R help - Nov 2009 - Configuring R-2.10 help html server on Linux?

Hi,

My Fedora 11 linux (version 2.6.30.9-96.fc11.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Nov 4 00:02:04 
EST 2009) recently updated me to R-2.10.0, and help.start() is no longer 
working.  I see in the release notes that R now uses an internal web server to 
autogenerate help pages.  Here's what I'm getting:

IN R:

    > help.start()
    starting httpd help server ... done
    If '/usr/bin/xdg-open' is already running, it is *not* restarted,
and
        you must switch to its window.
    Otherwise, be patient ...
    >

IN Firefox:

Firefox starts up, but gets a "connection refused" error:

    While trying to retrieve the URL: http://127.0.0.1:11586/doc/html/index.html
    The following error was encountered:
        * Connection to 127.0.0.1 Failed
    The system returned:
        (111) Connection refused

I have checked all my firewall settings, and as far as I can tell the connection
should be allowed.  In fact, and unexpectedly, if I try on the command line:
	wget http://127.0.0.1:11586/doc/html/index.html
the index document is returned, so I know the R server is running OK on that 
port, but apparently refusing the connection to Firefox.

Has anyone else had a similar experience or have any wild guesses about a
solution?

-- 
Tom Wainwright
NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Newport, Oregon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The contents of this message are mine personally and do not necessarily
reflect any position of the Government or the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On 24/11/2009, at 12:21 PM, Tom Wainwright wrote:
> Hi,
>
> My Fedora 11 linux (version 2.6.30.9-96.fc11.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Nov  
> 4 00:02:04
> EST 2009) recently updated me to R-2.10.0, and help.start() is no  
> longer
> working.  I see in the release notes that R now uses an internal  
> web server to
> autogenerate help pages.  Here's what I'm getting:
>
> IN R:
>
>> help.start()
>     starting httpd help server ... done
>     If '/usr/bin/xdg-open' is already running, it is *not*  
> restarted, and
>         you must switch to its window.
>     Otherwise, be patient ...
>>
>
> IN Firefox:
>
> Firefox starts up, but gets a "connection refused" error:
>
>     While trying to retrieve the URL: http://127.0.0.1:11586/doc/ 
> html/index.html
>     The following error was encountered:
>         * Connection to 127.0.0.1 Failed
>     The system returned:
>         (111) Connection refused
>
> I have checked all my firewall settings, and as far as I can tell  
> the connection
> should be allowed.  In fact, and unexpectedly, if I try on the  
> command line:
> 	wget http://127.0.0.1:11586/doc/html/index.html
> the index document is returned, so I know the R server is running  
> OK on that
> port, but apparently refusing the connection to Firefox.
>
> Has anyone else had a similar experience or have any wild guesses  
> about a solution?
I had a similar experience on my IMac (Mac OS X Version 10.4.11) ---  
but the error
message made some mention of ``proxies''.  The problem got fixed by  
adjusting
the Firefox preferences.  On the Mac the appropriate set of clicks is
Advanced --> Network --- Configure how Firefox connects to the  
Internet (Settings)

Then (I think!) the key was to click on/activate ``Manual proxy  
configuration'', and
then to make sure that ``127.0.0.1'' appears in the window labelled  
``No Proxy for:''.

This is all Mac stuff, and it's not at all clear to me that it will  
translate to the
Linux setting, but it *might* give you somewhere to start.  Good luck.

	cheers,

		Rolf Turner


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