Thanks Adam for the answers. Here my replies:
Adam R. Maxwell wrote:
On Aug 7, 2009, at 2:12 PM, Andreas Fischlin wrote:
I have now often encountered the same difficulties that WOS SCI
searches become impossible in BibDesk Version 1.3.21 (1525).
Did these difficulties occur in previous versions?
Sorry, can't tell, since I have never used BibDesk in previous versions
intensively. I needed first to do a lot of investment into AppleScripts
and other customization of BibDesk before I could integrate it into our
literature system. Only as of this week am I able to use BibDesk for
real work. And its only then when I encounter these difficulties.
Say I have successfully searched some references, imported some and
continued reading/writing for a while. All successful so far. Then I
tried to resume the searching by returning to BibDesk, typing in
another keyword and author. I have to wait for a long time to get
merely the message: "Unable to retrieve results. You may not have
permission to use this database."
This is a generic error message when anything other than a network
failure occurs. Use Activity Monitor to take a sample while it's
trying to connect, and that may shed some light on the problem.
I don't quite understand. I see no Activity Monitor in BibDesk, but know
of one in Safari. Do you mean that one?
Although I have the permission, I checked it out by searching not
through Z39.50, but a browser.
BibDesk's WoS search uses SOAP web services, not z39.50. Checking it
through a browser is meaningless, though, since you could be going
through a proxy that is bypassed for the web service. Apple's SOAP
stuff is very weak.
Didn't no about SOAP vs. z39.50 and BTW, wanted only to know whether ISI
WOS was in principle up and running, because we had occasionally
problems in past years, where nothing at all was working and I do
currently double-check whether I get the same with BibDesk as I get with
a search technique I do the "old" way I'm very familiar in contrast to
the for me rather new BibDesk.
The ISI WOS services seem to be up and running and I can easily
access the wanted articles (with same system configuration). I also
go back to a simple search I've done before and where I know that it
should be working, only to learn that there is really something
defunct with the connection. But that's all very time-consuming with
the lengthy time-out behavior. BTW, I tried also to change search
sites, which did also not help. The Z39.50 connectivity seems to be
dead.
I haven't seen this, but the current version of BibDesk has some
additional code for WoS that I haven't tested personally. It's
unlikely that would cause a problem, but prevents me from saying that
it certainly works. The only problems I've heard of are due to proxies.
We at ETH Zurich are not using proxies (AFAIK), but have lots of
firewalls around us. But again, then I would presume nothing would ever
work. The fact that it works fine after a relaunch of BibDesk speaks
against firewalls interfering, doesn't it? I'm afraid I do not know SOAP
web services and would need to know more to inquire within the campus
with the specialists, whether the requirements are all satisfied or not.
P.S.: I tried also to check whether I'm using perhaps a too remote
server on the other continent where connectivity might be more at
risk and was wondering in this context where BibDesk actually stores
the 'bdsksearch' data of the WOS SCI factory search. At least to have
a look at it and see what it's specifications are might also help to
find a solution. Anyone knows where to look?
It's compiled into BibDesk, specifically in the following (nasty)
generated code:
http://bibdesk.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/bibdesk/trunk/bibdesk/BDSKISIWebServices.m?view=markup
I found there
http://esti.isinet.com/soap/search
when I try to ping that I get: ping: cannot resolve
esti.isinet.com: Unknown host
not so with
http://wok-ws.isiknowledge.com/esti/soap/SearchRetrieve
when I try to ping that I get my "Little Snitch"
(http://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch) to ask for permission, which
I give it forever and then I get
PING estipub.isiknowledge.com (170.107.190.125): 56 data bytes
--- estipub.isiknowledge.com ping statistics ---
10 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss
but searching works fine at this moment in BibDesk.
This made me all thinking and I checked whether there would be updates
for little snitch available. Indeed, I updated to the latest version
2.1.4 (434), which may make a difference. At least ping to above address
works now smoothly. But the DNS problem remains with esti.isinet.com, of
course.
However, the new Little Snitch makes no difference. I also gave Little
Snitch some new rules, i.e. free access without any restrictions to any
of these hosts:
- www.isiknowledge.com.edgekey.net
- wok-ws.isiknowledge.com
- estipub.isiknowledge.com
but this does not matter, since I see in Little Snitche's monitor that
BibDesk is not even trying to connect. It is completely quiet and
therefore it is no surprise that Little Snitch does not ask me for
permission in case BibDesk would need some other connection.
Conclusion: I believe it is within BibDesk. The remey works fine,
quitting BibDesk, relaunching it and all works smoothly (nothing else
even touched).
Andreas
You can use http://ditchnet.org/soapclient for debugging. The WSDL is
listed in the BDSKISIWebServices.m file I linked above.
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________________________________________________________________________
ETH Zurich
Prof. Dr. Andreas Fischlin
Systems Ecology - Institute of Integrative Biology
CHN E 21.1
Universitaetstrasse 16
8092 Zurich
SWITZERLAND
[email protected]
www.sysecol.ethz.ch/staff/af
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+41 44 633-1136 fax
Make it as simple as possible, but distrust it!
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n:Fischlin;Andreas
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adr:Universitaetstrasse 16;;CHN E 21.1;Zurich;;8092;SWITZERLAND
email;internet:[email protected]
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tel;fax:+41 44 633-1136
tel;home:+41 44 492-4636
tel;cell:+41 79 221-4657
url:www.sysecol.ethz.ch/staff/af
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