Main Green Bank Page 85-3 Page 85-3 status Operation Manual Procedures Computer Setups Clock Offsets

Pulsar Monitoring Telescope 85-3: Operator procedures.

Note: this page is on the web.
From the main Green Bank page, click on "85-3", then "operator documentation", then "operational procedures".

  • Starting Screens
  • Shutting Down
  • Screen Details
  • Setting up Observations
  • Dealing with Problems
  • Introduction to YGOR
  • Intro to 85-foot observing modes.
  • Commands for the single-board
  • Schedule Files.

    1. Starting up the screens and the observing program.

    This describes how to start up from scratch. If some screens are running, see section 2 on how to shut them down.

    2. Shutting down the observing program and the screens.

    3. Details on starting up the screens.

    To start up the screens without using "gbimenu" script, or if you want to bring up one or more of them separately:

    4. Setting up for observing.

    After you have all the screens set up and arranged nicely, its time to check the clock and start the observations.

    Setting the Clock.
    For 85-3, the internal computer clock on machine "gb853" is used. This can drift by a second or two in a few days. If the clock is more than 1 second wrong, reset it.
  • In the User Control screen, check the UTC display; if its wrong:
  • Click the set clock button.
  • Type the date and time under where it says: "yyyy mmm hh mm ss"
  • hit CR about 1/2 second early.

    • Setting up observing files.
    Observing files and task files must be in the directory:
    /home/o5/gbi/obs853/

  • These files contain schedules as described in the schedule format

    Choose to either start a single observing file, or a task file.

    Starting an observing file.
  • Click the Get .obs button to refresh the list of .obs files.
  • Select the desired file from the list.
  • Click the run obs button to start observing.

    • Starting a task file.
  • Click the Get Task File button.
  • Select the desired task file from the list.
  • Click the run task button.

    • Weather: Display the wind speed by clicking on Wind1 or Wind2.
    For the GBT weather station display, go into any window that is logged into osiris and type:
      cleo weather

    Bypassing CLEO
  • You can bring up a simple antenna status screen by clicking on the AntStatus button.
  • You can command the antenna by direct commands to the single-board computer.

    • How to tell if things are working.
  • The times (UTC and LST) on the User Control screen are updating once a second, and are correct.
  • The schedule display is showing the right source for this time.
  • The telescope is on the correct source, and is either tracking or slewing in accordance with the schedule.
  • The status indicators on the User Control screen are all green, or at least not pink!
  • The message window does not show any serious errors.
  • The log files and status files are updating.
    • In /home/o5/gbi/logs/Scan853, check latest "yyyy_mm_dd" file.
    • also, "status.853"
    • and, "T853status.html"
    • In ~gbiop/85-3.LOGS/, check "status.853"
  • The status display in the web page is updating.

    • 5. Dealing with Problems.

    GBARRAY ALREADY RUNNING
    The program that runs the user control screen uses a lock file to make sure that only one copy of the program is running at any time. The lock file is created whenever the program starts, and it is deleted if the program stops normally, which it does when you click the quit button. If it stops some other way, for example if the computer crashes, then you will have to delete the lock file before the User Control screen will run.

    Before you delete the lock file, make sure the User Control screen really is not running!

    To check, do "ps -ef" and look for the string: "glish -l gbarray.g 853", or "glishgc -l gbarray.g 853".

    To delete the lock file for 85-3:

    • cd /home/o5/gbi/obs853
    • rm lockfile

    WHAT HAPPENED?
    To help track down problems, the scan log files or the message log files may be helpful.
    • Scan logs: cd /home/o5/gbi/logs/Scan853
    • Message logs: cd /home/o5/gbi/logs/Messages

    Files in these directories are named with the date (or date and time) when they were first created. You can look through these files with "more", "less", or an editor.

    TIMES NOT UPDATING
    If the UTC or the LST display is not updating once per second, then probably the single-board needs to be re-booted. In this case, it is probably a good idea also to stop the User Control screen and the CLEO screens and re-start them.

    LOG FILES OR STATUS FILES NOT UPDATING
    You have to log in as "gbiop" when you run "gbimenu" and any of the other screens. If the User Control screen is started by anyone else, it will not have permission to write the log files or status files.

    The other possibility is that some of the YGOR demons on osiris are not running. If status.853 or T85status.html are not updating, you can use TaskMaster to stop and re-start "statwebgbi". The more drastic solution is to re-boot osiris.

    For more about TaskMaster and the YGOR demons, refer to section 4 of "software and computer setup".

    6. Brief introduction to YGOR managers.

    7. Brief introduction to 85-foot Antenna Managers.

    Some comments on manager commands "stop" and "abort".

    Another comment: whenever you change from the "AUTO" to the "MAN" command mode, a manager "stop" will happen. That means that the manager will go to the "Ready" state whenever you change to "MAN" mode, and it may go into the "halt" obs mode, depending on what it is doing.

    8. Direct commands to the single-board computer.

    This describes commands you can type to the single-board computer (either "gb853" for 85-3 control, or "gbint" for 85-1 and 85-2).

    To do this, you must type in the "gb853_vxworks" window. This is the window that is running "minicom" and communicating with the "gb853" single-board computer. For the GBI, use the minicom window for "gbint".

    In this window, you will see the "->" cursor.

    You can view a brief help message by typing: T85help 

          ---------------------------------------------------
      T85 commands you can give from the vxWorks shell:
           
          estop            -- stop all antennas instantly
          astop            -- stop all antennas, nicely  
          onstat ant       -- print status for antenna 
                              (ant = 1, 2, or 3) 
          offstat ant      -- turn off the printing     
          ff               -- turn off printing for all  
          setmode mode,ant -- set Obs mode for ant 
                  mode is number 0-16; ant is antenna# 1-3 
                  mode = 0,1 to force manual,auto ctlmode  
          getnames         -- list names & #s of antennas  
      ----------------------------------------------------

    Note that the antenna number "ant", for the 85-3 manager, must be given as "1", not "3" !

    Some examples, for 85-3.

    Last updated 25 Oct 2000, by F.Ghigo