White spaces are required error

You might see this error in your validation output:

FAIL: file:/Users/.../hi0173794441_9080000_001_r.xml
    FATAL_ERROR  line 1, 55: White spaces are required between publicId and systemId.

What this means: This cryptic message from the Xerces XML parser usually means the schema for your label's default namespace is missing. For example, if your label uses namespace “http://pds.nasa.gov/pds4/pds/v03”, Validate needs the corresponding schema file (PDS4_PDS_0300a.xsd).

How to fix: Make sure you're providing all required schemas, either bundled with Validate or via the --schema flag.

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError

Error message: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded

When validating large bundles, you might see this error:

Sep 19, 2017 12:02:39 PM gov.nasa.pds.tools.label.LocationValidator validate
INFO: Using validation style 'PDS4 Directory' for location file:/home/atmos7/anonymous/PDS/data/PDS4/MAVEN/iuvs_calibrated_bundle/
Sep 19, 2017 12:02:39 PM gov.nasa.pds.tools.validate.task.ValidationTask execute
INFO: Starting validation task for location 'file:/home/atmos7/anonymous/PDS/data/PDS4/MAVEN/iuvs_calibrated_bundle/'
Sep 22, 2017 7:07:31 AM gov.nasa.pds.tools.validate.task.ValidationTask execute
INFO: Validation complete for location 'file:/home/atmos7/anonymous/PDS/data/PDS4/MAVEN/iuvs_calibrated_bundle/'
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: GC overhead limit exceeded

What this means: Validate ran out of memory. This happens with large bundles because Validate caches results in memory until validation completes.

How to fix: Increase Java's heap space to -Xms4096m -Xmx8192m:

For Unix/Linux/Mac: Edit the validate shell script:

"${JAVA_HOME}"/bin/java -Xms4096m -Xmx8192m -jar ${VALIDATE_JAR} "$@"

For Windows: Edit the validate.bat batch file:

"%JAVA_HOME%"\bin\java -Xms4096m -Xmx8192m -jar "%VALIDATE_JAR%" %*

Still having issues? Check the Improve Performance section for tips on batching large validations.

No checksum found in the manifest errors

If you're using a checksum manifest and see errors like this:

FAIL: file:/home/pds4/dph_example_archive_VG2PLS/browse/Collection_browse.xml
    ERROR  No checksum found in the manifest for 'file:/home/pds4/dph_example_archive_VG2PLS/browse/Collection_browse.xml'.

What this means: Your manifest file's base path doesn't match your file paths.

How to fix: Check the “Manifest File Base Path” in your validation report. If it's wrong, use the -B or --base-path flag to specify the correct base path.

error.table.fields_mismatch

What this means: The fields in your table don't match what's defined in your label.

What to check:

• Table offset value - If wrong, Validate reads from the wrong position. See GitHub issue #96 for an example.
• field_delimiter - Verify the delimiter matches your data file
• Record fields count - Make sure the number matches your actual data

error.label.context_ref_mismatch

What this means: The name and type values for context products in your label (like Target_Identification, Investigation_Area, or Observing_System_Component) don't match what's registered in PDS. This check was added in Validate 1.16.0 to improve search accuracy.

How to fix:

• For older archives (pre-1.16.0): You can reprocess your data, document the errors in your readme, or use --skip-context-validation
• For new archives: Update either the context product or your data labels to match

Invalid maximum heap size

Error message:

Invalid maximum heap size: -Xmx4096m
The specified size exceeds the maximum representable size.
Error: Could not create the Java Virtual Machine.
Error: A fatal exception has occurred. Program will exit.

What this means: You're using 32-bit Java instead of the required 64-bit version.

How to fix: Check your Java version:

$ java -version
openjdk version "15.0.1" 2020-10-20
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 15.0.1+9)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 15.0.1+9, mixed mode, sharing)

The last line should say 64-Bit Server VM. If not, install 64-bit Java (see System Requirements).

PDF/A Issues

Error message:

ERROR  [error.pdf.file.not_pdfa_compliant]

What this means: Your PDF doesn't meet PDF/A 1a or 1b compliance standards.

Common issues:

• Embedded multimedia - PDF/A doesn't support embedded audio/video
• Proprietary fonts - Copyrighted fonts can't be embedded in PDF/A (Microsoft fonts in Word/PowerPoint often cause this)
• 3D models - PDF/A doesn't support embedded 3D content

How to fix: Check the VeraPDF Rules documentation to identify specific issues. If you need help, contact your PDS Node representative or email pds_operator@jpl.nasa.gov.

Enabling Debug Logging

When to use: When you need detailed information to troubleshoot validation problems.

How to enable:

Use --verbose to control what messages you see:

• --verbose 1 = INFO, WARNING, and ERROR messages
• --verbose 2 = WARNING and ERROR messages (default)
• --verbose 3 = ERROR messages only

% validate --verbose 1 --target myproduct.xml

For full error stack traces, add --debug-mode:

% validate --verbose 1 --debug-mode --target myproduct.xml

Note: Debug logging generates a lot of output and slows down validation. Only use it when troubleshooting specific problems.