General Help
Website FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
This page contains a number of frequently asked questions and answers. If this page does not address your questions, please visit our contact us page.
Is there a discussion forum for the RCSB PDB website?
Yes, the pdb-l@lists.wwpdb.org, is an open electronic mailing list for questions and discussions with the PDB user community about protein structure analysis and related topics. You can subscribe at https://lists.wwpdb.org/list/pdb-l.lists.wwpdb.org. An archive of this list can be found at https://lists.wwpdb.org/empathy/list/pdb-l.lists.wwpdb.org.
What software do I need to take full advantage of the RCSB PDB website?
Almost all features of the RCSB PDB web site require a modern web browser with JavaScript and cookies enabled. If you are experiencing difficulties, please try upgrading to the latest browser version.
Supported Browsers
Here is a list of tested browsers grouped by desktop operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows:
- Chrome latest version
- Firefox latest version
- Microsoft Edge latest version (Windows 10+)
- Internet Explorer 11 (Windows 7 and 8) (limited support, may be slow, use Chrome or Firefox for best experience)
- Apple Mac OSX:
- Linux (Ubuntu, Redhat, CentOS, etc.):
- The web browser should be installed from your Linux distributions package manager and needs to be a recent version, such as; Mozilla Firefox version 32 or newer, Chrome version 45 or newer
Mobile support
We currently offer limited support for browsing the site on a mobile device:
- Android 5 or newer
- iPhone 5 or newer
How do I link to a Structure Summary page for a PDB ID?
The correct syntax for linking to a Structure Summary page for a current experimental structure by PDB ID on the site is as follows (example 4HHB):
/structure/4HHB
What are the URLs to download files?
You can read all about options for downloading files here.
When downloading files, how do you use a gzipped(.gz) file?
A .gz file is a compressed file similar to a .zip. To open a .gz file, simply double click it to open it in your default archiving utility. If you do not have one, free programs like 7-Zip are available which will uncompress the file for you.
When are new PDB entries released?
The PDB archive is updated each week on or about Wednesday 00:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) with new entries, modified entries, and updated status information.
Updates are prepared on the previous Friday. Citation updates and release requests should be sent to deposit@deposit.rcsb.org by noon ET on the preceding Thursday to be included in an update; changes made after an update has been packaged will appear with the following update.
The files in the FTP archive have the Friday timestamp of the internal update packaging.
From the RCSB PDB site, the most recent release is timestamped and linked on every page from the top right header.
How can I maintain a local copy of all PDB files?
Users can maintain their own local copy of all PDB files using rsync. Example scripts are available in the section on "Automated Download of Data from the RCSB PDB FTP Archive" on the FTP Services page.
Additional information on obtaining and maintaining copies of the entire PDB archive or certain portions of it is available from this README file in the FTP archive.
How do I cite a structure/the RCSB PDB?
Please see our Policies & References page.
What is PDB-101?
PDB-101 is a view of the RCSB PDB that places educational materials front and center. It packages together the resources of interest to teachers, students, and the general public to promote exploration in the world of proteins and nucleic acids.
What external data does the RCSB PDB website use?
The RCSB PDB combines the primary data from PDB archival files with data from external resources to enhance the query and display functionality on the RCSB PDB website. A listing of such external data is provided in the table at external resources page.
