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McIDAS-XCD Fastrack Version 2012.1
Software and Instructions

This page contains the software and instructions for installing McIDAS-XCD version 2012.1, a fully supported Fastrack release. Modifications made since the previous release (version 2011.1) include:

  • Added support for the new NWS WSR-88D Dual Polarization radar image datasets. This results in the addition of one new WSR/* dataset and one new RADAR/WSR-* dataset for each of the 31 Dual Pol products (62 total datasets). For example, the Differential Reflectivity, tilt 1 (N0X) product is available in both the WSR/DREF1 and RADAR/WSR-DREF1 datasets. See the last section in the xcd_README_2012.1 file for a complete list of the 62 new datasets.
  • Added support for the Rapid Refresh (RAP) model, which replaced the Rapic Update Cycle (RUC) in May 2012 (official notice). This results in the addition of seven new GRIB2 datasets (RAP-ALL, RAP-USLC13KM, RAP-USLC20KM, RAP-USLC32KM, RAP-USLC40KM, RAP-AKPS11KM, RAP-PRLC16KM in group RTGRIB2) and five new GRIB or GRID datasets (RAP-ALL, RAP-USLC, RAP-USLC2, RAP-USLC3, RAP-USPS in group RTGRIDS).
  • Updated the RAOB decoder so it's able to write as many as 20,000 columns in the IRSG-schema MD files. The increased size is needed because the amount of significant-level data has increased due to the Radiosonde Replacement System and more international stations reporting data.
  • Updated xcdgrib.c with these NCEP Special Levels and Layers for GFS global 1-degree GRIB1 data: 215 Cloud Ceiling (CEIL); 216 Cumulonimbus base (CBB); 217 Cumulonimbus top (CBT); 220 Planetary Boundary Layer, derived from Richardson number (PBLR); 241 Ordered sequence of data (OSEQ).

McIDAS-XCD 2012.1 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 2012.1, we ask that you notify the McIDAS Help Desk if you encounter any bugs. Please be sure to mention that you are running version 2012.1.

Also note that if you plan to upgrade to 2012.1 from a version earlier than 2011.1, you must first read and perform any required actions in the release documents for each of the versions you skipped so you know about their major changes and any required actions in the interim. For example, if you are upgrading from version 2009.1 to 2012.1, you must first read and perform the required actions in the release documents for versions 2010.1 and 2011.1. See the past versions page for links to those and other materials from past versions.


Obtaining McIDAS-XCD 2012.1

To obtain McIDAS-XCD 2012.1, download the following files to the ~oper/mcidas directory on your McIDAS-XCD workstation.

File name Size Description
xcd2012.1.sh 14 KB shell script that installs the McIDAS-XCD software (right click to download)
xcd2012.1.tar.Z 989 KB compressed tar file that contains all source and data files
xcd_README_2012.1 8 KB information to review before installation


Installing McIDAS-XCD 2012.1

Note: You must install McIDAS-X 2012.1 on the workstation before you install McIDAS-XCD 2012.1. 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 2012.1 for the First Time and complete its instructions. (Use those instructions rather than those below.)

If you are installing McIDAS-XCD Fastrack version 2012.1 on a workstation that already has a previous version of McIDAS-XCD installed, complete the steps below.

  1. 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 as user oper.

    Type: xcdadmin stop

  2. As user oper, run the script below from the ~oper/mcidas directory to build and install McIDAS-XCD 2012.1 using the same optional flag (-noopt and -mysql) settings that were used to build McIDAS-X 2012.1. You must use the same compilers and optional flag settings for both the McIDAS-X and McIDAS-XCD builds.

    3. Type: sh ./xcd2012.1.sh  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 xcd2012.1.sh is finished, you will see the message below.

    McIDAS-XCD binaries built correctly

  3. As user oper, run the script below from the ~oper/mcidas directory to install the new executable code and a subset of the replaceable McIDAS-XCD data files for your workstation.

    4. Type: sh ./xcd2012.1.sh cutover

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

    McIDAS-XCD package cutover is now complete

  4. As user oper, run the script below from the ~oper/mcidas directory to make a backup copy of the ~oper/mcidas/data/IRABDEC.CFG file then replace it with the new version of the file. The new version's NSIG variable was increased from 6000 to 20000, so the RAOB decoder can now write as many as 20,000 columns in the IRSG-schema MD files. Note that this change will take effect when the next day's RTPTSRC/UPPERSIG MD files are created.

    5. Type: sh ./xcd2012.1.sh install raobupdate

    The backup copy of the file is named IRABDEC.CFG_yyyymmdd (where yyyymmdd is the current date, e.g., 20120622).

  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 2012.1. The second command (BATCH REBILDRAP.BAT) rebuilds the Rapid Access Pointer files so they include the same station database changes and rebuilds the Rapid Access Text files. 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 (last step below).

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

    When completed, exit the McIDAS-X session.

  6. As user mcadde, 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 2012.1.

    7. Type: BATCH REGROUP.BAT

  7. As user mcadde, make a backup copy of your RESOLV.SRV file (e.g., cp RESOLV.SRV RESOLV.SRV.BAK) in preparation of adding the new Rapid Refresh (RAP) model grid datasets and NWS WSR-88D Dual Polarization radar image datasets in steps 8 and 10, respectively.

  8. If you previously installed the McIDAS-XCD 2011.1 RUC Model Rename addendum, skip this step and proceed to step 9 below. If you did not install the addendum, go to the addendum and perform step 4. This step has you run the required BATCH commands to create the new Rapid Refresh (RAP) model grid datasets (seven new GRIB2 datasets and five new GRIB or GRID datasets, as described in the bullet list at the top of this page). It also specifies four DSSERVE commands you can optionally run to have your existing GRIB2 RUC datasets access the new RAP files. You may find it useful to first read the entire document so you understand what changes are being made.

    9. Note: Later on, when your users have transitioned from the old RUC datasets to the new RAP datasets, you can remove the old RUC datasets. This 2012.1 release contains a batch file to remove the old datasets. To do so, as user mcadde, start a McIDAS-X session and run the command BATCH RMRUCADDE.BAT.

  9. As user mcadde, run command TL WSRDATA from your McIDAS-X session to determine if you have the string WSRDATA defined. This string is needed for running the batch file in step 10 below. If it is defined, and is set to the fully expanded path to the directory that you configured -XCD to store WSR-88D data, then you can skip this step and proceed to step 10 below. If it is not defined or its value needs to be changed, run the command below (from step 4 of Configuring the Default ADDE Datasets in the McIDAS-XCD Administrator's Guide) to create or change it.

    10. Type: TE WSRDATA "/wsr_data_directory_path

    Example: TE WSRDATA "/home/oper/xcd_data/wsr

  10. As user mcadde, run the command below to create the new NWS WSR-88D Dual Polarization radar image datasets. As noted in the bullet list at the top of this page, this results in the addition of one new WSR/* dataset and one new RADAR/WSR-* dataset for each of the 31 Dual Pol products. See the last section in the xcd_README_2012.1 file for a complete list of the 62 new datasets.

    11. Type: BATCH XCDDPR.BAT

  11. As user mcidas, run the script below from the ~oper/mcidas directory to install the new ADDE server executable code in the mcidas account.

    12. Type: sh ./xcd2012.1.sh install addeservers

  12. 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 as user oper.

    Type: xcdadmin start

This concludes the McIDAS-XCD Fastrack version 2012.1 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.
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