20000127: Mcidas problems

>From: Michael Voss <address@hidden>
>Organization: SJSU
>Keywords: 200001181849.LAA08980 McIDAS-X NLDNPLT

Mike,

>1) I'm getting an error I think you would like to know about. When I
>plot a skew-T from the menu I get:
>
>BKGRUN {raobstn.gui SKEWT 94998 12 19 2000019  13 NO}                         
>BKGRUN: Done                                                                  
>        
>Error in startup script: syntax error in expression "12*(/12)"                
>        
>    while executing                                                           
>        
>"expr 12*($time/12)"                                                          
>        
>    (file "/export/home/mcidas/bin/raobstn.gui" line 81)     

This is typically caused when the Fkey/GUI defaults have not been loaded
into the stringtable.  I logged onto your system as your McIDAS user
and see that this was the case.  In order to correct this, I did the
following:

cd workdata
rm UNIMENU.DEF               <- this is an old version left over from a
                                previous installation
redirect.k DEL UNIMENU.DEF   <- the old setup needed UNIMENU.DEF to be
                                located in the user's working directory
tenter.k \"UNIMENU.DEF       <- restore settings from UNIMENU.DEF (found
                                by virtue of MCPATH directories containing
                                ~mcidas/data) to the string table

The values needed by the Fkey menu/MCGUI should now be available.

>2)I'm still having some data location/plotting problems. My data is
>coming in fine, but I can't seem to plot the most current data. I think
>I still have something misconfigured. EG:
>
>when plotting text:
>
>SFCRPT CA 1
>OBSRPT: Unable to find data set on server
>OBSRPT: Error getting data from server
>SFCRPT: Done
>SFCRPT failed, RC=2

OK.  I verified this and set about finding out why it is failing.  I
became suspicious when I saw several files in /data3/xcd that had not
been updated since January 19:

vortex:/data3/xcd>ls -l *.R*
-rw-r--r--   1 mcidas   data      142596 Jan 27 09:02 FOUS14.RAP
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data     4532544 Jan 19 16:16 RAOB.RAP
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data     7768980 Jan 19 16:16 RAOB.RAT
-rw-r--r--   1 mcidas   data     26088580 Jan 27 09:02 SAOMETAR.RAP
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data      755780 Jan 27 12:45 SAOMETAR.RAT
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data     5025760 Jan 19 16:16 SYNOPTIC.RAP
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data     18366660 Jan 19 16:16 SYNOPTIC.RAT
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data     4068864 Jan 19 16:00 TERMFCST.RAP
-rw-rw-r--   1 ldm      data     33554260 Jan 19 16:00 TERMFCST.RAT

The *.RA[PT] files are rapid access files for the various data types.
These are used by programs like SFCRTP, RAOBRPT, FOUSRPT, etc., so I
figure that the non-updating is at the heart of the problem.

In order to remake the *.RAT files (needed by the decoder in order to
create the *.RAP files), I did the following:

<as user running LDM>
ldmadmin stop

<as mcidas>
cd workdata
pushd /data3/xcd
rm *.RA*
pushd
batch.k XCDDEC.BAT

This sequence forced the recreation of the *.RAP files in /data3/xcd

<as user running LDM>
ldmadmin start

After restarting the LDM, I see the various *.RAT files being created
and filled:

dmap.k \*.R\*
PERM      SIZE LAST CHANGED FILENAME     DIRECTORY
---- --------- ------------ ------------ ---------
-rw-    142596 Jan 27 12:52 FOUS14.RAP   /data3/xcd
-rw-   6617092 Jan 27 12:52 RAOB.RAP     /data3/xcd
-rw-       180 Jan 27 12:53 RAOB.RAT     /data3/xcd
-rw-  26088580 Jan 27 12:52 SAOMETAR.RAP /data3/xcd
-rw-      7140 Jan 27 12:54 SAOMETAR.RAT /data3/xcd
-rw-   6364676 Jan 27 12:52 SYNOPTIC.RAP /data3/xcd
-rw-      1620 Jan 27 12:54 SYNOPTIC.RAT /data3/xcd
-rw-   4896388 Jan 27 12:52 TERMFCST.RAP /data3/xcd
-rw-      2660 Jan 27 12:54 TERMFCST.RAT /data3/xcd

It will take a little while for enough surface data to come in to be able
to exercise SFCRPT effectively, so I will wait...  <later> I still see
the same problem, so I will have to do more digging.

>When I do a REDIRECT LIST it indicates the correct location for the files..?

I typically use DMAP MDXX to see that McIDAS can find point source files
(MDXX files) using its location facilities (i.e., REDIRECT and MCPATH).

>I thought about redoing some configuration, but each time I've done
>that in the past I've gotten deeper in trouble. So at this point I
>would like to ask for your assistance in helping me figure out what's
>wrong. Please feel free to log in as before and make changes if you see
>fit.

Sure, no problem.

Login names and passwords are the same:

>OK?

OK.  Thanks.

>Thanks in advance, any help is greatly appreciated,

I need to get back to a meeting right now.  I will check in again on your
machine either later today or tomorrow morning.

Please give the Fkey menu/MCGUI a try and see if you can plot/display things.
I know that there is still the problem listing out undecoded surface
observations (using SFCRPT), but I want to see if other things are working.

Tom