GI-cat FAQ

A few frequently asked questions about GI-cat are answered below.

General questions

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How do I install GI-cat?

You can download the Auto Installer Package for your operative system, or you can download the Multiplatform Java WAR Package to install GI-cat on a web container such as Apache Tomcat.

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Where can I found the installation guide for GI-cat?

The installation guide for the Auto Installer Package is avalible here, while the installation guide for the Multiplatform Java WAR Package is avaliable here.

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Where can I found the documentation about GI-cat?

The documentation is available here.

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Who develops GI-cat?

GI-cat is being developed by ESSI Lab. Please contact us for further information and feedback.

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Under what license is GI-cat licensed?

GI-cat is open source software for non profit, research and public administration users. For details please refer to the LICENSE files coming along with the downloaded jars or contact us.

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Where can I find an older version of GI-cat?

The old versions of GI-cat can be retrieved from our Archiva repository:

• before version 5.2
• from version 5.2 on

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Is there an official mailing list?

Yes, you can subscribe to it by visiting http://zeus.pin.unifi.it/gi-news This mailing list will be used to inform about major GI-cat versions/features.

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How do I start/stop GI-cat?

• If you install GI-cat with the Auto Installer Package, please refer to the user guide.
• If you install GI-cat with the Multiplatform Java WAR Package, the procedure depends on the web container used; for example, with Apache Tomcat to start/stop the service, you should use the Tomcat manager.

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How do I check if GI-cat is running?

Point your browser to the GI-cat installation URL (this is set up during installation: the default is http://localhost:8090/gi-cat). A welcome page will be shown if the installation procedure succeeded.

Common problems

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Pointing the browser to the GI-cat endpoint I get the error "No GI-cat found at the given endpoint". Could this be solved?

Make sure the "Work Offline" option from the Firefox "File" menu is not checked. It should be as in the following picture:



If the problem persists, try to start GI-cat again. More information in the user manual.

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How can I change the configurator password?

From version 7: From the configurator. Click on the menu Settings -> Change Password

For version prior to 7: Password could be changed by reinstalling the package or by modifying the gi-cat-realm.xml file. This can be found under GI-CAT-HOME/webapps/gi-cat-VERSION/conf/configuration.service.xml

Java Multiplatform WAR package related

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I get an heap-space, permGen or out of memory memory exception in the TOMCAT log using the war package. Can this be solved?

Yes, make sure the application server is started with the appropriate JVM parameter to reserve enough Heap memory (i.e. -Xmx512m).
E.g. if you use tomcat add this line in catalina.sh: JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -Xmx512m"
If the problem persists, try with -Xmx1024m.

Moreover, make sure the application server is started with the appropriate JVM parameter to reserve enough Perm memory (i.e. -XX:MaxPermSize=128m).
E.g. if you use tomcat add this line in catalina.sh: JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -XX:MaxPermSize=128m"
If the problem persists, try with -XX:MaxPermSize=256m.

See Java recommendations for more information.

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Known compatibility issue with GI-cat and eXist deployment on Tomcat ( only for version 6.0.4 and previous ones )

The deployment of eXist and GI-cat web application archive (WAR) on Tomcat, causes eXist application malfunctioning. To avoid this problem, we propose the following workaround:

1 ) stop the eXist application using the Tomcat Manager 2 ) go in the ${GI-CAT_WEBAPP_DIR}/WEB-INF/lib folder and copy the file saxon-x.x.jar in the folder ${EXIST_WEBAPP_DIR}/WEB_INF/lib 3 ) start the eXist application using the Tomcat Manager

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Known compatibility issue with GI-cat and deegree services deployment on Tomcat

The deployment of deegree and GI-cat web application archive (WAR) on Tomcat, causes Deegree application malfunctioning. To avoid this problem, we propose the following workaround:

1 ) stop the deegree application using the Tomcat Manager 2 ) go in the ${GI-CAT_WEBAPP_DIR}/WEB-INF/lib folder and copy the files saxon-*.jar in the folder ${DEEGREE_WEBAPP_DIR}/WEB_INF/lib (you should find two jars)
3 ) start the eXist application using the Tomcat Manager

Automatic installer related

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I've installed GI-cat with the automatic installer package. How can I change the service port after installation?

It is possible to change the GI-cat service port by the following step-by-step procedure:

1 ) stop your GI-cat instance from the GI-cat manager icon in the tray
2 ) stop the GI-cat manager itself, by clicking on exit from the drop down menu
3 ) edit the file at [GI-CAT_HOME]/etc/jetty.xml : Change the /Configure/Call[@name="addConnector"]/Arg/New/Set[@name="port"]/SystemProperty/@default to the new port number of your choice
4 ) edit the file at [GI-CAT_HOME]/systray_config.xml : Change the /configuration/gicatinstance value to reflect the new port number of your choice
5 ) restart the GI-cat manager manually (or reboot the machine for the automatic restart)
6 ) start GI-cat from the GI-cat manager

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