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Configuring Data Communications

The method you use for configuring McIDAS-XCD communications depends on the source of your data. Find the one configuration of the four listed below that best describes how you will be receiving data, then complete its instructions.

Local NOAAPORT SDI

Use this procedure if your data source is the NWS NOAAPORT broadcast and your McIDAS-XCD software is on the same workstation as the SDI ingestor.

  1. From a McIDAS-X session running under the oper account, run the batch file NOAAPORT.BAT to activate the text and binary circuits and to configure WMO header routings for the NTXT circuit.
  2. The NOAAPORT circuit configuration files should contain the correct values. In the configuration files NTXT.CFG and NBIN.CFG in the
    ~oper/mcidas/data directory, verify that the /tmp/jmb.fifo. # value on the FILE= line is set to the values shown below.

    3. Path and file name

    Installation defaults

    Circuit Type

    ~oper/mcidas/data/NTXT.CFG

    /tmp/jmb.fifo.1

    Text

    ~oper/mcidas/data/NBIN.CFG

    /tmp/jmb.fifo.2

    Binary

Remote NOAAPORT SDI

Use this procedure if your data source is the NWS NOAAPORT broadcast and your McIDAS-XCD software is on a workstation other than the SDI ingestor workstation.

  1. From a McIDAS-X session running under the oper account, run the batch file NOAAPORT.BAT to activate the text and binary circuits and to configure WMO header routings for the NTXT circuit.
  2. Determine the IP name or address of the host running the NOAAPORT SDI ingestor. SSEC recommends that the workstation running the NOAAPORT SDI ingestor and the workstation running -XCD reside on the same local area network.

  3. Edit the configuration files NTXT.CFG and NBIN.CFG in the ~oper/mcidas/data directory. In each file, comment out the FILE= and PERM= lines by inserting a pound sign ( # ) at the beginning of the line.

  4. Uncomment the HOST= and HOST_PORT= lines by removing the pound sign ( # ). These lines define the host and TCP port number used by the McIDAS-XCD ingestors. In each file, change the default value on the HOST= line to the IP name or address of the SDI ingestor. You should not have to modify the HOST_PORT= line. The default values are listed below.

    5. Path and file name

    HOST

    HOST_PORT

    Circuit Type

    ~oper/mcidas/data/NTXT.CFG

    127.0.0.1

    1501

    Text

    ~oper/mcidas/data/NBIN.CFG

    127.0.0.1

    1502

    Binary

LDM

Use this procedure if your data source is the LDM.

  1. From a McIDAS-X session running under the oper account, run the batch file NOAAPORT.BAT to configure WMO header routings for the NTXT circuit.
  2. Deactivate the text and binary circuits. This is necessary because the LDM will feed data directly into McIDAS-XCD's text and binary ingestors.
  3. Edit the configuration files NTXT.CFG and NBIN.CFG in the ~oper/mcidas/data directory. In each file, comment out the FILE= , PERM= , HOST= , and HOST_PORT= lines and add the following line.

    4. FILE=STDIN

  4. The lines in your pqact.conf file for DDS, PPS, IDS, HRS, NNEXRAD, etc., should be piped to either /home/oper/mcidas/bin/ingebin.k or /home/oper/mcidas/bin/ingetext.k, as shown in the example below (use tabs, not spaces, to separate items within the lines).

    5. PPS|DDS|IDS  ^.*  PIPE  /home/oper/mcidas/bin/ingetext.k  NTXT
HDS|NNEXRAD  ^.*  PIPE  /home/oper/mcidas/bin/ingebin.k   NBIN

    Note: The LDM must be started/stopped from the oper account. Therefore the ~ldm/data directory and the ~ldm/data/ldm.pq file must be writable by user oper.


Family of Services

Use this procedure if your data source is the Family of Services.

  1. From a McIDAS-X session running under the oper account, initialize the circuit data file.
  2. Activate the Family of Services circuits from which you will be receiving data.

  3. Determine the PORT=/dev/tty nn values of the communications port on your workstation.

  4. Edit the configuration files DDS.CFG , PPS.CFG , IDS.CFG , and HRS.CFG in the ~oper/mcidas/data directory. In each file, change the /dev/tty nn value on the PORT= line to the value determined instep 3. The default values are listed below.

    5. Path and file name

    Installation defaults

    ~oper/mcidas/data/DDS.CFG

    PORT=/dev/ttyC0

    ~oper/mcidas/data/PPS.CFG

    PORT=/dev/ttyC1

    ~oper/mcidas/data/IDS.CFG

    PORT=/dev/ttyC2

    ~oper/mcidas/data/HRS.CFG

    PORT=/dev/ttyC3

  5. Log on to the root account and add the following lines to the end of the file /etc/rc.local to prevent the owner privileges of your communications port from changing when you boot the workstation. The pound sign ( # ) represents the letter specific to the communications port on your workstation. For example, if your communication device names are the same as those listed in step 4, tty#0 is set to ttyC0 and tty#? is set to ttyC? .

    6. if  [ -f /dev/tty#0 ]; then
    chown root /dev/tty#?
    chmod 776 /dev/tty#?
fi
  6. Log out of the root account.

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