Cahill Remote Observing Facility User`s Manual
Contents
1. 22 Keck I and II Observing Limits zenith distance e250 585506058 Keck I a cet clearance for bottom shutter vignettes Nasmyth leve deck below this elevation 18 elevation 33 3 bottom shutter vignettes below this elevation 18 Separation of dots 1 hour zenith distance Keck II clearance for Nasmyth level deck elevation 36 8 PG Nov 20 1998 Figure 6 Keck Telescope Sky Coverage 23 9 6 Contact Numbers Polycom IPs If you are a local user and have a long distance code you can place a call by pressing 9 followed by 1 and the number you wish to dial After entering your number you will need to enter a long distance code For user without a long distance code a calling card will be provided during checkout The calling card should be used for observing purposes only Please consult printed manual for Keck polycom and support astronomer numbers In addition the support numbers are posted above each work station in rooms 118 and 144 Keck Support Name Office 808 881 MEN Randy Campbell x3867 A Conrad X3812 Scott Dahm X3847 Bob Goodrich X3869 Grant Hill X3865 Marc Kassis X3669 Jim Lyke X3673 Hien Tran X3807 Greg Wirth X3866 24 9 7 Miscellaneous 9 7 1 Time Difference The Keck telescopes are located in the Hawaii Standard Time zone which is 3 hours Pacific Daylight Time PDT 2 hours Pacific Standard Time PST and 10 ho2. Step 2 Check that the Polycom has power The unit is on when the led is blue If its yellow then it s in sleep mode Try calling another re mote observing site If the call goes through call the original remote site and make sure the poly com is powered up on their end Step 3 Using the tv re mote make sure that the tv is set to Component Unable to log into local computer Computer desktop has no control panel Make sure that you are using the cor rect username and password Consult the remote observ ing manual for these If using the gnome enviroment logout through the termi nal by typing gnome session save force logout Try logging into the other remote observing com puter If successful then try switching the ether net ports to determine if it is just a bad port If so report to IMSS 26 kvnc scripts hang Polycom works but are unable to log onto the remote side If the script has not been active for 5 or more minutes and shows no errors hit ctrl c and restart it Check that there is no maintenance going on if problem still persists and it s day time find out if the vnc servers are off line for maintenance and when they will be back up Try pinging a remote computer using it s DNS name and also it s ip ad dress If only the ip ad dress gets a return then call for assistance If you get a re sponse from both methods then tr
3. which will limit the network services available to you Wired Connection Both observing rooms have Ethernet hubs on the worktables These ports are DHCP enabled and should allow all users to have a full range of network services 9 3 Printing Scanning in Cahill ROF We have added printing e g finder charts and scanning e g observing log capability to our ROF Printing our ROF HP printers are on the Cahill printing network as color118 and color144 Cahill users and users logged into the instrument control machines should be able to access print to these printers directly In addition we have a nearby high volume duplex printer bw135 in Cahill 135 just West of the ROF rooms Users are encouraged to use bw135 for larger jobs like science papers Scanning both ROF printers can also scan documents into jpg format This is most conveniently done through the printer s web interface To scan a document start at the printer URL At each URL the Information tab will provide a link to the Webscan application e g http 131 215 193 124 webScan htm To protect against outside intrusion entry to the Webscan application is protected by a username password entry requirement From this web interface you will be able to scan your original into a bitmap jpeg format and have the image returned to your browser where you can save it or convert it into another format e g PDF for archiving please note that you will have
4. window1 terminals can be open from the desktop by right clicking the background To start a vnc session the instrument and instrument account number are needed These can be found at http www2 keck hawaii edu observing schedule index php Account numbers 1 9 do not have any preceding zeros and should be entered as a single integer See the example table below for the correct notation for the available Keck instruments Avaliable In kvnc ab example kvncinst instru struments breviation ment account kvncinst hires hires1 kvncinst Iris lris2 OSIRIS osiris kvncinst osiris osiris3 kvncinst mosfire mos MOSFIRE mosfire fire4 kvncinst deimos DEIMOS deimos deimos5 i kvncinst esi esi6 when entering the account number only use kvncinst nirc2 nirc7 nirc nirspec has no kvncinst nirspec nir account num NIRSPEC nirspec spec bers 10 kvncinst instrument account number Important Note Password 1 is used to create a hole in the Keck firewall This step will not always be needed if the session has already been authenticated In that case the script will automatically continue until it reaches the prompt Please enter the VNC password below At this point the user will enter password2 and then enter password2 again to confirm STEP 3 Depending on your instrument 3 6 vnc desktops will begin to open on the screens These windows can be arranged on the screen by clicking the virtual desktop in the lo
5. DBSP dbsp WIRC wirc or wirc guide 7 2 1 TSPEC CONFIGURATION Started by typing tspec in a terminal window or by pressing the TSPEC icon TSPEC requires the following screens TSPEC spectrometry control screen TSPEC imager control screen FACSUM display screen TSPEC iraf session control screen Typical configuration will place TSPEC SPEC and TSPEC IMAGER on two of the main screen left side of the desk and the TSPEC iraf control screen on the third monitor FACSUM is typically displayed on the second computer with a single display 7 2 2 DBSP CONFIGURATION Start by typing dbsp in a terminal window or by pressing the DBSP icon on the desktop DBSP requires the following screens 15 DBSP RED and DBSP BLUE control screens single desktop DBSP iraf session control screen FLI guider slit image viewer control screen DBSP Guider display control screen FACSUM display screen Typical configuration will have DBSP RED and DBSP BLUE control screens on one of the main displays with the DBSP iraf session on the central panel and the FACSUM display screen on the third display The FLI slit viewing camera and DBSP guider will appear on the second computer on separate desktops During calibration and setup the grating angle of the DBSP instrument will require optimization which requires communication with the support astronomer on duty while they adjust the grating angle in the Cassegrain cage Observers may Skype th
6. coordinate among Mauna Kea summit personnel Waimea observers and instrument support astronomers and remote observers and participants Typically operations from the previous night and any existing operational issues are discussed as is the general plan for the coming night s observations Your assigned Keck support astronomer will advise you of the tests and meetings you will need to attend as part of your remote observing remote observers will participate in both these meetings from their assigned remote observing room 4 1 Palomar There is typically a single coordination test run before Palomar observing sessions The coordination test is typically conducted between 2 to 4pm pacific time the day of the observing This test is used to verify the vnc and video Polycom connections between the remote observing room Cahill 144 and the Palomar data room The observer will typically begin there calibrations during this test in preparation for the telescope being turned over for their use at 4pm At this time the support astronomer will provide any additional contact and operational information for the nights observing 5 Using ROF Videoconferencing Equipment Figure 2 118 Cahill Videoconference Equipment The Cahill ROF rooms have integrated videoconferencing equipment by Polycom http www polycom com the standard selected for Keck amp Palomar videoconferencing ROF users will use this equipment to communicate with personne
7. n da nin asia e E ER Fe 25 9 7 2 Ar Vie ATIS S ee eoa sack Epi ate e DO AUI OE oA Nd NT RERUM Luo E cU cae at Ghee 25 9 7 3 What to do if you get Locked Out of the Remote Observing Facilities 25 IO Troubleshootlnqg cuoeouupn E uuERRREEORRRRSRERURCSEERERRAREREGERANEREEMERAEARNU AME 26 Appendix A oiescecuecexexskeues na P aRNERMEESNEXKREEESEERREEERas E uTUQUME dKEEEEMEMNENEEREE 28 1 Introduction Caltech Astronomy and Caltech Optical Observatories COO maintain remote observing RO facilities in the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics on the campus at Caltech These facilities were developed and are typically used to support remote observing with the Keck Telescopes in Mauna Kea HI 86 operated by the WM Keck Observatory WMKO but are used with other telescopes including the Palomar 200 inch P200 87 The Caltech Remote Observing Facilities ROF are in rooms 118 ROF1 and 144 ROF2 Cahill on the first floor in Cahill see the first floor plan drawing below in Figure 1 The Cahill ROF are administered by COO reservations for the use of the ROF are handled exclusively by COO and should be booked at least two weeks in advance to coordinate user support and to avoid possible room conflicts Remote observing with the Cahill ROF and the Keck Telescopes is largely due to the development efforts of Judy Cohen Caltech and Robert Kibrick UC Santa Cruz whose vision and dedication have made Keck remote obse
8. to enable popups from the printer URL in your browser Alternatively the jpeg scan can be sent to an email account this capability is provided through the printer control interface window directly on the printer unit Please note that all passwords are sanitized from the on line version of this manual contact your Keck support astronomer and or your ROF support personnel at rof astro caltech edu if you need password information 20 9 4 Random Remote Observing Resources We can t tell you how to observe your program or use your instrument of choice but we can provide you with some useful pointers that might make that easier all links can be found on the website http astro caltech remote observing Start at http keckobservatory org observing for observing information such as instrument documentation and observing log sheets exposure calculators and things that are instrument specific The Mauna Kea Weather Center http hokukea soest hawaii edu is your source for all things weather related for Hawaii Good sources for finding charts might be o IRSA 2MASS http irsa ipac caltech edu applications FinderChart O Sloan http cas sdss org astro en tools chart chart asp Nearest food and services In front of room 118 Cahill there is a full size refrigerator freezer microwave and coffee machine available for use to all remote observers e d Groceries Vons Pavilion 845 E C
9. 6 1 11 Step 1 To start the script run the following command in window using the same instrument and account number as used in section 6 1 step 2 kvnctel instrument account number Important Note Password 1 is used to create a hole in the Keck firewall This step will not always be needed if the session has already been authenticated In that case the script will automatically continue until it reaches the prompt Please enter the VNC password below At this point the user will enter password2 and then enter password2 again to confirm When observing is complete shutdown VNC session by killing the vnc script perform cntrl c in window2 6 3 Retrieving Data from Keck To retrieve data to your own machine you can use the firewall hole method to allow for sftp connections to WMKO from your computer i e laptop Your WMKO instrument support astronomer can advise you on where to find your data and you can retrieve it with another hole in the firewall 1 Using sftp Please consult the printed manual for information on how to retrieve your data t Please note that all passwords are sanitized from the on line version of this manual contact your Keck support astronomer and or your ROF support personnel at rof astro caltech edu if you need password information 12 6 4 Using the Sound Bar The computers for the ROF rooms have now been upgraded to allow verbal warnings to be piped directly to the local machines Cu
10. Cahill Remote Observing Facility User s Manual v 7 1 rc1 28 October 2013 Table of Contents Cahill Remote Observing Facility User s Manual 1 Table of Content sisisi ciuson rsen M PED KaPNRI KI KRUeE ERR NEN MEE 1 LARntFOOUCctlOolics ie crissiustis es pERFeRrEn SIM KRREEM Ea 3 2 Cahill Building LayOUE ioe on ankuun nutu auro anussisssaubhrua ya pu eusesspesuusnAs 4 2 1 Cahill First Floor Layout n ueeeeeeeereeee enhn nn nnunun naa 4 3 Cahill Remote Observing Facilities Guidelines 5 3 1 Scheduling a Remote Observing Session nnne 5 3 2 ROF Demo Appointments uaaasssus uasa ERE E RAREREXXKEEERERARSAXRERRRRRKA RRRA 6 3 3 Accessing the Remote Observing Facilities Rooms 6 4 Pre Observing Daytime amp Nighttime Tests amp Coordination 7 5 Using ROF Videoconferencing Equipment ee 8 6 Keck Remote Observing via VNC eeeenne nennen nennen nnn 9 6 1 Starting a Remote Instrument Control VNC Session 9 6 2 Starting a Keck Remote Telescope Monitoring VNC Session 11 6 3 Retrieving Data from Keck eessssseeeeseeese nena annu na nau 12 6 4 Using the Sound Bar oiseeceussuoeuucnhakHuRREARRERRRRSRREERRERRSRAZARSEEARERRRARKR 13 6 5 Ending a Keck Remote Observing Session e nene 13 7 Palom
11. O request within three business days after their request is received Approved P200 remote observers will receive an email approval from COO assigning them a Cahill remote observing room either 118 or 144 Cahill for their RO session If the status of a pending request is unclear users can request a status confirmation from rof astro caltech edu Any subsequent follow up support demo connectivity tests can be scheduled through email to rof astro caltech edu 3 2 ROF Demo Appointments Pending approval of an RO request an ROF walkthrough demonstration appointment demo appointment can be scheduled up to four days immediately preceding the observing date If the observing date is on a weekend then the demo appointment will normally be scheduled for the preceding Friday Experienced remote observers may elect to forgo the demo appointment but all first time ROF users are expected and encouraged to attend the demo appointment 3 3 Accessing the Remote Observing Facilities Rooms Some ROF users may not be on the access list for Cahill ROF rooms For those individuals ROF electronic key cards keys are available for temporary checkout from COO The business day preceding a remote observing session it is incumbent upon the remote observer participant to pick up keys they may need to access the Cahill ROF Checkout of electronic keys to Cahill ROF is administered by Richard Walters 146 Cahill rsw astro caltech edu or if Richard is n
12. ad location and the guide star selection process can be monitored using the DBSP guider software 16 display can be useful as a source for finder charts 7 3 Accessing your data The data produced by the TSPEC DBSP and WIRC are written to the local hard drive of the instrument computer running the server side of the instrument control software The instrument control software runs on a set of 8 instrument control computers only 5 of which are in routine operation The support astronomer on duty for your observing run will tell you which computer contains your data However the data drives for the instrument computers are all mounted as network drives that can be seen from any of the 8 instrument computers and the 3 observer computers Your data may be retrieved by secure shell copy scp from the instrument computer where it is stored or from any of the systems with a slight change in path DATA DIRECTORIES AND MOUNT LOCATIONS Please consult printed manual for data directories and mount locations 7 4 Ending a P200 Remote Session Concluding a remote observing session requires 1 closing the remote instrumentation desktops 2 logging out of the remote observing facility computers 3 finalizing the videoconference and shutting off the video equipment 17 8 ROF Shut Down When you are done with an RO session at the end of the night we ask that you take a couple of minutes to do the following 1 Pick up after yourself disposin
13. alifornia Blvd near NW corner of Lake amp California kS Coffee Starbucks 575 S Lake Ave NW corner of Lake amp California Fast Food Subway Sandwiches 526 S Lake Ave E side of Lake 1 block N of Lake amp California kS KSA Heart Disease Pie n Burger 913 E California Blvd quickly followed by http en wikipedia org wiki Angioplasty or other coronary intervention fe v Online Delivery Service o http www LAbite com 20 minimum order but delivers from a wide variety or restaurants 9 5 Relevant Remote Observing Links WMKO Mainland Observing Web Page 21 http www2 keck hawaii edu inst common mainland observing html UC Berkeley Remote Observing Web Page kS http astro berkeley edu facilities keckremote UC Irvine Remote Observing Web Page kS http www physics uci edu barth remoteobserving Robert Kibrick s Homepage http www ucolick org kibrick kS Cahill Printer Setup http wikis astro caltech edu groups cahill wiki a09e4 Cahill Printer Install Summary html Cahill ROF Calendars http aries caltech edu mrbs month php room 24 118 Cahill http aries caltech edu mrbs month php room 25 144 Cahill PolycomVideoconferencingInformation http www polycom com amp http www polycom com global documents support setup maintenance products video v iewstation 128 user guide pdf
14. ar Remote Observing via VNC eeeeeerrrrr 14 7 1 Preparing for a P200 Remote Observing Session 14 7 1 1 Palomar Remote Observing Operations enne 14 7 1 2 Starting the Remote Observing Computer ssseseseeeenee 14 7 2 Starting the Instrument Control Computers 15 7 3 Accessing your data eoeeeuuauesuanauauuua n RRRARERRRRRRRRGRRRSRRAAASRASARESRASRRA 17 7 4Ending a P200 Remote Session eeeeeeeeeeeee enean anna nnn 17 B ROF SHUE DOWN isesasas uei asquEa UPEFUsEK niska naiai reinii i ERE 18 8 Useful Informoatloli suseis inea RSRERREEFKPREEEPPERIFORERF PETERE M PEEIRE M pREFEE 19 9 1 Temperature Control in Cahill ROF esses nennen nnn 19 9 2 User Laptops in Cahill ROF neeeeseeeeee nennen nnne nnn nnn 19 9 3 Printing Scanning in Cahill ROF eeeeeesee rennen nnne 20 9 4 Random Remote Observing Resources eeeeeeen nnn nnn nnn 21 9 5 Relevant Remote Observing Links eeeeeeee essen nennen nnn nnn 21 Keck I and II Observing Limits oseeeeseesee nnne 23 9 6 Contact Numbers Polycom IPs essseeesseneee nennen nnne nnn 24 9 7 Miscelldneous iii cios isouiuoaEP2VR NSRNEEKREI E EERRTESRR UN RUNS ESUAM MR RAN ENRAS TE REE SEEK 25 9 7 1 Time Difference uos ie ade yen rx
15. e Palomar support astronomer s laptop from the remote observing computers in Cahill 144 The support astronomer can communicate with the observers using a dedicated Skype account setup for this purpose Palomar Observatory SKYPE contact information SKYPE Contact Name Telescope Operator palomarto Remote Observer palobserver Support Astronomer palomasupport 7 2 3 WIRC CONFIGURATION Start by typing wirc or wirc2 in the terminal window or by pressing the WIRC or WIRC2 icon on the desktop WIRC remote operation requires different setup depending upon the software interface selected for observation The general purpose WIRC software used for dither imaging requires connecting directly to the instrument computer running the WIRCLabView code The newly developed high precision guiding interface may be run from any of the observer computers and requires a slightly different setup WIRC control software WIRC iraf session control screen FACSUM display screen Typical configuration with WIRC only requires the three main display screens although the DBSP guider The Xybion cameras used by the Palomar Shepherd Guider program cannot be accessed remotely due to the operating system the program runs on Only the FLI slit viewing camera can be used during remote operation of DBSP Unfortunately the camera image of the fiber optic guide head mounted on the XY stage for extend guide object selection cannot be accessed remotely However the guide he
16. ed the procedure for requesting observing night how to work the polycom and the polycomip addresses Included a section on how to print to the computers in each room and how to use the web scanner Changed the account from remuser1 to remuser2 Added section numbers Added other support information Extensive format cleanup d 14 January 2011 v5 0 3 Redacted password construction information kS kS 18 February 2011 v6 0dev Initial integration of Palomar Remote Observing information s t 6July 2011 v6 2 Updated passwords for the firewall and for the manhattan computer 28July Updated all the passwords for the local machines added instructions on using the sound bars 6 4 adjusted the long distance calling instructions to now indicate that user who do not already have a comfac number will need to use calling cards 14 February 2012 Added Trouble shooting section 22 August 2012 Complete rework of the Palomar section to support TSPEC DBSP and WIRC instruments for remote operations 10 September 2012 Added instructions for selecting new desktop environments Removed Keck interferometer section from manual 12 January 2013 Added Appendix A showing an example kvncinst session 13 October 28 updated support astronomer information added webversion screen guide 29 30
17. g of any leftovers amp refuse appropriately clean and store any dirty cups dishes and flatware This usually goes without saying but just in case your attention to this point will be appreciated by all 2 Finish your business on the ROF computers and log out or leave a note clearly indicating when you will log out 3 End any videoconference with the remote site and power down the plasma display but note not the Polycom unit 18 9 Useful Information 9 1 Temperature Control in Cahill ROF Both ROF rooms have thermostat control for your comfort during room use The units are adjusted using the sliders on the bottom of the units sliding to the left right will decrease increase the target temperature ROF users should feel free to adjust the thermostat target temperature to their comfort Figure 5 118 Cahill Thermostat on N Wall 9 2 User Laptops in Cahill ROF Many most users will bring laptops into Cahill ROF and will want network connectivity while there Network connections in the ROF are provided through Caltech facility wireless and Cahill wired connections Caltech Wireless wireless services are administered campus wide by Caltech IMSS Sy l A general description of these services can be found within the IMSS documentation site at Itecl 19 op wiki amp wiki_op view amp id 536 If you are a guest at Caltech you will probably only be able to use the Caltech Guest wireless network
18. l in Hawaii or Palomar during preparations for remote observing A demonstration of how to use this equipment will be included in the demo appointment in the previous section users unfamiliar with this system are encouraged to attend the demo appointment Figure 2 shows an image of the 118 Cahill ROF1 Polycom equipment in use during a multi point conference Under normal operating procedures the Polycom will already be powered up either a blue or orange light in the middle of the Polycom base unit located on the shelf by the 118 Cahill door will indicate power on status Please note that it can take upwards to 25 seconds for the unit to come out of sleep mode If no light is on than it can be turned on by depressing the power button located on the front of the unit The numbers for the Keck Remote Observing rooms can be found in the directory under favorites The video display monitor is mounted on the wall in the ROF The monitor s button power switch is located on the left bottom of the unit as viewed from the front This switch must be in the ON position for videoconferencing please turn the monitor OFF when not in use Commonly used videoconference addresses e g remote observing control rooms for Keck 1 and Keck 2 the P200 data room are stored in the Polycom address book see 89 6 on the ROF wall these addresses can be used to initiate videoconference calls 6 Keck Remote Observing via VNC Figure 3 118 Cahill Observing Com
19. ng for a P200 Remote Observing Session A Palomar RO session must be scheduled in advance using the procedures outlined in 83 1 If desired observers should schedule demonstration of the ROF prior to the actual observing date see 83 2 and physical access On the day of the RO session a series of coordination tests may be scheduled 84 your Palomar Support Astronomer will advise you on any required pre observing tests or coordination 7 1 1 Palomar Remote Observing Operations Starting a P200 RO session consists of 1 establishing a Polycom videoconference connection to the P200 data room to allow communication with the P200 telescope operator and support astronomer see 85 2 logging on to the ROF computers 3 starting the remote desktops that allow the observer to control the instrumentation and telescope 4 carrying out the observation program and 5 retrieving the data from the observatory computers 7 1 2 Starting the Remote Observing Computer The computers that support both Palomar and Keck RO in ROF1 and ROF2 e g Figure 3 you will need to login to these computers to remotely operate monitor Palomar instrumentation Further similarly to WMKO Palomar uses VNC Virtual Network Computing http en wikipedia org wiki VNC technology to map instrument control displays onto the RO workstations In order to establish a VNC connection for a Palomar instrument from a Cahill RO workstation follow these steps STEP 1 Log on t
20. o the ROF instrument control computer mugu in ROF1 malibu in ROF2 see Figure 3 as the Palomar user Please note that all passwords are sanitized from the on line version of this manual contact your support astronomer and or your ROF support personnel at rof astro caltech edu if you need password information 14 STEP 2 Execute one of the instrument specific scripts see below to open the VNC desktops to the instruments at Palomar Observatory If a VNC desktop is not used for a prolonged period of time it may spontaneously close If a VNC desktop closes you can manually reopen the specific connection using the following 7 2 Starting the Instrument Control Computers The following instruments are currently supported for remote operations at Palomar Observatory TSPEC DBSP and WIRC Each instrument requires a slightly different configuration of screens and is started by a separate shell script The shell scripts automatically open VNC desktops to the currently active screens at the Observatory The specific screen configuration may change from time to time as different instruments computers are used to support a given instrument Responsibility for setup and configuration of the remote observing system is the responsibility of the remote observation support personnel at Caltech in concert with the support astronomers at Palomar Observatory QUICK START type the following for each instrument in a terminal window TSPEC tspec
21. ot available Anna Marie Hetman 127 Cahill amh astro caltech edu These keys will provide access to both remote observing rooms 118 and 144 Cahill the Cahill first floor hall fire doors and the Cahill main East door entrance exit Observers should keep their keys on them at all times after 6pm when the building is locked Observers are fully responsible for any keys they checkout and are expected to return them to Marcia not more than three business days after their observing session A history of unreturned keys may be considered when considering future ROF requests 4 Pre Observing Daytime amp Nighttime Tests amp Coordination There are often pre observing tests amp coordination discussions that are planned as part of any RO run These are discussed below in this section Keck There are two coordination tests that are often run before Keck remote observing sessions The first continuity test is typically conducted at 3 or 4pm pacific time This test is used to verify the video Polycom and computer vnc for instrument monitoring and or control connections are working properly to support remote observing New observer will be introduced to the ROF during this test and should use it to ask any questions they may have about remote observing Observers may and are strongly encouraged to test their connection up to 5 days prior to the night of their run A second coordination meeting is often held at 4pm HST 7pm PDT and is used to
22. pping i e no remote instrument control requests should be made not less than two 2 weeks in advance of the allocated observing nights Eavesdropping requests are similarly made through the web form linked from the WMKO Observer Login Page Remote participation requests with videocon only can be made at an arbitrary time and will be handled on a best effort basis Remote observing requests made in email to mainland observing keck hawaii edu may continue to be serviced at WMKO s discretion for the near future but users are encouraged to use the WMKO web form described above Approval of a Cahill ROF remote observing request is granted jointly from both WMKO and Caltech COO and is required to use the Cahill ROF Please note that all non Caltech users will have to submit a signed Facilities Use Agreement to use the ROF Approved remote observers will receive an email approval from COO assigning them a Cahill remote observing room either 118 or 144 Cahill for their remote observing session If the status of a pending request is unclear users can request a status confirmation from rof astro caltech edu Palomar Remote P200 observing must be requested at least two 2 weeks in advance of the schedule P200 observing run and the request must be made in email to palomar remote astro caltech edu Palomar RO requests must be made by the named Principal Investigator PI Requesting observers will be notified on the status of their P200 R
23. puter During a Remote VNC Session 6 1 Starting a Remote Instrument Control VNC Session In order to remotely operate or monitor Keck instrumentation you will need to access the instrument control programs from computers in the ROF WMKO uses VNC Virtual Network Computing http en wikipedia org wiki VNC to map displays generated by instrument control programs running at Mauna Kea to computer displays running in WMKO HQ in Waimea or at remote locations such as Cahill ROF In addition for offsite use Keck is understandably concerned that only authorized users have access to these control programs and the computers they run on In order to establish a VNC connection for a Keck instrument from a Cahill ROF computer follow these steps STEP 1 Log on to the ROF instrument control computer mugu in ROF1 manhattan in ROF2 see Figure 3 Select the appropriate user from the menu screen and then select the desired desktop environment from the options in the lower control panel bar FVWM 2 is recommended for most users although the gnome desktop environment can also be used Instructions for this manual are all based on the FVWM 2 desktop environment username password Please note that all passwords are sanitized from the on line version of this manual contact your Keck support astronomer and or your ROF support personnel at rof astro caltech edu if you need password information STEP 2 Open axterm window we will call this
24. rrently only HIRES is being supported but other will be coming online soon The speakers are located on a sound bar that attaches to the bottom of the monitors The volume can be adjusted by turning the knob located on the right of the speakers clockwise 6 5 Ending a Keck Remote Observing Session To end remote vnc sessions simply do a control C command in window1 and window2 if applicable After ending the vnc session logout of the remote observing computers Please make sure that the power is off on the Polycom and media display If you will not be back during Caltech business hours please leave your ROF keys in the drop box inside 118 or 144 Cahill In order to provide the best quality remote observing we ask that any problems and or suggestions be sent to rof astro caltech edu Observers should make sure to clean up after themselves when there session is over 13 7 Palomar Remote Observing via VNC Remote observing RO for the Hale P200 Telescope at Palomar Observatory is available in both ROF1 amp ROF2 in Cahill Palomar RO support includes both videoconference Polycom 85 connection to the P200 control room and VNC computer desktop sharing for instrument control At the time of this writing August 2012 RO is supported for TripleSpec Tspec http www astro caltech edu palomar 200inch TSpec TSpec spec html Double Spectrograph DBSP and Wide field Infra Red Camera WIRC infrared camera username 7 1 Prepari
25. rving a reality all across the Keck consortia at Caltech Santa Cruz Berkeley UCLA Irvine other campuses in the UC system the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and even now at Keck partners Yale University and Swinburne University of Technology 2 Cahill Building Layout 2 1 Cahill First Floor Layout Rer 1 118 Cahill menu Rer 2 144 Cahill Figure 1 Cahill First Floor Layout The Cahill ROF are in 118 and 144 Cahill located near the center of the Cahill first floor in Figure 1 above the ROF locations are labeled near the center of the building Access to Cahill is through the Front NE Entrance top right above and restroom facilities are at the East end of the floor Electronic key cards are need at all times after 6pm Pacific time to access the front and hall doors see Accessing the Remote Observing Facilities Rooms for more details 3 Cahill Remote Observing Facilities Guidelines 3 1 Scheduling a Remote Observing Session Keck Per WMKO policy remote Keck observing with instrument control requests should be made not less than four 4 weeks in advance of the allocated observing nights requests are made through a remote observation request web form linked from the WMKO Observer Login Page WMKO remote observing instructions including information required in the request message are detailed at http www2 keck hawaii edu inst Common mainland observing html Per WMKO policy remote Keck eavesdro
26. urs Coordinated Universal Time UTC 9 7 2 Fire Alarm In the event of a fire alarm the remote observer is required to leave the building until the alarm has ended or the fire department has given the all clear You should warn the summit of your situation 9 7 3 What to do if you get Locked Out of the Remote Observing Facilities Remote observers should note that the ROF are locked at all times and can t be unlocked without a key In the event that an observer is locked out of the ROF and it is before 9pm on a weekday locate Richard Walters in room 136 Cahill and he will let you back in If it is after 9pm you may try to locate an astronomy graduate faculty on the 2nd floor their keys should work for both 118 and 144 Cahill 9 8 Using the iCrystal portable speakers The remote observing rooms now come equipped with a portable speaker system that can be used with iPhones and iPods or any device that uses a 3 5mm standard headphone jack If you are using an iPhone or iPod simply place the device on the cradle and start the music player If you are using the 3 5mm headphone jack connect the cord to your device and make sure the speakers are on Sound should be played automatically 25 10 Troubleshooting Problem The TV has a blank screen Remote observing site does not an swer polycom Step1 Check that the power is on The power switch is lo cated on the bot tom left corner Hang up call and try again
27. wer left part of the screen The user can click and drag the windows inside the virtual desktop to position them as desired If the user is not using the FVWM 2 desktop environment then the screens will appear right on top of each other In this case the user can simply move the vnc window to another workspace desktop by right clicking the top bar of the vnc window and clicking the Move to Workspace Right Left The user can switch between workspaces by clicking them in the bottom right hand corner of the screen When observing is complete shutdown VNC session by killing the vnc script perform cntrl c in window1 6 2 Starting a Keck Remote Telescope Monitoring VNC Session In addition to direct instrument access during observations it is often useful to have visibility into the operations of the telescope At WMKO telescope parameters are monitored by means of the Keck Facilities Summary or Keck FACSUM utility see http www2 keck hawaii edu inst Common facsum html FACSUM access requires a VNC connection to WMKO from a Cahill ROF computer This can be accomplished as follows Open a second terminal window window2 on the monitor in which you want the FACSUM to appear It is recommended that the script be run on the secondary ROF computers seal in ROF 118 malibu in ROF 144 although it can be run from any monitor of the observer choosing The username and passwords for the secondary ROF computers are the same as in section
28. y logging into a different vnc account If the other ac counts comes up contact your support as tronomer and in form them of the situation with your account kvnc script does not work at all Check that you are correctly logged in under the right user name re muser Make sure that you are using the proper terminal commands These can be found in section 6 1 27 Appendix A Step by Step Screen Guide to Starting a Keck VNC Instrument Session The following guide shows how to bring up the control VNC windows for the lris instrument It uses account number 1 Passwords are omitted in the guide but can be found in the remote observing manuals 28 Document Change Log 17 June 2009 v3 0 of the ROF Manual 27 June 2009 v3 0 1 added Palomar polycom addresses some figure amp captions mods from RSW 29 Jun 2009 v3 0 2 deleted redundant paragraph and formatted tables kS kS 06 July 2009 v3 0 3 Added text boxes and added KI remote observing section 07 August 2009 v3 0 4 Updated the passwords and procedure to undo typing mistakes in vnc pop up window 06 October 2009 v4 0 0 Updated the log on procedure for starting a remote vnc session 08 December 2009 v4 1 0 Updated the passwords 05 April 2010 v4 1 1 Updated Polycom instructions for room 144 kS 9 May 2010 v4 1 2 Updated the sftp login procedure t 02 December 2010 v5 Updat
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