Frequently Anticipated Questions.

What is NMQual?

A set of perl scripts to aid in the installation and qualification of NONMEM® on a PC running especially MS Windows or Linux.

What are the system requirements for using NMQual?

NMQual requires Perl 5.8 or higher, and the non-standard Perl package XML-XPath 1.13 available from CPAN.org. NMQual also requires the presence of a Fortran77-compliant compiler. We recommend ActiveState's ActivePerl (freely available for most major platforms) and GNU Fortran (freely available for most major platforms). Installing XML-XPath is not very difficult with ActivePerl's bundled utility 'PPM'.

Has NMQual been validated?

NMQual was validated using currently accepted software development life cycle standards, consistent with industry practices. The validation is fully documented and a complete validation package is maintained by Metrum Research Group. Modifications to validated versions are controlled through the Metrum Research Group Change Management quality system.

Where can I find directions for using NMQual?

See User Guide for installation instructions, etc.

Is the NONMEM® installed by NMQual different from my current version of NONMEM®?

The short answer is no. However, the NMQual version of NONMEM® is installed with all of the currently available bugfixes so any differences in results could be due to a lack of bugfixes on your installation or changes to the NONMEM® source code made at your site.

Can NMQual be used with other “wrappers” for NONMEM®, for example: “PdxPoP” or “Wings for NONMEM®”?

WFN has been modified to work with NMQual 6 (click here). NMQual support for PDx-Pop begins with version 6.2.0; PsN support begins with version 6.2.2 (see below). Other programs could be modified to use the NMQual generated perl script to execute NONMEM®. In general, you will need to contact the individuals maintaining these programs for advice on modifications for implementing the NMQual generated perl script. Developers of 3rd-party NONMEM® wrappers are encouraged to contact nmqual-comment@metrumrg.com for guidance on this topic.

Note for PDx-Pop and PsN users. The current integration scheme (as of NMQual 6.2.0) is simply that, when configured correctly, NMQual creates an installation that has resources expected by PDx-Pop and PsN. They will not use the NMQual execution script. They will, however, expect a file in the util directory called nmlink5.exe or makeg77bat.exe or makeg95bat.exe or nmlink6.exe, depending on the compiler, system, and tool. config.template.xml includes help for meeting this expectation. nmlink.pl (test directory) is a perl script that gives the output appropriate for the executables just listed. The executable itself is created by compiling, with appropriate name, nmlink.for, which is nothing but a call to nmlink.pl. Compilation is achieved using the existing 'final' instruction. Examples (not rigorously tested) are given for (in order): g77 on Windows; g95 on Windows; Digital Fortran on Windows; Intel Fortran on Windows; and g77 (f77) on 'Nix systems.

Can I use NMQual to install all of the bugfixes for NONMEM® but still use “nmfe5.bat” to run NONMEM®?

No. It is possible to modify nmfe5.bat to be compatible with NMQual but the nmfe5.bat file is not created during an NMQual installation of NONMEM®. However, each NMQual installation and perl script to execute NONMEM® is linked to a specific NONMEM® installation so the use of a generic or modified “nmfe5.bat” file will result in a loss of the link between the perl script and the NONMEM® installation.

Is my NONMEM® system “validated” after I have installed NONMEM® with NMQual and run the “runtest.pl” script successfully?

No. A formal validation/qualification requires the generation of the document trail around the installation and qualification. If you are interested in implementing a qualified installation of NONMEM®, Metrum Research Group can assist you in developing a NONMEM® qualification package. Contact nmqual-comment@metrumrg.com for more information.

If I install over my current NONMEM® directory will the files in the “RUN” directory be retained?

No. All of the directories for an NMQual install or re-install of NONMEM® are created at installation time. Any existing directories under the install directory are deleted prior to the installation of NONMEM®. Please save historical NONMEM® installations and files under a different directory name than the one used for NMQual installation. If 'pause' is set to '1' in your configuration file, nmqual.pl will prompt you before deleting existing directories.

How do I get technical support for NMQual?

Fee-based technical support is available for trouble-shooting and modifications: contact nmqual-comment@metrumrg.com. Free support is limited to the User Guide and this FAQ. Send suggestions to nmqual-comment@metrumrg.com; your comments may be incorporated into periodic updates of the Guide and FAQ.

What if my system does not match the supported system requirements?

Customization of NMQual is available as a fee-based service. Contact nmqual-comment@metrumrg.com. You can also implement many customizations yourself by manipulating the configuration file.

How can I set up a configuration file for my system?

Modify the bundled file 'config.template.xml'. It contains extensive comments to guide the configuration process. Most of the needed changes are easy to understand and implement.

What is XML-XPath and how do I get it?

XML-XPath is a Perl extension that lets NMQual read and write XML files. The official version is available at http://search.cpan.org/~msergeant/XML-XPath-1.13/. Installation is system-dependent. ActivePerl comes with a package installer called PPM. You may be able to get XPath installed with two short commands. See Installing NMQual in the User Guide. Otherwise, you may have to read the PPM help, or do a manual install (not a trivial matter, because of dependencies).

I installed !ActivePerl and XML-XPath, but XPath is still unavailable.

Perhaps you have more than one Perl on your machine. You may want to add the !ActivePerl directory to the beginning of your system path, so that it gets found by default. Caution: this may influence operations that expect your other version of Perl.

Can I substitute some other compiler for g77?

Yes, but not simplistically. Doing 'find & replace' in a config file will likely lead to problems. First, can you install NONMEM manually using your substitute compiler? Second, does your substitute accept the same command line arguments as g77? If not, remember to edit the arguments as well as the executable name (g77) in the 'instruction' elements.

What is "ERROR: system test command..." and "ERROR: environment variable..."?

See Prompts and Errors in the User Guide.

What is "similarity" in runtest.pl?

See Similarity in the User Guide.

Test 8 gives a minimum similarity of 2.34 under NONMEM® 6. What's wrong?

Nothing. For convenience, the same test and reference results are used under NONMEM5 and NONMEM 6. The behaviors are slightly different, and a minimum similarity of 2.34 is acceptable.

Can I install NONMEM® as an administrator and run it as a domain user?y

Sure. But as with a traditional installation, problems could result if/when the user's account tries to manipulate files created under the administrative account: e.g., FSUBS in the test directory. Solutions may be platform-dependent.

NONMEM® is a registered trademark of the University of California and is licensed exclusively to Icon Development Solutions.