Using MOPDB with MOP

Typical Observing

MOPDB keeps the prioritized list of secondary patches to be observed. MOP uses MOPDB to decide which secondary patches to observe next. In typical observing, the "Use MOPDB" button in MOP is active and the autopicker queries the database for secondary patches to observe. MOP updates the MOPDB when a secondary patch is observed.

At APO, observers interact with MOPDB through the end-of-night task of declaring secondary patches "bad." This is done if weather interrupts a secondary patch observing sequence or if other problems suggest that the data might not be excellent.

Expert's Topics

Setting a Patch to Unobserved

If mopdb has recorded a sequence as a successful observation of a secondary patch, and it is clear to the observer that the observation was unsuccessful, the sequence may be deleted from mopdb using the mop command deleteSequenceFromMOPDB. This commands only argument is the sequence number to be deleted. For example, to delete sequence number 90621, one would use the command:

mt> deleteSequenceFromMOPDB 90621

Note that the sequence number is the exposure number of the first exposure in the sequence.

Setting a Stripe to High Priority

If the observer needs to set the priority of a set of patches in a stripe to 4, the priority assigned to patches that are needed to calibrate existing 2.5 meter data, the mop command addStripeToMOPDB may be used. It takes as its arguments the stripe number, the minimum lambda covered in the stripe, and the maximum lambda covered:

mt> addStripeToMOPDB stripeNumber minimumLambda maximumLambda

There are currently no commands to reduce the priority of a stripe, or to set it to a priority higher than 4.

Synchronizing MODB with an mdReport File

If an mdReport file has accurate quality fields for each secondary patch it contains, it may be used to update mopdb. The mop command "updateMOPDBFromMdReport" removes sequences with a recorded quality of "bad" in the mdReport file if present in the database, and adds other the other secondary patches listed in the report file to the database. "updateMOPDBFromMdReport" takes the name of the mdReport file as its only argument. If no file name is suppied, it will update mopdb with all mdReport files in the current directory.

Examining the Contents of MOPDB

The contents of mopdb may also be examined using a web interface. From it, the observer may determine what patches have been done, and which patches are of highest priority. The URL for the web site is:

http://sdssmth.apo.nmsu.edu:8020/topFrame.html

Currently, most command of use to the observer may be run in "Browse" mode, so one can just hit the browse button on the opening screen, and proceed.

To list the highest priority patches, together with their observation status, use the fourth "Utility command" on the left panel. Searching first for priority 5, then priority 4 patches will give lists of the most needed patches. Note that patches that have already been observed are listed as "DONE," and those still needed are listed as "NOT_DONE."

Restarting the Postmaster

These words from Steve Kent:

If sdssmth gets rebooted for any reason, the database daemon will need to be restarted by hand. (It actually gets restarted after 12 hrs by a cron job, but manual restarting can't hurt).

su - observer
setup mopdb
startPostmaster
startHttpd

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