YouTrack Requirements

Which application servers does YouTrack support?

YouTrack distributed as a WAR file can be deployed into the following application servers:

• Apache Tomcat 6+
• Apache Geronimo
• Mortbay Jetty
• JBoss 4+
• Caucho Resin
• Glassfish

Distributed as a JAR file, YouTrack comes bundled with Mortbay Jetty.

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What hardware requirements does YouTrack have?

We're currently unable to define specific hardware requirements. However, when choosing a hardware configuration to host YouTrack, keep in mind the following:

• If you expect to have up to 10,000 issues in your installation, any up-to-date desktop PC can serve it.
• Our own YouTrack instance that processes 70,000 issues in 25 projects is hosted at a 3GHz Quad Core server with 4GB RAM and 80GB SSD drive. 2GB of memory is currently allocated to YouTrack, with average memory usage around 1.5-1.7 GB.
• We recommend to start YouTrack with at least 512M of heap memory available. For best performance, set the following JVM options:
  -server -Xss2m -XX:SoftRefLRUPolicyMSPerMB=10000 -XX:+UseConcMarkSweepGC.

Watch the System Info tab in Admin area for live memory usage data.

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Does YouTrack support IIS?

Unfortunately, currently YouTrack does not support IIS, and we do not plan to implement IIS support in the near future.

However, you can set up Tomcat to run YouTrack, and configure your IIS to work with Tomcat. For more details, see http://tomcat.apache.org/connectors-doc/webserver_howto/iis.html.

Please, note that it's not possible to use plain IIS because it's not a J2EE application server; and, in order to run YouTrack, you need a J2EE server in any case.

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Installation and Upgrades

Internet Explorer automatically renames JAR and WAR files to ZIP. What am I to do?

Nothing special, really:

1. Download a JAR or WAR file.
2. Rename youtrack-xx.zip to youtrack-xx.war or youtrack-xx.jar.
3. Run your JAR file or deploy your WAR file as usual.

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How do I get YouTrack running on the same machine as TeamCity?

No special efforts are required to make YouTrack and TeamCity run together on a single machine. Both products can be deployed under most commonly used J2EE application servers. See below for the procedure of installing and running YouTrack in the same Tomcat instance TeamCity bundles.
Click here for the list of application servers supported by YouTrack. For guidelines on TeamCity integration, see Integration with TeamCity.

To run both YouTrack and TeamCity on the same machine with one HTTP server, you need to install both applications into the same Tomcat instance:

1. Download and install TeamCity
2. Download youtrack.war (instead of youtrack.exe)
3. Rename <TeamCity installation directory>/webapps/ROOT folder into <TeamCity installation directory>/webapps/teamcity
4. Drop youtrack.war into the <TeamCity installation directory>/webapps/ directory.
5. Start Tomcat.
6. TeamCity is now available at the http://<your_server>:80/teamcity, and YouTrack — at http://<your_server>:80/youtrack.

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How do I upgrade to a newer YouTrack build or version? Should I back up my database before upgrading?

First, you do not have to back up your database just to upgrade to a newer YouTrack build or version - after you have upgraded, YouTrack will find your database automatically.
To upgrade to a newer YouTrack build or version:

1. Stop YouTrack JAR, or, if you are running YouTrack within an application server, stop the server.
2. Replace your old youtrack.jar or youtrack.war with a new build or version. Feel free to rename the new file to match the old one.
3. Start YouTrack JAR or application server.

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Importing Issues

Can I import issues from JIRA to YouTrack?

Yes, you can. To do that:

1. Go to http://yourserver:port/jiraIntegration to open the JIRA Integration tab.
2. Use links provided in the JIRA Integration tab to get one of two available YouTrack plug-ins depending on your JIRA version:
   • YouTrack plug-in for JIRA 3.8-3.9.3 (available at http://<yourserver>:<port>/_classpath/jira-plugin/jetbrains-charisma-rpc-plugin-3.8.1-3.jar)
   • YouTrack plug-in for JIRA 3.10-3.13.4 (available at http://<yourserver>:<port>/_classpath/jira-plugin/jetbrains-charisma-rpc-plugin-3.10-3.jar)
   • Since YouTrack 2.0: YouTrack plug-in for Jira 4.0 and higher (available at http://<yourserver>:<port>/_classpath/jira-plugin/jetbrains-youtrack-rpc-plugin-4.0.jar)
3. Install the appropriate YouTrack plug-in in your JIRA instance by following guidelines for "Version 1" plug-ins in Managing JIRA Plugins.
4. Make sure that remote API is enabled in JIRA and the YouTrack plug-in has appeared in the list of JIRA plug-ins as "Charisma JIRA plugin".
5. Go back to http://yourserver:port/jiraIntegration.
6. Click Enable JIRA Integration.
7. Specify your admin-level credentials in JIRA, a project to import, and required issue types.
8. Click Import Project.
   

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Can I import issues from other issue tracking systems?

Yes, YouTrack 2.0 supports import from other tracking systems via REST API. We also provide Python Client Library, which wraps REST API and allows using it with Python scripts. In addition, the Python Client Library contains several ready-to-use scripts for importing issues from Trac, from Google Code Issue Tracker, and from another YouTrack server. We're currently working on providing other import options for the next major version of YouTrack.
You can vote for issues requesting import from Bugzilla, Mantis, and FogBugz, or request other importing features.

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Which JIRA versions can I import my issues from?

JIRA 3.8 and later is currently supported.
Two separate YouTrack plug-ins for JIRA are provided: one for versions from 3.8 through 3.12 and another for version 3.13 and later. Both are bundled with YouTrack and are available from the Admin area at http://yourserver:port/jiraIntegration.

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I have imported a project from JIRA without any error messages but it didn't appear in the list of projects. What's the problem?

Certain pre-beta EAP versions of YouTrack (then Charisma) wouldn't display warnings when a user attempted to import issues from JIRA without sufficient permissions. The import progress would seem just fine before it turned out that the import hadn't happened. The problem has been fixed in YouTrack 1.0 Beta.

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Administering YouTrack

I have deployed YouTrack under Apache Tomcat but attempting to access YouTrack fails because of BeanCreationExceptions. What's the problem?

The user account used by Tomcat should have write permissions to Tomcat directory. Sometimes it doesn't, so make sure that the permissions are granted.

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How do I allow guest users to view my public projects?

1. In the Admin Area, click Groups.
2. Click All Users. This is a predefined group that controls permissions for all users including guests.
3. Open the Roles tab.
4. Click Assign role.
5. In the Assign Role dialog box, select Observer in the Role drop-down list, and select your public projects in the Projects combo box.
6. Click OK.

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How do I grant permissions to create new issues in a specific project to any registered user?

You should create or configure a user group that:

• Allows to report issues within a specific project via Issue:CREATE permission.
• Enables Auto Join option, letting all new registered users join it automatically.
  Here's how to do that using predefined groups and roles:

1. In the Admin Area, open the Groups tab.
2. Click New Users. This is a predefined group that controls permissions for all registered users.
3. In the Main tab, select Auto Join to automatically add all new registered users to this group.
4. Open the Roles tab.
5. Click Assign role.
6. In the Assign Role dialog box, select Reporter in the Role drop-down list. In the Projects combo box, select projects where you want to enable any registered users to create new issues:
   
7. Click OK to apply changes.

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I'm trying to delete root account but YouTrack keeps restoring it. What should I do?

As of version 1.0.1, you can delete root account but YouTrack will recreate it on next initialization.
Until the issue is fixed, you can try any or all of the following workarounds:

• Deny root account any permissions.
• Set a custom password for root account.
• Ban root account.
  Taking these steps prevents unauthorized access using root account.
  See JT-2783 for resolution state of this bug entry.

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I forgot my root password. How can I restore it?

To restore root password, run YouTrack with the -Djetbains.charisma.restoreRootPassword=true JVM option. For example:

When YouTrack starts, the root user password and permissions will be reset to default values. Log in with the default credentials (root/root) and then set the new root password.

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Why I don't see <some permission> on edit role page?

Make sure that you have this permission yourself. You can't grant a permission that you don't currently have.

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How do I create users in YouTrack?

Users are expected to register in YouTrack by themselves. However, if you need to create new user accounts yourself, you can do that using a regular registration form at http://yourserver:port/registerUserForm. After you have created a new user with this form, you are automatically logged in as this new user.
When you import an existing project from JIRA, user accounts are imported along with issues.

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How do I exclude a user from a group? There's no such option in group properties

You should exclude users from groups via user properties as opposed to group properties. See Administrator's Guide for details.

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I don't want anyone to create new user accounts by themselves, for security reasons. How do I disable user registration?

You can't disable user registration entirely. However, you can configure YouTrack the way that once a new user account is registered, it doesn't get any permissions at all — that is, until an administrator grants them. To do that:

1. Click Groups in the Admin area.
2. Clear any check boxes that are selected in Auto Join column.
3. For any projects with unavailable Auto Join check box, click the name of a project.
4. In the Groups > [Group name] page, click Roles.
5. Click Unassign for all roles listed in the Roles tab.

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I'm unable to configure LDAP integration in YouTrack 1.0, 1.0.1, or 1.0.2. What am I doing wrong?

Chances are you're doing everything right. There are known issues with LDAP integration in YouTrack 1.0-1.0.2 (see JT-2779 for problem description and configuration hints). Download YouTrack 1.0.3 or a later release at YouTrack Download page. YouTrack 1.0.3 is a bug fix release aimed specifically at eliminating LDAP integration errors.

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I have successfully configured LDAP integration in YouTrack 1.0, 1.0.1, or 1.0.2. However, some users are not able to log in with their LDAP credentials. How do I let them in?

Download YouTrack 1.0.3 or a later build at YouTrack Download page. YouTrack 1.0.3 is a bug fix release aimed specifically at eliminating LDAP integration errors.

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I'm trying to change logging level for YouTrack but it shows unnecessary messages time and again. What am I doing wrong?

You should modify logging levels in webapps/youtrack-xx/WEB-INF/classes/jetbrains/charisma/main/log4j.xml (for Apache Tomcat). Modifying logging properties in other files won't affect YouTrack logs.

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I want to allow attaching files larger than 10Mb set by default. How can I do that?

To specify the maximum allowed file size, use -Djetbrains.webr.maxUploadFileSize=<value> JVM property. The value should specified in bytes. For example, to limit the maximun allowed attachment size to 50Mb, you should specify:

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Using YouTrack

I'm trying to assign an issue to myself but YouTrack refuses to do so. What's wrong?

You are neither a member of any groups configured as assignees for a particular project nor an individual assignee for this project.
You have three options:

• Ask the project lead that he/she assigns the issue to you.
• Ask your administrator to add you to a group that is configured as assignee for the project.
• Ask your administrator to configure your user account as an individual assignee for the project.

Both groups and individual assignees for a particular project can be configured by choosing Projects | <project name> | Assignees in the Admin area:

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Our workflow requires that developers mark issues as fixed and hand them over to QA. Is there a state in YouTrack that lets us do that, something like "Fixed not tested"?

In YouTrack Beta 1.0 and earlier versions of YouTrack (Charisma), you can arrange the verification workflow using tags. See Fixed Not Tested in JetBrains Developer Community for guidelines.
YouTrack EAP build 67 introduced the new "Verified" state which is primarily intended for use by software testers.

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I have an account in YouTrack, but now I want to log in using my OpenID. How can I associate my OpenID to my existing account?

First of all, log in to YouTrack with your OpenID. If your OpenID provider reports the same e-mail address as the one registered for your existing YouTrack account, then the OpenID will be automatically associated with the account.
If your OpenID e-mail address differs from the YouTrack account's e-mail, then upon login a new account will be created. In this case, YouTrack administrator should merge the new account with the existing one, so that OpenID will be associated to the existing user account.

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Is there an easy way to create multiple issues with the same set of attributes, tags etc.?

Of course there is!

1. Create multiple new issues, one by one, without specifying their attributes.
2. Search for your recent reported issues:
   by: me
3. Select the recently reported issues that should have identical attributes and/or tags.
4. Press Ctrl+Alt+J to open the Command window, and apply a single command to the selected issues.
   For example, the following command:
   for me project YouTrack subsystem Wiki priority normal fix for next version
   will assign all selected issues to you, move them to subsystem Wiki in project YouTrack, set them to normal priority, and schedule them to be fixed for next version.
5. Press Ctrl+Enter to apply the command.

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How do I create subtasks in YouTrack?

Instead of creating subtasks, you create links between issues. Predefined issue link types include "duplicates", "depends on" and "relates to". Administrators are able to add other issue link types if necessary.
To create a relationship:

1. In the list of issues, select one or more issues that relate, depend on or duplicate other issues.
2. In the Link menu on the toolbar, choose duplicates, depends on, or relates to.
3. When the Command window displays with a corresponding command, type the ID of the issue that selected issues should be linked to, or execute full-text search for the issue. To link selected issues to several issues, repeat the command:
   
4. Click Submit or press Ctrl+Enter to apply the relationship(s).

Alternatively, consider using tags for grouping issues.

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Can I visually distinguish between features, bugs and other issue types in the list of issues?

Out of the box, YouTrack doesn't let you configure colors, custom formatting or other means of visually highlighting various issue types.
However, there's a workaround: you can mark different issue types with tags. For example, if you want to introduce custom highlighting for bugs and features, you might do the following:

1. Search for unresolved bugs assigned to you:
   #unresolved for: me #bug
2. In the list of issues, press Ctrl+A to select all issues (if the list of issues takes more than a single page, additionally click Select all issues in the yellow tooltip that appears just above the list of issues after you have pressed Ctrl+A.)
3. Type command tag bug.
4. Press Ctrl+Enter to apply the tag to selected issues.
5. Execute steps 1-4 upon unresolved features assigned to you. To find them, enter #unresolved for: me #feature in the search box, and call the new tag "feature".
6. For each of the two created tags, click the pencil icon in the Tags pane to modify their colors. For example, highlight "bug" with red and "feature" with blue:
   
7. Click Settings in the toolbar and make sure that the Tags check box is selected in the Visibility tab:
   
8. Search for all your unresolved features: #unresolved for: me. Both bugs and features are in the list of issues are now marked with tags corresponding to their type:
   

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I'm receiving notifications on issues that I have never reported, updated, or otherwise subscribed to watch. How do I unsubscribe?

This is a bug that has not been reproduced since YouTrack 1.0.1.
If you are still receiving unwanted notifications, please check your user profile once again: the tags that you have been implicitly subscribed to should be visible now, and you should be able to deselect them.
Should you encounter the bug in a build newer than YouTrack 1.0.1, please post a comment to issue JT-1934.

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What types of issue updates do you send notifications about? When these notifications are sent: as soon as I update an issue or is there any delay?

Here how we currently create notifications in YouTrack.

Who will receive notifications?

Notifications are sent to all of the following categories of users:

• issue reporter, assignee, commenter, or voter
• users subscribed to notifications via individual or shared tag or saved search
• users subscribed for notifications via manually enabled watching the issue

About what changes a notification will be sent?

We currently distinguish three types of events to send notifications about:

• Changes in issue attributes, e.g. assignee, state, priority, etc.
• Changes in votes for an issue
• Changes in commentaries: a new commentary added or some comment has been changed

How many notifications will be sent? How often?

In order to lessen number of notifications, we "collect" several subsequent changes of the same type (see the above section) and then send one notification letter about the whole sequence.
Per se, collecting of changes for notification works as follows:

1. The first change for an issue (e.g. an assignee is changed) is registered. At this moment, a timeout of 1 minute starts to count. During the timeout we wait to register any further changes for the issue.
2. If a change of the same type (e.g. priority is changed as well) is made, it will be aggregated with the first one
3. If a change of other type is registered (e.g. user also added a commentary or voted for the issue), then at the moment the change is made we start countdown for the new 1-minute timeout. If during this period a subsequent change of the same type is made (another comment is added or the previous comment is edited), we register it and sum with the previous ones of the same type.
4. When the 1-minute timeout expired, all registered changes of the same type are processed and a notification email about all of collected changes of the same type is sent.

   Please note that we send a logic sum of all changes within 1-minute timeout. That is, if any subsequent change reverts a previous one (e.g. priority changed from 'Normal' to 'Major', then back to 'Normal'; or user comments an issue and then deletes the comment) notification about such change will not be sent. Or, if one attribute is changed several times (e.g. assignee set user1, then to user2), notification will be sent about the very last change.

Example:

A user makes the following changes to an issue (within 1 minute):

1. via command window (assigns an issue to John Doe (johndoe), sets priority to Major, sets 'Fix' for field to 'Next EAP'):
   and adds a comment.
2. Moments later he votes for the issue.
3. Then he changes his mind and sets priority to Critical.

As a result of this update three emails will be sent:

1. The first one about changes in the issue's attributes:
   • assignee set to John Doe
   • priority set to Critical
   • fix for 'Next EAP'
2. the second email about changes in votes for the issue: +1 vote
3. the third email with text of the user's comment

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Integration with Version Control Systems

How to integrate YouTrack with different version control systems?

YouTrack can be integrated with version control systems via TeamCity 5.0 or later. For guidelines on TeamCity integration, see Integration with TeamCity.

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Does YouTrack integrate with version control systems directly, without using TeamCity?

No, it only integrates with VCS through TeamCity. TeamCity supports all major VCS's, including ClearCase, CVS, Perforce, StarTeam, Subversion, Team Foundation Server, Mercurial, and Visual SourceSafe.
TeamCity Professional Edition is available free of charge, making direct VCS support from YouTrack unjustified at this time.
Should TeamCity move their VCS support functionality into a separate module, we might reconsider this possibility.
For guidelines on TeamCity integration, see Integration with TeamCity.

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I have configured TeamCity integration but TeamCity doesn't convert issue IDs to links

Make sure that your TeamCity installation successfully connects to your YouTrack installation.
See connection configuration guidelines in TeamCity 5.0 documentation.

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Is it possible to integrate YouTrack with several TeamCity servers? How can I do it?

YouTrack will support integration with multiple TeamCity servers in the upcoming YouTrack Daring version. However, you can try the feature right now using an early YouTrack Daring build — see Early Access Program for early builds.
To configure integration, open the TeamCity Integration section in the Admin area, add your TeamCity servers, and do not forget create correct mappings between YouTrack projects and TeamCity projects.

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