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JAC Computer Services Group
Computer Services Group
Astronomical observing at UKIRT and JCMT (indeed, at any large,
modern observatory) would be impossible without computer control of
the telescopes and their associated instruments and detectors. The
function of the Computer Services Group is to ensure that the
computer control systems at the telescopes are operational, and to
provide general computer resources to all of the JAC staff. The JAC
is a medium-sized installation, with approximately 200 computing
devices deployed across 4 geographically-separated sites and a
regular user population of around 80.
Personnel
- Craig Walther is
Head of Computing and Software Services.
- Henry Stilmack
is a Senior Computer/Information Systems Administrator, primarily
responsible for UNIX/Linux system administration, network
administration, and security.
- David Fuselier
is a Senior Computer/Information Systems Administrator, primarily
responsible for Windows NT/2000/XP administration, finance systems,
and user support.
Systems
The UKIRT and JCMT telescopes are controlled by a multi-level
hierarchy of computer systems. The low-level motor control, which
performs positioning, focus, and filter controls, is done by
VME-connected microprocessors. These processors are driven by, for
older instruments, specialized software running on VAX/VMS systems,
and for newer systems by control software running on commodity PC
hardware under the Linux operating system. Our staff use PCs
running Linux (for scientific work and software development) or
Windows 2000 (for engineering and administration). We have file
servers at each site running Solaris on Sun hardware, and have a
DS3 connection between the headquarters building in Hilo and the
telescopes at the summit of Mauna Kea. Our connection to the
Internet is via a 100 MB/s Ethernet into a shared DS3 connection to
the University of Hawaii campus network. Detailed system
configuration information is available to JAC staff here.
Henry
Stilmack
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