20020605: ADDE setup on new machine

>From: "Fingerhut, William A" <address@hidden>
>Organization: Lyndon State
>Keywords: 200206052016.g55KGcJ09679 McIDAS-X ADDE

Bill,

>We are building a new server for unidata applications. It's going
>fairly well, but we are stumped on something that you might be able to
>help overcome.

Ready...

>The LDM and McIDAS-X seem to be functioning pretty well. We are
>recieving data through the IDD and saving it locally. McIDAS-X can
>access the data if the server is 'local-data'. McIDAS-X can access data
>from remote adde servers. e.g.  Plymouth State. (using DATALOC ADD ...)

OK, sounds good.

>If the data location is *not* local data, either FOXFIRE.LSC.VSC.EDU or
>155.42.21.12, then the data request fails. If I go to another pc and
>make an ADDE request from FOXFIRE.LSC.VSC.EDU by using DATALOC ADD, the
>request fails. Is it possible that the ADDE server or the OS (redhat
>linux 7.2) on FOXFIRE is not configured correctly?

It is most likely that the ADDE setup in the OS is not correct.

>Any hints on where to look?

The first thing I did -- assuming that foxfire is not behind a firewall --
is a simple telnet to both of the ports that can be used by ADDE:

% telnet FOXFIRE.LSC.VSC.EDU 500
Trying 155.42.21.12...
telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused

% telnet FOXFIRE.LSC.VSC.EDU 503
Trying 155.42.21.12...
telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused

If the port stuff was setup correctly, the telnet would connect
up to either of the ports (you would not be able to login or anything
since the listener on the OS side of the port would be configured
to run the McIDAS mcserv process).  The fact that this fails tells
me that one of a number of things could be wrong:

1) the setup needed by ADDE was never done, or it was not done correctly
2) you system administrator setup use of TCP wrappers and they are not
   allowing my machine

I am betting that 1) is the most likely option.  Here is what
I suggest doing:

<things to be done as 'root'>

1) run the mcinet7.8.sh script to install the ADDE stuff.  This does not
   work 100% correctly for RedHat Linux 7.2, but it should at least
   setup the entries in /etc/services

2) edit /etc/services and comment out the non-mcidas entry for
   port 500 (both TCP and UDP)

3) make sure that the files mcserv and mccompress have been created in
   the /etc/xinetd.d directory according to the instructions in:

   http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/mcidas/780/mcx/warnings_mcx.html#xinetd

   The instructions tell you how to create the files and then to send
   the USR1 signal to the xinetd process.

After doing the above steps, and assuming that access to the port is not
blocked by TCP wrappers, you should be able to do a telnet to foxfire
on either/both ports 500 and 503.  If the telnet fails, you will know
that the port access is not setup correctly.

After you can telnet the port(s), you may still experience problems if
the ADDE access is not setup correctly.  The steps in setting up ADDE
are basically:

1) setup 'mcadde' account so that its HOME directory is the same as
   for the user 'mcidas' (this makes setup easier)

2) create the file ~mcidas/.mcenv as per instructions in the online
   instructions for installing and configuring McIDAS

3) make sure that the directory ~mcidas/mcidas/data exists and is readable
   and writable by 'mcadde' (this should already have been done when
   you installed McIDAS, but...)

The fact that you can already access data from the 'mcidas' account when
the dataset is LOCAL-DATA says that you already have data access in
McIDAS setup correctly (i.e., file REDIRECTions and MCPATH).  I suspect
that at this point everything should start working for you.

Please let me know if the above fixes your problem.

Tom