Configuring Service Backup

Page Contents

1. How Grids are Exported to the Central Server
2. Backuser
   1. Enabling AWIPS GFE Service Backup to use <backuser>
   2. Start Cave as user <backuser>
3. Uploading your Configuration to the Central Server
   1. Portions Included in the Tar File
   2. Upload Instructions

How Grids are Exported to the Central Server

Each WFO creates forecast grids for their CWA. Then the ifpnetCDF script is used to save those grids as a netCDF file. If in the svcbu.properties file the SVCBU_TRIM_ELEMS parameter is set equal to one, then only the grids of the weather elements in the svcbu_export_elements.ccc file, where ccc is your site id, will be included in the netCDF file. The svcbu_export_elements.ccc file is a list of all of the weather elements, with each unique weather element on its own line, that your site wants exported to the Central Server for NDFD and Service Backup. The svcbu_export_elements.ccc file is located in the awips2/GFESuite/ServiceBackup/data directory. The netCDF file is then converted into a tar file and sent (exported) to the Central Server. This process occurs at least twice a day as part of the forecast process. The svcbu.properties file is needed for configuring how and when grids are sent to the Central Server.

The svcbu.env file, located in the /awips2/GFESuite/ServiceBackup/configuration directory on dv3, dv4, and dv5, is the main environment file that uses the settings from the svcbu.properties file. The svcbu.properties file is important when configuring Service Backup since it contains all of the parameters that are used by Service Backup such as all of the various directory paths used by Service Backup. The svcbu.properties file sets several parameters needed by GFE server processes. Most of the parameters are never changed locally, and the only ones that are modified are discussed in the jobsheet below. After making changes to the svcbu.properties file, restart EDEX or Deactivate and Reactivate the GFE Server using the Site Activation GUI.

<backuser>

The <backuser> account is a GFE user account that GFE is configured to use during Service Backup. You should use the <backuser> account only for Service Backup configuration. The <backuser> account methods will override SITE methods for the site you are backing up. The <backuser> account allows Smart Tools and Procedures that only your office uses to be available during Service Backup. If the <backuser> account does not exist on your Office's AWIPS System, then contact NCF and ask them to add the account.

Enabling AWIPS2 GFE Service Backup to use <backuser>

Go to the Localization Perspective and open the SITE-level svcbu.properties file. If the SVCBU_USER parameter is not set equal to one, set the SVCBU_USER parameter equal to one. If the SVCBU_USER_ID parameter is not set equal to backuser, set the SVCBU_USER_ID parameter equal to backuser. If you made any changes to the svcbu.properties file, be sure reactivate and deactivate your Site by going to the GFE Menu and clicking Site Activation... and using the Site Activation GUI.

Start Cave as user <backuser>

• Open a terminal window on an AWIPS workstation.
• Type ps -efw | grep "alertviz -p".
  • Write down the number after -p for your username.
• Type xhost +SI:localuser:backuser
  • The response from the terminal should be: localuser:backuser being added to access control list
• Type sudo -u backuser /awips2/cave/cave.sh
  • If you get a permission denied error, then only the ITO and ESA can run this command. You will need to ask one of them to run it for you.
• When CAVE starts up, the Connectivity Preferences window will popup.
  • Enter your site id (XXX) in the Site Box.
  • Enter the port number you wrote down in the Alert Server box at the end of the line in the box after the colon.
  • Left-click Validate and left-click OK.
• Open the Localization Perspective and it should be running as the <backuser> account.
• You can now edit any <backuser> file.
• You can copy any SITE- and/or CONFIGURED-level file to <backuser> to make changes to them for the <backuser> account.

For more information on <backuser> go here.

Uploading your Configuration to the Central Server

It is important for the GFE Focal Point to maintain GFE configuration files properly. When exporting configuration data, only the files under SITE are packaged and sent to the Central Server. Thus, it is important to ensure all GFE configuration files that are needed to issue products are included under SITE. You should also clean out any unneeded files (i.e., older versions of files or temporary files) listed in the Localization Perspective. The Service Backup scripts package anything in these directories whether necessary or not to perform backup operations. Even if the above directories are maintained, you may still have a large configuration file on the Central Server. The local files you create should be portable no matter what office is using them. Do not hard code site-specific information into important Smart tools, Procedures, or Formatters. If you add local shapefiles to the CAVE maps database, or update existing shapefiles, it is important to coordinate these changes with your primary and secondary backup sites. A shapefile mismatch could result in errors preventing a backup site from creating grids or issuing products.

Once files have been prepared and changes tested, your configuration data can be exported (uploaded to the Central Server). The AWIPS WAN transmits configuration data to and from the Central Server. Export local configuration information to the Central Server when:

• Making and testing significant changes to the baseline configuration.
• Following upgrades to AWIPS software.

When a site sends its configuration to the Central Server, it overwrites the previous version completely. No merging of any type is attempted. The old file is not overwritten until the new file has completely arrived at the Central Server. The configuration file may take a few minutes to work its way through the Message Handling Service (MHS), especially if it is a larger file. Your site's configuration is exported as a tar file.

Portions Included in the tar File

The following directories are included in the tar file of your site's configuration, where XXX is your site id:

• /awips2/edex/data/utility/cave_static/site/XXX/gfe
• /awips2/edex/data/utility/cave_static/site/XXX/bundles/maps
• /awips2/edex/data/utility/common_static/site/XXX/gfe
• /awips2/edex/data/utility/common_static/site/XXX/colormaps
• /awips2/edex/data/utility/common_static/site/XXX/mixedCase
• /awips2/edex/data/utility/common_static/site/XXX/vtec

Upload Instructions

1. Open the GFE Service Backup GUI, shown in the image below.
2. Verify the banner at the top of the Service Backup GUI reads "YOU ARE NOT IN BACKUP MODE".
3. Left-click the Export button next to Configuration for XXX and left-click OK where XXX is your site id.
4. Left-click the Export button next to Forecast Grids for XXX and left-click OK where XXX is your site id.
5. Check this link to verify that your configuration and forecast grids were exported successfully. The link displays the date, time, file name, and size. The configuration data file name is xxx.cfg and the forecast grids file name is xxxGrd.cfg, where xxx is your site ID. If the size of a file seems small, that probably means there was a problem with exporting the file.