Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/genenetwork/gn-gemtext-threads into main

23 files changed, 884 insertions, 32 deletions

diff --git a/.envrc b/.envrc
deleted file mode 100644
index d9ac5ca..0000000
--- a/.envrc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-PATH_add .
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/issues/gemma/report-missing-genotype-file.gmi b/issues/gemma/report-missing-genotype-file.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a801d70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/issues/gemma/report-missing-genotype-file.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# GEMMA should report name of missing genotype file
+
+When genenetwork is unable to find a genotype file that GEMMA needs, it should report the name of the missing file in the error message. The correct way to do this is it raise a FileNotFoundError lower down close to the GEMMA call, and handle it higher up close to the web UI.
diff --git a/issues/genenetwork/genewiki.gmi b/issues/genenetwork/genewiki.gmi
index e0a0a00..ce54afb 100644
--- a/issues/genenetwork/genewiki.gmi
+++ b/issues/genenetwork/genewiki.gmi
@@ -25,3 +25,40 @@ with an edit button, similar to
 * keywords: GN1, documentation
 
 ## Tasks
+
+* [ ] Export Genewiki to markdown - one file per gene and store in git@github.com:genenetwork/gn-docs.git
+* [ ] Format output for GN using markdown parser (similar to other docs)
+* [ ] Provide edit link to github
+
+Later we'll add automated links to wikidata and Uniprot etc.
+
+## Notes
+
+Zach writes: How exactly do we want to store all of this? It appears to currently be
+stored across three SQL tables - GeneRIF, GeneRIFXRef, and GeneCategory.
+The first contains a row for each item a user adds (when displaying all
+items it queries by gene symbol), and the latter two are for storing the
+checkbox stuff (so there will presumably be a row in GeneRIFXRef for every
+checked box for each symbol, though this isn't totally clear to me because
+it's linked by GeneRIF.Id - which isn't unique - rather than GeneRIF.symbol
+which is what I would have assumed).
+
+IIRC the issue I ran into (that isn't immediately apparent from looking at
+the web page) is that it's currently stored as a list of items. There isn't
+a single "free text" area - when a user edits they are either adding a new
+text item with its own row in the DB or editing one of the existing items,
+so I'm not sure how best to reasonably convert the current contents and
+editing method to markdown. Currently it doesn't even support any sort of
+user styling/formatting - users just enter basic text into a form. And if
+they were converted to markdown, how would we be storing the checkbox
+content?
+
+It's probably possible to write a script that goes through those tables and
+generates a bunch of markdown files from them (one for each gene symbol, I
+think?), with the list of items just being converted into a single markdown
+file with those items formatted into a list. This would de-link GN1's
+GeneWiki from GN2's in the future, though (since the way things are stored
+would be fundamentally changed).
+
+Pj: That is what we want. Create a markdown file for each gene symbol.
+Checklist can be part of that using markdown syntax.
diff --git a/issues/genenetwork/global-search.gmi b/issues/genenetwork/global-search.gmi
index a39da80..156145d 100644
--- a/issues/genenetwork/global-search.gmi
+++ b/issues/genenetwork/global-search.gmi
@@ -1,16 +1,19 @@
 # Global search problems
 
-Global search is the top bar of GN2
+Global search is the top bar of GN2.
+
+Note we are replacing search with xapian. So this is less important.
 
 ## Tags
 
 * assigned: pjotrp, zsloan
-* status: unclear
-* priority: critical
+* status: later
+* priority: low
 * type: bug
 * keywords: global search, BRCA2
 
 ## Tasks
 
-* [ ] BRCA2 does not render results in table
-* [ ] 'Brca2' with quotes gives a SQL error
+* [X] BRCA2 does not render results in table
+* [ ] 'Brca2' with quotes gives a SQL error, see
+=> http://genenetwork.org/gsearch?type=gene&terms=%27Brca2%27
diff --git a/issues/genenetwork/issue-404-in-logs.gmi b/issues/genenetwork/issue-404-in-logs.gmi
index 0006896..8e69838 100644
--- a/issues/genenetwork/issue-404-in-logs.gmi
+++ b/issues/genenetwork/issue-404-in-logs.gmi
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
-# 404 error in logs
-
-We get many 404's in GN logs. Can we rewire that so no log entries appear as a full stack dump?
+# Better Logging
 
 ## Tags
 
@@ -14,12 +12,9 @@ We get many 404's in GN logs. Can we rewire that so no log entries appear as a f
 
 => https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/2.0.x/errorhandling/
 
-Some of those 404's in our log
-mean that we forgot to package something; for
-example:
+Some of those 404's in our log mean that we forgot to package something; for example:
 
-=>
-https://git.genenetwork.org/guix-bioinformatics/guix-bioinformatics/commit/e80fe4ddcf15e21004b8135cf8af34b458697f64
+=> https://git.genenetwork.org/guix-bioinformatics/guix-bioinformatics/commit/e80fe4ddcf15e21004b8135cf8af34b458697f64
 
 Removing the 404's would prevent us from catching important errors if ever they occur. I suggest we fix the 404's; some of them have a cascading effect, like the font-awesome missing "webfonts" folder I just fixed that leads to a lot of unnecessary 404s.
 
diff --git a/issues/resurrect-mechanical-rob.gmi b/issues/resurrect-mechanical-rob.gmi
index bea2a78..d456864 100644
--- a/issues/resurrect-mechanical-rob.gmi
+++ b/issues/resurrect-mechanical-rob.gmi
@@ -9,3 +9,11 @@ We need to run Mechanical Rob tests as part of our continuous integration tests.
 * status: in progress
 * type: enhancement
 * priority: medium
+
+## Resolution
+
+The Mechanical Rob CI tests are functioning again now. To see how to run Mechanical Rob, see the CI job definition in the genenetwork-machines repo.
+=> https://git.genenetwork.org/arunisaac/genenetwork-machines/src/branch/main/genenetwork-development.scm
+The invocation procedure is bound to change as the many environment variables in genenetwork2 are cleared up.
+
+* closed
diff --git a/issues/sql-too-many-connections.gmi b/issues/sql-too-many-connections.gmi
index 68ed23d..93b8587 100644
--- a/issues/sql-too-many-connections.gmi
+++ b/issues/sql-too-many-connections.gmi
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
 
 ## Tasks
 
-* [ ] Figure out root cause
-* [ ] Send patch
+* [x] Figure out root cause
+* [x] Send patch
 
 ## Description
 
diff --git a/issues/sqlalchemy.gmi b/issues/sqlalchemy.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e3ea894
--- /dev/null
+++ b/issues/sqlalchemy.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# Replace sqlalchemy with MySQLdb
+
+## Tags
+
+* assigned: bonfacem, zachs
+* type: refactor
+* priority: medium
+
+## Description
+
+Connections that use sqlalchemy are the only placen in GN2 where connections remain "open" indefinitely until a connection is closed.  In the event that we have many users at the same time, say like during one of Rob's classes; and they do a search, we have N connections indefinitely open until their sessions are killed.  And removing that is trivial, and to demonstrate that using a random example from GN2 (/wqflask/wqflask/search_results.py):
+
+```
+def get_GO_symbols(a_search):
+    query = """SELECT genes
+	       FROM GORef
+	       WHERE goterm='{0}:{1}'""".format(a_search['key'], a_search['search_term'][0])
+
+    gene_list = g.db.execute(query).fetchone()[0].strip().split()
+
+    new_terms = []
+    for gene in gene_list:
+	this_term = dict(key=None,
+			 separator=None,
+			 search_term=[gene])
+
+	new_terms.append(this_term)
+
+    return new_terms
+```
+
+could be replaced with:
+
+```
+ def get_GO_symbols(a_search):
+-    query = """SELECT genes
+-               FROM GORef
+-               WHERE goterm='{0}:{1}'""".format(a_search['key'], a_search['search_term'][0])
+-
+-    gene_list = g.db.execute(query).fetchone()[0].strip().split()
+-
+-    new_terms = []
+-    for gene in gene_list:
+-        this_term = dict(key=None,
+-                         separator=None,
+-                         search_term=[gene])
+-
+-        new_terms.append(this_term)
+-
+-    return new_terms
++    genes = []
++    with database_connection() as conn:
++        with conn.cursor() as cursor:
++            cursor.execute("SELECT genes FROM GORef WHERE goterm=%s",
++                         (a_search.get("key")))
++            genes = cursor.fetchone()[0].strip().split()
++    return [dict(key=None, separator=None, search_term=[gene])
++            for gene in genes]
+```
diff --git a/issues/systems/gn2-time-machines.gmi b/issues/systems/gn2-time-machines.gmi
index 68ddaa9..513a91a 100644
--- a/issues/systems/gn2-time-machines.gmi
+++ b/issues/systems/gn2-time-machines.gmi
@@ -2,9 +2,7 @@
 
 GN1 time machines are pretty straightforward. With GN2 the complexity has increased a lot because of interacting services and a larger dependency graph.
 
-Here I track what it takes today to install an instance of GN2 that is 'frozen' in time.
-
-- [X] Install Mariadb and recover production DB (est. 3-4 hrs)
+Here I track what it takes today to install a fallback instance of GN2 that is 'frozen' in time.
 
 ## Tags
 
@@ -16,14 +14,14 @@ Here I track what it takes today to install an instance of GN2 that is 'frozen'
 
 ## Tasks
 
-General time line:
+Also a time line:
 
-* [X] Install machine software and physical (4 hours)
+* [X] Install machine software and physical (est. 4-8 hours)
 * [X] Sync backups on a daily basis and add monitoring (2 hours)
 * [X] Set up Mariadb and sync from backup (4 hours)
-* [ ] GN2 production environment
-* [ ] GN3 aliases server (Racket)
+* [X] GN2 production environment with nginx & genotype_files (2 hours)
 * [ ] GN3 Genenetwork3 service (Python)
+* [ ] GN3 aliases server (Racket)
 * [ ] GN3 auth proxy (Racket)
 * [ ] set up https and letsencrypt
 * [ ] setup logrotate for production log files
@@ -41,6 +39,18 @@ guix pull -p ~/opt/guix-pull
 guix package -i mariadb -p /usr/local/guix-profiles/mariadb
 ```
 
+To get to genenetwork we use a channel. The last working channel on the CI can be downloaded from https://ci.genenetwork.org/channels.scm. Now do
+
+```
+guix pull -C channels.scm -p ~/opt/guix-gn-channel
+. ~/opt/guix-gn-channel/etc/profile
+guix package -i genenetwork2 -p ~/opt/genenetwork2
+```
+
+That sets the profile to ~/opt/genenetwork2.
+
+Note that these commands may take a while. And when guix starts building lots of software it may be necessary to configure a substitute server (we use guix.genenetwork.org) adding --substitute-urls="http://guix.genenetwork.org https://ci.guix.info".
+
 ### Mariadb (est. 1-2 hours)
 
 Set up a global Mariadb
@@ -129,3 +139,166 @@ In the process I discover that ibdata1 file has grown to 100GB. Not a problem ye
 => https://www.percona.com/blog/2013/08/20/why-is-the-ibdata1-file-continuously-growing-in-mysql/
 
 (obviously we don't want to use mysqldump right now, but I'll need to do some future work).
+
+### Setting up GN2
+
+Create a gn2 user and checkout the git repo in /home/gn2/production/gene. Note that there exists also a backup of gn2 in borg which has a 'run_production.sh' script.
+
+Running the script will give feedback
+
+```
+su gn2
+cd /home/gn2/production/
+sh run_production.sh
+```
+
+You'll find you need the Guix install of gn2. Starting with guix section above.
+
+### Genotype files
+
+GN2 requires a set of files that is in the backup
+
+```
+borg extract borg-genenetwork::borg-ZACH-home-20220819-04:04-Fri home/zas1024/gn2-zach/genotype_files/
+```
+
+move the genotype_files and update the path in `gn2_settings.py` which is in the same dir as the run_production.sh script.
+
+### Configure Nginx
+
+You'll need to tell Nginx to forward to the web server. Something like:
+
+```
+server {
+    listen 80;
+    server_name gn2-fallback.genenetwork.org;
+
+    access_log  /var/log/nginx/gn2-danny-access.log;
+    error_log  /var/log/nginx/gn2-danny-error.log;
+
+    location / {
+            proxy_pass         http://127.0.0.1:5000/;
+            proxy_redirect     off;
+
+            proxy_set_header   Host             $host;
+            proxy_set_header   X-Real-IP        $remote_addr;
+            proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-For  $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+
+      client_max_body_size 8050m;
+      proxy_read_timeout 300;
+      proxy_connect_timeout 300;                                                                                 proxy_send_timeout 300;
+
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Setting up GN3
+
+Without gn3 the menu will not show on the main page and you see 'There was an error retrieving and setting the menu. Try again later.'
+
+GN3 is a separate REST server that has its own dependencies. A bit confusingly it is also a Python module dependency for GN2. So we need to set up both 'routes'.
+
+First checkout the genenetwork3 repo as gn2 user
+
+```
+su gn2
+cd /home/gn2
+mkdir -p gn3_production
+cd gn3_production
+git clone https://github.com/genenetwork/genenetwork3.git
+```
+
+Check the genenetwork3 README for latest instructions on starting the service as a Guix container. Typically
+
+```
+guix shell -C --network --expose=$HOME/production/genotype_files/ -Df guix.scm
+```
+
+where genotype_files is the dir you installed earlier.
+
+Run it with, for example
+
+```
+export FLASK_APP="main.py"
+flask run --port=8081
+```
+
+I.e., the same port as GN2 expects in gn2_settings.py. Test with
+
+```
+curl localhost:8081/api/version
+"1.0"
+```
+
+Next set up the external API with nginx by adding the following path to above definition:
+
+```
+    location /gn3 {
+            rewrite /gn3/(.*) /$1  break;
+            proxy_pass         http://127.0.0.1:8081/;
+            proxy_redirect     off;
+            proxy_set_header   Host $host;
+    }
+```
+
+and if DNS is correct you should get
+
+```
+curl gn2-fallback.genenetwork.org/gn3/api/version
+"1.0"
+```
+
+To generate the main menu the server does a request to
+$.ajax(gn_server_url +'api/menu/generate/json. On production that is
+https://genenetwork.org/api3/api/menu/generate/json which is actually gn3(!)
+
+```
+curl http://gn2-fallback.genenetwork.org/gn3/api/menu/generate/json
+```
+
+If this gives an error check the gn3 output log.
+
+Perhaps obviously, on a production server GN3 should be running as a proper service.
+
+### Alias service
+
+There is another GN3 service that resolves wikidata Gene aliases
+
+```
+su gn2
+cd ~/gn3_production
+git clone https://github.com/genenetwork/gn3.git
+```
+
+follow the instructions in the README and you should get
+
+```
+curl localhost:8000/gene/aliases/Shh
+["Hx","ShhNC","9530036O11Rik","Dsh","Hhg1","Hxl3","M100081","ShhNC"]
+```
+
+### Authentication proxy
+
+The proxy also needs to run.
+
+```
+su gn2
+cd ~/gn3_production
+git clone https://github.com/genenetwork/gn-proxy.git
+```
+
+See README
+
+### Trouble shooting
+
+Check the server log for errors from the server. There should be one in /home/gn2/production/tmp/. For example you may see
+
+```
+ERROR:wqflask:404: Not Found:  7:20AM UTC Aug 20, 2022: http://gn2-fallback.genenetwork.org/api/api/menu/generate/json
+```
+
+pointing out the setting in gn2_settings.py is wrong.
+
+Use the console bar of the browse to see what JS error you get.
+
+If you get CORS errors it is because you are using a server that is not genenetwork.org and this is usually a configuration issue.
diff --git a/issues/systems/second-production-tux02.gmi b/issues/systems/second-production-tux02.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..161629a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/issues/systems/second-production-tux02.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Second production on tux02
+
+* assigned: aruni
+
+Set up a second production system on tux02. This will be fully configured using Guix and will be able to roll back to previous states easily. The Guix configuration of this system should go into the genenetwork-machines repo.
+=> https://git.genenetwork.org/arunisaac/genenetwork-machines genenetwork-machines repo
+
+This issue likely obsoletes
+=> /issues/systems/tux02-production
diff --git a/issues/systems/tux01-ram-problem.gmi b/issues/systems/tux01-ram-problem.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90b37a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/issues/systems/tux01-ram-problem.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# tux01 running out of RAM
+
+Tux01 ran out of steam.
+
+## Tags
+
+* assigned: pjotrp, zsloan
+* type: systems
+* keywords: database
+* status: unclear
+* priority: medium
+
+## Tasks
+
+* [X] post-mortem (see below)
+* [ ] free up disk space
+* [ ] update nvme firmware
+* [ ] convert remaining tables to innodb
+* [ ] monitor mariadb internals
+* [ ] find out what can have caused an OOM
+
+## Notes
+
+Some post mortem:
+
+* GN1 uses 10% of RAM, that is a bit high
+* Other services behaving fine
+* dirs look fine though /home only has 80G left
+* dmesg shows serial console crashes
+  + kthread starved
+  + RIP: 0010:serial8250_console_write+0x3d/0x2b0
+  + Out of memory: Kill process 4361 (mysqld)
+  + mysqld was using 14006154 pages of 4096 size = 53Gb RAM
+* daemon log shows restart of mysql at 2am
+* syslog: Sep  3 02:07:01 tux01 kernel: [18254757.549855] oom_reaper: reaped process 4361 (mysqld), now anon-rss:0kB, file-rss:0kB, shmem-rss:0kB
+
+On to the mysql logs, after the crash
+
+* 2022-09-03  2:07:50 68 [ERROR] mysqld: Table './db_webqtl/CaseAttributeXRefNew' is marked as crashed and should be repaired
+* 2022-09-03  2:07:50 9 [ERROR] mysqld: Table './db_webqtl/GeneRIF' is marked as crashed and should be repaired
+
+right before the crash
+
+* 2022-09-03  2:05:16 0 [Note] InnoDB: page_cleaner: 1000ms intended loop took 5476ms. The settings might not be optimal. (flushed=0 and evicted=0, during the time.)
+
+The mysql slow query log shows a number of slow queries before 2am. Which is not normal. So it seems it was leading up to a crash. Most of these queries refer to GeneRIF:
+
+```
+# Time: 220903  1:25:34
+# User@Host: webqtlout[webqtlout] @  [128.169.4.67]
+# Query_time: 772.880949  Lock_time: 0.001206  Rows_sent: 157432  Rows_examined: 472318
+# Rows_affected: 0  Bytes_sent: 29887236
+SET timestamp=1662168334;
+select distinct Species.FullName, GeneRIF_BASIC.GeneId, GeneRIF_BASIC.comment, GeneRIF_BASIC.PubMed_ID from GeneRIF_BASIC, Species where GeneRIF_BASIC.symbol=''OR ELT(6676=1964,1964) AND '4YK4' LIKE '4YK4' and GeneRIF_BASIC.SpeciesId = Species.Id order by Species.Id, GeneRIF_BASIC.createtime;
+# Time: 220903  1:26:31
+```
+
+let's try to run that by hand. It returns 157432 rows in set (2.523 sec). So it is fine now. It might be that on reboot the table got fixed, but we'll check the tables anyway. First take a look at the state of the engine itself as described in
+
+=> ../database-not-responding.gmi
+
+Also
+
+```
+MariaDB [db_webqtl]> CHECK TABLE GeneRIF;
++-------------------+-------+----------+----------+
+| Table             | Op    | Msg_type | Msg_text |
++-------------------+-------+----------+----------+
+| db_webqtl.GeneRIF | check | status   | OK       |
++-------------------+-------+----------+----------+
+1 row in set (0.014 sec)
+```
+
+So the tables were repaired on restarting mariadb - something we set it up to do. We should convert these tables to innodb (from myisam), but I have been postponing that until we have a large enough SSD for mariadb.
+
+## Check RAID and disks
+
+/dev/sda is on a PERC H740P Adp. controller. A quick search shows that there are no real known issues with these RAID controllers after 4 years. Pretty impressive.
+
+The following show no errors logged:
+
+```
+hdparm -I /dev/sda
+smartctl -a /dev/sda -d megaraid,0
+```
+
+Same for disk /dev/sdb and
+
+```
+smartctl -x /dev/nvme0
+smartctl -x /dev/nvme1
+```
+
+It looks like there is nothing to worry about.
+
+A search for nvme 'Dell Express Flash PM1725a problems' shows this an issue where disks go offline and that can be solved with Dell Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD PM1725a, version 1.1.2, A03.
+We are on 1.0.4.
+
+=> https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/fr-fr/000177934/dell-technologies-a-pm1725a-may-go-offline-with-various-errors-including-nvme-remove-namespaces?lang=en
+
+Dell engineers have observed an infrequent issue during system operations, using the Dell PM1725a Express Flash NVMe PCIe SSD, in which the device may go offline and remain inaccessible. The drive may be accessible again after a reboot.
+
+The disks /dev/sda and /dev/sdb is Model Family: Seagate Barracuda 2.5 5400 Device Model:     ST5000LM000-2AN170 and appear to be behaving well.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+No real problems surface on those checks. So it looks like a table went out of wack and killed mariadb. It does not explain the RAM issue though. Why the the OOM killer had mariadb killed at 50Gb? It was the largest process, but not all RAM was used.
+
+Recommendations: see tasks above
diff --git a/issues/tests-for-genodb.gmi b/issues/tests-for-genodb.gmi
index e4398d2..957dca7 100644
--- a/issues/tests-for-genodb.gmi
+++ b/issues/tests-for-genodb.gmi
@@ -8,3 +8,9 @@ The genodb genotype database implementation is explained in detail at
 => /topics/genotype-database.html
 
 * assigned: aruni
+
+## Resolution
+
+Tests have now been written.
+
+* closed
diff --git a/tasks/ongoing.gmi b/tasks/ongoing.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..799f5ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/ongoing.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# Ongoing Work
+
+In this document we track ongoing work.
+
+## Tags
+
+* kanban: pjotrp
+* assigned: pjotrp
+* status: ongoing
+* keywords: pjotrp, to remove
+
+## Notes
+
+## Tasks
+
+Ongoing
+
+* [ ] Rust correlations and materialised view (Fred, Alex)
+* [ ] Fix missing GENO file (Zach, Pjotr, Gregory)
+* [ ] Bringing Xapian Search to GN (Arun)
+* [ ] New genotype format (Arun, Pjotr, Bonface)
+* [ ] RDF and virtuoso endpoint (Bonface, Arun, Pjotr)
+* [ ] Data upload and curation (Fred, Arthur)
+* [ ] Deployment container for GN2 (Arun)
+* [ ] GeneNetwork paper (Pjotr, Rob)
+* [ ] Creating a live monitor/sanity checker for GN (Arun)
+* [ ] Pangenome genotype correction with vcflib (Pjotr)
+* [ ] Becoming a DOI provider (Pjotr)
diff --git a/tasks/zsloan.gmi b/tasks/zsloan.gmi
index 30cba44..2da0c55 100644
--- a/tasks/zsloan.gmi
+++ b/tasks/zsloan.gmi
@@ -3,13 +3,13 @@
 ## Tags
 
 * assigned: zsloan
-* keywords: global search, genewiki
+* keywords: genewiki
 * status: unclear
 * priority: unclear
 
 ## Tasks
 
-* [ ] Fix global search
-=> ../issues/genenetwork/global-search.gmi fix global search
+* [ ] Geno files incomplete?
+=> http://gn2.genenetwork.org/api/v_pre1//genotypes/HSNIH-Palmer.geno
 * [ ] GN1 migrate genewiki pages
 => ../issues/genenetwork/genewiki.gmi
diff --git a/topics/better-logging.gmi b/topics/better-logging.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8de3fb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/better-logging.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Improving Logging in GN2
+
+## What Are We Trying To Solve?
+
+We prioritise maintaining user functionality over speed in GN [with time this speed will be improved].  As such we should be pay more attention at not breaking any currently working GN2 functionality.  And when/if we do, trouble-shooting should be easy.  On this front, one way is to stream-line logging in both GN2/GN3 and make it more script friendly - only report when something fails, not to instrument variables - and in so doing make the process of monitoring easier.
+
+## Goals
+
+* Have script-friendly error/info logs.
+* Remove noise from GN2.
+* Separate logging into different files: error logs, info logs.  Add this somewhere with Flask itself instead of re-directing STDOUT to a file.
+
+### Non-goals
+
+* Logging in GN3.
+* Parsing logs to extract goals.
+* Getting rid of "gn.db" global object and in so doing removing "MySqlAlchemy" [that we really shouldn't be using].
+* Adding log messages to existing functions.
+
+## Actual Design
+
+* Get rid of "utility.logger" module and replace it with Flask's or Python's in-built logging.
+* Configure the logging system to automatically add the module name, line number, time-stamps etc.
+
+## Resources
+
+=> https://realpython.com/python-logging/ Logging in Python
diff --git a/topics/coding-guidelines.gmi b/topics/coding-guidelines.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47cb697
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/coding-guidelines.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# Coding guidelines
+
+We aim to adhere to the following coding guidelines.
+
+=> /topics/use-exceptions-to-indicate-errors Exceptions, not None return values
+=> /topics/better-logging Log messages
+
+This document is an index of other documents describing coding guidelines. Add more here as you write/discover them.
diff --git a/topics/queries-and-prepared-statements-in-python.gmi b/topics/queries-and-prepared-statements-in-python.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..642ed96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/queries-and-prepared-statements-in-python.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+# Queries and Prepared Statements in Python
+
+String interpolation when writing queries is a really bad idea; it leads to exposure to SQL Injection attacks. To mitigate against this, we need to write queries using placeholders for values, then passing in the values as arguments to the **execute** function.
+
+As a demonstration, using some existing code, do not write a query like this:
+
+```
+curr.execute(
+    """
+        SELECT Strain.Name, Strain.Id FROM Strain, Species
+        WHERE Strain.Name IN {}
+        and Strain.SpeciesId=Species.Id
+        and Species.name = '{}'
+    """.format(
+        create_in_clause(list(sample_data.keys())),
+        *mescape(dataset.group.species)))
+```
+
+In the query above, we interpolate the values of the 'sample_data.keys()' values and that of the 'dataset.group.species' values.
+
+The code above can be rewritten to something like:
+
+```
+sample_data_keys = tuple(key for key in sample_data.keys())
+
+curr.execute(
+    """
+        SELECT Strain.Name, Strain.Id FROM Strain, Species
+        WHERE Strain.Name IN ({})
+        and Strain.SpeciesId=Species.Id
+        and Species.name = %s
+    """.format(", ".join(sample_data_keys)),
+    (sample_data_keys + (dataset.group.species,)))
+```
+
+In this new query, the IN clause ends up being a string of the form
+
+> %s, %s, %s, ...
+
+for the total number of items in the 'sample_data_key' tuple.
+
+There is one more '%s' placeholder for the 'Species.name' value, so, the final tuple we provide as an argument to execute needs to add the 'dataset.group.species' value.
+
+**IMPORTANT 01**: the total number of placeholders (%s) must be the same as the total number of arguments passed into the 'execute' function.
+
+**IMPORTANT 02**: the order of the values must correspond to the order of the placeholders.
+
+### Aside
+
+The functions 'create_in_clause' and 'mescape' are defined as below:
+
+```
+from MySQLdb import escape_string as escape_
+
+def create_in_clause(items):
+    """Create an in clause for mysql"""
+    in_clause = ', '.join("'{}'".format(x) for x in mescape(*items))
+    in_clause = '( {} )'.format(in_clause)
+    return in_clause
+
+def mescape(*items):
+    """Multiple escape"""
+    return [escape_(str(item)).decode('utf8') for item in items]
+
+def escape(string_):
+    return escape_(string_).decode('utf8')
+```
+
+
+## Parameter Style
+
+In the section above, we show the most common parameter style used in most cases.
+
+If you want to use a mapping object (dict), you have the option of using the '%(<text>)s' format for the query. In that case, we could rewrite the query above into something like:
+
+```
+sample_data_dict = {f"sample_{idx}: key for idx,key in enumerate(sample_data.keys())}
+
+curr.execute(
+    """
+        SELECT Strain.Name, Strain.Id FROM Strain, Species
+        WHERE Strain.Name IN ({})
+        and Strain.SpeciesId=Species.Id
+        and Species.name = %(species_name)s
+    """.format(", ".join([f"%({key})s" for key in sample_data_dict.keys()])),
+    {**sample_data_dict, "species_name": dataset.group.species})
+```
+
+## Final Note
+
+While this has dealt mostly with the MySQLdb driver for Python3, the idea is the same for the psycopg2 (PostgreSQL) driver and others (with some minor variation in the details).
+
+The concept is also similar in many other languages.
+
+The main takeaway is that you really should not be manually escaping the values - instead, you should let the driver do that for you, by providing placeholders in the query, and the values to use separately.
diff --git a/topics/setting-up-local-development-database.gmi b/topics/setting-up-local-development-database.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67dd88d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/setting-up-local-development-database.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+# Setting up Local Development Database
+
+## Introduction
+
+You need to setup a quick local database for development without needing root permissions and polluting your environment.
+
+* ${HOME} is the path to your home directory
+* An assumption is made that the GeneNetwork2 profile is in ${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest for the purposes of this documentation. Please replace as appropriate.
+* We install the database files under ${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb. Change as appropriate.
+
+## Setup Database Server
+
+Setup directories
+
+```
+mkdir -pv ${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/run
+mkdir -pv ${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/lib/data
+mkdir -pv ${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/lib/mysql
+```
+
+Setup default my.cnf
+
+```
+cat <<EOF > ${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf
+[client-server]
+socket=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
+port=3307
+
+[server]
+user=$(whoami)
+socket=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
+basedir=${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest
+datadir=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/lib/data
+ft_min_word_len=3
+EOF
+```
+
+Install the database
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql_install_db \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf
+```
+
+Running the daemon:
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysqld_safe \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf
+```
+
+Connect to daemon
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf
+```
+
+Set up password for user
+
+```
+MariaDB [(none)]> USE mysql;
+MariaDB [mysql]> ALTER USER '<your-username>'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '<the-new-password>';
+MariaDB [mysql]> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
+```
+
+Now logout and login again with
+
+```
+$ ${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf --password mysql
+```
+
+enter the newly set password and voila, you are logged in and your user has the password set up.
+
+Now, setup a new user, say webqtlout, and a default database they can connect to
+
+```
+MariaDB [mysql]> CREATE DATABASE webqtlout;
+MariaDB [mysql]> CREATE USER 'webqtlout'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '<some-password>';
+MariaDB [mysql]> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON webqtlout.* TO 'webqtlout'@'localhost';
+```
+
+Now logout, and log back in as the new webqtlout user:
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf \
+    --user=webqtlout --host=localhost --password webqtlout
+```
+
+and enter the password you provided.
+
+
+## Setting up the Small Database
+
+Download the database from
+
+=> http://ipfs.genenetwork.org/ipfs/QmRUmYu6ogxEdzZeE8PuXMGCDa8M3y2uFcfo4zqQRbpxtk
+
+Say you downloaded the file in ${HOME}/Downloads, you can now add the database to your server.
+
+First stop the server:
+
+```
+$ ps aux | grep mysqld # get the process ids
+$ kill -s SIGTERM <pid-of-mysqld> <pid-of-mysqld_safe>
+```
+
+Now extract the database archive in the mysql data directory:
+
+```
+$ cd ${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/var/lib/data
+$ p7zip -k -d ${HOME}/Downloads/db_webqtl_s.7z
+```
+
+Now restart the server:
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysqld_safe \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf
+```
+
+Then update the databases
+
+```
+$ ${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql_upgrade \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf \
+    --user=frederick --password --force
+```
+
+and login as the administrative user:
+
+```
+$ ${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf \
+    --user=$(whoami) --password
+```
+
+and grant the privileges to your normal user:
+
+```
+MariaDB [mysql]> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON db_webqtl_s.* TO 'webqtlout'@'localhost';
+```
+
+now logout as the administrative user and log back in as the normal user
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf \
+    --user=webqtlout --host=localhost --password db_webqtlout_s
+
+MariaDB [db_webqtlout_s]> SELECT * FROM ProbeSetData LIMIT 20;
+```
+
+verify you see some data.
+
+### A Note on Connection to the Server
+
+So far, we have been connecting to the server by specifying --defaults-file option, e.g.
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --defaults-file=${HOME}/genenetwork/mariadb/my.cnf \
+    --user=webqtlout --host=localhost --password db_webqtlout_s
+```
+
+which allows connection via the unix socket.
+
+We could drop that specification and connect via the port with:
+
+```
+${HOME}/opt/gn_profiles/gn2_latest/bin/mysql \
+    --user=webqtlout --host=127.0.0.1 --port=3307 --password db_webqtlout_s
+```
+
+In this version, the host specification was changed from
+```
+--host=localhost
+```
+to
+```
+--host=127.0.0.1
+```
+
+whereas, the **--defaults-file** file specification was dropped and a new **--port** specification was added.
diff --git a/topics/systems/dns-changes.gmi b/topics/systems/dns-changes.gmi
index 7c42589..a535cab 100644
--- a/topics/systems/dns-changes.gmi
+++ b/topics/systems/dns-changes.gmi
@@ -9,15 +9,22 @@ We are moving thing to a new DNS hosting service. We have accounts on both. To m
 * Sign in to your GoDaddy account.
 * Export the DNS record to a file
 * Print the DNS settings to a PDF
-* Start a transfer from DNSsimple to get an auth code
+* On GoDaddy disable WHOIS privacy protection (on the domains table)
+* On GoDaddy start a transfer from DNSsimple to get an auth code
   + Click your username at the top right of the page.
   + Select My Products.
   + Click Manage next to the relevant domain.
   + Scroll down to Additional Settings.
   + Click Get authorization code. Note: If you have more than 6 domains in your account, click Email my code
-  + Set transfer on DNSsimple - tick DNS box
-  + Check DNS on switch - it may not be completely automatic
-  + Cherk record on DNSsimple
-  + Check transfer with `dig systemsgenetics.org NS`
 * On DNSimple add the authorisation code under Tamara
-* Import DNS settings on DNSimple
+  + Set transfer on DNSimple - tick DNS box
+  + Check the `DNS on' switch - it may not be completely automatic
+  + Cherk record on DNSimple
+  + Check transfer with `dig systemsgenetics.org NS`
+* Import DNS settings on DNSimple (cut-N-paste)
+  + Edit delegation - make sure the delegation box is set
+=> https://support.dnsimple.com/articles/delegating-dnsimple-registered
+* Test
+  + dig systemsgenetics.org [NS]
+  + dig systemsgenetics.org @ns1.dnsimple.com NS
+  + whois systemsgenetics.org
diff --git a/topics/systems/migrate-p2.gmi b/topics/systems/migrate-p2.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7fcb90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/systems/migrate-p2.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+* Penguin2 crash
+
+This week the boot partition of P2 crashed. We have a few lessons here, not least having a fallback for all services ;)
+
+* Tasks
+
+- [ ] setup space.uthsc.edu for GN2 development
+- [ ] update DNS to tux02 128.169.4.52 and space 128.169.5.175
+- [ ] move CI/CD to tux02
+
+
+* Notes
diff --git a/topics/systems/orchestration.gmi b/topics/systems/orchestration.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e0a298
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/systems/orchestration.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+* Orchestration and fallbacks
+
+After the Penguin2 crash in Aug. 2022 it has become increasingly clear how hard it is to deploy GeneNetwork. GNU Guix helps a great deal with dependencies, but it does not handle orchestration between machines/services well. Also we need to look at the future.
+
+What is GN today in terms of services
+
+ 1. Main GN2 server (Python, 20+ processes, 3+ instances: depends on all below)
+ 2. Matching GN3 server and REST endpoint (Python: less dependencies)
+ 3. Mariadb
+ 4. redis
+ 5. virtuoso
+ 6. GN-proxy (Racket, authentication handler: redis, mariadb)
+ 7. Alias proxy (Racket, gene aliases wikidata)
+ 8. Jupyter R and Julia notebooks
+ 9. BNW server (Octave)
+10. UCSC browser
+11. GN1 instances (older python, 12 instances in principle, 2 running today)
+12. Access to HPC for GEMMA (coming)
+13. Backup services (sheepdog, rsync, borg)
+14. monitoring services (incl. systemd, gunicorn, shepherd, sheepdog)
+15. mail server
+16. https certificates
+17. http(s) proxy (nginx)
+18. CI/CD server (with github webhooks)
+
+I am still missing a few! All run by a man and his diligent dog.
+
+For the future the orchestration needs to be more robust and resilient. This means:
+
+ 1. A fallback for every service on a separate machine
+ 2. Improved privacy protection for (future) human data
+ 3. Separate servers serving different data sources
+ 4. Partial synchronization between data sources
+
+The only way we *can* scale is by adding machines. But the system is not yet ready for that. Also getting rid of monolithic primary databases in favor of files helps synchronization.
diff --git a/topics/use-exceptions-to-indicate-errors.gmi b/topics/use-exceptions-to-indicate-errors.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e302dd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/use-exceptions-to-indicate-errors.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Use exceptions to indicate errors
+
+Often, we indicate that a function has encountered an error by returning a None value. Here's why this is a bad idea and why you should use exceptions instead.
+
+When we return None values to indicate errors, we have to take care to check the return value of every function call and propagate errors higher and higher up the function call stack until we reach a point where the error is handled. This clutters up the code, and is one reason why writing correct code in languages like C that don't have exceptions is a pain.
+
+With exceptions, we only have to create an exception handler (try/except block in Python) at the highest level. Any exception raised by functions below that level are automatically passed on to the except block with no additional programmer effort.
+
+Here's an example where we run mapping, and if there's an error, we return an error page. Else, we return the results page. Notice that we do not check the return value template_vars.
+```
+try:
+    template_vars = run_mapping.RunMapping(start_vars, temp_uuid)
+    return render_template("mapping_results.html", **template_vars)
+except:
+    return render_template("mapping_error.html")
+```
diff --git a/topics/uthsc-vpn-with-free-software.gmi b/topics/uthsc-vpn-with-free-software.gmi
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1593c3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/topics/uthsc-vpn-with-free-software.gmi
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# UTHSC VPN with free software
+
+It is possible to connect to the UTHSC VPN using only free software. For this, you need the openconnect-sso package. openconnect-sso is a wrapper around openconnect that handles the web-based single sign-on and runs openconnect with the right arguments.
+=> https://github.com/vlaci/openconnect-sso/ openconnect-sso
+=> https://www.infradead.org/openconnect/ openconnect
+
+To connect, run openconnect-sso as follows. A browser window will pop up for you to complete the Duo authentication. Once done, you will be connected to the VPN.
+```
+$ openconnect-sso --server uthscvpn1.uthsc.edu --authgroup UTHSC
+```
+Note that openconnect-sso should be run as a regular user, not as root. After passing Duo authentication, openconnect-sso will try to gain root priviliges to set up the network routes. At that point, it will prompt you for your password using sudo.
+
+## Avoid tunneling all your network traffic through the VPN (aka Split Tunneling)
+
+openconnect, by default, tunnels all your traffic through the VPN. This is not good for your privacy. It is better to tunnel only the traffic destined to the specific hosts that you want to access. This can be done using the vpn-slice script.
+=> https://github.com/dlenski/vpn-slice/ vpn-slice
+
+For example, to connect to the UTHSC VPN but only access the hosts tux01 and tux02e through the VPN, run the following command.
+```
+$ openconnect-sso --server uthscvpn1.uthsc.edu --authgroup UTHSC -- --script 'vpn-slice tux01 tux02e'
+```
+The vpn-slice script looks up the hostnames tux01 and tux02e on the VPN DNS and adds /etc/hosts entries and routes to your system. vpn-slice can also set up more complicated routes. To learn more, read the vpn-slice documentation.
+
+## qtwebengine text rendering bug
+
+There is currently a bug in Guix with qtwebengine text rendering.
+=> https://issues.guix.gnu.org/52672
+This causes text to not render in the Duo authentication browser window. Until this bug is fixed, work around it by setting the following environment variable.
+```
+export QTWEBENGINE_CHROMIUM_FLAGS=--disable-seccomp-filter-sandbox
+```
+
+## Acknowledgement
+
+Many thanks to Pjotr Prins and Erik Garrison without whose earlier work this guide would not be possible.
+=> https://github.com/pjotrp/linux-at-university-of-tennessee
+=> https://github.com/ekg/openconnect-sso-docker