RE: ?new software?

["Albertson, Chris" <CAlbertson@primeadvantage.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Glenn Gombert [mailto:glenngombert@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000 12:19 PM
> To: tass@listserv.wwa.com
> Subject: Re: ?new software?
> 
> 
> Chris wrote "It's "let's install new software night".  Red 
> Hat V7.0 is 
> running
> and I've got my software patched up to run on it.  If anyone wants
> to try this Mk IV real-time control software out let me know and I'll
> send you a copy. (It will run on a system with no Mk IV hardware.)
> The version on my web/ftp/cvs sites is a bit dated."
> 
>    What is the state of your software Chris??...Just curious...I 
> am just getting 
> back in a catching up with some things on the TASS mailing 
> list (*S) after 
> being away for a couple months too....
> 
>     Have you been able to run you "real-time" (you aren't 
> running real-time 
> Linux are you?? as I recall) in Arne's camera that he has 
> installed in 
> Flagstaff??  I thought he was still running Tom's Basic 
> program...that he took 
> out to install the camera with.....

The current stat is.  

1) This Mk IV software runs on an "out of the box" Linux
   system.  I have RH5.2, 6.2 and 7.0 and it works on
   all of them.  It would even work on a non-Intel box if
   that box had an ISA bus to hold Tom's buffer card.
   I've tested the client side stuff on Solaris and Linux.

2) I have a working device driver for the buffer card.  It
   is a loadable module just like Linux uses for Ethernet
   cards SCSI cards and such.  It appears it can readout a
   buffer card at the max. theoretical hardware speed.  The
   ISA bus is slow so it takes a few seconds to read out a card.

3) The Mk IV Driver itself runs as a UNIX daemon in "user space"
   much like a web or FTP server would run.  Like those it
   just sits there an waits for commands to come in.  This
   software needs more work.  All of the infrastructure is done.
   It knows how to talk to clients, the camera. it can write
   FITS, JPG and GIF files out, Display images on the screen and so
   on.   It is not yet able to actually drive a real Mk IV yet.
   So what I've got done is really just a hackable environment
   for controlling a camera.  The driver can interface to an
   automated pipeline and initiate reduction of each frame, send
   e-mail notices and on and on.  Lots of bells and whistles.

4) The above depends on a scheduler program to feed it a series of
   commands.  I have only the most primitive scheduler written.
   I did this so that people would have an example to hack on.
   I based this on a "tool box" which is complete.  So writing a
   better scheduler should be easy.  There is currently a C ad Tcl
   interface to the tool box.  Schedulers need not run under Linux.
   Anything would work. A Windows PC or even a Palm Pilot.

I am waiting to see who wants to use this stuff. Hopefully they
will work with me to get this software working for useful work.

> 
> Thanks!
> Glenn G.
> 
> 
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