FAQ

FVS Home Repository Has Moved

Please note, the official FVS repository has recently migrated from Source Forge to GitHub. Please visit us at https://github.com/USDAForestService/ForestVegetationSimulator for the latest in code and wiki updates. This Source Forge repository will no longer be maintained, and is kept here as archival reference only.

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This is a basic list of the frequently asked questions (FAQ) for the open-fvs project.

• FVS Home Repository Has Moved
• Question 1. How do I obtain the source code?
• Question 2. How do I build one of the FVS variants?
• Question 3. The build didn't work. Now what?
• Question 4. How do I get help if I encounter problems?
• Question 5. Where can I get production release versions of the executables?
• Question 6. Where can I get documentation on the models used in the FVS code?
• Question 7. How do I make a new variant?

Question 1. How do I obtain the source code?

You can checkout the source code anonymously using Subversion,

svn checkout https://svn.code.sf.net/p/open-fvs/code open-fvs

For more information, see the DownloadingSourceCode page.

Question 2. How do I build one of the FVS variants?

We currently have wiki documents describing the build process on Unix-alike systems, and on Windows systems using Visual Studio, MinGW, or Rtools.

Builds may be possible on other operating systems or with other compiler packages, but the processes are not documented here.

Question 3. The build didn't work. Now what?

If your build doesn't work, that is to say, you don't get an executable on your machine, attempt to build again and redirect the make output to a debugging file:

make FVS[variant] > FVS[variant]-make-output.txt 2>&1

You will also need to provide the operating system, which can be obtained using the output from the "uname -a" command for non-Windows platforms:

uname -a
Darwin macbook.local 10.8.0 Darwin Kernel Version 10.8.0: Tue Jun  7 16:32:41 PDT 2011; root:xnu-1504.15.3~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

and the ver command if you're using Windows:

C:\open-fvs\trunk\bin>ver

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]

C:\open-fvs\trunk\bin>

Once you have those two outputs, submit your problem as a new ticket.

Question 4. How do I get help if I encounter problems?

The Tickets page in the open-fvs site has a utility for submitting tickets describing issues. When submitting a ticket include as much detail as possible, including the specific operating system (including the version) you are using. Refer to Question 3 for directions on getting operating system information. The FVS development team will attempt to resolve your issue.

Question 5. Where can I get production release versions of the executables?

All of the FVS executables for Windows are available from the FVS website. They are distributed in an installation package that contains all of the FVS variant executables. Executables for other operating systems are not currently distributed.

Question 6. Where can I get documentation on the models used in the FVS code?

The FVS Variant Overviews, which are available from the FVS website, contain information and references related to the underlying models. The Essential FVS document contains a great deal of more general model documentation.

Question 7. How do I make a new variant?

The instructions for creating a new variant based on the code from an existing variant are found in the MakeNewFVSProgram wiki.