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Getting Help and Support

The CANFAR Science Platform provides multiple channels for getting help, from self-service documentation to direct support. This section guides you to the right resources for your needs.

Quick Help

New to CANFAR?

Having Problems?

Want to Learn More?

Self-Help Resources

Documentation

User Guide Sections:

Tutorials:

Video Resources

Getting Started Videos (coming soon):

  • Platform overview and navigation
  • Creating your first session
  • Data management basics
  • Collaboration features

Workflow Demonstrations:

  • Optical photometry pipeline
  • Radio interferometry reduction
  • Multi-wavelength analysis

Troubleshooting

Quick Diagnostic Steps

When you encounter issues, try these steps first:

  1. Check System status: Look for maintenance announcements
  2. Try a different browser: Chrome and Firefox work best
  3. Clear browser cache: Remove cookies and cached data
  4. Try incognito mode: Eliminates browser extension conflicts
  5. Check your network: Ensure stable internet connection

Common Issues and Solutions

Session Won't Start

Symptoms: Session creation fails or hangs

Solutions: - Reduce resource requirements (memory/CPU) - Try during off-peak hours (evenings, weekends) - Select a different container image - Check group permissions

Can't Access Files

Symptoms: Files missing or permission denied

Solutions: 

# Check file locations
ls /arc/home/$(whoami)/     # Personal storage
ls /arc/projects/           # Group storage

# Check permissions
ls -la /arc/projects/mygroup/

  • Verify you're in the correct group
  • Check file paths are correct
  • Contact group administrator

Performance Issues

Symptoms: Slow processing or unresponsive interface

Solutions: - Monitor resource usage with htop - Close unnecessary applications - Use scratch storage (/tmp/) for temporary files - Consider requesting more resources

Browser Compatibility

Symptoms: Interface doesn't load or behaves incorrectly

Solutions: - Use Chrome or Firefox (recommended) - Enable JavaScript and cookies - Disable ad blockers for canfar.net - Update browser to latest version

Diagnostic Commands

Use these commands to gather information for support requests:

# System information
uname -a
cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep "model name" | head -1
free -h
df -h

# Session information
echo $USER
groups
env | grep -E "(CANFAR|SESSION)"

# Network connectivity
ping -c 3 canfar.net
curl -I https://canfar.net

Contact Support

When to Contact Support

Contact support@canfar.net for:

  • Account issues: Access problems, group membership
  • Technical problems: Persistent errors, system failures
  • Data recovery: Lost or corrupted files
  • Resource requests: Increased storage or compute allocations
  • Software installation: Help with complex software setups

How to Write Effective Support Requests

Include these details in your support email:

Essential information: 

Subject: [Brief description of problem]

CANFAR Username: your.email@domain.com
Date/Time of issue: 2024-01-15 14:30 PST
Session type: Desktop/Notebook/CARTA/Batch
Container used: astroml:latest
Browser: Chrome 120.0.6099

Problem description:
[Detailed description of what you were trying to do]

Error messages:
[Copy/paste exact error text]

Steps to reproduce:
1. Login to Science Portal
2. Create desktop session
3. [etc.]

What you've already tried:
- Cleared browser cache
- Tried different browser
- [etc.]

Additional helpful information: - Screenshots of error messages - Session IDs for failed jobs - File paths for missing data - Group names for permission issues

Response Times

  • Standard support: 1-2 business days
  • Urgent issues: Same day during business hours
  • Emergency outages: Immediate response during business hours

Business hours: Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM Pacific Time

Support Escalation

For urgent research deadlines or critical system issues:

  1. Mark email as urgent: Use "URGENT" in subject line
  2. Explain deadline: Include your research timeline
  3. Provide context: Explain impact of the issue
  4. Follow up: Call if no response within expected timeframe

Community Support

Discord Community

Join our Discord server for peer support and community interaction:

  • Quick questions: Get fast answers from other users
  • Tips and tricks: Share and learn best practices
  • Collaboration: Find research partners and collaborators
  • Announcements: Stay updated on new features and maintenance

Discord invite: Join CANFAR Discord

Community guidelines: - Search previous messages before asking - Use appropriate channels and threads - Be respectful and helpful to other users - Don't share sensitive data or credentials

GitHub Issues

For bug reports and feature requests, use our GitHub repositories:

  • Platform issues: Report technical problems
  • Documentation: Suggest improvements
  • Feature requests: Propose new capabilities
  • Community contributions: Submit code and examples

Office Hours

Virtual office hours: Thursdays 2-3 PM Pacific Time

  • Format: Video conference with screen sharing
  • Topics: Any CANFAR-related questions
  • Registration: Not required, drop-in welcome
  • Recording: Sessions recorded for later viewing

What to bring: - Specific questions or problems - Example code or workflows - Error messages or screenshots

Peer Mentoring

Experienced user program: Connect new users with experienced mentors

  • Mentors: Volunteer researchers who use CANFAR regularly
  • Support areas: Platform basics, specific software, research workflows
  • Matching: Based on research area and experience level
  • Contact: Email support to request mentor connection

Community Contributions

Ways to help other users:

  • Answer questions: Respond to Discord and community discussions
  • Share tutorials: Create workflow examples
  • Report bugs: Help improve platform stability
  • Suggest features: Propose improvements

Contributing to Documentation

The CANFAR Science Platform documentation is community-driven, and we welcome contributions from users who want to help improve the platform for everyone.

📝 How to Contribute

Quick Edits: - Use the "Edit this page" link (pencil icon) on any documentation page - Makes suggestions directly on GitHub - Perfect for typos, clarifications, and small updates

Larger Contributions: - Set up local development environment - Create comprehensive new sections - Major restructuring or new guides

🚀 Local Development Setup

Prerequisites: - Python 3.x and pip - Git for version control

Setup Steps:

  1. Clone the repository: 

    git clone https://github.com/opencadc/science-containers.git
cd science-containers

  2. Install dependencies (using Poetry): 

    # Install Poetry if you don't have it
# See: https://python-poetry.org/docs/#installation

poetry install

  3. Start development server: 

    poetry shell
mkdocs serve

  4. View documentation: Open http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser

Changes to documentation files will automatically reload in your browser for real-time preview.

📁 Documentation Structure

Our documentation follows a clear structure designed for different user needs:

  • get-started/: Quick setup for new users
  • user-guide/: Comprehensive platform documentation
  • concepts/: Platform architecture and core concepts
  • accounts-permissions/: User management and access control
  • storage/: Data management and storage systems
  • containers/: Container usage and building
  • interactive-sessions/: Jupyter, desktop, and application sessions
  • batch-jobs/: Automated and large-scale processing
  • radio-astronomy/: CASA and radio-specific workflows
  • faq/: Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting
  • help/: Support resources and community information

✍️ Writing Guidelines

Markdown Style: - Use # for page titles, ## for main sections, ### for subsections - Code blocks with language specification: ```python or ```bash - Inline code with single backticks: variable_name or command --option

Admonitions for Important Information: 

!!! note
    General information note

!!! tip "Pro Tip"
    Helpful advice for users

!!! warning
    Important cautions

!!! danger "Critical"
    Critical warnings

!!! example
    Code examples and demonstrations

Writing for Different Audiences:

New Users: - Avoid jargon or explain technical terms clearly - Provide step-by-step instructions - Focus on common tasks and getting started - Include plenty of examples

Advanced Users: - Provide technical details and configuration options - Include information on automation, APIs, and advanced workflows - Assume familiarity with relevant technologies - Link to detailed reference materials

🔄 Contribution Process

  1. Make your changes in the appropriate documentation files
  2. Test locally using mkdocs serve to verify formatting
  3. Commit with clear messages: git commit -m "docs: Describe your change"
  4. Submit a pull request to the main repository
  5. Collaborate with reviewers to refine your contribution

📚 Documentation Philosophy

We aim for documentation that is: - Accurate: Technically correct and current - Clear: Easy to understand without unnecessary jargon - Complete: Covering essential aspects comprehensively - User-Friendly: Well-structured and accessible

❓ Questions About Contributing?

Your contributions help make CANFAR better for the entire astronomy community!

Additional Resources

External Documentation

Related platforms: - CADC Archive: cadc-ccda.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca - VOSpace: vospace.canfar.net - Science Portal: science.canfar.net

Software documentation: - CASA: casa.nrao.edu - AstroPy: astropy.org - Jupyter: jupyter.org - Docker: docs.docker.com

Research Collaboration

Finding collaborators: - Discord community channels - Conference networking - Shared project spaces - Research group connections

Collaboration tools: - Real-time session sharing - Shared storage spaces - Version control with Git - Communication through Discord

Staying Updated

Announcements: - Email notifications for maintenance - Discord #announcements channel - Science Portal news section - Twitter @CANFAR_ACFC

Feature updates: - Monthly platform updates - New container releases - Beta feature testing - User feedback integration

Emergency Contacts

System Outages

Planned maintenance: Announced 48+ hours in advance via email and Discord

Unplanned outages: - Check status.canfar.net for current status (when available) - Follow @CANFAR_ACFC for real-time updates - Email support@canfar.net if status unclear

Critical Data Issues

Data loss or corruption: 1. Stop all activity: Prevent further damage 2. Document the issue: Note exactly what happened 3. Contact support immediately: Mark email as URGENT 4. Preserve evidence: Don't delete or modify files

Backup and recovery: - Daily snapshots of /arc/ storage - 30-day retention period - Point-in-time recovery available - Contact support for restoration requests

Security Incidents

Suspected security breach: 1. Change credentials: Update certificates immediately 2. Report incident: Email security@canfar.net 3. Document details: What you observed and when 4. Follow instructions: Wait for security team guidance

Prevention: - Never share your certificates - Use secure networks - Keep software updated - Report suspicious activity

Contributing to Documentation

The CANFAR Science Platform documentation is community-driven, and we welcome contributions from users who want to help improve the platform for everyone.

📝 How to Contribute

Quick Edits:

  • Use the "Edit this page" link (pencil icon) on any documentation page
  • Makes suggestions directly on GitHub
  • Perfect for typos, clarifications, and small updates

Larger Contributions:

  • Set up local development environment
  • Create comprehensive new sections
  • Major restructuring or new guides

🚀 Local Development Setup

Prerequisites:

  • Python 3.x and pip
  • Git for version control

Setup Steps:

  1. Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/opencadc/science-containers.git
cd science-containers
  1. Install dependencies (using Poetry):
# Install Poetry if you don't have it
# See: https://python-poetry.org/docs/#installation

poetry install
  1. Start development server:
poetry shell
mkdocs serve
  1. View documentation: Open http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser

Changes to documentation files will automatically reload in your browser for real-time preview.

📁 Documentation Structure

Our documentation follows a clear structure designed for different user needs:

  • get-started/: Quick setup for new users
  • user-guide/: Comprehensive platform documentation
  • concepts/: Platform architecture and core concepts
  • accounts-permissions/: User management and access control
  • storage/: Data management and storage systems
  • containers/: Container usage and building
  • interactive-sessions/: Jupyter, desktop, and application sessions
  • batch-jobs/: Automated and large-scale processing
  • radio-astronomy/: CASA and radio-specific workflows
  • faq/: Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting
  • help/: Support resources and community information

✍️ Writing Guidelines

Markdown Style:

  • Use # for page titles, ## for main sections, ### for subsections
  • Code blocks with language specification: ```python or ```bash
  • Inline code with single backticks: variable_name or command --option

Admonitions for Important Information:

!!! note
    General information note

!!! tip "Pro Tip"
    Helpful advice for users

!!! warning
    Important cautions

!!! danger "Critical"
    Critical warnings

!!! example
    Code examples and demonstrations

Writing for Different Audiences:

New Users:

  • Avoid jargon or explain technical terms clearly
  • Provide step-by-step instructions
  • Focus on common tasks and getting started
  • Include plenty of examples

Advanced Users:

  • Provide technical details and configuration options
  • Include information on automation, APIs, and advanced workflows
  • Assume familiarity with relevant technologies
  • Link to detailed reference materials

🔄 Contribution Process

  1. Make your changes in the appropriate documentation files
  2. Test locally using mkdocs serve to verify formatting
  3. Commit with clear messages: git commit -m "docs: Describe your change"
  4. Submit a pull request to the main repository
  5. Collaborate with reviewers to refine your contribution

📚 Documentation Philosophy

We aim for documentation that is:

  • Accurate: Technically correct and current
  • Clear: Easy to understand without unnecessary jargon
  • Complete: Covering essential aspects comprehensively
  • User-Friendly: Well-structured and accessible

❓ Questions About Contributing?

Your contributions help make CANFAR better for the entire astronomy community!

Contact Information Summary

Need Contact Response Time
General support support@canfar.net 1-2 business days
Quick questions Discord Community Minutes to hours
Security issues security@canfar.net Same day
Documentation support@canfar.net 1-2 business days
Office hours Video conference Thursdays 2-3 PM PT

Remember: The CANFAR team is here to help you succeed in your research. Don't hesitate to reach out with questions, no matter how basic they might seem!

Last update: 2025-08-07
Created: 2025-08-07