20020625: requesting FNEXRAD Data

• To: Mohammed Ghani <ghani@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Subject: 20020625: requesting FNEXRAD Data
• From: Tom Yoksas <yoksas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 10:21:44 -0600

>From:  Mohammed Ghani <ghani@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Organization:  Rutgers
>Keywords:  200206251448.g5PEmoa11953 LDM IDD ldmd.conf

Mohammed,

>I am trying to request FNEXRAD Data, I have my pqact.conf as well as the
>ldmd.conf set to request and grab Fnexrad products but I am not getting any
>data and some kind of error is being placed into the logs.  
>
>ldmd.conf :
>request FNEXRAD
>        "^pnga2area"
>        snow.nrcc.cornell.edu

Your request line looks OK.

>pqact.conf :
>FNEXRAD ^pnga2area Q5 (RL) (.*) (.*) (.*) (.*) (........) (....)
>        PIPE    -close /usr/local/bin/pnga2area -vl /users/ldm/logs/fnexrad.lo
> g
>         /data/wx/gempak/radar/\4_\6_\7.fnexrad
>
>The log reports :
>Jun 24 21:07:34 web.envsci.rutgers.edu pqact[23018]: pipe_dbufput:
>-close/usr/local/bin/pnga2area-vl/users/
>ldm/logs/fnexrad.log/data/wx/gempak/radar/
>
>If anyone has been able to successfully get Fnexrad data could you please send
>back some samples of your pqact.conf and ldmd.conf files.

The ldm-mcidas decoder 'pnga2area' requires will try to access the
files SATANNOT and SATBAND.  If these files are found as part of a
standard Unidata McIDAS installation (i.e., in the /home/mcidas/data
directory), then you do not have to tell 'pnga2area' where to find the
files.  If you do not have McIDAS installed on your system, or if the
installation is in a directory that is different from the one place
that 'pnga2area' will look, then you have to tell 'pnga2area' where to
look for the files.

The installation instructions for the ldm-mcidas package recommend that
you copy SATANNOT and SATBAND to the ~ldm/etc directory (the files are
located in the etc directory of the ldm-mcidas distribution).  If you
do this, then you tell 'pnga2area' to look for the files by specifying
the '-a' and '-b' flags.  Here is your example modified to do just
this:

pqact.conf:

FNEXRAD ^pnga2area      Q5 (RL) (.*) (.*) (.*) (.*) (........) (....)
        PIPE    -close
        /usr/local/bin/pnga2area -vl /users/ldm/logs/fnexrad.log
        -a /users/ldm/etc/SATANNOT
        -b /users/ldm/etc/SATBAND
        /data/wx/gempak/radar/\4_\6_\7.fnexrad

(make sure to use tabs in appropriate places!)


Notes:

o before troubleshooting possible ingest problems on your system, you
  should always verify that the upstream feed host you are requesting
  data from is willing to feed you the data you want:

notifyme -vxl- -f FNEXRAD -o 3600 -h snow.nrcc.cornell.edu

o After making any changes to pqact.conf, you should check the file's
  integrity using 'ldmadmin':

ldmadmin pqactcheck                   <- ldm 5.1.3+ functionality

  If the file is OK, you need to tell pqact to reread the pattern:

ldmadmin pqactHUP                     <- ldm 5.1.3+ functionality

o SATANNOT and SATBAND must be readable by the user running the LDM

o you must have write permission in the directory you are telling
  pnga2area to write to.  If this directory does not exist before
  you run pnga2area, you must have write permission in each
  directory along the path so that pnga2area can create the
  output directory(ies)

Tom
--
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
* Tom Yoksas                                             UCAR Unidata Program *
* (303) 497-8642 (last resort)                                  P.O. Box 3000 *
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• References:
  • FNEXRAD Data
    • From: Mohammed Ghani