Software Release Notes for Build "BP8"

Release Date: Jan 20th, 2011
Generic Release Name: BP8
Public Release Name: "Binocular Observing" release 8
General Description: This release is an extension of BP7 with bug fixes and improvements to many of the TCS subsystems. The bulk of the changes are for binocular operations as it relates to the PCS, IIF, PSF, and GCS. Regarding Binocular Operations this is the second serious attempt to properly control mount pointing, locking/unlocking in the pointing kernel, and guiding using tip/tilt.

Telescope Operator Overview Information

• ptlist/ptreset/ptmodify have been updated to handle properly incorrect invocation of the utilities. Further, to allow for flexibility in handling more complex pointing models, any term can be specified in ptmodify.

   Usage: utilityName [side] [termName] [termValue]
         where
         utilityName = ptlist | ptreset | ptmodify
         side      = integer value (0 | 1 | 2 where 0=Left, 1=Right, and 2=Both)
         termName  = string (e.g., ia or IA)
         termValue = floating point value
         only ptmodify uses the parameters termName and termValue.

• The IIF Preset/Offset abort has been expanded. It is now sided, and can be requested anytime during a Preset or Offset, instead of just during a mount wait. The Preset/Offset command handler will abort as soon as it can, but the abort can not happen while the IIF is waiting for another subsystem to return from a request.

• GCS: moved the reset of exposure times of the cameras to the end of the guide star update and the related probe movement procedure to avoid delays caused by waiting for the cameras to respond if a previous exposure was running. Now the probe moves first which burns off time and practically runs the probe move and the running exposure in parallel, reducing the overhead. This should result in a faster preset after interrupting a previous active preset and immediately sending a new target.

Support Astronomer Overview Information

• PSF: When Zernike coefficients are sent from the PSFGUI, Z11/Z22 focus compensation is always applied to the mirror in question, rather than following the arbitrator M1/M2 setting. And the arbitrator focus compensation M1/M2 setting control has been moved inside the Secondary Control box.
• PCS: Specification of an epoch = 2000.0 has been verified to be supported for Position Objects (e.g., target, guide and reference stars).
• IIF: The new default behavior for synchrouous Presets/Offsets is to wait for both to arrive before starting any processing. This can be changed on the IIF GUI Control form.

The Details

Specific Tests that need to be performed with the Telescope

• Software Tests and Status

Patches to the Release

• none.

Known Bugs

• none.

Release Overview

• none.

IIF list of Public Data Dictionary Variables

• IIF Public Data Dictionary Variables compatible with this release.

Operating System, System Configuration, TCS and Hardware Computers

TCS Servers / Workstations

• none.

agw-control computer

• none.

jet computer, DSP, FPGA

• none.

Networks

• none.

PLCs

• none.

TCS Subsystems and GUIs, and significant configuration files

lbt.conf

• none.

AGw control server

• none.

AOS - Adaptive Optics

• none.

ECS - Enclosure Control

• none.

ENV - Environmental Sensors

• ENVGUI Version 1.5
  • Add the new DIMM elevation value to the DIMM display.

IIF - Instrument Interface

• IIF Version 8.7
  • Improve (remove extraneous) TCSSendWavefront output.
  • Overlap sided operations in Authorize for efficiency (IssueTrak 3063).
  • Add BENTGREGORIANREARFIBERFEED focal station check in focal station aware commands for PEPSI support.
  • Disable PSF tip/tilt updates from the PCS in Preset if in monocular mode.
  • Add reflective memory variable iif.DIMM.elevation and public name DIMMElevation (IssueTrak 3090).
  • New general purpose client command config() replacing simulator() and debug().
  • Add support for waiting for both sync Presets/Offsets to arrive. The behavior can be toggled on the IIFGUI control form, and the default is in lbt.conf.
  • Add receive events for sync Presets/Offsets if waiting for both.
  • Add build string to reflective memory with public name Build.
  • Add warning return status for BinocularControl command.
  • Change time to wait for onSource to go false in waitForTelescope() from 2 seconds to 0.5 seconds. The parameter is now settable in lbt.conf. The same parameter is used the same way in waitForElevation().
  • Measure the elapsed time in Preset from when the PCS gets the target to when the waitForElevation is started. If the time is longer than the above parameter (default 0.5 seconds) the wait for condition going false is skipped. The same process is applied to waitForTelescope(). This will eliminate most of the fixed 2 second delays previously generated in Preset.
  • Expand abort operation for Presets/Offsets. The abort (which is now sided) sets a flag and the Preset/Offset command handler will abort as soon as possible.

• IIFGUI Version 3.6
  • Use new config() method.
  • Add control for toggling wait for both sync Presets/Offsets.
  • Support sided Preset/Offset abort.

GCS V2.4.2 - Guiding Control

• adding optional new AGW configuration variable to right AGW configuration files AIP_R.cfg and AIP_IRTC.R.cfg called WFS_redefine_hex_z. It defaults to "478" if not defined and is set to "456" in the aforementioned files to satisfy IT #3083
• added code to WFSingThread.hpp/cpp to support new configuration variable WFS_redefine_hex_z and send only the therein defined Zernike coefficitents to PSF if RMS exceeds the limit defined in WFS_z_rms_hex_only (1000.0 nm)
• moved oacontrol_IP configuration from AGW config files to lbt.conf. Added type of AGW to oacontrol_IP keyname to separate the different types and associate them with different servers
• GCSL/R.oacontrol_IP_AIP and GCSL/R.oacontrol_IP_OSU added to lbt.conf
• commented out all oacontrol_IP entries in existing AGW configuration files and added a comment that the entry has been moved to lbt.conf
• added GuideCam.acqSources to DD to document number of sources found in acquisition image by Source Extractor (this will tell the GUI in the future to possibly ask for confirmation/selection of guide star during acquisition)
• added code to support the new DD variable GuideCam.acqSources
• added GuideCam.acqManualSelect to DD to allow GUI to perform manual GS selection during acquisition (if multiple sources were found) in the future. For now this is set to false until we better understand how to implement this feature.
• moved the reset of exposure times of the cameras to the end of the setGuidestarList procedure to avoid delays caused by waiting for the cameras to respond if a previous exposure was running. Now the probe moves first which burns off time and practically runs the probe move and the running exposure in parallel, reducing the overhead.

LSS - Logging and Events

• none.

MCS / mcstemp - Mount Control

• none.

OSS - Optical Support

• none.

PCS - Pointing Control

• PCS_Version-6.11
  • Verified the user can specify a epoch which is NOT 2000.0 for both the target and the guide/reference stars. The equinox still must be the J2000.0 reference frame.
  • Ensure the effective wavelength for the guide star being used by PCS is the value contained in PCSInstrument.conf (i.e., the wavelength for guide stars is no longer hardcoded to 0.63 microns).
  • While error messages/events were already issued on PCS start-up regarding missing pointing model files, additional code was added to protect the PCS from aborting when actually attempting to access a specific file.
  • Fixed a potential bug in the setting of the target wavelength used for computing the rotator center. The user setting for a target wavelength must be 0.3 <= wave <= 15.0 microns. If the user does not provide a wavelength, the IIF uses a value of 0.0. If the PCS sees an input value of 0.0 for the target wavelength, the PCS overrides this value with the default wavelength value in its configuration file. There was potential for the PCS to use the value of 0.0 as a valid wavelength for computing the rotator center; this potential has been removed.
  • In monocular mode, the PCS internally authorizes the instrument on both sides for ease of many computations and decisions. However, since the PCS does not really perform all actions on the None side (e.g., communicate with the rotator), a majority of warnings for the None side are blocked.
  • ptlist/ptreset/ptmodify have been updated to handle properly incorrect invocation of the utilities. Further, to allow for flexibility in handling more complex pointing models, any term can be specified in ptmodify.

   Usage: utilityName [side] [termName] [termValue]
         where
         utilityName = ptlist | ptreset | ptmodify
         side      = integer value (0 | 1 | 2 where 0=Left, 1=Right, and 2=Both)
         termName  = string (e.g., ia or IA)
         termValue = floating point value
         only ptmodify uses the parameters termName and termValue.

PCS GUI

• none.

Pointing Kernel / Pointing Kernel tools

• none.

PMC - Primary Mirror Cell

• PMCGUI Version 5.12
  • Re-compute the length of the matlab variables when a thermal sensor's 'good' status is changed so all the plots are correct.

PSF - Point Spread Function

• PSF Version 4.54
  • Apply IssueTrak 3070 to coma requests from the LBC. This just applies a rotation correction.
  • Remove support for OSS movement on a sphere.
  • Add focusComp argument to adjustMirror client commands for primary and secondary mirrors.
  • Modify arbitrator logic so zernikes sent to ope M1 always go to M1 and similarly for M2. This includes Z11/Z22 focus compensation.
  • Add 'zernikes' command to psfclient.
• PSFGUI Version 4.33
  • Remove OSS movement on a sphere support.
  • Remove 'focus comp' display from primary mirror form.
  • Support new focusComp argument in adjustMirror client commands.
  • Move focus compensation control into Secondary Control box on arbitrator form.
  • Focus compensation control is disabled unless secondary is in 'split' mode.

TCS GUI

• none.

WX - Weather Station

• none.

TCS Common Software

commandreturn - client command status returns

• none.

commandsequencer - client/subsystem command handling

• Add a diagnostic SysLog message if freeHandle() fails.

core - foundation routines

• Insure the configuration class always reads lbt.conf the first time.

datadictionary - reflective memory and event support

• none.

eventhandler - event handling

• none.

networkconfig - subsystem management

• Protect networkserver from being explicitely started.

reflectivememory - global shared memory

• Improve SysLog message for late data blocks.

rpc - communication protocol

• none.

setvalue - reflective memory access

• none.

tcs_config - tcs configuration

• none.

TCS Tools

DDEditor - Data Dictionary Editor

• none.

DDBrowser - Data Dictionary Browser

• none.

DDViewer - Data Dictionary Viewer

• none.

Event Editor

• none.

Telemetry

Collector

• none.

Instruments and Environmental Sensors

DIMM - Differential Image Motion Monitor

• New reflective memory variable iif.DIMM.elevation (DIMMElevation) holds current DIMM elevation in degrees.

idl

• none.

iraf

• none.

IRTC - Infrared Test Camera

• none.

LBC - LBT Binocular Camera

• none.

LBTO Weather Station - 3DWGUI

• none.

MAT - Mount Axilliary Telescope

• none.

All Sky Monitor

• none.

-- NormCushing - 07 Jan 2011