# Reporting Bugs And Errors

Bug reports can be sent to petsc-users@mcs.anl.gov (public mailing list with public archives) or petsc-maint@mcs.anl.gov, a private maintenance e-mail without archives. Installation issues generally require sending in `configure.log`, `make.log` i.e uncompressed large attachments - here petsc-maint@mcs.anl.gov is preferable. Check Mailing lists

Topics can include:

- Report bugs.

- Ask for clarification.

- Ask for help in tracking down bugs.

- Request new features within PETSc.

- Recommmend changes or additions to the development team.

Note

We respond to almost all email the same day and many within the hour.

Important

Please do not send e-mail requests to the individual PETSc authors; all list e-mail is automatically distributed to all of the PETSc authors, so our response time here will be fastest.

Before sending a bug report, please consult the FAQ to determine whether a fix or work-around to the problem already exists. Also, see the chapter on performance tuning in the PETSc users manual for guidelines on achieving good efficiency within PETSc codes.

## Guidelines For Bug Reports

The more information that you convey about a bug, the easier it will be for us to target the problem. We suggest providing the following information:

Don’ts

- Please do NOT send winmail.dat Microsoft email attachments; we cannot read them.

- Please do NOT stick huge files like `configure.log` DIRECTLY into the email message. Instead, include them as attachments.

- Please do NOT paste your entire codes DIRECTLY into the email message. Instead, include them as attachments. Small snippets of code are acceptable however.

Do’s

- Detailed steps to recreate the problem if possible.

- Copy of the complete error message if pheasible, otherwise include the full error message as an attachment.

- If the problem involves installation, send the entire `configure.log` and `make.log` as attachments.

  - `configure.log` can be found either at `$PETSC_DIR/configure.log`, `$PETSC_DIR/configure.log.bkp` (which holds the second-most recent `configure.log`), or in `$PETSC_DIR/$PETSC_ARCH/lib/petsc/conf/configure.log[.bkp]`.

  - `make.log` can be found in the same places as listed above, however note that there is no `make.log.bkp` so be sure to not overwrite your `make.log` with additional build attempts.

- Machine type: (e.g. HPC, laptop, etc.)

- OS Version and Type: (run uname -a to get the version number)

- PETSc Version: (run PETSc program with -version, or look in `$PETSC_DIR/include/petscversion.h`)

- MPI implementation: (e.g. MPICH, LAM, IBM, SGI)

- Compiler and version: (e.g. Gnu C, Gnu g++, native C)

- Probable PETSc component: (e.g. `Mat`, `Vec`, `DM`, `KSP`, etc.)