[thredds] catalogRef problems accessing URL for specific dataset

• To: thredds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: [thredds] catalogRef problems accessing URL for specific dataset
• From: "John Maurer, IV" <jmaurer@xxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:14:09 -1000

Hi All,
Is it OK to use catalogRef to link to a particular dataset within an external 
TDS catalog?, or must it point only to the top-level external TDS catalog? Here 
are my examples:
 - dataset:
http://hfrnet.ucsd.edu/thredds/HFRADAR_USHI_hourly_RTV.html?dataset=HFRNet/USHI/1km/hourly/RTV

 - catalog:
http://hfrnet.ucsd.edu/thredds/HFRADAR_USHI_hourly_RTV.html

I've been trying to use a catalogRef to the specific datasets like in the first 
example above (by switching .html to .xml), but this appears to break the 
external catalog! On my first access, it works but some of the catalog metadata 
are duplicated (the more I visit the catalog reference the more times they get 
duplicated in the catalog's HTML page, like Summary, Creators, etc.). Then, 
trying to access other datasets from the same catalog via additional 
catalogRefs are then broken (HTTP response code 500)--these appear to remain 
broken until the external administrator bounces their TDS. This doesn't seem to 
be specific to this server (hfrnet.ucsd.edu) because the same thing happens to 
me when trying a different server from sdf.ndbc.noaa.gov.

In addition to the above problems, when I try to visit a catalog page in my 
browser, as in the above URLs, and I switch .html to .xml in my browser to 
investigate the underlying XML and to get the URL for my catalogRef, this also 
appears to break the entire catalog on that user's server. After that point, I 
can only visit the dataset I have viewed and all other datasets disappear from 
the catalog, presumably until those administrators bounce their TDS. As you can 
see, I'm unintentionally breaking things! Sorry to those TDS administrators! 
I'm e-mailing here in the hopes of better understanding the process and/or to 
report possible bugs in TDS.

Thanks,
John Maurer
Hawaii Ocean Observing System (HiOOS)

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: [thredds] catalogRef problems accessing URL for specific dataset
    • From: Ethan Davis