Software Manual Section 20

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Remote Control Client
	Introduction This is the program that runs on a client computer (i.e. not the one attached to the 3f) anywhere in the world or just next door. When started, it will try to establish a connection to the server and show what is going on with the measurement. If the connection fails (e.g. because remote control is disabled) it tries to connect again every 10 seconds.
	Startup Remote Client You need to have a version of LabView (version 5.0 or better) installed on the client computer you plan to use for remote control. In addition you need the remote client software which looks on a Macintosh as shown on the left. The current version number is higher than the "4" shown here. There are versions available for Windows and SUN, as well. The window screenshots shown here are from a Macintosh, but it does not look much different on other platforms.
	Status: Not Connected Initially, it is likely that the status display looks like this. It shows that there is no connection between your client and the 3f server. This could be because (a) the server is not running or (b) the server is running, but access from your internet address has been disallowed or (c) there is a problem with the internet connection. You need to be connected to the internet to use this program. If there is no connection, the program tries again every 10 seconds to establish a connection.
	Status: Connected to Server Once a connection is established, the status display changes. It also says whether remote control is allowed. If remote control is disabled in the remote control server (see section 19) but remote observation is allowed, the status display looks like this: Some of the options shown below are not available in this case.
	Analysis Record During a measurement, the remote client displays the analysis record in a way very similar to the 'Analysis Record' window on the 3f computer (see section 15). The only difference is that you only see the previous 12 steps with their results and not the future steps. If nothing is displayed here or the display does not change, it is likely that there is no active connection to the server.
	Update Interval for Analysis Record Select from the pull-down menu how often the analysis record shown in this window should be updated. The options are 0.5 s, 1 s, 5 s and 10 s. You are not likely to overload the internet even with a 1 second update interval and this works fine even through a dial-up internet connection from at home.
	Beam Status This display shows whether the primary ion beam is currently on the sample or not. If remote control is enabled, you can turn off the beam from here. That, however, works only when no analysis is currently running. There is not much point in turning off the beam in the middle of a measurement. If remote control is disabled, the button to turn off the beam is not available. Display for 'Beam Off' and 'Remote Control Disabled'.
	Block and Run Number The number of the current run and block are shown here. If remote control is enabled, the total number of blocks (and runs) turn into buttons as shown here. Click on the buttons to change these numbers. Note that the number may switch back briefly to the original value until the change is being acknowledged by the server. The response time depends on the update interval setting and on what the server is currently doing. The two numbers on the right will not work as 'buttons' if remote control is disabled. Note that in trace element measurements it will also say "Block #" but this will actually refer to the number of cycles. (There are no 'blocks' in a trace measurement.) The number of cycles can be changed as described above for blocks in an isotope measurement.
	Show Last Step in Title The default title of this remote control window is "Laboratory for Space Sciences ims3f Remote Access" as shown above. When this button is pressed, the window title bar will instead display the last step shown in the analysis record as shown here for cycle 11 and mass 16:
	What can this be useful for? For Macintosh: It is now possible to 'collapse' the window by clicking on the icon in the top right corner of the window: This hides the window and only shows the title bar which takes much less space on the desktop. It is thus possible to work in other programs and keep an eye on the progress of the measurement with this unobtrusive background title bar:
	This title bar gets updated as often as selected in the 'Update Interval' pull-down menu (see above). For Windows: Although Windows does not have the same collapse function as the Macintosh, it is possible to 'minimize' the remote control window to show it only on the task bar which should offer a similar functionality as the shown above for the Macintosh.
	Remote Window View It is possible to get an even closer look at what is going on at the instrument with this option: This pull-down menu lists all windows that are currently open on the server machine. Each of these windows can be displayed remotely on the client computer. Once one of these items is selected, a new window opens, showing the content of the selected item. Example: After selecting "Remote Access Enabled" (that is the name of a window on the server computer) from the pull-down menu, this new window appears: It shows the exact content of the "Remote Access Enabled" Window on the server, only the title has been changed. Note that this is really only a static view of that window and that it is not possible to click on any buttons or change any settings this way. Possible uses for this function: View the "Remote Access" window (as shown here) to see what other users are currently connected. View the "Analysis" window to see the estimated completion time of the current run. View the chart windows to follow the results graphically. (Note that you have to leave a chart window open on the server computer for this to work.) View the "Menu" window to find out what the current time on the host computer is and see if it is set correctly. (The completion time estimate is based on that clock.) Of course, not every window is equally useful. Although it is possible to view the Analysis Record window, it may not be very helpful to do so.
	Update Interval for Remote Window View Choose here how often you want the remote window view to be updated. The options are 10 s, 20 s, 40 s and 60 s. These intervals are somewhat longer because the amount of datat to be sent is significantly larger than for the analysis record data. Especially for large windows it is advisable not to update the display too often. The measurement routines on the server (the computer directly connected to the ims3f) have a strict internal hierarchy: The remote control function should never affect an ongoing analysis.
	Exit Click here to close the remote control client window and to exit LabView.

FJ Stadermann	Back to Top	Next Section