Installation, Configuration, and Usage of

ARKS4 -Release DateJanuary2010

(This release prepares the ISIS community for the transition to ZIMS)

Contents:

1. Quick Steps

2. Installer Download

3. ARKS Backup

4. Pre-Installation

5. ARKS4 January 2010 Installation

6. Data Restore

7. Reindex and Verification

8. ARKS4 January 2010 Help Topics

This new version of ARKS4 (Release Date January2010)has been built to ease the transition to ZIMS.It has greater functionalitytouse the Internet including the ability to communicate directly with the upcoming ZIMS database that will be usedupon its releasereplacing the current ISIS4 global database. For your purposes, this can be considered the last major program upgrade before ARKS4 is retired and the ISIS Community is only using ZIMS.

Due to advances in the Windows Operating System and Local and Global Network Architecture since the last timeARKS4 was likely installed on your system,you will need to perform a clean re-install of ARKS4from the distributed fileand restore your data from a standard ARKS Backup Zip File.

The following instruction steps explain the recommended procedure for the installation and usage of ARKS4 Release Date January 2010 at your institution which is being distributed as an Executable Installer as opposed to the ARKS Upgrade Zip File used in the past.

1. Quick Steps

This section contains a summary of the entire page below. For more information including the explanation of any errors you may encounter, proceed to Steps 2-8 below.

  • Make an ARKS Backup and Save to your Desktop. Then, make a copy of your current ISIS_CMS folder. For now, leave the original ISIS_CMS folder as it is.
  • Uninstall ARKS from Add/Remove Programs in your local Control Panel if ARKS is listed. If you installed from the CD in the past, ARKS will not be listed in this window on most systems. This will always appear if you used the most recent installer file for the 2006 version.
  • Delete your original ISIS_CMS folder.
  • Download Installerand then double-click to run.

NOTE: If you prefer to work from a CD, please contact ISIS Supportand request that a CD be mailed to you. This request should be done by the ISIS representative at your Institution.

ARKS should be installed locally to every system, and the ISIS Rep (or your ITStaff)should copy over the untouched and newly created ISIS_CMS to the Network location if you are going to be using a network. Setup all Mapped Drives and Icons to appropriate locations, which shouldn't change if you've renamed/moved the existing data correctly to the location the icon is expecting.

  • Start ARKS and enter your Access Code.
    NOTE: The access code is your 9 digits institution code. If you are not sure, please loginto ISIS website, go to administration > find ISIS membersandfind your institution. The institution code is displayednext to your institution name.
  • Log in with default login name and password (Everything is case sensitive).
    login name: default
    Password: PASSWORD
    NOTE:Yourown login ID is NOT available untilrestore the data from backup.
  • Restore your data from your ARKS Backup.
  • Perform a Re-Index without error.
  • Confirm/Verify that your data is as you expect.
  • Rejoice!

You are now upgraded and ready for the ZIMS Database with your ARKS installation and data. More information will be sent by ISIS as we get closer to ZIMS Release 1.

For more information, the following steps provide specific details about this procedure.

2. Installer Download

  • Download ARKS4 January 2010
    Contact ISIS Support if you require any assistance.
    NOTE: To receive the file on a CDby regular Mail please contact ISIS Support and request that a CD be sent. This request should be done by the ISIS Representative at your Institution.
  • Once you have the file in your possession, save it to your local Desktop.If you have trouble saving the file to your computer, you may not have the proper local permissions/security rights to extract and run an executable (.EXE) file. Contact your local IT Staff to resolve this; You will need Full Read/Write permissions to the folder containing the ISIS_CMS folder as well as temporary rights to Execute the Installer file.
    For network installs, if you are going to be using the same folders for this new version, you should already have the permissions needed to perform the network install, but may need local permissions enabled on your regular computerto reinstall from the downloable file. Contact your local IT Staff to resolve this.
    NOTE: To verify/lookup your old Icon configuration settings, go to the ARKS icon on your Desktop, right-click on it and select Properties. The TARGET field will tell you where to copy the new ISIS_CMS folder over the network. In the example below X:\ represents the Mapped Network Drive you have setup on your local machine to point to the server location where the ARKS data is located.

3. ARKS Backup

  • Using your current ARKS icon and installation, perform a standard ARKS backupand save the file to your local Desktop.

If you have to make manual backup, please contact ISIS Support. Do not attempt to copy and paste the entire contents from one ISIS_CMS folder to another, this will most likely overwrite the new files containing the upgraded software.

  • ISIS Support also strongly encourages you to make a copy of your current ISIS_CMS folder until this process has been completed in case there are problems during the install process.


4. Pre-Installation
This is your opportunity to fix/change any configuration nuisances from the past such as a non-default installation location. You may need your IT Staff for this step. You do not want to reinstall ARKS to an ISIS_CMS folder that has files in it, and this is why ISIS Support recommends making a copy of this folder, and then deleting it after uninstalling.

  • Folder Preparation and Clean-up
    If you have any ARKS-related folders OTHER THAN your orignal ISIS_CMS folder, move all "old"folders into new "Historical" or "Archive"folderor something similar to distinguish between versions of system files and data so you don't confuse which folder contains which version of ARKS.
    Please leave your original ISIS_CMS folder in its place for now.
    Rename your ARKSIcon on your Desktop to "ARKS Old" or something that will distinguish the Icon as being for the old version of ARKS.This is simply to save the information contained in the file as theUninstall processin the next step may delete this icon if it is not renamed.
  • System Preparation
    Uninstall the previous copy of ARKSfrom Add/Remove Programsoptionin your Control Panel if you have installed from our previous downloable installer. Not all installations will have created an entry in theControl Panel and if it does not exist on your system, then you just need todelete the ISIS_CMS folder.
  • After completing the uninstall process, delete the ISIS_CMS folder (remember you still have the copy you made!)
    Windows XP and 2000:

    Windows 7 and Vista:

5. ARKS4 -Release Date January 2010 Installation

Due to the complexity of modern networks and the uniqueness of eachthat ISIS cannot always test for,the best way to minimize problems is to install ARKS locally on every machine that will be using it so that the correct driver files are placed on that machine. Then all the ARKS4 January 2010functions will work as intended, even if you will be running the isis_cms.exe file off of a network server.

Every user should install ARKS4 locally, and then if you are using Networked data, follow the steps in the second section below.

NOTE:Most XP users will encounter the following error as shown below and you should just hit OK to continue on with the installation process as this error will not cause problems with ARKS running once finished.


  • Local Machine
    Run the installer and choose a Default installation for all options. If you cannot install to a folder directly on C:\, then create a folder to installARKS into.You can re-use any previous locations as long as you have renamed the old/existing installation folder and that will bypass having to create new folders or get new permissions setup.
    Technical Note:
    The purpose is solely to get ARKS installed on your local machine so that the proper files needed for certain functions in the program are installed to the location that ARKS tells Windows to look in, which are not only files located in the ISIS_CMS but also some other Windows folders. This should be done even if you plan on running the ARKS program (isis_cms.exe) over the network to minimize potential problems in the future, which is explained below.
  • Networks
    For those who want to run ARKS over a network, if you were already using a Mapped Network Drive and had a folder location already setup for an ARKS Icon on your desktop, simply rename the ISIS_CMS folder on the Mapped Drive and then Copy and Paste the new ISIS_CMS folder from your computer that you just installed over to the Mapped Drive. C:\ISIS_CMS\and its contents getcopied to X:\ where X is the letter of your mapped drive. You should already have the ability to do this if you are using the same location as a previous install.
    If you have not setup ARKS on a network before this installation, you should contact your IT Staff and ask that the ISIS_CMS folder from your local machine that you installed to above is copied over to thenetwork location. Once the copy and paste has been performed, you just have to setup a Mapped Drivewhich should work with your desktop icon that was setup, as explained in the next section.

6. Data Restore

  • Icons
    You will now most likely have two icons for ARKS4, the old icon you had been using, and a new blue ARKS icon that was part of the new installation. You are free to use either icon. The old icon will have your old network information and any other modified configuration settings with it, in which case you can delete the new icon.
    NOTE: On XP, the old icon will be deleted as mentioned earlier. If you want to use the new Icon, right-click on the new icon, select Properties, andchange the TARGET and START IN fields to match your old Icon. You can also manually change the Icon picturefor your old Shortcut as explained here to use the new Blue icon.
    Make sure you are running the icon that points tothe newARKS4 January 2010 installation(which would still be pointed to the"old" network location if you set it up in the same folder) and then setup ARKS for your Institution using your Access Code. If you aren't asked to enter your Access Code, you aren't running the "new" copy of ARKS and you need to verify the icon path or make sure you are copying and pasting to the correct location and that you deleted your original ISIS_CMS folder during uninstallation of the older version of ARKS.
    Please contact ISIS Support directly if you encounter any problems with this step and would like a walkthrough online or over the phone or email.
  • Start ARKS and enter your Access Code.
    NOTE: The access code is your 9 digits institution code. If you are not sure, please loginto ISIS website, go to administration > find ISIS membersandfind your institution. The institution code is displayednext to your institution name.
  • Log in with default login name and password (Everything is case sensitive).
    login name: default
    Password: PASSWORD
    NOTE:Yourown login information is NOT available untilrestore the data from backup.
  • Perform a standard ARKS Restorefrom the ARKS Backup file you created earlier and saved on your Desktop or some other known location.
    If you do not have a ZIP BACKUP file, please contact ISIS Support for a list of files to copy from the old ISIS_CMS folder.

7. Reindex and Verification

  • As always, performing a Reindex is the most crucial step of maintaining your ARKS Data apart from making routine Backups. Some functionality has been changed in ARKS4 January 2010 which forces you to complete a Reindex before moving forward with certain tasks as history has shown this is the cause of most problems that are reported to ISIS Support. After Restoring from your ARKS Backup ZIP file, you should now perform a Reindex without error before moving forward.
  • If the Reindex fails, make sure you have reinstalled ARKS4 January 2010 properly according to the steps laid out above. If you have any questions or cannot determine where the problems occured, please contact ISIS Support directly for immediate help.
  • If the Reindex succeeds, please open your Dataset and confirm the last Specimen/Group added to your collection and any notes/enclosures you may have added to confirm you have migrated the data you expected to be working with properly and without error.
  • You should now be using the most recent Institution and Taxonomic Lists which were part of the installer file that was downloaded. If you want to make sure you are using the most recent lists, please update them from our Downloads Page.

8. ARKS4 - Release Date January 2010 Help Topics

  • As discussed above in the Introduction, ARKS4 - Release Date January 2010 introduces some new features and many bug fixes to functionality since the March 2006 version which you may require some minimal training or extra help on performing. Please contact ISIS Support with any questions or problems you may have, or to inquire about possible training sessions.
  • If you would like a walkthrough over the phone and possibly a live meeting over the internet, please contact ISIS Support and we will gladly help in any waythat we can.
  • If you are not sure about your ability to install software on your computer, please contact your IT Staff so that they can be in attendance during any reinstallation of ARKS on your own or when contacting ISIS Support.