====== Release notes and instructions LOFAR Offline release 2.15.0 ======

==== Administration ====

Release Date: Jan 25th 2016

SVN tags:
  * https://svn.astron.nl/LOFAR/tags/LOFAR-Release-2_15_0/
  * https://svn.astron.nl/LOFAR/branches/LOFAR-Release-2_15/ 

==== Instructions ====

In order to build the LOFAR source code for release 2.15, you will first need to install the AOFlagger. Download and installation instructions for the AOFlagger can be found here: http://sourceforge.net/p/aoflagger/wiki/installation_instructions/

Please note the following:
  - To be able to use AOFlagger with LOFAR build, set the AOFlagger build flag: "-DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON"
  - In LOFAR build, use the Cmake flag "-DAOFLAGGER_ROOT_DIR=<your aoflagger install dir>" to link to your local AOFlagger install directory.
  - If you have an older system (like our CEP2), you may not be able to build the graphical tools with AOFlagger. The LOFAR build will by default build them for you. If you want to make use of the tools provided by the AOFlagger build, you will need to explicitly NOT build these in the LOFAR build using the Cmake flag "-DBUILD_AOFlagger=OFF"

Further build instruction for building the LOFAR release can be found here:http://www.lofar.org/operations/doku.php?id=public:user_software:lofar

==== Release notes/changelogs ====

=== PyBDSM ===

  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/9020|#9020]] - PyBDSM island masks are incorrect when two islands are very close together

=== AWImager === 

  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/8859|#8859]] - Add option to pyparameterset to remove quotes

=== BBS ===

=== DPPP ===

  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/8912|#8912]] - Show IO statistics in DPPP
  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/8820|#8820]] - Initialize DPPP logger properly
  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/8967|#8967]] - Segfault in GainCal
  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/8989|#8989]] - GainCal leaves some data uncalibrated dependent on minblperant. **WARNING**: Calibrating flagged data will now mark a solution as 'Flagged', where previously it would write a solution with value 1.0. If you apply the flagged solution (with DPPP gaincal or BBS), your data will now be replaced with NaN and flagged. Please do not flag stations if you want to leave them out in a calibration run. Instead, filter them out using ''msin.baseline'' or a DPPP ''filter'' step.
 
=== Pipeline Framework ===

  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/7812|#7812]] - External AOFlagger :!: Note: Should be installed to build Offline module!
  * [[https://support.astron.nl/lofar_issuetracker/issues/9014|#9014]] - Update HBA/LBA flagging strategies

Further questions can be sent to softwaresupport@astron.nl (build/obtain), sos@astron.nl (policies, usage) or Tammo Jan Dijkema (dijkema@astron.nl; inner workings).