5,838
edits
Category:Cumulus MX: Difference between revisions
From Cumulus Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
m
→Message about this update to documentation
| (5 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
{{TOCright}} | {{TOCright}} | ||
= Introduction = | = Introduction = | ||
If you have been using Cumulus 1, and now wonder whether to try using MX, be aware that: | |||
*Currently, more people are still using Cumulus 1 than are using MX; but during 2020, many have experimented with MX, then successfully moved to MX, just a few have gone back! | |||
*Cumulus 1 is a stable release, it has functionality that is not available in MX: | |||
**Select a graph | |||
**View period | |||
**provided you are happy to keep running Cumulus 1 on a Windows pc, and use a weather station that is compatible with Cumulus 1, then you don't have to change over | |||
*Cumulus MX is still under development, a change in a particular release may introduce bugs | |||
*MX does however have additional features not available in Cumulus 1 | |||
**it can run on Unix-derived (Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi operating systems) devices as well as Windows devices | |||
**it can work with newer weather stations and newer sensors | |||
**it reports feels like, Canadian Humidity Index | |||
**it has built in updating of database tables | |||
**it can output to more external sites | |||
**it has MQTT, HTTP, and other extras, built in | |||
Please see [[Moving from Cumulus 1 to MX]] for more information. | |||
== What does Cumulus MX do? == | == What does Cumulus MX do? == | ||
If you are new to Cumulus, then you will be wondering what benefits Cumulus MX has over other weather recording software. In that case start by reading [[About Cumulus|the article that introduces Cumulus]]. | |||
You may want to read that article first, that that will explain what Cumulus software can do and perhaps help you to: | You may want to read that article first, that that will explain what Cumulus software can do and perhaps help you to: | ||
| Line 16: | Line 33: | ||
== This article == | == This article == | ||
This Wiki article was originally exactly what Steve Loft said in the [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=39 MX early builds support forum] when he first started experimenting with Cumulus MX and access was restricted to those willing to experiment with his tests. | This Wiki article was originally created by Mark Crossley and contained exactly what Steve Loft said in the [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=39 MX early builds support forum] when he first started experimenting with Cumulus MX and access was restricted to those willing to experiment with his tests. | ||
In this rewrite, I | In this rewrite, somebody who used to use Cumulus 1, and experimented with MX, before moving over to MX first on a Windows PC and then on a Raspeberry Pi, has attempted to ensure this article contains everything I learnt from my experience as I explore more of the functionality of MX; and as I learn more from posts in the forum. | ||
If you can correct | If you can correct any mistakes I make, have a suggestion as to how to make it clearer, can add anything I have not yet covered, or know something that I might not know, then please remember, anyone can update this article, I don't have any special access in the Wiki and any page I edit can be edited/corrected by anyone else. | ||
During a period of my time in employment I was responsible for approving documentation on a large computerisation project, and later for supplying updated information for a public faced web site, and in both cases there were house style, and I probably continue to use that style. | During a period of my time in employment I was responsible for approving documentation on a large computerisation project, and later for supplying updated information for a public faced web site, and in both cases there were house style, and I probably continue to use that style. You might be afraid to add your contribution because my style is not the same as your natural one. Don't worry; as long as you use short paragraphs or bullet points, with lots of headings, then your contribution can blend in. | ||
As this article has grown, I have been able to shorten it by moving material to new articles, hence you will see a lot of cross-references below. You may have suggestions for what else can be moved out of this article into separate articles? | |||
If you have some ideas, but are unsure whether to apply changes, please use the discussion page first. If you have ideas, but want someone else to add them here, please write your suggestion in the support forum for wiki suggestions at https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=38 | |||
= Cumulus flavours = | = Cumulus flavours = | ||
| Line 168: | Line 185: | ||
In writing this update, I have drawn on my own experience of moving from Cumulus 1 to MX, and thus my knowledge of Cumulus is from over a decade of experience with this software and what it can do. | In writing this update, I have drawn on my own experience of moving from Cumulus 1 to MX, and thus my knowledge of Cumulus is from over a decade of experience with this software and what it can do. | ||
Before I swapped, I made a detailed study to check MX could do all I used to do with Cumulus 1 and much more. Before I add items to this article I play around with MX experimenting with what works and what does not work, but I have saved you the pain of where I went wrong, just telling you what is correct. I do need to add, that I don't have a separate testing environment, and therefore I am not willing to attempt anything that might muck up my collecting of weather information, plus | Before I swapped, I made a detailed study to check MX could do all I used to do with Cumulus 1 and much more. Before I add items to this article I play around with MX experimenting with what works and what does not work, but I have saved you the pain of where I went wrong, just telling you what is correct. I do need to add, that I don't have a separate testing environment, and therefore I am not willing to attempt anything that might muck up my collecting of weather information, plus my knowledge of modern technology is poor as I belong to that generation who did not have desktop computers, nor mobile devices, until some time into my working life. This all places restrictions on what I can test out, and therefore on the coverage of these notes. | ||
'''If anyone else, can improve these notes, wants to split off more parts, or in any other way make the documentation better, then please do. | '''If anyone else, can improve these notes, wants to split off more parts, or in any other way make the documentation better, then please do. This article already contains improvements that were suggested by others.''' | ||
| Line 285: | Line 302: | ||
#First '''start the engine''' in one of the 3 ways from last sub-section | #First '''start the engine''' in one of the 3 ways from last sub-section | ||
# Next '''start the admin interface''', it does not need to run all the time, but only when you need it (when you first use MX you will need it to access the settings where you tell MX what type of station you have and what units you want to use, and set various timing options), it normally runs on port 8998 (to vary that there is a '''-port''' parameter that is followed by required port and that port parameter has to be entered every time you start MX if you are not using the default port). | # Next '''start the admin interface''', it does not need to run all the time, but only when you need it (when you first use MX you will need it to access the settings where you tell MX what type of station you have and what units you want to use, and set various timing options), it normally runs on port 8998 (to vary that there is a '''-port''' parameter that is followed by required port and that port parameter has to be entered every time you start MX if you are not using the default port). More information on admin interface [[MX Administrative Interface|in separate article]]. | ||
Try '''start /min C:\Cumulus\CumulusMX.exe''' to run MX as a minimised package (although in Windows you can change the properties of the shortcut you use to start minimised). | Try '''start /min C:\Cumulus\CumulusMX.exe''' to run MX as a minimised package (although in Windows you can change the properties of the shortcut you use to start minimised). | ||
| Line 304: | Line 321: | ||
* For OS X, you can download this here - http://www.mono-project.com/download/. | * For OS X, you can download this here - http://www.mono-project.com/download/. | ||
* How you install on Linux depends on the flavour of Linux you are running. There are download links for Linux at the same URL, but it is often easier to use a package manager, which will download and install it automatically. | * How you install on Linux depends on the flavour of Linux you are running. There are download links for Linux at the same URL, but it is often easier to use a package manager, which will download and install it automatically. | ||
**For example, in 'Raspbian' on the Raspberry Pi, you can install mono with the following commands, but '''first you need to have set up various pre-requisites''' (see | **For example, in 'Raspbian' on the Raspberry Pi, you can install mono with the following commands, but '''first you need to have set up various pre-requisites''' (see [[Setting_up_Raspberry_Pi]] article for details): | ||
<pre>sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade | <pre>sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade | ||
| Line 319: | Line 336: | ||
There are some optional parameters you might need to use, as they also apply to windows they are covered later. | There are some optional parameters you might need to use, as they also apply to windows they are covered later. | ||
Next start the administrative interface, basically same as described for Windows above. More information on admin interface | Next start the administrative interface, basically same as described for Windows above. More information on admin interface [[MX Administrative Interface|in separate article]]. | ||
==== Other issues ==== | ==== Other issues ==== | ||
| Line 468: | Line 485: | ||
==Library Software for the MX engine== | ==Library Software for the MX engine== | ||
The distribution zip contains various '''.dll''' files and these are the libraries used by MX itself. | The distribution zip contains various '''.dll''' files and these are the libraries used by MX itself. The exact mix of libraries included has varied at various times, the list below is a snapshot of those included at the version that was investigated when this article was extended to include this section, and may not be right for the current MX version. | ||
===Devart=== | ===Devart=== | ||
