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Stanford
NetDB Help

Frequently Asked Questions


Here are some common situations you may find yourself in and how to resolve them:
  1. I can't modify a record because it says it's locked
  2. I get a message about "Session Time Out" and all my changes are gone
  3. I don't seem to have access to a record
  4. Can't remove User's Group
  5. I made a change in NetDB but when I query DNS (host command or nslookup), I get the old information. Did my change go through?
  6. When I click on some people's names, I end up at the Stanford Who page with the message "No records matched your search".
  7. What are the ".nodomain" and ".SUNet" domains?
  8. How do I transfer a node to another LNA in a different group?

  1. Can't Modify a Locked Record

    A locked record means that someone is accessing that record for update. The error message should give the name of the User accessing the Node. Possible solutions:

    • Another User is using the record right now. Since the User name is listed in the error message, you can contact that User by looking up their netdb record. Or you can wait - an inactive session will timeout after an hour.
    • The database has not released the lock for some reason. Submit a ticket on HelpSU.

  2. Session Time out

    After an hour of inactivity, sessions are automatically terminated. Any unsaved changes that you have made on a record will be lost. If you still are logged into PC - or MacLeland, you will be returned to the NetDB home page with a red message saying that your session has timed out and this is a new session.

  3. Can't Access a Record

    The most common reason that Users cannot modify a record is that the record is not in the same Group as the User. The record was probably created by a User whose default Group is not the same Group as other Nodes on that Network. To fix this problem, submit a ticket on HelpSU.

  4. Can't remove User's default Group

    Even if a User has all Groups and all records access, an active User must have at least one Group which is also the default Group. In order to remove this Group, the User must be inactive.

  5. I made a change in NetDB but when I query DNS, I get the old information. Did my change go through?

    The DNS servers are updated from NetDB periodically (currently every half hour at 5 and 35 minutes after the hour). Until the next update, DNS will give you the old info.

  6. When I click on some people's names, I end up at the Stanford Who page with the message "No records matched your search".

    All the people in NetDB are in the Stanford Directory. However, Stanford Who will only show people who are active staff, students, faculty or affiliates. If Stanford Who does not find the person, the person probably has left the university.

  7. What are the ".nodomain" and ".SUNet" domains?

    Names in the .NODOMAIN domain (i.e. "myserver.NODOMAIN") are never resolved by DNS and are typically used as name placeholders. Names in the ".SUNet" domain are only resolved if the requester is at Stanford. .SUNet domain is typically used for switches, printers or other devices that are not accessed from the Internet.

  8. How do I transfer a node to another LNA in a different group?

    All LNAs (with maybe some very odd exceptions) are in the group "Stanford" to allow them to add nodes to domain "Stanford.EDU". So to transfer a node: modify the node, add the group "Stanford" and remove your regular group. The other LNA should modify the node, remove group "Stanford" and add their own regular group.