Licenses are are currently priced according to how many users will be using the system. 20, 50 and unlimited user licenses are available.
A user is defined as any user that can log into the system and be assigned issues. This is also known as a fixed user (not a concurrent user).
User counts do not include anonymous users (see anonymous features) or multiple users logging in with the same login.

Q: What happens after the first year?

Our product comes with a complete year of free upgrades and support. After the first year, you can still run your server using your existing version. However, you must renew our extended support agreement to continue to upgrade to the latest versions and continue to receive our outstanding support.

Q: Can I upgrade?

If you wish, you may purchase a base system and then choose to upgrade your license at a later time. You will simply be charged the difference between the two packages.

Q: What is the Database Module?

The Database Module comes with a Database Admin menu that allows you to define a connection to any JDBC compliant database and store data in the database rather than the regular flat file system. This system is only available as an Unlimited license and is not available as a hosted system. The Database version also comes with a migration tool that allows you to migrate between the two types of systems. You can find complete documentation here.

Q: bindException: Why can't I get going?

Fast BugTrack is set to run by default on port 10000. If you see a bindException message when you try to configure the system for the first time, it is likely that you already have something using this port on your system. You can try to determine what process is using the port by using the following command:
netstat -aon

If you choose to use a different port, you will have to choose one of the following two methods, since Fast BugTrack uses 10000 by default.

1.You can make the following change to your FastBugTrack.lax file (assuming you want to try 10001 instead) :
Change:
lax.command.line.args=$CMD_LINE_ARGUMENTS$
to:
lax.command.line.args=-p 10001

Then try restarting the server and it should let you configure your system like normal. You can now change the port setting to your desired setting in the configuration sequence.
.
2.Alternatively, you can fun the program manually "FastBugTrack.exe -p port#" if you are comfortable with that.

If you are using a manual installation, change the FastBugTrack script to the following: java -Xms128M -Xmx256M -cp bugserver.jar BugTrack -p 10001 &

On windows, type "cmd" in the "start->run" menu, to open up a command prompt.
cd "c:\Program Files\FastBugTrack"
Then type "jre\bin\jre.exe -classpath "bugserver.jar;jre\lib\rt.jar" BugTrack -p 10001" to start manually.

Q: Removing Test Data?

You can remove your current bugs and attachments using the "Remove All Bug Data" option in the Admin->Data Import menu. This will reset the id counters to 0 for both attachements and bugs.

Q: What are the limitations of the demo?

The demo product is a fully functional application with the following 2 exceptions:

we have limited the demo product to a 25 bug limit. This should allow users to properly evaluate and test the product.
there is normally an "archive" button on the "Bulk Update" page that moves a bug to the archive state, when it is no longer needed. This has been removed, so that users cannot remove bugs to get past the 50 bug limit.
the demo product cannot be configured to display a company name or logo.

Q: Will I have to re-install if I choose to purchase?

No! We have made the conversion process as painless as possible. If you choose to purchase FBT, then you will be provided with a special key that will instantly override all of the demo limitations. Your existing bugs and information will be kept intact and no modifications are necessary.

Q: My email Notification is not working?

a)You will not receive any notification if you assign a bug to yourself. Notification is only performed if the bug is assigned to a different person.
b)Make sure that you have the correct smtp information configured. If it is not correct, you will see a connection exception in the Admin->ExceptionLog.
c)You should be using the same settings as you would be putting in your email client outgoing connection settings. (ie: can you connect using the client).
c)Make sure that there is no virus software interfering with the connection over port 25 (SMTP). Otherwise, you will have to have this restriction disabled, enabling FBT to work on your server.

For instance, McAfee VirusScan Database 8.0i includes a subset of "desktop firewall" functionality, mainly to stop the proliferation of worms. One of the settings is described as "Prevent mass mailing worms from sending mail", and is implemented as blocking port 25 for all processes except those listed as exceptions. Default exceptions include Outlook.exe, tomcat.exe, apache.exe, netscp.exe, etc. You would have to disable this, or add FastBugTrack.exe to the exception list.

Q: Can I change the character set or the email Notification?

As an administrator, login, go to "Admin Menu", "Server", and you will see a field where you can enter an explicit charset for messages sent by Fast BugTrack. (Override Charset)

Q: How do I run Fast BugTrack as a service on Windows NT/XP? (See below for Windows 2000)

Download invoker. It's a free, distributable command line utility for creating registered services, created by Idetix (www.idetix.com). Steps:

Download invoker.zip
Unzip invoker.zip to your C:\winnt\system32 directory. It consists of three files: invoker.exe, invoker_readme.txt, and invoker_license.txt.
Open a command prompt.
If FastBugTrack is running, stop it.
Execute the following:
C:\>invoker install FastBugTrack "FastBugTrack" "c:\program files\fastbugtrack\fastbugtrack" automatic
That should be it. By default the service is started.

Q: How do I run Fast BugTrack as a service on Windows 2000/2003

There are problems with invoker and Windows 2000. srvany and instsrv are the tools used to run Fast BugTrack as a service. Steps:

You will need to get the executables srvany and instserv. These are included on a resource CD for Windows 2000. They can also likely be found on the net at a variety of locations (Windows NT versions will work..). (do a search on "srvany.zip download")
Place srvany.exe in your system32 directory (Likely c:\winnt\system32 or c:\windows\system32).
Use instsrv to install srvany as your service: instsrv FastBugTrack c:\winnt\system32\srvany.exe.
Run regedit and Find: My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\FastBugTrac
Select "FastBugTrack" and select "Edit..", "New...", "Key". Name the key "Parameters" (without the quotes).
Select the Parameters key that you have created, and select "Edit...", "New...", "String Value". The Name should be "Application" (without quotes). Double click the name to open a dialog in which you can enter the value "c:\program files\FastBugTrack\FastBugTrack.exe".
Close regedit.
Attempt to start your new service from the services control panel.

Q: How do I start it automatically on a unix box

#####
# Tentative startup script for Alcea Fast BugTrack (FBT)
#
# NOTE: Only start is currently supported (ie. stop/reload not yet implemented).
#
# Please email suggestions / improvements to:
#  bugtrack@alceatech.com
#
# chkconfig: 345 85 15
# To use, as root:
# 1) As root, place in /etc/init.d/fastbugtrack
# 2) chmod 755 /etc/init.d/fastbugtrack
# 3) Update FBTPATH, FBTUSER, and FBTEXE below...
# 4) Test with: fastbugtrack start
# 5a) Add to auto-start on Red Hat with:
#      chkconfig --add fastbugtrack
# 5a) Add to auto-start on Debian with:
#      update-rc.d fastbugtrack defaults
#####

FBTUSER="fastbug"; #uid to run FBT as...
FBTPATH="/home/fastbug/FastBugTrack"; # Where FBT is installed...
####
# For InstallNow installation:
####
FBTEXE="./FastBugTrack";
###
# For straight running java...
###
# Java 1.1:
#FBTEXE="/usr/lib/jdk1.1/bin/jre -green 
   -classpath \"bugserver.jar:pja.jar:/usr/lib/jdk1.1/lib/classes.zip\" 
   -mx128000000 -D$0 BugTrack "


startup() {
  su - fastbug -s /bin/sh -c "cd $FBTPATH ; nohup $FBTEXE > /dev/null 2>&1 &"
}

# Note that the name of daemon running could be FastBugTrack or java XYZ...
 
case "$1" in
  start)
    echo $"$0 Starting";
    startup
    ;;
  stop)
    echo $"$0 Stop not currently supported";
    ;;
  status)
    echo $"$0 Status not currently supported";
    ;;
  reload|force-reload)
    echo $"$0 Reload not currently supported";
    ;;
  *)
    echo $"Usage: $0 {start}"
    exit 1
esac

Q: FireDaemon alternative ? Some customers have informed us that FireDaemon is a useful tool for controlling multiple Java applications :
Bypass FastBugTrack.exe and invoke Java 5.0 javaw with the Application Params as "-cp c:\path.to.jar\bugtracker.jar BugTracker"
There is a "Disable Auto Browser Launch :" option in the AdminMenu->Server Configuration menu to stop the browser window from automatically opening.

Q: How do I forward Apache to Fast BugTrack?

change "Apache Group->conf->http.conf" :
- uncomment the following two lines :
LoadModule proxy_module modules/mod_proxy.so
LoadModule proxy_http_module modules/mod_proxy_http.so

then add the following lines :
# FastBugTrack Proxy
ProxyPass /fastbugtrack http://localhost:10000

make sure FBT sURLPREFIX is set to "/fastbugtrack/" (including trailing /)
If you are using https, change sURLPREFIX to your complete url (https://server/) so that notification links contain the correct address.

Q: How do I forward IIS to Fast BugTrack?

Steps to configure IIS to serve FBT from a subdirectory:
Our example assumes that requests to http://IISHOST/ is the IIS server, and http://IISHOST/test/ will be forwarded to the Fast BugTrack (FBT) server running on the same machine... IIS and FBT are already installed and running.
Default.asp should be placed in a directory all by itself. We will assume that it is placed in "C:\FBTASP"
Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Internet Services Manager
Under "Default Web Site", right-click, choose "New -> Virtual Directory"
A Wizard starts: For Alias, enter "test"
For Directory, we will use the directory that Default.asp is installed: C:\FBTASP
Ensure that "Read" and "Run scripts (such as ASP)" are checked.
Finish.
Now we right-click our virtual directory, and choose "Properties"
We choose the Custom Errors tab, and for http errors "404" and "405", choose Message Type: "URL", and in the URL field, enter: "/test/default.asp".
We now have IIS configured correctly - we must finally configure FBT so that it will rewrite it's urls to support this setup...
Connect directly to FBT (not through IIS), and login as an administrator
Choose "Admin Menu", "Customize Strings"
Edit "sURLPREFIX"...
Set it to "/test/" (without the quotes, but with both slashes.
If you are using https, change sURLPREFIX to your complete url (https://server/) so that notification links contain the correct address.
Access to FBT should now be possible either directly, or through IIS.
Additionally, one user noticed that when running FBT as a service,
"I changed the Log On for the service to Local System Account and everything appears to work properly now."

If you have questions or problems, please contact FBT support: bugtrack@alceatech.com

Q: Charts are empty and/or crashing the system?

The charting software requires a graphics context to generate charts.

Solution 1:
By default, FBT is shipped with JVM 1.18, which is usually sufficient. FBT uses the JRE that is set on the following line of the FastBugTrack.lax file :
lax.nl.current.vm=jre\\bin\\jre.exe
After you install a new JVM, or find one on your system, you can change it to some thing like :
lax.nl.current.vm=C:\\Program Files\\Java\\jre1.5.0_06\\bin\\java.exe

Java 1.5 provides a new headless feature. Make sure that there are no conflicting references to the Pure Java Alternative (PJA), outlined above.
You may also need to "unset DISPLAY", if it is a problem.

Solution 2 (using old JVM):
If you are running from a console window, you can use the Pure Java Application library and instructions below:

PJA instructions:
Download pja from:
http://www.eteks.com/pja/en/#Download

Place pja.jar (included in the package) in the FastBugTrack directory...

Edit the FastBugTrack.lax file...

Add pja.jar to the classpath :
lax.class.path=issueserver.jar:lax.jar:pja.jar
Add the following line to the end of the file :
awt.toolkit=com.eteks.awt.PJAToolkit

Use the PJAFontCapture tool on a Windows machine to capture a specific font (This will generate a file like "Arial.pjaf" - place this file in the FastBugTrack directory...

JVM 1.3.1+ requires additional attributes:
lax.nl.java.option.additional=-Xbootclasspath/a:pja.jar -Dawt.toolkit=com.eteks. awt.PJAToolkit -Djava.awt.graphicsenv=com.eteks.java2d.PJAGraphicsEnvironment -D java.awt.fonts=/usr/lib/j2se/1.3/jre/lib/fonts -Duser.home=.
Note: -Djava.awt.fonts need to be updated to the appropriate directory depending on where java is installed

Manual startup:
java -Xms128M -Xmx256M -Xbootclasspath/a:pja.jar -Dawt.toolkit=com.eteks.awt.PJAToolkit -Djava2d.font.usePlatformFont=false -Djava.awt.graphicsenv=com.eteks.java2d.PJAGraphicsEnvironment -Djava.awt.fonts=/usr/java/jre/lib/fonts -Duser.home=/u01/pja_2.5 -classpath /u01/pja_2.5/lib/pjatools.jar -cp bugserver.jar:pja.jar BugTrack -p 10009 &

Q: Charts appear in black and white (or only 4 colors)?

Solution 1 :
We use a third party graphing utility that seems to have some problems creating charts on some Windows systems using a 32 bit color resolution. The only solution for this problem has been to reduce the color resolution for the server so that it creates valid charts for the end users.

Solution 2 :
On some systems, switching to a JRE 1.5+ may solve the problem. See details in previous question.

Q: What does Fast BugTrack use as a database?

A general FBT system uses an internal file-based system for storing bugs. The server has been custom built to cache the appropriate information within each issue. It is extremely efficient, handles concurrent users easily, and will scale to tens of thousands of issues. Our stress testing machine is an old P-100 with 64Megs of RAM running Linux. There is no performance degradation with over 30,000 bugs within the database. An export function is available to export the data within Fast BugTrack to a comma separated file, that can then be read into Excel or other tools.

A Custom Database Module can be tailored to work with any JDBC database. This work involves customizations that are specific to customer needs.

Q: How do I back up my bug database?

Database Modules require customized procedures to create a DB backup.

On all systems however, there is an "Admin Menu->Backups" utility that will create a backup of your system. All system data is stored in a new backup directory. You may want to stor this on a second machine for safe keeping.

Q: How do I move my system to another machine?

The backup utility allows an administrator to create a backup directory of their current system. This process should be done consistently in case any problems arise such as machine failure. The backup directory that is created should always be copied and stored on a separate machine.

Two types of backups can be created. A complete backup of all files on the system will copy all the executables and installation files. A backup of all data files is all that is needed because they can be copied over a fresh installation. This option is also very common for moving a system to a new machine.

The System file backup can be copied over a fresh system. To move your system to another machine (or bring it to a saved state), simply install a fresh system and then copy the system file backup over that fresh installation.

Q: I cannot remember my admin password?

There are two solutions:

a) If the server.cfg file is missing (ie: move to server.backup), the system starts up the configuration sequence again, allowing you to create another admin user. You must finish the config sequence and then copy the backup server.cfg before restarting, so you have your old settings.

b) The users.cfg file contains passwords in the following format : login,PASSWORD||type (type only exists if not normal)
The PASSWORD is usually encrypted, but the system will understand straight text too. Simply restart the system after changing this.
You will want to change your password again using the system, so that it is then encrypted.

Q: I cannot see any "Closed" bugs?

The default setting is to hide all closed bugs. You will notice a red link just under the logo image that states "Closed Hidden". If you click on this link, the text will change to "Closed Displayed" and you will be able to see all the Closed bugs in the system.

Q: I am not seeing all of the bugs?

A common mistake is to create groups and not properly list all of the projects that should be seen by the members of that group. Sometimes projects are added at a later time and not propogated to the group setup.

Q: Can I restrict who can receive bugs?

yes, the group feature allows you to create groups. In addition, you can make the members of that group invisible to oneanother. Therfore, you are able to create a group of users that cannot see each other. All these users can see is the system users that are not members of this group.

Q: Can you provide more details about customizing my installation?

Yes! Check out our customization section.

If you have any questions about this process, please email: bugtrack@alceatech.com for further details.

Q: Can I do authentication externally, using passwords from somewhere else (such as Active Directory)?

Yes! One caveat is that users must still have a "profile" (you must have created them as a user in FBT), as we store additional info about the user...
1) Code & Compile your authentication class...
2) Edit server.cfg adding:
authenticationClass=example.CustomAuthentication
(where example.CustomAuthentication is your own class...)
3) Edit your FastBugTrack.lax file:
Ensure that the location of your class is in the classpath

Start FBT and you should be all set...

---- here is the example code

package example;

public class CustomAuth {
public static boolean authenticate(String name, String password) {
System.err.println("Got: " + name + " " + password);
return(true);
}

}

Q: I've installed Alcea Fast BugTrack, now what?

Start running it. This will depend on the system that you've installed it on. On a Windows system, you'll likely choose "Start...", "Programs...", "Alcea Fast BugTrack". On a Unix system, you'll execute FastBugTrack.sh. Remember that Fast BugTrack is a Web Server, and that the only GUI interface is through a web browser. See the next question for more details.

Q: I've started running Alcea FastBugTrack, now what?

Now you want to point your web browser at the appropriate location. When Fast BugTrack starts up, it displays some suggested url's to try. It's important to include "http://" at the start of the url, as Fast BugTrack runs on a non-standard port.

Q: I'm pointing my browser to http://xyz.whatever.com:10000/ and I'm not seeing anything. What's wrong?

A couple of possibilities:

Fast BugTrack is not running. If you're on a Windows system, it should appear on your toolbar. Unix users can use "ps -aef | grep Fast" to see if Fast BugTrack is running. If this is the case, start it up and attempt to reconnect.
You're not going to the correct url. Check that you haven't made a typo. Check that you've got "http://" at the start of the url in the browser. Check that you've got the correct port (defaults to 10000). If you're trying to connect from the same computer that is running Fast BugTrack, try "http://localhost:10000/". If you're trying to connect from a different computer, try using the IP address displayed by Fast BugTrack when it starts. Check with a network administrator if you're still having problems.

Q: I was interrupted configuring my BugTracker. Now I get prompted for a password when I want to configure my server. What should I do?

The first step of the installation process creates a file called "server.cfg". If Fast BugTrack finds this file when it is started, it will not run in configuration mode. Delete this file, restart FastBugTrack, and you will be back in configuration mode. This file can be found in "c:\program files\fastbugtrack\" on a Windows system.