NATIONAL RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY

MEMORANDUM

DATE:

TO: Observers and Operators

FROM: Ronald J. Maddalena

SUBJECT: New Facilities to help with observing remotely with the 140-ft

I have written two new computer utilities that should help many observers who use the 140-ft remotely or who want to monitor observations from the Jansky Lab. The programs are called Scans and ModScreen. Please call me if you have any problems or questions.

I. Scans program:

The Scans program will display a one-line summary of observations as they are taken. Auto-correlator, standard continuum, or DCR observations will be listed but not Spectral-processor observations. Scans will show a new observation no more than ten seconds after an observation is completed and, for multi-record observations, each record will be listed. Using the program involves two steps: some preparation work and then starting the program.

I.a Preparing to use Scans:

To prepare to use the programs from a Green Bank workstation, first log in to any Green Bank workstation and then bring up any X-window manager (e.g., openwin, tvtwm, mwm).

Or, to prepare to use the program remotely, first log into your home computer and bring up an X-Window manager. You must decide on a Green Bank computer you would like to use -- probably nath.gb.nrao.edu. Give nath permission to write a display to your computer (usually with the Unix command: xhost + nath.gb.nrao.edu). Log into the Green Bank workstation and set the DISPLAY environmental variable on that computer to the name of your home computer (depending upon your shell, using either: setenv DISPLAY mycompsname:0.0 or export DISPLAY=mycompsname:0.0).

Or, if you don't or can't use an X-Window manager, log into the Green Bank computer fahd.gb.nrao.edu.

I.b Starting Scans:

If your account cannot find the Scans program, you should try the full path name to the program: /fahd/oper140/bin/Scans.

If you cannot get this to work, or are not using an X-Windows manager, or are using a dumb terminal, try logging into fahd.gb.nrao.edu, if you haven't already, and try the dumb-terminal version by typing: /fahd/rmaddale/mac2sun4/bin/TrackScans

I.c Exiting Scans:

To exit the program in all cases type a Ctrl-C.

II. ModScreen program:

The ModScreen program is similar to Scans but will display an equivalent of the Modcomp status screen (i.e., multiple lines containing useful header information) as observations are completed. Again, Auto-correlator, standard continuum, or DCR observations will be listed but not Spectral-processor observations. ModScreen will show a new observation no more than ten seconds after an observation is completed and, for multi-record observations, each record will be listed. Using the program involves two steps: some preparation work and then starting the program.

II.a Preparing to use ModScreen:

To prepare to use ModScreen one follows the same instructions as in I.a above.

II.b Starting ModScreen:

If you are using an X-Window manager and have logged onto a Green Bank workstation, most observers' and operators' accounts are set up so the user can simply type at the Unix prompt : ModScreen The program will ask you for your project code and, if you have permission to access the data for that project code, it will open a new window in which the observations will be logged. If observations are being taken that do not belong to that project code you will get a listing that is identical to the display generated by Scans. You will only get the full Modcomp screen when the data belongs to the specified project and you have permission to look at the project's data.

If your account cannot find the ModScreen program, you should try the full path name to the program: /fahd/oper140/bin/ModScreen.

II.c Exiting ModScreen:

To exit the program in all cases type a Ctrl-C.