VLBA Software

This page summarizes the various bits of software used to make the VLBA a functional telescope. The list is known to be incomplete, especially in regard to software related to the Mark5A systems.

Typically the software listed here will be based on a package, not a single executable. In most cases a package has one or a small number of key executables, some additional utilities, and often some operating system integration scripts (e.g., for start at boot).

VLBA Operations Software Deployment Discussion and Procedures

Deployment Discussion and Procedures Page

VLBA Control Computer Software

There is one control computer at each VLBA site, one at GBT, and at least one on the VLBA test rack on the first floor. Extensive installation instructions for these units can be found at https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/NM/Vlbacc .

Versions below are as of Jan 18, 2017.

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	RH 7 Notes	RH 7 Package Ready
libevent packages	install libevent-devel-2.0.21-4.el7.x86_64 and libevent-2.0.21-4.el7.x86_64			Colburn				necessary for CC software
Alert Server	Detects, stores and sends alert messages to operator displays		Rich				java, tomcat	jar should run on RH 7
legacy	A collection of legacy software and some newish software needing to link to legacy libraries	0.7-1	W. Brisken	helpdesk	mon2xml, rscreen, rcmd	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/legacy	C, Fortran, RPM	This software will not be installed on RH 7	n/a
logExecutor	Wrapper program for observe(executor), ObserveScriptMonitor and RemoteMonitorDataServer that collects stdout and stderr and packages into time-tagged log files (one per day per program).	1.2-1	W. Brisken	helpdesk	logExecutor, logOSM, logRMDS	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/logExecutor	C, RPM	similar log programs already running on RH 7
obs2ti			Walter					leave Python 2
observe	AKA "executor". Modern control system for VLBA observing. Based on the VLA Observation Executor. This program sends commands to hardware at relevant times in order to cause an experiment to be observed. It is not responsible for monitoring.	0.9.07-1	B. Clark	helpdesk	ExecServlet	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/EVLA/observe/trunk	Java, RPM	VLA executor already running on RH 7
ObservScriptMonitor	Watches a file ( observ.tx ) that contains a list of projects to observe and their start and stop times and commands the observe program accordingly.	0.1.21-1	Hichem	helpdesk	ObservScriptMonitor.jar	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/vlba-osm	Java, RPM	jar should run on RH 7
RDBE filesystem mount				Colburn				should remain on RH 7
RemoteMonitorDataServer	Robustly transfers monitor data and switched power data from the site to Socorro. Monitor data is eventually put into the archive (by loader) and switched power data is simply stored in /home/vlba/metadata/switchedpower/ .	0.1.20-1	Hichem	helpdesk	RemoteMonitorDataServer.jar	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/vlba-rmdc	Java, RPM	jar should run on RH 7
RH 7 CC test system	vlb1-cc booted on RH 7		Colburn	Colburn
rspr	The RDBE Switched Power Receiver Program to capture switched power data emitted from the digital back-end and write to files for eventual transport to Socorro. Also determines pointing solutions and conveys pulse cal data.	1.28-1	W. Brisken	helpdesk	rspr, logrspr	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/rspr	C, RPM	Rebuild on RH 7, check for Python 2 -> 3 issues
vlbacalserver	Program to serve via http real-time information on pulse cal, switched power, tsys, tcal values, and recent pointing solutions.	0.3	W. Brisken	helpdesk	vlbacalserver	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/vlbacalserver	C, RPM	One copy runs on each control computer and one copy runs on elbow (aggregator of all antennas), Rebuild on RH 7 for site CCs, keep an eye elbow version skew
VME boot image				Colburn				should remain on RH 7
VME RT_system	Original VLBA control and monitor system. It is still in use but its replacement has started. Until it is completely replaced it will run aside the observe program controlling and monitoring some hardware at the VLBA sites. VME VxWorks old system controller. Slated for replacement over next couple years. This does not run on the control computer but rather the VME "station computer".	5.4	B. Rowen	B. Rowen	VxWorks	/home/vlba/software (SCCS)	C, Real time	Does not run on CC and will not be installed on RH 7	n/a
vwd	The VLBA Watch Dog Watches various processes for activity and reports on timing errors, software not running when it should, and other oddities.	1.8-1	W. Brisken	helpdesk	vwd	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/vwd	C, RPM	Rebuild on RH 7

X-cube Software

There is one X-cube Ethernet Software Switch/Recorder (ESSR) installed at each VLBA site, one at GBT and one or more in the VLBA test rack. Installation instructions can be found at https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/NM/X-cube .

Versions below are installed as of Dec 21, 2016

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	RH 7 Notes	RH 7 Package Ready
sendit	improved packet recording and forwarding software to replace soft_switch		Walter					coming soon, implemented on RH 7
RH 7 xcube test system	vlb1-xcube-1 remote booted on RH 7		Colburn	Colburn
soft_switch	A program that turns the X-cube computer into an intelligent packet switcher. Through a VSI-S interface the routing of packets from two input interfaces to two output interfaces can be controlled. Pacing of output packets to improve absorption by the Mark5C is performed using a special Pause and Pace register of the Intel 10GbE interfaces. An option to capture packets as they flow through the unit is implemented. Burst mode (short term recording at rates greater than those supported by Mark5C) is supported. Additional functionality for real-time processing of baseband data is being added.	0.18	Wainright	helpdesk	soft_switch, logsoft_switch	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/soft_switch	C, RPM	Rebuild on RH 7, do not continue to use Intel NIC driver, remove 'pace' command
xcubepcal	Software to extract in real time pulse cal values from Mark5B or VDIF data streaming through the X-cube unit	0.22-1	W. Brisken	helpdesk	pcalxcube, logpcalxcube	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/xcubepcal	C, RPM	Rebuild on RH 7
mib_xcube	A MIB-emulator interface to x3vsi. Ultimately this will be changed to integrate directly with soft_switch	0.003	H. Ben Frej	helpdesk	mib_xcube	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/mib_xcube	C, RPM	Currently being re-retired, but will be modfied and re-implemented on RH 7 to support 'sendit' in the near future.
xcuberec	USNO data recorder, checkut1 utility		Walter					Rebuild on RH 7
DiFX utilities			Walter					Rebuild on RH 7
Network Monitor Software			Jay					Test and deploy
RFI Cataloger	Nathan's RFI cataloger		Alan?				Rebuild on RH 7
Ethernet Interface Naming	Preserve eth2, eth3, eth4 and eth5 interface names for soft_switch			Colburn				RH 7 Configuration
libevent packages	install libevent-devel-2.0.21-4.el7.x86_64 and libevent-2.0.21-4.el7.x86_64			Colburn				necessary for CC software

Mark6 Hardware

Mark6 Recorder Status Table

Station Mark6 Software

A Mark6 recorder will be installed at each VLBA station.

Mark6 Documentation:

Mark6 SMART Data Utility

Mark6 Metadata Restore Utility

Mark6 Module Initialization and Conditioning

Mark6 Mounting and Correlating a RAID Module

Mark6 Module Mounting and Unmounting Issues

Mark6 Module State Changes

Mark6 Cable Connections

Mark6 Module Disk Positions

Software installation instructions for station-based Mark6 units can be found at https://staff.nrao.edu/wiki/bin/view/NM/Mark6.

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
jive5ab	Data recording software provided by JIVE.	2.8.1	Harro Verkouter	M. Wainright	jive5ab	http://www.jive.nl/~verkout/evlbi/jive5ab-2.8.1.tar.gz	C/C++	Installed from source code by M. Wainright
mib_mark6	A program that connects to jive5ab to give EVLA-style monitor and control functionality as used by the Executor, the operator interface, and other VLBA online systems.	0.22	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej	mib_mark6	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/mib_mark6	C	MIB Emulator interfacing to jive5ab

Diskless Mark6 boot

William is working on a diskless boot for the Mark6 from the control computer.

RDBE Software

At each station, there are 2 RDBEs. The same software is loaded on the RDBEs using NFS mount to the control computer. A simple copy to the control computer, updates the software for both RDBEs.

Versions below are installed as of Sep 25, 2013

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
rdbe_server_starter	Starts and watches over rdbe_server	1.1	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej	rdbe_server_starter	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/rdbe_server/	C
rdbe_server	The program that interfaces to the RDBE FPGA, attenuator board and synthesizer board. It provides a VSI-S software interface for external monitor and control.	2.0.0	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej	rdbe_server	svn+ssh://vault.haystack.mit.edu/svnrepos/RDBE and https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/rdbe_server/	C
mib_rdbe_starter	Starts and watches over mib_rdbe	1.1	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej	mib_rdbe	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/mib_rdbe	C
mib_rdbe	MIB emulator running on PPC interfacing with rdbe_server and the executor or any EVLA style software	0.155	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej	mib_rdbe_starter	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/mib_rdbe	C

4x4 Matrix Software (T450)

At each station, there is one 4x4 Matrix switch. This is a physical MIB. The software is saved on the MIB flash.

Versions below are installed as of Sep 5, 2013

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
T450	Provides the EVLA style monitor and control interface required by the Executor, the operator interface, and other EVLA M&C derived software to the T450 matrix switch. This module provides a full cross-bar switching capability of the analog IFs (A, B, C, D) to the 2 pairs of RDBE signal inputs.	1.002/0.011	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/EVLA/mib/trunk/src/VLBAIFSWITCH/	C, Nucleus OS, TCP, UDP, Multicast, XML	Need to be loaded using the Xloader. Also Load the XML file. Latest image located in: /home/evla/software/MIB/bin/T450/Current

M401 Software

At each station, there is one M401 module. This is a physical MIB. The software is saved on the MIB flash.

Versions below are installed as of Sep 5, 2013

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
M401	Provides the EVLA style monitor and control interface required by the Executor, the operator interface, and other EVLA M&C derived software to the M401 utility module. This module controls band select switches / filters and the positioning of the ellipsoid.	1.005/0.005	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/EVLA/mib/trunk/src/VLBAM401/	C, Nucleus OS, TCP, UDP, Multicast, XML	Need to be loaded using the Xloader. Also Load the XML file. Latest image located in: /home/evla/software/MIB/bin/bin/M401/Current

MCC software

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
MCC	Monitor and control the MCB bus. Provides the EVLA style monitor and control interface required by the Executor, the operator interface, and other EVLA M&C derived software to the MCC module. This module controls all the modules connected to the MCB like the ACU, FRM, Masers, etc...	0.250	H. Ben Frej	H. Ben Frej		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/EVLA/mib/trunk/src/mcb_mib/	C, Realtime Linux, TCP, UDP, Multicast, XML	Updated using scp from the test module in the vlba test rack.

Operations Software

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
VLCj	This is a collection of screens to monitor and control the VLBA. The screens were originally written by Bob Greschke.		R. Moeser	R. Moeser		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/vlcj/	Java, Java Web Start	To be phased out with the VME (eventually).
VLBA OpsPack	This is the VLBA GUI including the VLBA monitor screen, the VLBA device browser, the VLBA alert screen, and some special purpose VLBA screens. This interfaces with the Executor and equipment exposing EVLA-style M&C.	1.7.5	R. Moeser / M. Bark			https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/opspack	Java, WebStart, JDBC, XML, JAX-B, UDP, HTTP	It is web startable from: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/asg-internal/software/vlba/
VLBA Monitor and Alert Loader	This program monitors a directory for VLBA monitor and alert data that has been uploaded by a collection process at each VLBA site. The data arrive as XML files bundled in a zip file. This program extracts the data from the file and writes the data to the database.		R. Moeser	R. Moeser		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/EVLA/loader/	Java, JDBC, XML, JAX-B	Deployed to Tomcat on chewbacca.
VLBA Alert Server	A program that gathers all alerts from the VLBA system and manages their current state, severity, descriptions, etc. The program also handles HTTP requests from various applications.		R. Moeser	R. Moeser		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/EVLA/alerts-server/	Java, Java Servlet, XML, JAX-B, HTTP	Deployed to Tomcat on VLBA control computers. One instance per VLBA site.
vex2difx	This one package includes several important operations programs. vex2difx itself is a correlator-specific program (see details below). vex2opt is used to produce phased-VLA control files for VLBI, vex2script is used to produce control scripts for the Executor for VLBA observing, queueVex is used to set up all VLBA antennas and GBT for observing given a vex control file (this in turn uses vex2script for conversion to python scripts). goUSNO is a special script used to prepare a daily USNO UT1-UTC observation. rdbetsys is used by operations after each observation to produce tables of system temperatures that will be attached to correlator output for calibration of the data. plottsys allows operations to plot this system temperature data.	2.3.0	W. Brisken and M. Bark		vex2script, queueVex, goUSNO, rdbetsys, plottsys, vex2opt	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/applications/vex2difx/trunk	C++, Python	Currently sharing repository with DiFX. difxio and difxmessage are dependencies. vex2script is tested through an automated test suite containing several example observation scenarios.
tsmplot	Program run by operations after every observation to plot system temperature values, weather, and pulse cal data from the legacy system.		R.C. Walker		tsmplot	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/Tsmplot/trunk/tsmplot	Fortran
Scenario	VLBA array scheduling and correlator scheduling tool		B. Clark	?		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/oms/		Part of the OMS package
rotanal	Processes data for determination of optimal subreflector rotation and focus settings.
rdbepoint	This program is still in development. It is intended to replace legacy system code for analysis of pointing data using data from the RDBE rather than the legacy baseband converters.	0.2	W. Brisken		rdbepoint, rdbepointmerge, ddcpoint	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/rdbepoint	C
ptanal	Main VLBA pointing and gain analysis routine		R.C. Walker		ptanal	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/Pointing/trunk/ptanal	Fortran	Some scripts used to drive the antennas to produce pointing data are in https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/Pointing/trunk/Scripts
pn3anal	Deals with "PN3DB" pointing test observations.
plotts	Plot long term history of system temperature and efficiency. Used by gethistory.		R.C. Walker		plotts			Not yet in revision control?
plottilt	Special routine to plot Pie Town tilt, which is observed to be changing in time in an unpredictable manner.
plotsum	Plot history of many parameters based on gethistory output
OMS	A standalone Java application for managing VLBA projects. Most of the data displayed by the application is backed by an Oracle database.		R. Moeser	?		https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/oms/	Java, Jython, JDBC, RMI	Config files and database result sets.
nrtfringetool	Program to orchestrate a multi-station fringe test		N. Towne		nrtop, nrtcorr, nrtupload, nrtclean	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/nrtfringediagnostic	Python, DiFX
newgain	Used by gethistory to derive new standard gain tables (used by operations and users)
legacy tools	Various small applications used by the VLBA ops and analysts. They are essential but quite old (90s). They were written to run on Solaris hosts but so far appear to be rebuildable on RHEL. They use a collection of legacy libraries contained in SVN under the "legacy" top-level directory.			J. Jacobs	addTapeTimes, ce1ggsta, chkce1, clog/drano, downtime, ltce1, makesm, newce1g, onCall, purgece1, schmaker, swap, tapece12, tapes, upvlba		C Python Shell
gethistory	Get long term history of pointing and gain results. Derive the standard gains file.		R.C. Walker		gethistory			Not yet in revision control? Gain files end up in /home/jansky3/vlbaops/TCAL/ , specifically file vlba_gains.key for the 10 VLBA antennas.
gaintable	Used by gethistory to make table of system temperature, efficiency, etc.
clockhist	Routine for looking at clock histories. Not in recent use, but perhaps should be.

DiFX

Currently there are two active versions of DiFX installed.

DIFX-2.2

This is the most recent stable version of DiFX. The base directory for this installation is: /home/swc/DiFX-2.2

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
difxio	This is a library used to parse and create DiFX control filesets (.input , .calc , .flag , and .im files). It is used by several key DiFX programs.	3.1.0	W. Brisken	W. Brisken		https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/libraries/difxio	C	Optionally can link to the JPL cspice library if spacecraft ephemeris evaluation is required.
difxmessage	A library to generate, send, receive, and parse multicast messages used within the DiFX system. It is a requirement for other DiFX utilties.	2.2.0	W. Brisken	W. Brisken		https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/libraries/difxmessage	C, Python
vdifio	A library used to decode and manipulate baseband data in VDIF format. comes with several utility programs for analyzing and manipulating baseband data files.	0.4	A. Deller	W. Brisken		https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/libraries/vdifio	C
mark5access	A library used to decode baseband data in the Mark4, VLBA, Mark5B and single-thread VDIF formats. Comes with several utility programs for analyzing and manipulating baseband data files.	1.4.5	W. Brisken	W. Brisken		https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/libraries/mark5access	C
difx2fits	A program to convert raw DiFX output into FITS-IDI format for processing within AIPS. This is used by a majority of observations processed by DiFX to put the output data into a format that can be used by standard software.	3.2.0	W. Brisken	W. Brisken	difx2fits	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/applications/difx2fits	C	difxio is a dependency.
difx2mark4, makefits	A program to convert raw DiFX output into Mark4 format suitable for processing within the Haystack Observatory Processing Software (HOPS). This is mostly used in geodetic applications but is also frequently used for mm-wave VLBI in the low signal to noise regime.	1.2	R. Cappallo (Haystack)	W. Brisken		https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/applications/difx2mark4	C, Python
vex2difx	A program to take a vex (VLBI Experiment) file, as usually produced by sched, and create a set of control files for the DiFX correlator. A second input file, the .v2d file, is used to supply additional or overriding values. Full documentation is available by clicking here.	2.2.0	W. Brisken	W. Brisken	vex2difx	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/applications/vex2difx	C++, python
Integrated Performance Primitives (IPP)	Intel's math library for efficient vector calculations.	7.0.6.293	Intel	W. Brisken		http://software.intel.com/en-us/intel-ipp		Math libraries
mpifxcorr	This is the core of the DiFX correlator. It is a cluster application that makes use of many computer and many cores within each to perform VLBI cross-correlation. This is an actively developed international project with complete more information available here .	2.2	A. Deller	W. Brisken	mpifxcorr	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/mpifxcorr	C++, MPI	The core of DiFX. vdifio, mark5access, difxmessage, and IPP are dependencies.
mk5daemon	A multipurpose program that runs on Mark5 units and DiFX cluster nodes to interface DiFX with the messaging system. In the Mark5C case it allows data recording as a substitute for DRS. Many Mark5 utility programs are packaged within.	2.2.0	W. Brisken	W. Brisken	mk5daemon	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/applications/mk5daemon	C / C++	mark5access, vdifio, and difxmessage are dependencies. streamstor is required for any Mark5-specific use; parts of this package can be compiled without.
calcif2	This program computes an interferometric delay model based on the observed scans of a VLBI observation. It makes RPC calls to an instance of calcserver to do the critical calculations. calcif2 itself is largely responsible for interfacing CALC with the DiFX fileset format.	2.2.0	W. Brisken	W. Brisken	calcif2	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/applications/calcif2	C	difxio is a dependency.
calcserver	calcserver is a program that exposes the scary details of the Goddard Calc program through a tamer RPC interface. This program was inherited by DiFX from the VLBA hardware correlator.	1.4	J. Benson, D. Gordon	W. Brisken	calcServer	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/applications/calcserver	C, Fortran
rcwlib	This library contains functions used by SniffPlots among others.	0.99	C. Walker	W. Brisken		https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/sites/NRAO/rcwlib	Fortran
SniffPlots	Several independent plotting programs useful for evaluating a correlation. plotapd plots amplitude, phase, and delay as a function of time for all baselines to a reference antenna. plotbp plots either cross- or auto-correlation spectra. plotwt plots the playback weights as a function of time for each antenna. plotgps plots local clock vs. GPS and determines the offset. Mainly used for long geodetic observations.	0.99	C. Walker	W. Brisken	plotapd, plotbp, plotwt, plotgps	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/sites/NRAO/SniffPlots	Fortran	rcwlib is a dependency.
difxdb	A collection of utilities to interact with various VLBA databases. difxqueue is used to manage correlator jobs. makemark4 is an outer layer script to run difx2mark4 on complicated experiments (not actually database related), mark5c2db will transfer some information from the new database to the legacy database to allow db2vex to operate properly, db2vex appends modules, clocks and EOP values to a vex file to simplify correlator setup, and difxarch copies data to the archive staging area.	1.16	W. Brisken	W. Brisken	difxqueue, makemark4, mark5c2db, db2vex, e2ecopy, difxarch	https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/master_tags/DiFX-2.2/sites/NRAO/difxdb	Python, C, Database
DOI	The DiFX Operator Interface. Interfaces to the database to retrieve jobs to run and to spawn correlator processes as needed.		M. Guerra	W. Brisken	doi.jar	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/VLBA/DiFXGui/trunk	Java, Database	Development halted by lack of developers. W. Brisken can make very minor changes. Many outstanding improvements desired.

DIFX-DEVEL

This is the evolving "trunk" version of DiFX. The base directory for this installation is: /home/swc/DiFX-trunk

More or less the same packages are available in trunk as are in the most recent version (above). A virtual svn trunk exists at: https://svn.atnf.csiro.au/difx/virtualtrunk . Checking out this directory will provide a snapshot of all supported DiFX packages.

User-facing software

Package	Description	Version	Developer	Installer	Key executable(s)	Repository	Technologies	Notes
sched	VLBI scheduling program used for nearly all non-geodetic VLBI globally. Mainly supported for the VLBA. The sched package comes with several utilities as well as the main program, mostly used in support of sched itself.	11.10	R.C. Walker	?	sched	https://svn.aoc.nrao.edu/repos/sched	Fortran	Used by operations and external users. sched has an extensive test file set used to verify continuity with previous versions.
Calibrator Search Tool (web app)	Calibrator Search tool is a web app that allows observers to search for calibration sources by coordinates. It will be migrated from cgi-bin C code to a Python web app.	n/a	A. Escobar (Python)	Helpdesk	TBD	TBD	Python, Pyramid web framework

Python Software Conversion

The VLBA software was written in Python 2; however, the Python world has moved on and Python3 is becoming the norm and Python 2 has gone into stasis. Originally many packages were Python 2 only but the major packages now support Python 3 and some newer software is Python 3 only. To adapt to this, the VLBA python software should be gradually be migrated to Python 3 until all software is in Python 3.

• All python modules should use the shebang line to explicitly select the python version:
  • #!/bin/env python2
  • #!/bin/env python3

• Applications undergoing major work should be converted to Python 3 as part of that modification. Operations/Analysis, etc., should be informed of the conversion.

• The computer-generated python that is derived by vex2script and executed by the executor uses an embedded interpreter and any revision of that will have to be done in sync with executor mods.

• Applications in Use

11 March 2019

Cron Jobs

The weather data for Mauna Kea is updated every 15 minutes and made available at https://ops.vlba.nrao.edu/mkweather/current.mk.weather .

The network speed for all VLBA sites is monitored every 15 minutes and is plotted at http://elbow:3000/login .

The repackagemetadata cron job merges multiple files per day into a single one.

LBO Web

Go here lboweb to look at the to-do and status of LBO web pages

TCP and UDP ports in use across the VLBA

A table of network ports in use can be found here

VLBA databases

A table of databases in use by the VLBA can be found here

-- WalterBrisken - 07 Dec 2012