ProteinLynx Global Server gives search engine contact error when starting - WKB49684

SYMPTOMS

All the following will be true

• When PLGS is statred from the icon or the executable it hangs at the splash screen for a long time
• Eventually a pop up error message appears "The Browser could not contact the search engine. Do you wish to try again?"
• 
  • If you select "Try again" you get another long wait, and then the same error appears again.
  • If you select Cancel then the PLGS browser opens.
• Once PLGS opens look in the Search Libraries drop down - none of the sequence libraries will be available
• If you try to open and existing workflow search method you get a sequence library not found error
• You cannot add new sequence libraries
• You cannot create new search methods as there are no sequence libraries

ENVIRONMENT

• PLGS3.0.3
• May affect all versions of PLGS

CAUSE

Corrupted database.xml file.

FIX or WORKAROUND

1. Shut down PLGS3.0.3 if it's open

2. Go to C:\PLGS3.0.3\config\ and copy the existing databanks.xml file to a safe location

3. Open that copied xml file using NotePad and make a note of all the sequence library names. You'll find the databank names between quotation marks in the lines with the structure
   BASIC_DATABANK NAME="Human_NCBI"
   When you recreate the sequence libraries you'll have to use exactly the same names otherwise your existing search workflows won't work and you'll have to recreate all of those too.

4. Rename the corrupted databanks.xml file in C:\PLGS3.0.3\config\ . Or you can delete it as you have a copy elsewhere now.

5. To replace the corrupted file save the attached databanks.xml file to C:\PLGS3.0.3\config\

6. Restart PLGS3.0.3.

7. If PLGS starts OK, use the sequence library wizard to recreate the libraries with exactly the same name as before

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

In theory you could try to resolve the problem by editting the databanks.xml file using a text editor. In practice it's probably quicker to replace it with a "as new installation" one and then recreate all the previously existing databanks in PLGS from the original fasta files.