MIDAS software download and installation

MIDAS software download and installation

Installation of the MIDAS Spectrum Server for Solaris for Sparc

If your installation directory is not /MIDAS you will need modify the following instructions accordingly.

In order to use the sort package and save online spectra you will need to run the Spectrum Server (SAS). The following part of the MIDAS installation requires superuser privilege.

The sas program should be owned by root and able to run "setuid". Enter these instructions:


  chown root /MIDAS/bin_SunOS/sas
  chmod a=rx,u+sw /MIDAS/bin_SunOS/sas

Fetch the script midas.server. Copy it to /etc/init.d and make sure it has execute permission for root. Make a link to it from /etc/rc2.d called S98midas.server. This will ensure that, at boot time, sas starts after the system's other resources. This can be done by entering these instructions after fetching the script:

  cp midas.server /etc/init.d
  cd /etc/init.d
  chown root midas.server
  chmod a=rx,u+w midas.server
  cd /etc/rc2.d
  ln -s ../init.d/midas.server S98midas.server

If your installation directory is not /MIDAS you will need to edit /etc/init.d/midas.server to contain the correct path. You will also need to create a "capabilities" directory for sas:

  mkdir /MIDAS/sas

The spectrum server will start automatically each time the system is booted.

To start the spectrum server "by hand" enter:

  /etc/init.d/midas.server start

or, to kill it:

  /etc/init.d/midas.server stop

NOTE - The MIDAS Spectrum Server package requires that the directory /MIDAS/sas is writeable from all machines that run the spectrum server. If you have installed the MIDAS package in a read only disc partition then /MIDAS/sas could be a link to a directory in a writeable partition. Alternatively you can make a sas directory elsewhere and edit the midas.server script to refer to that directory instead of the default /MIDAS/sas.

It is necessary to have a apparatus file for the SAS server in the directory /MIDAS/apparatus.

Some sample apparatus files are included in the software distribution. A suitable apparatus file for access to SAS is

   ((name SAS)
    (host xxxxxx)
    (role disc)
    (type spectrum)
    (ipaddress 000000)
    (port 10230))

This should be placed in the file /MIDAS/apparatus/SAS

Replace xxxxxx with the name of the system in which you installed the SAS server. You can install a number of SAS servers in a workstation cluster in which case it is sensible that they all have different names (line 1). Do not change the last 3 lines; ipaddress is not used but must be there.

Since SAS accesses disc files on behalf of the user it implements normal access control. You can bypass the need for the user to supply the login password again when accessing SAS by placing the names of "trusted" systems into the file /etc/hosts.sas on the sas server machine (in a similar way to the use of /etc/hosts.equiv for rlogin etc.) Please inform new users if their workstation is considered trusted by the SAS server.

This completes the installation of the servers and users will now be able to run the offline sort package.

Each user needing to access the SAS server will initially have to create a personal "experiment".

Creating a private experiment for access to SAS

From the Base Frame menu select the button "Access Control" and then the menu item "Experiment Access". If you have already connected to an experiment (for example the NULL experiment on startup) then there will be a name in the "Current Experiment" box. Click on the button "Leave". Move the mouse over the box "Experiment" and using the keyboard type in the name of the experiment you wish to create (I suggest that you use your name or login id). Click on the button Create. An experiment directory will be created. (If this gives an error then the most likely cause is file protection. Go back to the section on file protection of the experiments directory and recheck.)

Find the experiment you have just created in the list box, select it with the mouse and click on the Join button. If you wish you can also click on "Save as default". Next click on the button "Apparatus Access". A new window "Accessing an Apparatus" starts. Find the apparatus SAS in the apparatus list and select it using the mouse. Click on Attach. Unless your workstation appears in the file /etc/hosts.sas you must also type your login password into the Password box (and press the Return key at the end). Now click on Claim. You can check that everything is well by clicking on the button "Inspect Resources" in the "Accessing an Experiment" window. You should see a line for SAS. The long hex string at the right hand end (the SAS access key) MUST NOT be all zeros. (If it is try Free then Claim from the "Accessing an Apparatus" window and make sure your login password is correct in the Password box.)

If all is well you have a private experiment ready to go. The Spectrum Directory Browser "Resource" menu will have a menu item disc (for SAS) in addition to direct. If you select disc then access to your spectra is via the SAS server - the initial directory is your home directory.

You will now be ready to use packages which require the Disc Spectrum Server.

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