Starting up the observing system

• Log on to the Sun workstation taurus
  
  • LOGIN: whtobs
    PASSWORD: provided by your support astronomer
  An openwindows session starts, and  an xterm pink window (labeled "WHTOCS") and several xterm orange windows will appear. Also a netscape window appears, which shows the UltraDas Software Operations Manual (command dictionary included).
  Minimize all the orange windows except the ones corresponding to the DAS (data acquisition system) computers which control the ISIS detectors (check the white board above the ICL computer), usually DAS12 for the blue arm detector and DAS10 for the red arm detector (Jan 04).

• Start the data acquisition systems:
  • Type obssys in each DAS (orange) window. It defines the software to use and will then prompt you to select the observing system. Type the option number corresponding to each ISIS detector  (option 18 at the moment (8/4/02)) and wait until the prompt DAS> appears.

  • Type DAS>startobssys to start the software. Wait until the prompt is back and minimize this window (it is not needed until you shut down the system).

• Start the system computer:
  • Type obssys in the pink window.

  • Enter the same option number as in the orange DAS window and wait to get the prompt SYS>.

  • Type SYS>startobssys
    This initializes the telescope control software (TCS) link, the detector SDSU controllers, and brings up several new windows:
    • An "identify" window.
      Enter your name and proposal identification.
      
    • The observing log.
      The log is automatically updated each time a new file is written to disk. To put comments on a line click once with the mouse on the line and a box appears where you can type shorts comments.
      
    • Two detector information displays,  one for the blue and red arms of ISIS.
      
    • The "talker"  window. It displays messages from the observing system to the user.

• If you want, you can bring up a telescope info display window. Type:
  SYS>tcsinfo&

Shutting down the observing system

• Shut down the system computer:

  Type SYS>shutdownobssys in the pink window and wait until the prompt is back. Most of the windows will disappear (log, detector info window, talker, identify window).

• Shut down the DAS:

  Type DAS>shutdownobssys
  on the DAS orange window corresponding to PFIP and wait until the prompt is back.

• Close the TCS display window manually: from the File menu, select Exit
• Log out of ISIS's control computer (click Actions and then Log Out).