path: root/docs/sgml/faq.sgml

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<appendix id="faq">
  <title>The Bugzilla FAQ</title>

  <qandaset>


    <qandadiv id="faq-general">
      <title>General Questions</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Where can I find information about Bugzilla?</para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    You can stay up-to-date with the latest Bugzilla
	    information at <ulink url="http://www.bugzilla.org/">
	    http://www.bugzilla.org/</ulink>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What license is Bugzilla distributed under?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Bugzilla is covered by the Mozilla Public License.
	    See details at <ulink url="http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/">
	    http://www.mozilla.org/MPL/</ulink>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I get commercial support for Bugzilla?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    <ulink url="http://www.collab.net/">www.collab.net</ulink> offers
	    Bugzilla as part of their standard offering to large projects.
	    They do have some minimum fees that are pretty hefty, and generally
	    aren't interested in small projects.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    There are several experienced
	    Bugzilla hackers on the mailing list/newsgroup who are willing
	    to make themselves available for generous compensation.
	    Try sending a message to the mailing list asking for a volunteer.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What major companies or projects are currently using Bugzilla
	    for bug-tracking?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    There are <emphasis>dozens</emphasis> of major comapanies with public
	    Bugzilla sites to track bugs in their products.  A few include:
	    <simplelist>
	      <member>Netscape/AOL</member>
	      <member>Mozilla.org</member>
	      <member>NASA</member>
	      <member>AtHome Corporation</member>
	      <member>Red Hat Software</member>
	      <member>SuSe Corp</member>
	      <member>The Horde Project</member>
	      <member>AbiSource</member>
	      <member>Real Time Enterprises, Inc</member>
	      <member>Eggheads.org</member>
	      <member>Strata Software</member>
	      <member>RockLinux</member>
	      <member>Creative Labs (makers of SoundBlaster)</member>
	      <member>The Apache Foundation</member>
	      <member>The Gnome Foundation</member>
	      <member>Ximian</member>
	      <member>Linux-Mandrake</member>
	    </simplelist>
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    Suffice to say, there are more than enough huge projects using Bugzilla
	    that we can safely say it's extremely popular.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Who maintains Bugzilla?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    A 
      <ulink url="http://www.bugzilla.org/who_we_are.html">core team</ulink>,
      led by Dave Miller (justdave@syndicomm.com).      
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How does Bugzilla stack up against other bug-tracking databases?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    A year has gone by, and I <emphasis>still</emphasis> can't
	    find any head-to-head comparisons of Bugzilla against
	    other defect-tracking software.  However, from my personal
	    experience with other bug-trackers, Bugzilla offers
	    superior performance on commodity hardware, better price
	    (free!), more developer- friendly features (such as stored
	    queries, email integration, and platform independence),
	    improved scalability, open source code, greater
	    flexibility, and superior ease-of-use.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    If you happen to be a commercial bug-tracker vendor, please
	    step forward with a rebuttal so I can include it in the
	    FAQ.  We're not in pursuit of Bugzilla ueber alles; we
	    simply love having a powerful, open-source tool to get our
	    jobs done.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I change my user name (email address) in Bugzilla?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    New in 2.16 - go to the Account section of the Preferences. You will
      be emailed at both addresses for confirmation.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Why doesn't Bugzilla offer this or that feature or compatability
	    with this other tracking software?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    It may be that the support has not been built yet, or that you
	    have not yet found it.  Bugzilla is making tremendous strides in
	    usability, customizability, scalability, and user interface.  It
	    is widely considered the most complete and popular open-source
	    bug-tracking software in existence.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    That doesn't mean it can't use improvement!
	    You can help the project along by either hacking a patch yourself
	    that supports the functionality you require, or else submitting a
	    "Request for Enhancement" (RFE) using the bug submission interface
	    at <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=Bugzilla">bugzilla.mozilla.org</ulink>.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Why MySQL?  I'm interested in seeing Bugzilla run on
	    Oracle/Sybase/Msql/PostgreSQL/MSSQL?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
      There is DB-independence work afoot. PostgreSQL support is planned
      for 2.18, and full DB-independence can't be far further on.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Why do the scripts say "/usr/bonsaitools/bin/perl" instead of
	    "/usr/bin/perl" or something else?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	     Mozilla.org uses /usr/bonsaitools/bin/perl. The prime rule in making
	    submissions is "don't break bugzilla.mozilla.org". If it breaks it, your
	    patch will be reverted faster than you can do a diff.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    Here's Terry Weissman's comment, for some historical context:
	    <blockquote>
	      <para>
		[This was] purely my own convention. I wanted a place to put a version of
		Perl and other tools that was strictly under my control for the
		various webtools, and not subject to anyone else. Edit it to point
		to whatever you like.
	      </para>
	      <note>
		<para>
		  We always recommend that, if possible, you keep the path
		  as /usr/bonsaitools/bin/perl, and simply add a /usr/bonsaitools
		  and /usr/bonsaitools/bin directory, then symlink your version
		  of perl to /usr/bonsaitools/bin/perl.  This will make upgrading
		  your Bugzilla much easier in the future.
		</para>
	      </note>
	    </blockquote>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-phb">
      <title>Pointy-Haired-Boss Questions</title>
      <para>
	<note>
	  <para>
	    The title of this section doesn't mean you're a PHB -- it just means
	    you probably HAVE a PHB who wants to know this :)
	  </para>
	</note>
      </para>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Is Bugzilla web-based or do you have to have specific software or
	    specific operating system on your machine?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    It is web and e-mail based.  You can edit bugs by sending specially
	    formatted email to a properly configured Bugzilla, or control via the web.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Has anyone you know of already done any Bugzilla integration with
	    Perforce (SCM software)?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes!  You can find more information elsewhere in "The Bugzilla
	    Guide" in the "Integration with Third-Party Products" section.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Does Bugzilla allow the user to track multiple projects?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Absolutely!  You can track up to a "soft-limit" of around
	    64 individual "Products", that can each be composed of as
	    many "Components" as you want.  Check the Administration
	    section of the Bugzilla Guide for more information regarding
	    setting up Products and Components.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    If I am on many projects, and search for all bugs assigned to me, will
	    Bugzilla list them for me and allow me to sort by project, severity etc?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Does Bugzilla allow attachments (text, screenshots, urls etc)? If yes,
	    are there any that are NOT allowed?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes - any sort of attachment is allowed, although administrators can
      configure a maximum size.  
      There are many specific MIME-types that are pre-defined by Bugzilla,
	    but you may specify any arbitrary MIME-type you need when you
	    upload the file. 
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Does Bugzilla allow us to define our own priorities and levels? Do we
	    have complete freedom to change the labels of fields and format of them, and
	    the choice of acceptable values?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.  However, modifying some fields, notably those related to bug
	    progression states, also require adjusting the program logic to
	    compensate for the change.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    There is no GUI for adding fields to Bugzilla at this
	    time.  You can follow development of this feature at
	    <ulink
		   url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=91037">http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=91037</ulink>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>


      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    The index.html page doesn't show the footer.  It's really annoying to have
	    to go to the querypage just to check my "my bugs" link.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
          <para>If you upgrade to 2.16, the index page has a footer.
          </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>
      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Does Bugzilla provide any reporting features, metrics, graphs, etc? You
	    know, the type of stuff that management likes to see. :)
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.  Look at <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/reports.cgi">
	    http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/reports.cgi</ulink> for basic reporting
	    facilities.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    For more advanced reporting, I recommend hooking up a professional
	    reporting package, such as Crystal Reports, and use ODBC to access
	    the MySQL database.  You can do a lot through the Query page of
	    Bugzilla as well, but right now Advanced Reporting is much
	    better accomplished through third-party utilities that can
	    interface with the database directly.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Is there email notification and if so, what do you see when you get an
	    email? Do you see bug number and title or is it only the number?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Email notification is user-configurable.  By default, the bug id and 
      Summary of the bug report accompany each email notification, along with
	    a list of the changes made.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Can email notification be set up to send to multiple
	    people, some on the To List, CC List, BCC List etc?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    If there is email notification, do users have to have any particular
	    type of email application?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Bugzilla email is sent in plain text, the most compatible mail format
	    on the planet.
	    <note>
	      <para>
		If you decide to use the bugzilla_email integration features
		to allow Bugzilla to record responses to mail with the associated bug,
		you may need to caution your users to set their mailer to "respond
		to messages in the format in which they were sent".  For security reasons
		Bugzilla ignores HTML tags in comments, and if a user sends HTML-based
		email into Bugzilla the resulting comment looks downright awful.
	      </para>
	    </note>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	     If I just wanted to track certain bugs, as they go through life, can I
	    set it up to alert me via email whenever that bug changes, whether it be
	    owner, status or description etc.?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.  Place yourself in the "cc" field of the bug you wish to monitor.
	    Then change your "Notify me of changes to" field in the Email Settings
	    tab of the User Preferences screen in Bugzilla to the "Only those
	    bugs which I am listed on the CC line" option.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Does Bugzilla allow data to be imported and exported? If I had outsiders
	    write up a bug report using a MS Word bug template, could that template be
	    imported into "matching" fields? If I wanted to take the results of a query
	    and export that data to MS Excel, could I do that?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Mozilla allows data export through a custom DTD in XML format.
	    It does not, however, export to specific formats other than the
	    XML Mozilla DTD.  Importing the data into Excel or any other application
	    is left as an exercise for the reader.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    If you create import filters to other applications from Mozilla's XML,
	    please submit your modifications for inclusion in future Bugzilla
	    distributions.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    As for data import, any application can send data to Bugzilla through
	    the HTTP protocol, or through Mozilla's XML API.  However, it seems
	    kind of silly to put another front-end in front of Bugzilla;
	    it makes more sense to create a simplified bug submission form in
	    HTML.  You can find an excellent example at
	    <ulink url="http://www.mozilla.org/quality/help/bugzilla-helper.html">
	    http://www.mozilla.org/quality/help/bugzilla-helper.html</ulink>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Has anyone converted Bugzilla to another language to be used in other
	    countries? Is it localizable?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    To a certain extent, yes. 2.16's templates mean that you can localise
      the user-facing UI (and several projects are doing exactly that.) However,
      error messages and the admin interface are currently not localisable.
      This should be achieved by 2.18.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Can a user create and save reports? Can they do this in Word format?
	    Excel format?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.  No.  No.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Can a user re-run a report with a new project, same query?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Can a user modify an existing report and then save it into another name?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    You can save an unlimited number of queries in Bugzilla.  You are free
	    to modify them and rename them to your heart's desire.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Does Bugzilla have the ability to search by word, phrase, compound
	    search?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    You have no idea.  Bugzilla's query interface, particularly with the
	    advanced Boolean operators, is incredibly versatile.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Can the admin person establish separate group and individual user
	    privileges?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	     Does Bugzilla provide record locking when there is simultaneous access
	    to the same bug? Does the second person get a notice that the bug is in use
	    or how are they notified?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Bugzilla does not lock records.  It provides mid-air collision detection,
	    and offers the offending user a choice of options to deal with the conflict.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Are there any backup features provided?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    MySQL, the database back-end for Bugzilla, allows hot-backup of data.
	    You can find strategies for dealing with backup considerations
	    at <ulink url="http://www.mysql.com/doc/B/a/Backup.html">
	    http://www.mysql.com/doc/B/a/Backup.html</ulink>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Can users be on the system while a backup is in progress?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yes.  However, commits to the database must wait
	    until the tables are unlocked.  Bugzilla databases are typically
	    very small, and backups routinely take less than a minute.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What type of human resources are needed to be on staff to install and
	    maintain Bugzilla? Specifically, what type of skills does the person need to
	    have? I need to find out if we were to go with Bugzilla, what types of
	    individuals would we need to hire and how much would that cost vs buying an
	    "Out-of-the-Box" solution.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    If Bugzilla is set up correctly from the start, continuing maintenance needs
	    are minimal and can be completed by unskilled labor.  Things like rotate
	    backup tapes and check log files for the word "error".
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    Commercial Bug-tracking software typically costs somewhere upwards
	    of $20,000 or more for 5-10 floating licenses.  Bugzilla consultation
	    is available from skilled members of the newsgroup. Simple questions
      are answered there and then.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What time frame are we looking at if we decide to hire people to install
	    and maintain the Bugzilla? Is this something that takes hours or weeks to
	    install and a couple of hours per week to maintain and customize or is this
	    a multi-week install process, plus a full time job for 1 person, 2 people,
	    etc?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    It all depends on your level of commitment.  Someone with much Bugzilla
	    experience can get you up and running in less than a day, and
	    your Bugzilla install can run untended for years.  If your
	    Bugzilla strategy is critical to your business workflow, hire somebody
	    with reasonable UNIX or Perl skills to handle your process management and
	    bug-tracking maintenance &amp; customization.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Is there any licensing fee or other fees for using Bugzilla? Any
	    out-of-pocket cost other than the bodies needed as identified above?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    No.  MySQL asks, if you find their product valuable, that you purchase
	    a support contract from them that suits your needs.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-install">
      <title>Bugzilla Installation</title>
      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I download and install Bugzilla?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Check <ulink url="http://www.bugzilla.org/">
	    http://www.bugzilla.org/</ulink> for details.
	    Read the other parts of this Guide for installation instructions.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I install Bugzilla on Windows NT?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Installation on Windows NT has its own section in
	    this document.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Is there an easy way to change the Bugzilla cookie name?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    At present, no.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-security">
      <title>Bugzilla Security</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I completely disable MySQL security if it's giving me problems
	    (I've followed the instructions in the installation section of this guide!)?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Run MySQL like this: "mysqld --skip-grant-tables".  Please remember <emphasis>this
	    makes MySQL as secure as taping a $100 to the floor of a football stadium
	    bathroom for safekeeping.</emphasis>  Please read the Security section of the
	    Administration chapter of "The Bugzilla Guide" before proceeding.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Are there any security problems with Bugzilla?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    The Bugzilla code has undergone a reasonably complete security audit,
      and user-facing CGIs run under Perl's taint mode. However, 
	    it is recommended that you closely examine permissions on your Bugzilla
	    installation, and follow the recommended security guidelines found
	    in The Bugzilla Guide.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>


      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I've implemented the security fixes mentioned in Chris Yeh's security
	    advisory of 5/10/2000 advising not to run MySQL as root, and am running into
	    problems with MySQL no longer working correctly.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    This is a common problem, related to running out of file descriptors.
	    Simply add "ulimit -n unlimited" to the script which starts
	    mysqld.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-email">
      <title>Bugzilla Email</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I have a user who doesn't want to receive any more email from Bugzilla.
	    How do I stop it entirely for this user?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    The user should be able to set
	    this in user email preferences (uncheck all boxes.)
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I'm evaluating/testing Bugzilla, and don't want it to send email to
	    anyone but me. How do I do it?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Edit the "changedmail" param. Replace "To:" with "X-Real-To:",
	    replace "Cc:" with "X-Real-CC:", and add a "To: (myemailaddress)".
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I want whineatnews.pl to whine at something more, or other than, only new
	    bugs. How do I do it?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Try Klaas Freitag's excellent patch for "whineatassigned" functionality.
	    You can find it at<ulink url=" http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6679">
	      http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6679</ulink>. This
	    patch is against an older version of Bugzilla, so you must apply
	    the diffs manually.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I don't like/want to use Procmail to hand mail off to bug_email.pl.
	    What alternatives do I have?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    You can call bug_email.pl directly from your aliases file, with
	    an entry like this:
	    <blockquote>
	      <para>
		bugzilla-daemon: "|/usr/local/bin/bugzilla/contrib/bug_email.pl"
	      </para>
	    </blockquote>
	    However, this is fairly nasty and subject to problems; you also
	    need to set up your smrsh (sendmail restricted shell) to allow
	    it.  In a pinch, though, it can work.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I set up the email interface to submit/change bugs via email?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    You can find an updated README.mailif file in the contrib/ directory
	    of your Bugzilla distribution that walks you through the setup.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Email takes FOREVER to reach me from Bugzilla -- it's extremely slow.
	    What gives?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    If you are using an alternate Mail Transport Agent (MTA other than
	    sendmail), make sure the options given in the "processmail" and other
      scripts for all
	    instances of "sendmail" are correct for your MTA.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    If you are using Sendmail, try enabling "sendmailnow" in editparams.cgi.
            If you are using Postfix, you will also need to enable <quote>sendmailnow</quote>.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	     How come email from Bugzilla changes never reaches me?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Double-check that you have not turned off email in your user preferences.
	    Confirm that Bugzilla is able to send email by visiting the "Log In"
	    link of your Bugzilla installation and clicking the "Email me a password"
	    button after entering your email address.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    If you never receive mail from Bugzilla, chances you do not have
	    sendmail in "/usr/lib/sendmail".  Ensure sendmail lives in, or is symlinked
	    to, "/usr/lib/sendmail".
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-db">
      <title>Bugzilla Database</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I've heard Bugzilla can be used with Oracle?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Red Hat Bugzilla works with Oracle.  The current version
	    from Mozilla.org does not have this capability.  Unfortunately, though
	    you will sacrifice a lot of the really great features available in
	    Bugzilla 2.14 and 2.16 if you go with the 2.8-based Redhat version.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I think my database might be corrupted, or contain invalid entries. What
	    do I do?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Run the <quote>sanity check</quote> utility
	    (<filename>./sanitycheck.cgi</filename> in the
	    Bugzilla_home directory) from your web browser to see! If
	    it finishes without errors, you're
	    <emphasis>probably</emphasis> OK.  If it doesn't come back
	    OK (i.e. any red letters), there are certain things
	    Bugzilla can recover from and certain things it can't.  If
	    it can't auto-recover, I hope you're familiar with
	    mysqladmin commands or have installed another way to
	    manage your database.  Sanity Check, although it is a good
	    basic check on your database integrity, by no means is a
	    substitute for competent database administration and
	    avoiding deletion of data.  It is not exhaustive, and was
	    created to do a basic check for the most common problems
	    in Bugzilla databases.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I want to manually edit some entries in my database. How?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	     There is no facility in Bugzilla itself to do this. It's also generally
	    not a smart thing to do if you don't know exactly what you're doing.
	    However, if you understand SQL you can use the mysqladmin utility to
	    manually insert, delete, and modify table information. Personally, I
	    use "phpMyAdmin". You have to compile a PHP module with MySQL
	    support to make it work, but it's very clean and easy to use.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I try to add myself as a user, but Bugzilla always tells me my password is wrong.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Certain version of MySQL (notably, 3.23.29 and 3.23.30) accidentally disabled
	    the "crypt()" function.  This prevented MySQL from storing encrypted passwords.
	    Upgrade to the "3.23 stable" version of MySQL and you should be good to go.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I think I've set up MySQL permissions correctly, but bugzilla still can't
	    connect.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Try running MySQL from its binary: "mysqld --skip-grant-tables". This
	    will allow you to completely rule out grant tables as the cause of your
	    frustration. However, I do not recommend you run it this way on a regular
	    basis, unless you really want your web site defaced and your machine
	    cracked.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I synchronize bug information among multiple different Bugzilla
	    databases?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Well, you can synchronize or you can move bugs.  Synchronization will
	    only work one way -- you can create a read-only copy of the database
	    at one site, and have it regularly updated at intervals from the main
	    database.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    MySQL has some synchronization features builtin to the latest releases.
	    It would be great if someone looked into the possibilities there
	    and provided a report to the newsgroup on how to effectively
	    synchronize two Bugzilla installations.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    If you simply need to transfer bugs from one Bugzilla to another,
	    checkout the "move.pl" script in the Bugzilla distribution.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>
    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-nt">
      <title>Bugzilla and Win32</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What is the easiest way to run Bugzilla on Win32 (Win98+/NT/2K)?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Remove Windows. Install Linux. Install Bugzilla.
	    The boss will never know the difference.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Is there a "Bundle::Bugzilla" equivalent for Win32?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Not currently.  Bundle::Bugzilla enormously simplifies Bugzilla
	    installation on UNIX systems.  If someone can volunteer to
	    create a suitable PPM bundle for Win32, it would be appreciated.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    CGI's are failing with a "something.cgi is not a valid Windows NT
	    application" error. Why?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Depending on what Web server you are using, you will have to configure
	    the Web server to treat *.cgi files as CGI scripts. In IIS, you do this by
	    adding *.cgi to the App Mappings with the &lt;path&gt;\perl.exe %s %s as the
	    executable.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    Microsoft has some advice on this matter, as well:
	    <blockquote>
	      <para>
		"Set application mappings. In the ISM, map the extension for the script
		file(s) to the executable for the script interpreter. For example, you might
		map the extension .py to Python.exe, the executable for the Python script
		interpreter. Note For the ActiveState Perl script interpreter, the extension
		.pl is associated with PerlIS.dll by default. If you want to change the
		association of .pl to perl.exe, you need to change the application mapping.
		In the mapping, you must add two percent (%) characters to the end of the
		pathname for perl.exe, as shown in this example: c:\perl\bin\perl.exe %s %s"
	      </para>
	    </blockquote>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I'm having trouble with the perl modules for NT not being able to talk to
	    to the database.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Your modules may be outdated or inaccurate. Try:
	    <orderedlist>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Hitting http://www.activestate.com/ActivePerl
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Download ActivePerl
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Go to your prompt
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Type 'ppm'
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  <prompt>PPM></prompt> <command>install DBI DBD-mysql GD</command>
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	    </orderedlist>
	    I reckon TimeDate and Data::Dumper come with the activeperl. You can check
	    the ActiveState site for packages for installation through PPM.
	    <ulink url=" http://www.activestate.com/Packages/">
	      http://www.activestate.com/Packages/</ulink>
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-use">
      <title>Bugzilla Usage</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    The query page is very confusing.  Isn't there a simpler way to query?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    The interface was simplified by a UI designer for 2.16. Further
      suggestions for improvement are welcome, but we won't sacrifice power for
      simplicity.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I'm confused by the behavior of the "accept" button in the Show Bug form.
	    Why doesn't it assign the bug to me when I accept it?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    The current behavior is acceptable to bugzilla.mozilla.org and most
	    users.  I personally don't like it.  You have your choice of patches
	    to change this behavior, however.
	    <simplelist>
	      <member><ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showattachment.cgi?attach_id=8029">
		Add a "and accept bug" radio button</ulink></member>
	      <member><ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/showattachment.cgi?attach_id=8153">
		"Accept" button automatically assigns to you</ulink></member>
	    </simplelist>
	    Note that these patches are somewhat dated.  You will need to do the find
	    and replace manually to apply them.  They are very small, though.  It is easy.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    I can't upload anything into the database via the "Create Attachment"
	    link.  What am I doing wrong?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    The most likely cause is a very old browser or a browser that is
	    incompatible with file upload via POST.  Download the latest Netscape,
	    Microsoft, or Mozilla browser to handle uploads correctly.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    Email submissions to Bugzilla that have attachments end up asking me to
	    save it as a "cgi" file.
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Yup.  Just rename it once you download it, or save it under a different
	    filename.  This will not be fixed anytime too soon, because it would
	    cripple some other functionality.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How do I change a keyword in Bugzilla, once some bugs are using it?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    In the Bugzilla administrator UI, edit the keyword and it will let you
	    replace the old keyword name with a new one.  This will cause a problem
	    with the keyword cache.  Run sanitycheck.cgi to fix it.
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

    </qandadiv>

    <qandadiv id="faq-hacking">
      <title>Bugzilla Hacking</title>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What bugs are in Bugzilla right now?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    Try <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?bug_status=NEW&amp;bug_status=ASSIGNED&amp;bug_status=REOPENED&amp;product=Bugzilla">
	    this link</ulink> to view current bugs or requests for
	    enhancement for Bugzilla.
	  </para>
	  <para>
	    You can view bugs marked for 2.18 release
	    <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?product=Bugzilla&amp;target_milestone=Bugzilla+2.18">here</ulink>.
	    This list includes bugs for the 2.18 release that have already
	    been fixed and checked into CVS.  Please consult the
	    <ulink url="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/bugzilla/">
	      Bugzilla Project Page</ulink> for details on how to
	    check current sources out of CVS so you can have these
	    bug fixes early!
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    How can I change the default priority to a null value?  For instance, have the default
	    priority be "---" instead of "P2"?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <para>
	    This is well-documented here: <ulink url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=49862">
	    http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=49862</ulink>.  Ultimately, it's as easy
	    as adding the "---" priority field to your localconfig file in the appropriate area,
	    re-running checksetup.pl, and then changing the default priority in your browser using
	    "editparams.cgi".  Hmm, now that I think about it, that is kind of a klunky way to handle
	    it, but for now it's what we have!  Although the bug has been closed "RESOLVED WONTFIX",
	    there may be a better way to handle this...
	  </para>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>

      <qandaentry>
	<question>
	  <para>
	    What's the best way to submit patches?  What guidelines should I follow?
	  </para>
	</question>
	<answer>
	  <blockquote>
	    <orderedlist>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Enter a bug into bugzilla.mozilla.org for the <quote><ulink
                  url="http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=Bugzilla">Bugzilla</ulink></quote>
                  product.
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Upload your patch as a unified diff (having used "diff -u" against
		  the <emphasis>current sources</emphasis> checked out of CVS),
		  or new source file by clicking
		  "Create a new attachment" link on the bug page you've just created, and
		  include any descriptions of database changes you may make, into the bug
		  ID you submitted in step #1.  Be sure and click the "Patch" checkbox
		  to indicate the text you are sending is a patch!
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Announce your patch and the associated URL
		  (http://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=XXXX) for discussion in
		  the newsgroup (netscape.public.mozilla.webtools).  You'll get a really
		  good, fairly immediate reaction to the implications of your patch,
		  which will also give us an idea how well-received the change would
		  be.
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  If it passes muster with minimal modification, the person to whom
		  the bug is assigned in Bugzilla is responsible for seeing the patch
		  is checked into CVS.
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	      <listitem>
		<para>
		  Bask in the glory of the fact that you helped write the most successful
		  open-source bug-tracking software on the planet :)
		</para>
	      </listitem>
	    </orderedlist>
	  </blockquote>
	</answer>
      </qandaentry>


    </qandadiv>

  </qandaset>

</appendix>


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