The Linux Login Environment (LLE) for Astron, Wsrt and Lofar

This page describes the standard login environment for new linux-based accounts at ASTRON. Existing accounts can be easily modified; see below for a manual to do this.

The Linux Login Environment sets a few things for your account, and allows you to easily initialise often used packages and tools at login time. To this purpose we provide a few simple standardized login-scripts that we have tested on various Linux-based hosts at ASTRON, WSRT and LOFAR (RCG).

To be able to use the LLE environment you must use a (t)csh login shell (tcsh is the default shell for new accounts). We do not support scripts for bash or any other shells.

In all environments where we use the LLE, we use the same scripts and directory structure. The root directory for the scripts is provided in environment variable $APS_LOCAL, whose value is set in one of the scripts.

In directory $APS_LOCAL/login are a number of default login scripts:

• cshrc → sets APS_LOCAL and calls the other scripts
• login → Displays welcome message; no settings
• setenv → adds some items to $PATH, sets your prompt, etc.
• alias → some default aliases to make life easy
• setpackages → script to define packages to initialize at login-time

Users should NEVER modify these default scripts at this location!

To use the LLE, the $APS_LOCAL/cshrc-file MUST be copied to $HOME/.cshrc (mind the leading 'dot'!). When getting a new account, this must be done already, so don't worry. Do not modify this file in your $HOME.

The other files need not be copied into your $HOME as the cshrc-script (also) looks for them in directory $APS_LOCAL/login, unless you have a very good reason to have these in your $HOME. If you copy them, add a leading dot before the filename in your $HOME (i.e, .login, .alias, etc…). Note that setpackages is an exception here (see this section)

Using the files from $APS_LOCAL/login makes it easier for us and you to stay updated whenever we change these files.

Personal command aliases can be added to a file $HOME/.myalias; The cshrc-script will source this file after the default $APS_LOCAL/login/alias, when it is found.

Personal extensions to $PATH, personal environment variables, or overloaded existing environment variables can be added to a file $HOME/.mysetenv. The cshrc-script will source this file after all other files if it is found.

There is one other important file in $APS_LOCAL/login, and it is called setpackages.

This file takes care of user definable default package activation at login time (e.g, AIPS++, LOFAR, Python, etc.). It modifies/sets environment variables like $PATH and, if applicable, it adds environment variables that are necessary for the chosen package.

To make this work, users must:

• Copy $APS_LOCAL/login/setpackages to $HOME/.setpackages
• Edit the file and add packages for default package activation.
• Logout and login again

To find out which packages can be added, make a list of directory $APS_LOCAL/scripts. This contains a list of files like doAIPS, doPython, etc. that contain code to initialize these packages. To activate, for instance, classic AIPS and AIPS++, change the $HOME/.setpackages file to contain the line:

setenv packages "AIPS AIPS++"

To find out which packages should have been initialized, type

pack

This is an alias for echo $packages and should give the list of packages as you defined in $HOME/.setpackages, and from packages added manually later on.

Apart from the systemwide do<package> files provided in directory $APS_LOCAL/scripts, users can add their personal do<package> files in their $HOME and have these run at login time. If there is a do<package> file both in $HOME and in $APS_LOCAL/scripts, the version in $HOME has preference and will be executed. To add a new, personal, package, act as follows:

• Install the package
• Create a $HOME/do<package> initialization script (e.g., adding the installation directory to your $PATH)
• Add <package> to the list of packages in file $HOME/.setpackages

These are the files that you can find in $APS_LOCAL/scripts and their useage. Not all files may be present at all locations, as some only have use at a specific site (e.g., doTMS is only useful at the WSRT). The 'word' to add to the setenv packages in the $HOME/.setpackages file is given between brackets.

Sources the classic AIPS initialization file (/aips/LOGIN.CSH) so AIPS can be run. This also requires that are member of the group aipsgrp, otherwise you will not have access to AIPS-defined DATA disks. Contact Stefanie Muhle at JIVE for details about how to set up an AIPS session for the first time.

Calls doStableAIPS++ (see below) for the moment. Can be used (but only effective at WSRT, currently) to initialize a host-dependent version of AIPS++. Contact Arno Schoenmakers if you want to use AIPS++.

Initialization script to use the Cuisine pipeline scripts. Maintained by Adriaan Renting. Contact him if you plan on using this.

Initialization script for the GIPSY package; for GIPSY we have a 32- and 64-bit version. The architecture of your machine deteremines which is activated.

Initializes the IRAF data reduction package (optical/IR data). It will check if you are a first time user and run mkiraf if you are.

Initialization script of Karma Miriad visualization tools.

Version 4 of the BIMA/CARMA Miriad version.

Optimized version 4 provided by John Romein. Works only on the Adam cluster. Contact Adriaan Renting if you are interested in using this.

Script to create an environment that can execute most of Tom Oosterloo's personal doXXXX scripts most notably the doWsrtMiriad and related scripts.

Initialization script to use the First-look WSRT data reduction pipeline. Uses Cuisine, Python, WsrtMiriad, WsrtAIPS++. Maintained by Adriaan Renting. Contact him if you plan on using this.

Initialization script to use the Python Pipeline environment with iPython and PyLab. Maintained by Adriaan Renting. Contact him if you plan on using this.

Initialization script to use the ROOT package.

Sets the environment for TMS developers/users (only effective at the WSRT site). Contact Arno Schoenmakers for more information.

Initialization script for use of an old WSRT AIPS++ build (V19.1488). Works for Suse 8 and 9 32-bit systems, only.

Version ATNF maintained by Tom Oosterloo. Calls doOosterloo and a scripts in Oosterloo's environment to initialize the wsrtMiriad version. Contact Tom Oosterloo or Rafaella Morganti if you plan to use Miriad.

There are a few basic steps to perform to use the LLE in existing accounts:

• Make tcsh your default login shell; your system manager should be able to set this for you. Ask him to replace an existing $HOME/.cshrc with the default cshrc file of the Linux Login Environment.
• Rename or remove possibly existing $HOME/.login file.

This will give you the bare environment. To add package activation do the following:

• Copy $APS_LOCAL/login/setpackages to $HOME/.setpackages, and then
• Edit this file to setup package activation (see above).
• Try to login and see if the login goes well.

To start up your X environment you have to make sure that

• The files $HOME/.xinitrc and $HOME/.xsession are removed

Determine the colordepth that you need (8, 16, 24 bit display) and type:

  startx -- :1 -depth <colordepth>

This should start your X environment at the proper colordepth.

If you need help, or have questions, or want to give any other comments, contact Arno Schoenmakers, Adriaan Renting or Henk Vosmeijer.

New do<xxxx>-files can be added at any time if you have a new package that is available systemwide. Contact Arno Schoenmakers or Adriaan Renting in this case.