PUPPI backend
The PUPPI backend can be used from CIMA for pulsar observations. However, it has few limitations and its own quirks, so please read the following FAQ carefully before starting any observation.
Command File Observing Examples
CATALOG psr.cat
LOAD cima_puppi.conf
SEEK B0834+06
ADJUSTPOWER
# 90 sec Cal scan followed by 600 sec normal scan
SETUP pulsaron secs = 600 loops = 1 caltype = winkcal calsecs = 90 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
# 300 sec normal scan without any cal scan
SETUP pulsaron secs = 300 loops = 1 caltype = nocal calsecs = 90 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
# For 327 MHz receiver, only possible winkcaltype is hcorcal. 90 sec hcorcal scan followed by 600 sec normal scan
SETUP pulsaron secs = 600 loops = 1 caltype = winkcal calsecs = 90 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = hcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
# Change parfile name
EXEC change_puppi_parfile "/home/gpu/tzpar/B1133+16.par"
# Wait temporary for 180 seconds with Check power levels (or any other message)
EXEC wait_puppi_temporary "180" "Check Power level now manually in puppimaster promtp "
# Increase and Decrease scales by a factor of 5
EXEC change_puppi_scales "increase" "5"
EXEC change_puppi_scales "decrease" "5"
EXEC change_puppi_scales "set" "00100000"
Setting PUPPI Scales
PUPPI scale value needs to be configured depending on the number of channels, Bandwidth (receiver), Sampling time etc. and might be different for your particular setup from the default values. I have implemented the scales values shown in table below while configuring PUPPI. The scale is changed when you click "Accept/Apply" button on the PUPPI backend window and/or load a configuration file. For other cases, the default values is set. If you are using one of the settings below, you no longer need to use increase/decrease scales commands anymore.
If your experiment uses different setup, then you can check your scale settings by following these steps. You can then use the following commands to set the scales. Please do email me, so I can provide that information to other users.
Recommended Values For Coherent modes
| Bandwidth [MHz] |
Channels |
Scale_P(01) [hex] |
Comments |
| 800 |
512 |
'00800000' |
default |
| 100 |
64 |
'00400000' |
for low freq receivers |
Recommended Values For Incoherent modes
| Bandwidth [MHz] |
Channels |
Sampling Time (us) |
Scale_P(IQUV) [hex] |
Comments |
| 800 |
FAST4K |
66.56 |
'01000000' |
default |
| 800 |
2048 |
64 |
'10000000' |
none |
| 800 |
1024 |
64 |
'01000000' |
default |
| 800 |
512 |
64 |
'04000000' |
none |
| 100 |
FAST4K |
81.92 |
'01000000' |
default |
UPDATES
When a STOP command was being processed in PUPPI server script, it would stop both the GPU's and puppimaster. Now it is modified such that for incoherent mode, only the puppimaster is stopped, while for coherent modes, only the gpu's are stopped.
It is now possible to use 2800 MHz Center Frequency with CIMA-PUPPI. To do this we recommend you to use one of the pre-set configuration file for IF/LO configuration and use '3100 MHz' for the CIMA Center Frequency in IF/LO menu. When you configure PUPPI backend, you should notice 'freq' : '2800' being sent to PUPPI.
Only limited set of IF/LO settings are supported for PUPPI and it is recommended to use one of the pre-existing conf file. If any other settings (than these config files) is used, then a warning message is shown.
The observing frequency (OBSFREQ in guppi_status window) sent over to PUPPI is computed assuming settings similar to one of these config files is being used. In that case for 327 and 430 receiver, the puppi obsfreq is same as cima center frequency. For sbw and lbw, puppi obsfreq is 300MHz + cima center frequency
PUPPI does not support Total Intensity option under Coherent Fold/Cal modes. This has been removed from CIMA. Full Stoke option should be used instead.
5 seconds of wait has been added after Cal observations to ensure that it is properly completed before other mode of observation are started. The starting time wait has also been increased from 7 second to 10 second to ensure all parameters are properly updated before it starts recording data. More log messages has been added for debugging purposes. This is to ensure that puppi starts and stops smoothly.
An update has been made to the server scripts in Puppimaster to fix coherent search mode, by adding the dstime paramater. Also the warning of parfile mismatched has been removed for coherent_search mode.
An update has been made to the server scripts in Puppimaster. Now the current telescope position RA, DEC, RA_STR, Dec_STR, AZ and ZA are being updated every second. You should observe this in the guppi status window. The CIMA version number is still the same, as no changes was made there.
Fixed a minor bug in CIMA offline mode.
Due to RFI, the automated adjustment script didnot work for S-band receiver, and also caused CIMA to crash. Now CIMA shows aborts with error in case it cannot fix power levels automatically. On PUPPI side, PUPPI makes three attempt to adjust power to within 2.0 DB for SBW and 1.0 DB for other receivers. Then it makes two more attempts by adding 0.5 DB each time. The CIMA Log has been modified to inform users of the power adjustment accuracy. In case of RFI, PUPPI might not be able to automatically adjust power, in which case, CIMA will abort, and you would have to manually adjust power and continue with the observation.
A bug in CIMA has been fixed so that the maximum allowed Fold Bin is checked only for Incoherent/Coherent Fold modes.
The number of bins (both for Cal and Fold Scan):
- Should be multiple of 64.
- In Coherent Mode, less than or equal to 16384.
- In Incoherent Mode, (bin * number of channel) should be less than or equal to 2097152.
- The default values of bin for Fold Scans is 2048 and for Cal Scan is 512.
It is now possible to change dumptime and bin from command file observing for Fold and Cal Scans using following command:
- EXEC change_puppi_dumptime "type" "dumptime" "bins"
- EXEC change_puppi_dumptime "CAL" "4" "512"
- EXEC change_puppi_dumptime "FOLD" "1" "1024"
'Type' can be either 'CAL' or 'FOLD', dumptime is integer value that denotes the dump seconds, and bins should follow restrictions described above. It is not possible to set dumptime or bins individually, you would have to provide both inputs. This command should only be used after loading configuration file and/or configuring PUPPI, but before starting an observation. This command can be checked in offline CIMA prior to observation.
To run a ON/OFF Source Calibration scan, the ponoffcal mode is suitable, but it has not been properly integrated into PUPPI. A simple fix has been made for basic usability of this command from command file observing.
A recursive calling of STOP command in some cases of Abort has been resolved. Also, now its only called once, before starting a observation to ensure that its properly stopped.
The default scale settings for some specific cases has been changed following recommendation from Paul and Scott. See the tables above for the changes made.
The change_puppi_scales (see Update 20 Aug 2013) has been modified to be able to set a specific value of scales in 32 bit hex.
- EXEC change_puppi_scales "set" "01000000"
The two other option (increase and decrease) are still available. See above for both recommended values and method to find scale for your particular setup.
The PUPPI server code has been significantly improved to fix some of the recent bugs: (i) getting traceback error during winkcal and normal observation and (ii) PUPPI not stopping during Abort.
For Coherent mode, the numeric part of the source is compared with the numeric part of the parfile. If there is no match, a warning message is shown in the CIMA log messages.
After every scan, CIMA sends 'STOP' command to stop the PUPPI, even though it should automatically stop after the scanlen time (but just to be sure).
The Pop-Up Wait window syntax (see Update of 16 Jul 2013) has been modified. A time and message input has been added as follows:
- EXEC wait_puppi_temporary "seconds" "message"
"seconds" is the number of seconds the Pop-Up window will be open. If the "Continue" button in the Pop-Up Window is not clicked by this time, then CIMA will ABORT with Error message. The content of the "message" is displayed on the Pop-Up window. If the observer is not the same person as the one who wrote the command file, then you can write message as such to guide the observer:
- EXEC wait_puppi_temporary "180" "Verify PUPPI power levels using 'guppi_adc_hist' in the puppimaster terminal"
In case of Error, you can start executing the command file from the same point.
It is now possible to change scales of PUPPI using following in command-file observing:
- EXEC change_puppi_scales "type" "value"
"type" can only be "increase" or "decrease", depending on if you want to increase or decrease the scales. The "value" is an integer number by which factor the initial scales value will be increased or decreased. This command is identical to increase_scales(5) in puppimaster (used by some users using L-band wide in Incoherent mode).
CAUTION: If you run this command twice, then the scales will be increased by a factor of value^2. Also, anytime you load a configuration file and/or click "Accept/Apply" in the PUPPI backend window, the FPGA parameters are reset to its original values.
UPDATE See Update of this command on 27 Aug 2013.
The option to use only partial channels for 327 MHz and 430 MHz receivers, by using the Bandwidth use menu in the PUPPI configuration window, has been disabled for Coherent Modes. This option is only to be used for Incoherent Observing modes.
The Adjust Power wait time between the first attempt and second attempt has been increased to 5 seconds (was 2 sec). This increase was made so that IF2 power would be properly set before sending the second power adjust command to PUPPI.
The default value for Fold/Cal Dumptime is changed to 10s and Bin of 2048. This setting is used in puppi_observe routine.
CIMA can now adjust PUPPI power (levels) automatically (using Glenn Jones code). You can do so by clicking "Adjust ALL" or "Adjust backend" button from "Power Control" menu. The former adjusts "IF1" and "IF2" power levels before adjusting PUPPI power levels. You can also use "ADJUSTPOWER" in command file observing which is same as "Adjust ALL". PUPPI needs to be configured before adjusting power.
How does this work in detail? CIMA first sends PUPPI a command to adjust power. PUPPI tries 3 times to adjust the levels within 2.0 db of guppi_adc_hist recommendation for SBW receiver and within 1.0 db for all other receivers. On the fourth and fifth attempt, it will try to adjust the levels within by adding 0.5 db to this difference. If the levels cannot converge (due to RFI or other issues), an error message is send back to CIMA and the observation is aborted. If CIMA manages to adjust power automatically it means that the adjustment has been done within 2.0 db (max=3.0 db) for SBW and within 2.0 db (max=2.0 db) for all other receivers.
If the required PUPPI attenuation is out of the range (0 - 15.5 db), then PUPPI will send this information back to CIMA. The IF2 power levels are then readjusted, and then second and final adjust power command is send to PUPPI. CIMA waits for 5 second before sending the second attempt to make sure that the IF2 levels are set properly . If the power adjust fails the second time, then the observation is aborted.
The power adjustment can take about 3 - 30 seconds. During my tests with (L-band wide, 430, 327, S band), the power was adjusted in less than 15 seconds. Please keep an open eye for RFI, which can cause the automated power adjustment to fail.
For command file observing, use SEEK 'source_name' rather than GOTO 'source_name' (as I had previously mentioned on this page). The GOTO command will not ensure that the the telescope is on source when you are adjusting power. But SEEK command will ensure that the telescope is on source. You can use the following example:
CATALOG psr.cat
LOAD cima_puppi_search_mode.conf
SEEK B0834+06
ADJUSTPOWER
LOG "Reminder to use SEEK and not GOTO command."
LOG "Adjustpower command adjust all IF1, IF2 and the selected backend"
SETUP pulsaron secs = 600 loops = 1 caltype = nocal calsecs = 90 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
LOG "Observation Completed."
By using the following command in command file observing, you can generate a pop up wait window. This wait window waits indefinitely, so please be careful while using it. The message shown is 'Please adjust powers in PUPPI manually and then press continue'. This function will probably be removed once an automated adjusting power levels will be implemented.
- EXEC wait_puppi_temporary
This update is no longer valid as this function has been modified. See 20 Aug 2013: Update on Pop-Up Wait Window
CIMA ignores less than 5 seconds of integration time. This allows to use less than 5 seconds in Integration Field in Pulsar Observing menu, and to only take Cal scans.
By using the following command in command file observing, you can generate a pop up wait window. This wait window waits indefinitely, so please be careful while using it. The message shown is 'Please adjust powers in PUPPI manually and then press continue'. This function will probably be removed once an automated adjusting power levels will be implemented.
- EXEC wait_puppi_temporary
COHERENT_CAL and CAL modes has removed from the 'Backend control' menu modes. You can use Cal modes using settings from 'Pulsar Observing' menu.
Details of the modification:
- Removal of COHERENT_CAL and CAL modes from Observing modes in 'Backend control' menu.
- Addition of 'Cal Dump(s)/Bin' field in 'Backend control' menu to be used ONLY for Cal Scans
- Addition of 'Winking' field in 'Calibration Type' in 'Pulsar Observing' menu
- When 'Winking' field is selected, 'Calibration Time' and 'Winking Cal Type' options are available. Calibration Time is to set the time duration for Cal scans between 5 - 900 seconds. Winking Cal Type is to set the type of winking cal, where the default value is Lcorcal.
- Please see the updated How to do Coherent Cal/ Incoherent Cal scans below.
The PUPPI test version of CIMA has been released.
Please note that this is a test version:
- Some of the aspects of PUPPI cannot be control by CIMA (such as adjusting power). You would have to login to PUPPI and do that manually.
- In case of any error during observation, please be prepared to switch to puppi command line mode. You will need parfile for your sources, and its quicker if you have saved a CIMA configuration file.
- Please do let me know if you will be using CIMA-PUPPI for your observation, so I can keep an eye out for it. If you are new to either CIMA and/or PUPPI, let me know. We can help you with couple of assisted observations.
- Some of the things are new/different in CIMA-PUPPI compared to other versions. So please use the offline version of CIMA to familiarize yourself. IMPORTANT: Please go through the FAQ at CIMA-PUPPI page for more details.
- Please provide me with any feedback, new features you want, documentation etc.
Which version of CIMA supports PUPPI?
Only PUPPI version of CIMA supports PUPPI. Do not use this version with other backends. You can start CIMA with cima --X and choose the PUPPI version or start it with cima --v puppi command.
Who should use PUPPI version of CIMA?
All Pulsar/PUPPI users are encouraged to use this version of CIMA. It is recommended that you either have some knowledge of PUPPI command line interface or have few supported observing session with us.
Where can I find information about PUPPI command line interface?
Click here for information regarding PUPPI command line interface. Please contact us if you need any help.
Which observing modes are supported by CIMA?
- Incoherent Search
- Incoherent Fast4K
- Incoherent Fold
- Coherent Search
- Coherent Fold
- Baseband or RAW
- Coherent/Incoherent Cal mode
Which observing modes are has been tested?
The Incoherent Search, Fast4K and Coherent Fold modes has been tested, including validation of the recorded data, for the general case scenarios. Incoherent Fold, Coherent Search and Baseband are the least tested modes.
How can I adjust power in PUPPI?
First adjust IF1 and IF2 power levels from 'Power Control' menu in CIMA. The PUPPI power levels cannot be adjusted from CIMA, so you have to do this manually using PUPPI command line interface. You should have login details of puppimaster VNC session.
On puppimaster, in a normal shell : guppi_adc_hist. Two histograms will be displayed, one for each polarization; they should be Gaussian and closely overlapping.
Sample output from guppi_adc_hist:
ADC Power level info:
PolA (FPGA3): Mean=-1.030 RMS=21.897 Min=-96 Max=82
Add 0.8 dB attenuation (for target RMS 20.0)
PolB (FPGA1): Mean=-0.947 RMS=20.178 Min=-82 Max=86
Add 0.1 dB attenuation (for target RMS 20.0)
To check current attenuation values,on puppimaster: puppi_atten.
The attenuation values can be changed in steps of 0.5 dB within the range 0 - 15 dB. If necessary, set new attenuation values with
puppi_atten -A [dB] -B [dB]
If PUPPI attenuation values are already at 0.0, but guppi_adc_hist recommends decreasing the attenuation: Main CIMA Menu: Power Control: Use the arrow buttons in the line labeled "Attenuation(dB)" to reduce the attenuation for both polarizations in IF2 (downstairs) by the recommended amount.
UPDATE: CIMA can now adjust PUPPI power automatically. See update for 01 Aug 2013 above
Which receivers are allowed with this version of CIMA-PUPPI?
For now, you can only use L-band wide, S-band wide, 327 MHz and 430 MHz receivers. If you select any other receiver, you will get a pop-up warning message when you 'Apply' the backend settings.
How is the Center Frequency for puppimaster set?
Right now, the center frequency is hard-coded as follows:
- L-band wide : 1380 MHz
- S-band wide : 2030 MHz
- 327 : 327 MHz
- 430 : 430 MHz
UPDATE: This has been changed. See the update of 25th April 2014.
I want to use select usable bandwidth for 327 and 430 receivers?
For only 327 MHz and 430 MHz receivers, you can select the bandwidth use (in percentage) from 'backend control' window. Available options are 50%, 68.75%, 75% and 100%. 68.75% is generally used for 327 MHz. If you need other values, please contact us.
What are differences compared to other versions of CIMA?
Only 'Pulsar on' observing mode is available. Does not support Adjust power between scans. Only supports one file per scan.
Compared to other observation where 'Normal Cal ON' is used for Calibration and 'Winking Cal', if used, is only during taking data; Winking Cal is instead used for Calibration purposes in PUPPI. So only possible options for Caltype is 'nocal' for no-cal observations and 'winkcal' for Cal scan modes. The calmode is always 'on', which means the Cal scan is to be taken while on source. Calsecs describe the total time for taking Cal scans which are 5, 10, 30, 60, 90, 180, 300, 600 and 900 seconds. Winking Cal is always set to OFF. The winking Cal type describes the type of winking cal, where the default and most frequently used type is Lcorcal.
In terms of command file observing:
- SETUP Pulsaron ...
- winkcal = off [Only Possible Option]
- secs = 300 [The scan duration for the modes selected in the backend control window]
- winkcaltype = lcorcal [Only valid if caltype=winkcal. lcorcal used in most cases, but other possible option exists]
- caltype = winkcal [If you do not want to take Cal Scan, then caltype=nocal]
- Adjustpower = never [Only Possible Option]
- calsecs = 5 [The time for taking Cal scan. Only valid if caltype=winkcal. Possible options are 5, 10, 30, 60, 90, 180, 300, 600 and 900]
- newfile = one [Only Possible Option]
- calmode = on [Only Possible Option]
Can I save/load PUPPI configuration details?
Can I use command file observing within CIMA ?
Yes. Example:
CATALOG psr.cat
LOAD cima_puppi_fold_mode.conf
SEEK B0834+06
ADJUSTPOWER
LOG "Observation in Fold mode for 10 mins with 90 secs of Cal scan ."
SETUP pulsaron secs = 600 loops = 1 caltype = winkcal calsecs = 90 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
LOAD cima_puppi_search_mode.conf
SEEK B0834+06
LOG "Observation in Search mode with no Cal scan ."
SETUP pulsaron secs = 600 loops = 1 caltype = nocal calsecs = 90 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
LOG "Observation Completed."
Note that in SETUP command there are some keywords (shown below) that are redundant for this version of CIMA-PUPPI. But modifying these keywords value would produce error.
- calmode = on winkingcal = off adjpwr = never newfile = one
Nanograv: I want to change parfile in command file observing?
If you are observing different sources with the same mode/settings, you can use the EXEC change_puppi_parfile "parfile_name" command to change parfile. To change modes, you would need to load a new configuration file. Example:
CATALOG psr.cat
LOAD cima_puppi_fold_mode.conf
SEEK B0834+06
ADJUSTPOWER
SETUP pulsaron secs = 3600 loops = 1 caltype = nocal calsecs = 5 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
SEEK B1133+16
EXEC change_puppi_parfile "/home/gpu/tzpar/B1133+16.par"
SETUP pulsaron secs = 7200 loops = 1 caltype = nocal calsecs = 5 calmode = on winkcal = off winkcaltype = lcorcal adjpwr = never newfile = one
PULSARON
LOG "Observation Completed."
How to do Coherent Cal/ Incoherent Cal scans ?
First you should choose the appropriate Cal dump (s)/ Bin settings in the Backend Control window. Then in the 'Pulsar Observing' menu, you should select 'winking' in 'Calibration type', the duration of the Cal scan in 'Calibration time' and the type of winking Cal (default lcorcal) in 'Winking cal type'. When you click observe, be careful to notice that information related to Cal scan will be send to PUPPI first, and after the Cal scan is completed, information related to the selected mode will be send. A good way to check the difference is to check the tscan value in the CIMA Logs, which is the scanlen or integration time for PUPPI.
Anonymous Pulsarist: I want to take only Cal Scan?
If you use less than 5 seconds in 'Integration Time' in the Pulsar Observing window, then a warning message is that the minimum allowed scan time is 5 seconds. You can thus use less than 5 seconds, and then use desired time in 'calibration time' by setting 'calibration Type' to winkcal.
- For Coherent modes:
- Adjusting power for the proper receiver/BW
- In puppimaster terminal, run "gpu_run /home/gpu/bin/rms.py -c nchan" where nchan is the number of channels
- The Count signals should be between 10 - 30
- For Incoherent modes:
- Adjusting power for the proper receiver/BW
- In puppimaster terminal, run "guppi_monitor"
- The bandpass signal shuould be between 10 - 30
- EXEC change_puppi_scales "type" "value"
Type can be either 'increase', 'decrease' or 'set'. For type 'increase' and 'decrease', the value is the factor (float) by which amount you want to change the scales. Running this command twice would cause the scale value to be changed twice. For type 'set, the value is 32 bit hex number to which the scale value is to be set. We recommend using 'set' rather than increase/decrease, as running the command twice for 'set' would not be a problem.
- Examples:
- EXEC change_puppi_scales "increase" "5"
- EXEC change_puppi_scales "decrease" "2.5"
- EXEC change_puppi_scales "set" "00100000"
Where should Parfile be located?
An absolute path of the parfile in puppimaster should be given. In puppimaster: you can keep parfile either in your own project directory '/data/puppi/P1234/B1937+21.par' or in shared '/home/gpu/tzpar/B1937+21.par'.
I get a message 'parfile not found'?
Please check again the parfile location settings in 'backend control' window. The message means that the software on puppimaster was unable to locate your parfile.
How is the 'Adjusted' sampling time computed for Incoherent Search / Fast4K modes?
Rather than sending 'sampling time', the 'accumulation length' is computed using selected bandwidth and number of channels and sent to puppimaster. The 'accumulation length' has to be a integer, which is the reason for this 'adjustment'. For details on how its computed: PUPPI command line interface
- Minimum spectrum integration times:
- For 100 and 200 MHz bandwidth the minimum integration is given by 4 * (# channels) / BW.
- This is a FPGA hardware limit.
- e.g., for 200 MHz, 2048 channels, minimum integration time is 40.96 us.
- Except for "Fast4K" 4096-channel mode, the minimum is 2 * 4096 / BW.
- For 800 MHz, the minimum is 16 * (# channels) / BW. This is a disk write speed limit (max 200 MB/s to the RAIDs on
puppimaster).
- Maximum spectrum integration time:
- The accumulation length (T_int[microsec] * BW[MHz] / N_chan) should not exceed ~1000 (The sampling time is typically in order of ~ms).
Where can I check parameter settings during observation?
First you can check the CIMA log messages for information that is being sent to puppimaster. Secondly, you can check the 'guppi_status' window in puppimaster (if not there, run guppi_status on a normal shell) to see if the settings you have chosen is there. Please note that the source parameters (name, RA, Dec) and scanlen (integration time) will only be send to puppimaster only after you click 'Observe'.
How do I know that it is recording data?
To confirm that the observation is in process, please check the 'guppi_status' or 'guppi_gpu_status' window. Just to be safe, please check the your project directory '/data/puppi/P1234/' for incoherent mode, and gpu nodes for coherent mode (For eg. ssh gpu05 and cd /data/gpu/partial/gpu05)
How is my file name set?
CIMA does not set filename for the scans, so all the filenames are set according to the PUPPI software. All Incoherent data are saved in your project directory (/data/puppi/PXXX). The file name consist of puppi_ + 5 digits of Modified Julian date + _Source Name + Scan Number + 4 digit of File Index + .fits. If the file exceeds 28 GB, then the File Index increments from 0001 to 0002 and henceforth. For Cal mode, there is an additional _cal string in filename between the Scan Number and the File index. Some examples:
- puppi_56475_B1133+16_0226_cal_0001.fits
- puppi_56475_B1133+16_0227_0001.fits
- puppi_56475_B1133+16_0227_0002.fits
How is the scannumber set?
An internal scan number from PUPPI is being used (see in gpu_status window), and can be seen in the CIMA Log right after observation starts.
I have selected a source but it is not shown in gpu_status window?
The source information (Name, RA, Dec) is stored after selecting the source, but is send to puppimaster only after clicking 'Observe'.
How long it takes to configure PUPPI from CIMA?
When you click 'Accept' or 'Apply' in 'Backend Control' window, it starts to configure puppimaster. Depending on the current status of puppimaster, it can take any time between 5-40 seconds. Once you click 'observe', your observation will start in about 10 seconds. Every time there is a new scan, there is a waiting period of about 10 seconds, to make sure puppimaster has all the necessary details.
Why are there more warning messages in CIMA Log?
I have intentionally put the most important messages, especially those details send from CIMA to puppimaster, as warning messages for greater visibility. This is only to make users aware of the settings they have used. This will be changed back after few months.
I don't know what is wrong with this, and its not working?
Please be well prepared for this situation :) as this is the first version and we do expect some problems. Just close CIMA, start a stable version of CIMA, and observe with PUPPI command line interface. Please inform us and we will try to fix the problem as soon as we can.
Anything to remember while switching from CIMA to PUPPI command file observing?
You should have parfile for your source for all observing modes if using puppi command line interface, even though it is not needed for some modes in CIMA. If you have a parfile and CIMA configuration file ready, you should be able to switch very quickly.
How do I get 'help' for specific field?
Right click on any window will show you a general help. Right click on any specific field/button/area will show you the help for that particular field. Please use Offline version of CIMA before real observation . Like other CIMA offline version, it does not communicate with puppimaster or telescope.
Where can I find additional information about PUPPI?
More information about PUPPI can be found here
When will other features be added?
We are working on these modifications:
- Cal scan for on/off the source
- Modification to trap errors both on CIMA and server side scripts
- Your feedback?
If there are additional features you want not mentioned above, please let us know.
How tested is this version of CIMA?
This CIMA version has only been tested with puppi backend, so donot use it with other backend (although should work). Most of the general case observations has been tested by Julia Deneva and Paul Demorest. If your observation is unique and might require extra precaution, please do contact us.
Where do I contact for help?
First, please contact the 'Operators' on duty if you have any problems. You can also email patreya at naic dot edu if you need any help before the observation. This is the first version, so please provide us with feedback/suggestions. If there are some features you like, please let us know, so we keep it in the future versions.
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This page is administered by Prakash Atreya
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