obssys command

This page is part of the ING manual INS-DAS-29 Operations manual for UltraDAS.

Function:

Obssys selects the telescope, instrument, camera and system-version for which the observing system will be run. You must run obssys in any terminal session on a Solaris or Linux computer from which you want to run a part of the observing system. This includes:

The terminal window in which the observer starts the ICS and gives observing commands.
The terminal window from which the DAS is started.
Any terminal window that the TO opens to give autoguider commands.
Any terminal window opened by support staff to investigate problems.
Any physical terminal used to talk to the observing system.

Usage:

obssys <old | test | dev>

Obssys may be used with the optional parameters to select observing systems other than the default release observing system:
e.g
obssys old

Normally no parameter should be provided, unless it is felt necessary to roll back to a previous observing system, in which case obssys old may be used.

At the WHT, Obssys sets up the observing system with the current release observing system, and displays the list of camera and instruments that are currently configured for use:

---------------------------------------------------------
Telescope: WHT  Instruments: AUTOCASS TVCASS ACAM LIRISCASS          
Detectors:  AG6 AG4 AUXCAM LIRIS        Observing station: TO    
OSCAR System : release

Give the command startobssys to start/restart the system.

Use shutdownobssys to close it down after use.           
---------------------------------------------------------

At the INT, Obssys presents a menu of choices on the terminal looking something like this:


----------------------------
Observing systems available:
----------------------------
 8: IDS+REDPLUS2
 7: IDS+EEV10
 6: IDS+TEK5
 5: Shack-Hartmann Test
 4: WFC
 0: give up and exit
Please choose a system >

The instrument and camera choices are fairly obvious (note that WFC is both an instrument and a camera). Please take care to select the correct camera and instrument configuration. The zero option lets you out of obssys without choosing a system but leaves you logged on to the computer.

Obssys must be invoked once before startobssys (in fact, startobssys is not defined until obssys is run). However, if you need to repeat startobssys, you do not need to re-run obssys; the system remembers the effects of obssys until you log out.

Notes and caveats:

Obssys records the choice of systems by setting shell variables and environment variables. It does not start any part of the system for you (q.v. & c.f. startobssys).

Many sections of this manual refer to "the window with the SYS> prompt" or the window with the "DAS>" prompt. Terminal windows acquire these prompts, and the associated behaviours, when you run the obssys command.

When starting a system from scratch, you may need to invoke obssys in several separate terminals. It is essential to choose the same system each time.

Terminal windows running on the same computer do not share the values recorded by obssys. You have to invoke obssys in each window.

Obssys is not available on the telescope computer. You have to rely on guesswork and rumours to pick a compatible version of the TCS.

The option numbers in the obssys menus may change without warning as new choices are added and obsolete choices are removed. Because of this please:

don't write down the option number used on your first night and use that number blindly on the next night;
don't write the option number on the whiteboard as an instruction to observers;
don't write the option number in fault reports.

In each case, please write the system's version-number and patch list instead of the option number.