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McIDAS-XCD Fastrack Version 2009.1
Software and Instructions

This page contains the software and instructions for installing McIDAS-XCD version 2009.1, a fully supported Fastrack release. Modifications made since the previous release (version 2008a) include:

  • removed references to Nested Grid Model (NGM) due to the NWS terminating it effective 03 March 2009 (NWS TIN08-90); includes grid/GRIB data and Model Output Statistics (NGM MOS)
  • added more entries for consistent identification of BUFR Version 4 files, and added updates to improve scouring of BUFR files
  • added Probabilistic Storm Surge (PSS), Non-hydrostatic Meso Model (NMM) and Great Lakes Wave Model (GLW) data that is now available in GRIB2 format on the NOAAPORT datastream
  • expanded functionality of the weather text server to accommodate archived weather text data as requested by the UW-SSEC Data Center
  • added support for NOAA-19 satellite in the TIRDEC decoder
  • fixed navigation bug in GFS-GLME GRIB1 data that also affected some GRIB2 data
  • updated the station database file (STNDB.CORE) in McIDAS-X 2009.1 to correct latitude and longitude of VOR station YXH, and to include the addition of six Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) stations and removal of one TAF station

McIDAS-XCD 2009.1 is a fully supported Fastrack release. This means that the software is fully supported by SSEC, and that each change to the software has been tested on all of the supported system configurations. If you elect to install 2009.1, we ask that you notify the McIDAS Help Desk if you encounter any bugs. Please be sure to mention that you are running version 2009.1.

Also note that if you plan to upgrade to 2009.1 from a version earlier than 2008 (e.g., 2007), you must first read and perform the required actions in the document titled McIDAS-XCD Version 2008 Upgrade Procedure, June 2008 that was included in your site's 2008 upgrade package.


Obtaining McIDAS-XCD 2009.1

To obtain McIDAS-XCD 2009.1, download the following files to the ~oper/mcidas directory on your McIDAS-XCD workstation.

File name Size Description
xcd2009.1.sh 12 KB shell script that installs the McIDAS-XCD software (right click to download)
xcd2009.1.tar.Z 964 KB compressed tar file that contains all source and data files
xcd_README_2009.1 6 KB information to review before installation


Important Note:

During SSEC's in-house testing of the McIDAS-X and -XCD version 2009.1 packages, a bug was discovered that could affect users who run the PTCOPY command to obtain real-time point data from newly updated -XCD servers.

This is not a new bug; it has existed for many years but was not discovered until now because it requires a rare set of circumstances (a station database file that was updated within the past few days on the -XCD server, plus users who run PTCOPY commands to obtain data from the server but do not include a position number in the command's sdataset parameter).  To see if this could affect your site or its users, please see inquiry 14531 for additional details.

If you and your users take no action, the problem will remedy itself once you cycle through the cylinders of real-time MD files after installing -XCD. For example, if you store six days of MD files in each of your real-time point datasets (e.g., RTPTSRC/SFCHOURLY), the problem will disappear six days after installing -XCD 2009.1 because all of the MD files in that dataset will have been created in that time period.

If you have users running PTCOPY with no sdataset position number, we still recommend that you install -XCD 2009.1, but also choose one of the actions listed below:

  1. If you have -XCD running on a backup machine, install 2009.1 on the backup machine.  Once all of the MD files have been created with the new version of -XCD, the backup machine will be ready to be the primary -XCD machine. 
  2. Notify your users that if they run PTCOPY commands to obtain data from your server, they should check the commands to see if they specify a position number in the sdataset parameter. If they include the position number, no action is necessary. If they don't include the position number, they should modify their commands to include it.
  3. When you're ready to install -XCD 2009.1, replace your existing real-time MD files with those from the SSEC Data Center. Doing so should avert the problem because the files from the SSEC Data Center will have the station information from the updated station database file and will match the new MD files after -XCD 2009.1 is installed. To obtain the real-time MD files from the SSEC Data Center, contact the McIDAS Help Desk.


Installing McIDAS-XCD 2009.1

Note: You must install McIDAS-X 2009.1 on the workstation before you install McIDAS-XCD 2009.1. Then continue with the appropriate set of instructions, as described below.

If you are installing McIDAS-XCD for the first time on the workstation, go to the McIDAS-XCD Administrator's Guide's Installing McIDAS-XCD 2009.1 for the First Time and complete its instructions. (Use those instructions rather than those below.)

If you are installing McIDAS-XCD Fastrack version 2009.1 on a workstation that already has a previous version of McIDAS-XCD installed, complete the steps below.

  1. Logon to the workstation as user oper and change to the ~oper/mcidas directory.

    Type: cd ~oper/mcidas

  2. If -XCD is running in the foreground, turn it off by exiting the McIDAS session and wait until all ingestors and data monitors have exited. From the McIDAS Text and Command window,

    Type: EXIT

    If -XCD is running in the background, stop the session by running the following command from an oper xterm.

    Type: xcdadmin stop

  3. From an oper xterm, build and install McIDAS-XCD 2009.1 using the same compilers (vendor or gcc/g77) and optional flag (-noopt and -mysql) settings that were used to build McIDAS-X 2009.1. You must use the same compilers and optional flag settings for both the McIDAS-X and McIDAS-XCD builds.

    4. If you are using vendor compilers,

    Type: sh ./xcd2009.1.sh -v flags  build

    If you are using gcc/g77 compilers,

    Type: sh ./xcd2009.1.sh -gcc flags  build

    where flags is zero, one or both of the two optional flags described below.

    • The -noopt flag is used to build McIDAS-XCD with no optimization. If you don't specify this -noopt flag, McIDAS-XCD is built using the default optimization: -O2 for builds with vendor compilers and -O1 for builds with gcc/g77.
    • The -mysql flag is used to build McIDAS-XCD using the MySQL database libraries. Use this flag if this workstation will be serving real-time GRIB files from the NOAAPORT data stream and you have installed and want to use a MySQL database to make the GRIB data access faster for your McIDAS-X clients/users. If the database is in a non-standard install location, specify the flag as -mysql=directory, where directory is the root MySQL install directory. Remember, the -mysql flag must be specified when building both McIDAS-X and McIDAS-XCD.

    When the script xcd2009.1.sh is finished, you will see the message below.

    McIDAS-XCD binaries built correctly

  4. Run the script below to install the new executable code and a subset of the replaceable McIDAS-XCD data files for your workstation.

    5. Type: sh ./xcd2009.1.sh cutover

    When the script is finished, you will see the message below.

    McIDAS-XCD package cutover is now complete

  5. As user oper start a McIDAS-X session and run the two commands below. The first command (BATCH REGROUP.BAT) recreates the GROUPS.DAT and COUNTRY.DAT files so they contain the station database changes included in McIDAS-X Fastrack 2009.1. The second command (BATCH REBILDRAP.BAT) rebuilds the Rapid Access Pointer files so they include the same station database changes. Note that running the second command erases the previous content of the *.RAP and *.RAT files, so they will contain only new data. That means that the user commands MOSRPT, OBSRPT, RAOBRPT, SFCRPT, SYNRPT and TAFRPT will not be able to access any data from prior to McIDAS-XCD being restarted (step 10 below).

    6. Type: BATCH REGROUP.BAT
    Type: BATCH REBILDRAP.BAT

    When completed, exit the McIDAS-X session.

  6. Switch to user mcadde (with command su mcadde), then start a McIDAS-X session and run the command below to recreate the GROUPS.DAT and COUNTRY.DAT files in the mcadde account so they contain the station database changes included in McIDAS-X Fastrack 2009.1.

    7. Type: BATCH REGROUP.BAT

  7. While still logged is as user mcadde make a backup copy of your RESOLV.SRV file (e.g., cp RESOLV.SRV RESOLV.SRV.BAK) then run the command below to add the new GLW, NMM and PSS GRIB2 datasets to the RESOLV.SRV file.

    8. Type: BATCH XCDGRB2.BAT

    When completed, exit the McIDAS-X session.

  8. Switch to user mcidas (with command su mcidas) and run the script below from the ~oper/mcidas directory to install the new ADDE server executable code in the mcidas account.

    9. Type: sh ./xcd2009.1.sh install addeservers

  9. Run the exit command twice to exit from user mcidas and then from user mcadde.

    10. Type: exit
    Type: exit

    You should now be logged in as user oper.

  10. Restart McIDAS-XCD. To do so from the foreground, start a McIDAS-X session from the oper account and run the command below from the McIDAS Text and Command window,

    Type: STARTXCD

    To restart -XCD in the background, run the following command from an oper xterm.

    Type: xcdadmin start

This concludes the McIDAS-XCD Fastrack version 2009.1 installation procedure. If you would like to modify the configuration of your McIDAS-XCD workstation, go to the McIDAS-XCD Administrator's Guide's Configuring McIDAS-XCD.

Also, if at any point you would like to (optionally) delete the NGMMOS decoder and remove it from the Status Display Window, complete the instructions in the last example of the McIDAS-XCD Administrator's Guide's DECINFO command page.

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