford Directory. However, Stanford Who will only show people who are active staff, students, faculty or affiliates. If Stanford Who does not find the person, the person probably has left the university.

8. What are the ".nodomain" and ".sunet" domains?

Names in the .NODOMAIN domain (i.e. "myserver.NODOMAIN") are never resolved by DNS and are typically used as name placeholders. Names in the ".sunet" domain are only resolved if the requester is at Stanford. .sunet domain is typically used for switches, printers or other devices that are not accessed from the Internet.

 
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Last modified Jun 1, 2006