OSMOS, CCDS, MDM4K, R4K & TIFKAM data-taking startup procedure

Startup Procedure:

The startup procedure will be performed by mountain staff.  This should be completed by Observatory staff at the time of instrument setup, but are provided here as well as supplemental information if needed.  The procedures should be carried out at either mdm24ws1 or mdm13ws1, depending on the telescope.  

System Power-Up

     •     Before starting up the data-taking software, be certain that the SCSI disk enclosure (Caliban) is connected to both, the IC and the Linux work station (hiltner or mcgraw) and that the disk enclosure is powered on.  In general, the disk enclosure is always connected and on.

     •     Make sure that the instrument is powered on and connected to the IC via the fiber optic cables (only staff should attempt to adjust fiber terminations).

     •     Power on the IC and allow it to boot to the instrument selection prompt (CCDS, TIFKAM, 4K or OSMOS).  

Starting the Software

     •     Upon boot completion, the IC will prompt you for the instrument in use.  Chose accordingly.

     •     At this point, the system will attempt to initialize all instrument components.  The monochrome (yellow) screen has a line of status “lights” to indicate the status of each subset of the acquisition system.  Ensure connectivity with the Head Electronics (HE), Sequencer, and Instrument Electronics (IE).  If there is an issue with the optical fiber connection, the sequencer start will fail, indicated as -SEQUENCER and -HE flags.  

     •     On the work station (mdm24ws1 or mdm13ws1), login as “obs24m” (“obs13m”).  With the IC already up and running, start the following programs in order from the main desktop “Telescope Control” menu:

     ✤     2.4m:

     •     Weather Widget (wa, as found on the taskbar at the top of the screen)

     •     xmis2

          •  Rotator

     ✤     1.3m:

     •     xterm window, then type telescope status <enter> and ensure that all three servers are running.  If any of the servers are down, type telescope stop <enter>, then telescope start <enter>.  Click here for more info.

     •     MDM 1.3m TCS

     •     xmis2

     •     Initialize GUIs and wait ready before proceeding.

     •     Click on the “Data Acquisition” menu and open the following programs in the order shown, waiting for each to do a full start before opening the next:

     •     Bridge

          •  ISIS – watch for the IC and IE to acknowledge pings.

     •     Caliban – watch for disk synchronization with the IC (2 disks should sync).  If there are any issues in ISIS or Caliban, quit the terminal and try again.

     •     MDMTCS Agent – type tcinit <enter>, then tcstatus <enter> to verify connectivity with the xtcs and xmis2, and that reported data are correct.

     •     OSMOS IE Agent – only used for OSMOS (2.4m), otherwise don’t open.

     •     Prospero – type startup <enter> to verify that the instrument is connected and operational.  Make sure to select "Visible on all workspaces".