Frequently Asked Questions

Have a technical question or need technical support with a Genostar product?  Contact us at support@genostar.com or call us at +33 4 76 97 10 74

Can I try Genostar's bioninformatics solutions before I buy?

What is a Pilot Program and how can I participate?

What is the Academic Partners Program and how can I participate?

What hardware and software configuration(s) do I need?

How will I get Genostar's databases and software installed and working correctly?

Do I get updates to Genostar software?  How?

Can several members of my team access our work and results simultaneously?

My team has limited access to bioinformatics expertise. Can Genostar do any of the bioinformatics work for me?

My team has extensive access to bioinformatics expertise. Can we do customization work ourselves?

Can I talk to a real live person when I have questions or problems?

Can I try Genostar's bioinformatics solutions before I buy?

• YES. Ask us for a trial version. We want you to try it.  When you use it, you'll see what it can do for you. Contact us for details.

What is a Pilot Program and how can I participate?

• A Pilot Program is a way to test-drive Genostar's bioinformatics solutions.  We help you install a trial version of the software and data and provide you with the documentation and support you need to try it out. The software is free; the training and support has a minimal cost. Contact us for details.

What is the Academic Partners Program and how can I participate?

• General Academic Partners can get the full software suite at reduced cost. There are minimal charges for initial training, maintenance, and support, and for any customization needed, and a special price is offered for the MicroB database.
• Scientific Partners pay only for training and customization in return for sharing feedback and information about results obtained with Genostar's bioinformatics solutions.

What hardware and software configuration(s) do I need?

There are two possible architectures, depending on which software you need for your chosen data:  Desktop and Client-Server.

• Desktop 3.5 is available for Windows XP, Linux, and Mac OSX. It requires Java 1.5.0, 768 MB RAM (1 GB recommended) with a minimum of 400 MB free disk space.
• Client-Server 3.5 requires a server running Linux with 4 GB RAM. It uses Oracle 10G and supports PostgreSQL 8.1.

How will I get the Genostar databases and software installed and working correctly?

• Genostar's technical support team includes IT experts who will help you get Genostar's bioinformatics solutions up and running on your system.

Do I get updates to Genostar software?  How?

• During the period of your license, you get updates as they are available, for example: new methods, new navigation functionality, improvements to data loading performance, and improvements to data exchange among modules.
• Genostar's clients have access to the User Club, a dedicated client space on the Genostar web site. You will be able to download new releases and other information especially for you from your User Club pages.

How often is Genostar's data updated, and how do I get those updates?

• 4 updates a year to MicroB are included as "maintenance."  You can request an update less frequently or “as needed.”
• BacDats can be updated by request.
• Updates can be downloaded via ftp from your dedicated User Club space.

Can several members of my team access our work and results simultaneously?

• YES.  With the Client-Server configuration, simultaneous access from different users is possible.  For example, a given group of users can all annotate the same genome, but your team decides who will have read-only access and who will have read-write access, to which chromosomes or fragments of chromosomes.

My team has limited access to bioinformatics expertise. Can Genostar do any of the bioinformatics work for me?

• YES.  Genostar bioinformaticians are available to do analysis, exploration, and simulation work for you. Contact us for details about our BioAnalysis Services.

My team has extensive access to bioinformatics expertise. Can we do customization work ourselves?

• YES.  You can develop your own dedicated method integration with the Development Kit. Contact us for details.

Can I talk to a real live person when I have questions or problems?

• YES.  Genostar provides telephone access to technical support engineers during normal business hours, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Western European time (GMT +1), Monday – Friday. Outside of these hours, you can leave a message and receive a call back the next working day.
• The technical support number:  +33 4 76 97 10 74