Transcript Diapositive 1

Setting up a groundstation :
automatic routines for web interface
and data dissemination
2nd EGO Workshop
Glider school
Mallorca, Oct 2007
Laurent Mortier
Cooperative steering of a fleet of gliders through a non centralized network
Iridium
Freewave
antennas
Ground
Station 2
Web server
for steering
Ground
station 1
Constraints to take into account :
Objectives :
- automated generation of steering commands,
- plotting data in NRT and
- web publishing for a fleet of gliders
- for the three types of gliders available today :
slocum, spray and seaglider
- Different manufacturer interfaces
- Glider groundstation not always accessible
- Asynchronicity, quality and low rate of comms
- Iridium AND freewave (slocum only) + Argos
- Distributed steering among partners
- Heterogeneous networks of computers
- Maintenance, failure and transit from the gliderports
North Western Mediterranean Sea Observatiory in winter-spring 2007
7 gliders
6 gliders simultaneously
From December 2006 to June 2007
XBTs, CTDs,
floats
~3200 profiles
gliders
(200m and 1000m depth)
Large, meso, and small scale
processes
Spray016
Winter mixing,
subduction
Northern current
No deep convection this winter!!!
Present groundstation for a single glider
Data Center
Operational model
(Coriolis, GTS, …)
(MERCATOR, MFS, …)
Groundstation
(dockserver, Kermit,
mail, …)
• Steering : partially automated (equivalent to what the WRC dockserver is doing)+alarms
• Ploting NRT data : completely automated but fixed format for plots
• Forecasting of the trajectories : completely automated with the daily updated waypoint
• Saving to Coriolis DC : automated
Present groundstation at LOCEAN for steering and data flow
observed SST
dia01@locean
Slocum 1
Spray 1
(e.g. MEDSPIRATION)
Server G1
Iridium server
Modem-modem
- slocum : terminal
using Kermit
- spray : mail
/mnt, mail
thot@locean or [email protected]
wget
Forecast of the trajectories of gliders 1,2,3...
(operational forecast MERCATOR, MFS, …)
mail
scp
[email protected]
ftp
500 Go
External disk
rsync
• Storage of the NRT data from the gliders
• Data processing
forecasts, geophysical data, engineering data, …
2 internal disks RAID x.x
http
labo/home/cybercafe/3G
ftp
Coriolis
Requirements of the present system at LOCEAN
• Network and machine requirements
• Groundstation : PC with secured storage (redundancy) and/or access to archiving facilities
• SLOCUM : US Robotics modem provided by WRC
• Optional : a PC for modem connection to the modem (see below)
• Commands, daemons, software's on the groundstation machine
• LINUX distribution (bash)
• cron, ssh, ftp with associated deamons, rsync
• C-Kermit
• procmail (needs access to /var/spool/mail. if not ,fetchmail is needed)
• matlab (licenced and available !! Better to have a private licence). Useful for plotting put also for
plenty of other tasks including scientific analysis… OR octave (http://octave.sourceforge.net/, not
tested) or python (Lucas Merckelback)
• acces to mail and web (wget) facilities
• screen (http://www.gnu.org/software/screen) very useful terminal multiplexer
• optional : mail and web servers installed on the groundstation machine
• If modem reception on a separate machine (luxurious but secure solution)
• air-conditioning, UPS (uninterruptible power supply)
• LINUX distribution with almost nothing but absolute need to read mail, ssh and ftp !
• provide additional backup for the NRT data
Why Kermit and not WRC dockserver for the SLOCUM ?
• Kermit used to
• open a terminal on the glider (interactive or batch mode)
• send and receive files from the glider
• useful to install locks and send signals
• Interactive Kermit
• does what the GMC terminal is doing
• presently with less ergonomy : output / input are in the same terminal …
• Kerbang mode
• does what the GMC terminal is doing (script mode)
• sends signals to groundstation (plotting, …) and alarms to glidermen and women !
• Main interest of this solution
 User fitted
 Easy to customize
 We developed it because WRC dockserver versions (~ 2 years ago) not stable
at that time
Running a mission today
[email protected]
[email protected]
Interactive (kermit or dockserver) :
Run test missions, then main mission
Operators at sea
Start kerbang robot,
Controls and alarms, open logs
Shift people
kerbang loop
Send email to staff
Wait for RING (iridium)
Receive 3 SBD files
If *.ma available, fetch
and reread mission
Send alarm to shift
people (sms)
If ABORT callback in a
moment
Send signal to
groundstation for plots, ftp
Resume the mission
Running missions for several gliders in a next future (this winter hopefully)
groundstation@so
mewhere: one part
lab but remote
access possible
Master
control &
archiving
mi/ma files
dia01@somewhere
dia02@somewhere else
dia03@somewhere else
Operators at sea
Mysql EGO database
webserver@somewhere
with mirroring sites
Website :
shift people steer
the gliders
according to their
access rights set by
the glider's owners
from any places
with internet access
(lab, home,
cybercafe, …)
NO direct connection to
the groundstation
machines
The web interface for steering a fleet of glider
http://www.locean-ipsl.upmc.fr/gliders
Why email between the web server and the glider groundstation ?
• the only simple way to go through firewalls easily (but beware of anti spammer!!)
• secure enough (control using keys or any kind of password)
• problem : how to get an acknowledgment of receipt from the groundstation ?
Man pages, manuals, installation package, …
kerstart(1)
• Available today
• general description (in french) of
the installation on the PCs
kstart(1)
NAME
• "gliderman" kermit short manual
• man pages for "ker" scripts
USER COMMANDS
ksertart - start or restart the glider robot
SYNOPSIS
ksertart [-cfFh] [-D dir] [-S nom] [-I nom] [-T sec]
DESCRIPTION
kerstart search
...
OPTIONS
-c
check
for
children
of the script to start or restart. If any,
kstart will wait for KERALIVE seconds (see the -T option) before
proceeding.
The
default
is
to consider all processes with no
check of their dependance
-f
• Tomorrow
force killing only the kerbang processes (see the -S option)
. . .
• « installation package » for the groundstation machines (LINUX)
• Web steering interface available (included in the EGO website or independent)
• Simple User guides or README files
• Very similar to the GLMPC terminal from WRC but suitable for Spray and Seaglider too. No direct
connection required to the groundstation
• Future plans
• Integration of other EGO tools : igloo (NOCS), automatic generation of waypoints (IMEDEA), …
• Interaction with the dockserver ??
• More general interface for an heterogeneous fleet of AUVs (IFREMER)