Specifications

For security and safety reasons, certain functions may be restricted for users which are not
physically present.
2. The primary logical interface with users will be via selected standard internet pr otocols. Com-
mand line operation via the secure shell (ssh) protocol will be provided for both monitoring and
control. To use this facility, users will login to a Linux-based op er ating system using personal
accounts set up for them by the MCS system administrator.
2
An http-based monitoring-only
capability will also be available to permit monitoring via a web browser. Other protocols and
capabilities will be provided at the discretion of Virginia Tech.
3. Some application software will be provided. See Section 5 for specific information.
4. Dedicated computer(s) to serve as a station “console” or “status display” are not within the
scope of this work, but software suitable to implement those functions on computers provided
by the LWA Project Office will be provided. This will be essentially the same software described
in items 2 and 3. It is recommended that at least one computer be permanently installed in the
station as a local user console, and that this computer also have a second wall-mounted large-
screen monitor that continuously displays the output of the default monitoring application.
5. Users will be able to obtain any information which is monitored or logged by MCS.
6. Users will be able to issue commands. The specific commands which can be issued will depend
on the user, as identified by that user’s login. Not all users will be allowed to use all commands.
7. A group of commands will be provided for the definition and scheduling of observations. See
Section 6 for additional information.
5 Application Software
Some application software will be provided. This software will not be required to operate the station,
and is intended only as a convenience to users. Specifically, this software will (1) provide a graphical
user interface (GUI) alternative to the basic/default command line method of operation, and (2)
provide an example for others who wish to develop more elaborate application software.
The applications will communicate with MCS using only the standard methods described in Sec-
tion 4, item 2. The applications will be developed primarily in Python, and will use an open-source
GUI toolkit. In some cases ANSI C will also b e used. An effort will be made to develop this software
in such a way that all common operating systems and distributions are supported either explicitly
or through a straightforward porting mechanism (e.g., recompilation). However, the software will
be developed using Ubuntu Linux, and the applications will be tested and validated only for this
OS/distribution.
The following is a list of application software that will be provided as part of the LWA-1 IOC MCS.
These applications will be available in both command line and GUI versions, except as indicated.
1. Monitoring application. Provides selected subsets of all possible data. Possible subsets could
be: A summary status display (i.e., something suitable for a wall-mounted monitor); Data sum-
marizing the status of a specific observation; a table of measured total power for each antenna
(useful as a diagnostic); and so on. Command line application provides same information, but
in numerical form only and without continuous updating.
2. Scheduling application. Provides a graphical interface for defining and scheduling an obser-
vation. For additional information on observing, see Section 6. Not available as a command
line application. An “off-line” version of this application will also be provided as an aid in
planning observations.
2
The system administrator will be a Virginia Tech designee until IOC. This responsibility should at that time be
formally transferred to an LWA Project Office representative.
4