Last Modified: Monday, 23-Mar-2009 14:23:25 EDT

Archiving crystallographic data

This documentation is for version 2.1.1.ds1, released 2009.03.23

This procedure runs from core linux workstations. It will work if you remotely log on to those workstations, as long as you allow x-windows.

1. Setup

The following example shows how to set up for archiving:

        albatross> setup robot

	To archive your crystallographic data onto CDR/DVDR,
        pick a 1-word projectID, then:
	  dvdset [projectID]
	  buildiso [projectID] 
		

Follow the directions for crystallographic data. The projectID. is a 1-word description that will be printed on all the disk labels. The projectID does not have to be unique. Other information will distinguish between different archive sets which share the same projectID.

The Rimage DVD burner must be set to the type of media (DVDR or CDR) that you plan to use. At present, only the staff can change the setting. Usually, it will be set to DVDR. See also mediatype.html for querying and setting media type.

You must have a directory /srv/frames/temp/$user, which is where temporary files will be deposited.

Step 1 -- Enter user information

As instructed by the setup command, give the dvdset command. You will be greeted with a window (see figure at right).

The only things you must enter are the ProjectID and the Directory, but it is a good idea to enter everything.

The Browse button can be used to select the directory to be archived; the count button will tell you how many discs are needed for the archive (but may take up to a minute).

The ? buttons give more information on requirements for each field.

The save and exit button checks some of the fields for validity, then writes out a file ProjectID.dvdset, where ProjectID is the word you entered in that field. Before exiting, you will be given instructions for the next step.

If you launch the window with the command dvdset ProjectID, and if you have previously saved the answers for this ProjectID, the window will come up with your previous answers in place, and you can then modify them (including changing the ProjectID if you want, save them, and exit.

2. Build and burn DVD images

	buildiso TestArc
	

This will combine all the files in the directory tree you requested into one or more .iso image files. (How data are split into multiple DVDs.) These are exact images of the DVDRs (or CDRs) that you will be burning. It will also create the labels to be printed on the media. Part of the output from buildiso looks like this:

        Burning from coot on DVD robot at elijah
	Starting work on disk 01 of 2.
	Writing /srv/images/1/perlo/TestArc-20060531-1550-01.pdf
	Making ISO9660 image of Disk 01 ! Be patient ! DO NOT TOUCH!
	  0.4% done.
	  6.0% done.
	

Buildiso continues until all the .iso files have been written. (They are placed on a special scratch area, and automatically removed the next day.)

3. Initiate and monitor burning and printing your media

Before building the .iso image files, buildiso launches a separate process, burndvd, which establishes a connection with the Rimage robot's computer. It will also display a window on your screen that will track the progress of the job.

After each .iso file is built, buildiso asks burndvd to send instructions to the robot's computer, telling it to burn and label the DVD. The robot will begin work on the first DVD while buildiso is building the next.iso image. Status output from burndvd will be mixed with output from the buildiso process.

When the last .iso file has been built, buildiso exits. Burndvd continues to monitor and report ont he burning and printing process until all DVDs have been completed. When the job is finished, a window will pop on your screen -- click in the window to end the job.

Last Modified: Monday, 23-Mar-2009 14:23:25 EDT