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Configuring McIDAS-XCD

Configuring McIDAS-XCD is a multistep process that has been simplified in Unidata McIDAS-X by the inclusion of the configuration script mcxconfig. mcxconfig leads the user through the steps that are need to configure McIDAS-XCD by asking questions about what the user intends to process with McIDAS-XCD decoders, and by advising what needs to be done to complete the configuration of both McIDAS-X and McIDAS-XCD.

To run mcxconfig logon onto the workstation as the user mcidas and do the following:

Answer the questions asked by mcxconfig and complete the instructions listed at the end of mcxconfig to configure XCD.

NB: The remainder of this section gives an overview of the steps that mcxconfig leads the user through. The reader can safely skip reading the information below!

 



 

If you already have a McIDAS-X session running under the Unix login name mcidas, start with step 2. Enter commands exactly as shown; case is important.

  1. Log on to the workstation as the user mcidas and start a McIDAS-X session.

  2. Copy the McIDAS schema repository file, SCHEMA, to the directory in which you want your XCD decoders to create output data files making sure that it has group read and write permissions:

    xcddatadirectory must be the full Unix pathname of the target directory (example: /data/ldm/mcidas). It must be readable and writable by mcidas and by the user that runs the Unidata LDM (user ldm).

  3. Define the McIDAS string XCDDATA to contain the same full Unix path of the directory in which you want XCD decoders to write their output McIDAS data files as you specified above. From the McIDAS session,
  4. For example:

  5. Run the batch file XCD.BAT.
  6. The message "BATCH:DONE" must be displayed before you can continue.

    XCD.BAT adds file REDIRECTions for several data files, saves them in the REDIRECTion table, and initializes the GROUPS.DAT and COUNTRY.DAT files.

  7. List the active data circuits.
  8. The table below lists the default values of the circuits for the Family of Services data stream for Unidata McIDAS-X.

    Circuit Active Comm. Port Command Configuration File
    DDS no none INGETEXT DDS.CFG
    PPS no none INGETEXT PPS.CFG
    IDS no< none INGETEXT IDS.CFG
    HRS no none INGEBIN HRS.CFG

    You will note that all circuits are set inactive by default. You should leave them configured like this in order for XCD to work with the Unidata LDM!

  9. List the active data monitors, their associated decoders, and status.

    The table below lists the default status of data monitors and decoders.

    Data Monitor Decoder MD File Status Description Configuration File
    DMSFC SAODEC 1-10 Active Surface hourly ISFCDEC.CFG

    DMRAOB

    RABDEC

    11-30

    Active

    Upper air

    IRABDEC.CFG

    TEMPSHIPDEC

    41-50

    Active

    TEMP SHIP

    ITSHPDEC.CFG

    DMSYN

     

    SYNDEC 51-60 Active Synoptic SYNDEC.CFG
    SHPDEC 31-40 Active Ship/Buoy ISHPDEC.CFG
    DMMISC NAMMOS 101-110 Active NAM MOS NAMMOS.CFG
    GFSMOS 111-120 Active GFS MOS GFSMOS.CFG
    PIRDEC 61-70 Active PIREP/AIREP PIRPDEC.CFG
    TERDEC   Active Terminal Fcst TERMDEC.CFG
    TIRDEC   Inactive TIROS NAV TIRDEC.CFG
    MDRDEC   Inactive MDR grids MDRDEC.CFG
    DMGRID GRIBDEC   Inactive NMC GRIDS GRIBDEC.CFG
    DMBIN GRBFILER   Inactive GRIB & BUFR GRBFILER.CFG
    DMCOND CONDUITFILER   Inactive GRIB2 CONFILER.CFG
    DMNEXR NEXRFILE   Inactive NEXRAD prods NEXRFILE.CFG

    NOTE: Unidata recommends against using the XCD DMNEXR data monitor. We believe that is much better to configure the LDM to file the wanted NEXRAD Level 3 products directly.

  10. Use the DECINFO command to activate or deactivate any data monitors and decoders you want/do not want to run. Please note that deactivating a data monitor will deactivate all decoders that the data monitor runs. See McIDAS-XCD Administrative Commands for details on running DECINFO.

  11. Example of activating decoding of NOAAPORT model grids:

    The DMBIN decoder files GRIB1 and GRIB2 messages into files of the same format and populates a MySQL database. To activate GRIB data filing for use with the ADDE GRIB server, run DECINFO as follows:

    NOTEs:

    The DMGRID data monitor decodes GRIB1 messages into McIDAS grids and stores the grids into McIDAS Grid files. To activate GRIB data decoding, run DECINFO as follows:

  12. Example of activating decoding of NCEP model grids received in the LDM/IDD CONDUIT feed (Optional)

    If you will be decoding CONDUIT products, you must activate the DMCOND data monitor to do the processing, DMCOND.

You should notice very soon after starting the CONDUIT decoder that there is another entry in the ingestor section of the statdisp display. CONDUIT data should now be written to CONDUIT.SPL by the binary ingestor using the NCON circuit.


Table of contents Previous: UPC Building and Installing McIDAS-XCD Next: XCD Configuring Additional GRIB2 ADDE Datasets