It is possible to get the CCD controller and the status display hung
up on ``In Use'' if one hits CTRL+C during the wipe sequence that
proceeds an exposure. If this happens, type READY. This is the
software equivalent of a hardware controller reset. You should also
use READY if you stop an exposure and then decide not to save it nor
to continue it, but to initiate a new exposure.
Never use READY on camera n during an exposure with camera n - you will lose the exposure.
Occasionally, one can get into a weird state by aborting with
Control/Y, and the command READY will not work. The Viuram will say
IN USE, and if you try any expose word you will get a message CAMERA
CONFLICT EXISTS. Under such circumstances, use SECDEL. (Ignore the 3
lines of output typed thereafter.) This will certainly clear up any
problems. SECDEL should only be used if READY has not worked. NEVER
use SECDEL during an exposure; any exposure underway in any camera
will be lost.
It is theoretically possible for the cursor to get lost and not point
to the proper place on the frame as you move it around the frame
displayed on the TV monitor, although it takes various complicated
disasters to do this. If such happens, delete the file VARS.DST, and
that will cure it. This file contains various values you input, such
as the night number, grating angles, image scale, current frame
number, etc. If you delete it, you will have to redo all of that.
A problem was found with MODEXP during testing that could not be
duplicated later and thus we are not completely sure that it was
fixed. The problem is that the exposure times are modified correctly,
the exposure ends at the correct time, the shutter closes, but the
readout does not happen. If this should happen to you, use KEEP to
read out the cameras. You will then need to use SECDEL to force
initialization of the global section which controls exposure timing
and synchronization. After that, everything should be working again,
and you will still have saved your exposure. Should this happen,
please print out the log file (MODEXP.LOG) and let John Cromer know as
soon as possible.
If the Microvax should become hung, for example by using certain
commands that with 2048 x 2048 images require more memory than is
currently available, here is how to reboot it.
10 minutes. When the terminal screen says that
the account system has logged out, and it gives an accounting summary,
its ready.
Under normal conditions, the processes that are running (to see them
type SHOW SYS) are
| Null | obvious |
| Swapper | swaps jobs around |
| Status | runs the exposure meter and status display |
| Showtemp | runs the temperature display |
| Ccd | guess |
If there are any batch flattening jobs or spawned long exposures, they will show up appropriately.
It is possible to stop the Status and Showtemp processes -- I'm not sure why you'd want to, but to do so type STOP STATUS. To get it running again is messier, type
$ RUN/PRIO=0/PROC=STATUS/INT=``0:0:10'' OBSERVESRC:STATUSSince these display processes are running at priority 0, you won't gain much by stopping them during the daytime. You'd do better (in terms of gaining speed) if you can confine yourself to the disk space corresponding to one disk. Namely, the two physical disks have been made to appear as one logical disk, and when you're on the second physical disk there is a slight, but noticeable, degradation in performance.
If you wish to link a piece of software to PGPLOT, use SYS:[PGPLOT].
If you wish to link a piece of software to FIGARO or its libraries, use FIGARO_LIBS:.
(The rest of this section is intended for the mountain electronicers).
In general, you should log on as USER (this has fewer privileges than TECH) unless there is a reason to be logged on as TECH. You should not log on as TECH just because some astronomer wants to see or play with pieces of OBSERVING and cannot do so from the OBSERVER or USER account.
VMS as a security precaution forces all passwords to be changed every six months. To get around this, if a message appears ``password about to expire'', log in, type SET PASSWORD, answer questions, and set the password to something else (your name for example), then log out. Then log in again (with the new password), and change it back to the standard password. All you have to do to defeat this is to have it changed for one logout.
If you anticipate a need to shut down (i.e., running on UPS, expect power failure, lightening nearby, etc.), you can do a graceful showdown by typing @SYS$SYSTEM:SHUTDOWN. Answer all questions as the defaults. You can turn off the Microvax power when the terminal types out SHUTDOWN COMPLETED.
When you turn the power back on, automatic reboot is enabled (switch in back of Microvax -- do not change please). This will produce various booting messages on the terminal, leading to a full restore in about five minutes. See the Microvax documentation for more details. Although not recommended, Microvaxes seem to survive quite well even when power is totally cut off without going through the formality of SHUTDOWN.
You can see the devices the Microvax thinks are connected by typing SHOW DEVICES which also displays a count of errors for these devices. A normal error count is very low. Any substantial error count (more than 10) is cause for concern.
The files that will need editing when a new dewar is installed are:
If you edit the master dewar table, you should delete the file
otherwise the changes you make in the master table may not propagate to the actual table used by the code.
The filter tables are in
The VMS utility BACKUP is used to backup OBSERVING or to update
observing from tape. To make backup tapes, you must first MOUNT the
tape (see section VIII). Then type
The backup save set should be labeled with the date in the format given above. Please read the description of BACKUP in the DEC manuals before you try this. Tapes that are sent up to Palomar with updates will include instructions for their installation. Because we do not normally wish to update the system files, but only the source code for OBSERVING, installation of update tapes is somewhat more complicated.
If the disks are totally trashed and have to be fully restored (for example after a head crash or replacement of the system disk), this can be done from the backup tapes. You should read the operations chapter of the MicroVMS User's Manual, paying particular attention to pages 1 to 25 on loading standalone backup from the 3 floppies. Also remember that the system is being loaded from the tape drive (MSA0:) and not from the floppies (DUA1:, DUA2:). This should only be done after consultation with John Cromer.
No backup tapes should be made for use off the mountain without my permission.
This is to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Normally one logs
on as SYSTEM only to add user accounts, to connect new devices, or to
install new versions of VMS, etc. It should not be necessary; if you
do so, I want a written note indicating when and why it was done.
Dave Tennant is the custodian of the system password.