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Cumulus MX FAQ: Difference between revisions
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== Questions == | == Questions == | ||
=== Not watching the terminal or console window === | |||
Although the MX engine writes messages to the terminal or console (the terminology varies depending on the device) many people don't have a monitor connected to the device running MX (and if they do, they don't watch this output). Therefore it is easy to not to see messages, and not to know when MX is running or crashes. | |||
One problem people have is stopping MX while it is busy, perhaps still doing catch-up from your station's logger after restarting, perhaps doing an end of day or end of month rollover, maybe in the middle of some other task. It is not so easy to see when MX is running, nor when it is busy. MX does so many tasks now, that picking a moment when it is not doing something is harder. | |||
Although MX is designed assuming it is left running all the time, it is permissible to stop, and restart it, just do that as few times as possible (once a day if you must). MX will run on a variety of devices, so can run on devices that are cheap to leave on all the time. | |||
=== Station type not known === | |||
When you first run MX, it needs to be told what station type to look for, and how to connect to that station. Start up the [[Cumulus_MX#Administrative_Interface|Administrative Interface]] and select the settings tab, it should then display station settings for you to make the necessary choices. | |||
=== Unable to connect to station === | |||
This means that you have not set all the settings mentioned in previous answer. | |||
*Maybe you have selected a station type where you need to select a connection port | |||
*Maybe you have migrated from Cumulus 1 to MX. These two flavours use a different setting to select the port, so MX ignores the C1 setting ('''Port=number''' in [[Cumulus.ini#Station|[Station] section of Cumulus.ini configuration file]]) and you need to enter the one MX uses ('''Comport=text''' in Cumulus.ini). | |||
=== I have a message about web tags === | === I have a message about web tags === | ||
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Other problems that crash MX when you have just updated either MX or Mono, may relate to code added in update. For example 3.6.2 crashed in some contexts because of a new "FluentFTP.dll file", 3.6.3 reverted to the one used for 3.6.0. Other people have seen problems because of changes in how MONO worked on an update, although that was more of a problem with MX beta than later MX. | Other problems that crash MX when you have just updated either MX or Mono, may relate to code added in update. For example 3.6.2 crashed in some contexts because of a new "FluentFTP.dll file", 3.6.3 reverted to the one used for 3.6.0. Other people have seen problems because of changes in how MONO worked on an update, although that was more of a problem with MX beta than later MX. | ||
= Accessing the Admin Interface = | |||
The admin interface is where you set all settings for MX. It also provides screens for editing log files and the extremes they contain. Finally it provides a number of pages where you can view the weather data Cumulus MX is processing. | |||
== Questions == | |||
Most problems will be in gaining access. | |||
# Read [[Cumulus_MX#Administrative_Interface|the documentation first]] to see how to access this interface. | |||
#Because the MX engine generates a web server on which to run the interface, there might be a permissions problem | |||
#*You might need to issue a one-off command to let the MX engine generate the web server, this often involves giving it '''root''' or '''administrator''' privileges although it does not need to run at the root or run in an administrator user. The command needed depends on your operating system, see [[Cumulus_MX#Installing_and_Running_Cumulus_MX|the documentation]], to see if it is covered there. | |||
#*You may need to edit settings in your virus checker, firewall, or similar software to open the '''8998''' port (or if you need to use a different port, start MX with the relevant port parameter). | |||
= Problems with MX not accepting data when move from C1 = | = Problems with MX not accepting data when move from C1 = | ||
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# MX needs to read from [[Cumulus.ini]] the earliest date to process as it ignores any content for earlier dates. (Cumulus 1 just read all the files it could find in the data folder. | # MX needs to read from [[Cumulus.ini]] the earliest date to process as it ignores any content for earlier dates. (Cumulus 1 just read all the files it could find in the data folder. | ||
# When you first start running MX, it does not seem to be able to populate charts and recent history web tags for earlier times. | # When you first start running MX, it does not seem to be able to populate charts and recent history web tags for earlier times. | ||
= Dealing with rogue or missing input or derivatives = | |||
INPUT ISSUES: Sometimes a weather station will supply incorrect data bits that mean wrong numbers are input to Cumulus MX or that MX looking at byte level does not recognise what it is being sent. | |||
DERIVATIVES ISSUES: Cumulus MX ignores any maximum and minimum values supplied by a weather station; it calculates these derived values for itself. For rainfall, MX does not use any rainfall readings supplied by the weather station, instead it works with a long term counter, and gets daily readings to output from subtracting one counter value (at end of required period) from another at start of day. It calculates further derived values like apparent temperature and feels like (and many others) by looking at various simultaneous readings (temperature, wind speed, and humidity for those two examples). | |||
EXTREMES ISSUES: When MX is calculating those maximum and minimum derivatives, these are within an individual day, but they are compared against others in the same month (to update both the this month web tags and the monthly extremes web tags), against others in the same year (to update the this year web tags) and against all previous derivatives (to update the all-time web tags). I say update web tags, because that is how you view the extremes, but actually there is a log file for maximum and minimum in a day (today.ini), for this month (month.ini), for monthly-all-time (monthlyalltime.ini), for this year (year.ini), and for all time (alltime.ini). These log files are where MX stores the extremes and where you need to do corrections. For total rain this month, this year, maximum rain for this month in all years and highest rainfall (hourly, daily, monthly), the same log files are used. The highest daily wind run per month, per year, in the same month for all years and all-time is similarly stored in these log files and made available as web tags. | |||
#Dealing with input problems depends on your weather station type | |||
#*If there is a problem with input from a Davis weather station, stop MX, then it may be if you reset the Davis console, and the logger you use with your David, it might stop the bad data from then on, this won't correct the past data, but hopefully will stop the problem | |||
#*If there is a problem with an old style Fine Offset, often with rain or pressure reported, try stopping MX, then resetting the Fine Offset (some have a small switch below a small hole on the back of the console so use a strong long pointed instrument with a small diameter, maybe a small nail or a sewing tool to initiate a reset). Disconnecting the USB connection and removing a console battery may also reset a Fine Offset, or there may be some combination of touches or switch pushes that does a reset. | |||
#* For other weather station types, look in the forum for advice or read the station instructions. | |||
# If the output values are frequently incorrect, MX provides some calibration settings in the admin interface. These vary dependent on the type of weather reading you want to correct. In general they use a formula like <tt> Output = Multiplier_2 X Input<sup>2</sup> + Multiplier_1 X input + Offset</tt> so in the settings you can specify the multipliers and offset to use in that equation. | |||
#If only a small numbers are incorrect, MX provides editors for the logs that store extremes (although for today only the rainfall can be edited). See the pages linked from [[:Category:Log Files|Category:Log Files]] to discover more about each log and how to deal with rogue values. View and edit these on'''Edit''' tab of admin interface. | |||
#You can correct any individual rogue value in a monthly log as MX (see viewer editor on '''Data logs''' tab of admin interface. | |||
#As rainfall has a lot of different derivatives stored for it (hourly totals, daily totals, rain rate) it is quite complicated to correct, so there are a series of instruction in the [[FAQ#My_station_invented_some_rain_that_didn.27t_really_occur.2C_and_I_want_to_set_it_to_zero_.28or_some_other_figure.29|C1 FAQ]]. | |||
= Problems with Cumulus MX use of MySQL database = | |||
CumulusMX includes in the admin interface the ability to create tables, and to update the tables. It works with both a predetermined schema (tables named realtime, monthly, and dayfile by default), and with a schema chosen by the Cumulus user. The package also includes the executable '''ExportMySQL.exe''' that can add past data to two of the tables (monthly and dayfile). These features allow people with no knowledge of the Structured Query Language (SQL) to start using databases, and problems are highly likely, see if the advice below helps. | |||
== Questions === | |||
===What is my database name? == | |||
Cumulus MX does not create a database. You must have an existing database for MX to create tables. If you don't know how to create a database, don't use this facility. If you have created a database, or your web provider has provide you with a database, then you should know the database names, what user names have what access, and what password is needed. | |||
=== Can I host a database locally? === | |||
Yes, the uploading that CumulusMX.exe and EXportMySQL.exe does will work on a local web server with a database as well as on a remote web server with a database. There are actually lots of packages that are free and will load Apache to run a web server, MySQL (or another database server) to allow you to use database tables, and a script language like PHP to allow you to generate web pages showing data from database queries. Then there are several packages that provides an easy way to manipulate a database (if you are using MySQL and PHP, then the most popular [but by no means the only] package has a name formed from those two with Admin added i.e.PHPMyAdmin; similar packages are available for other databases with the second part of name changing). | |||
=== I'm updating my MX version and it says something about new columns === | |||
Although SQL will work with XML organised language (where each data item is labelled, but also has a relationship with other items), it is most often used with "relational databases". A relational database is defined as one that stores all the information in one or more tables consisting of rows and columns. Furthermore, the order of the columns must be defined by a schema that also states what format is used in each table cell, but the rows can be stored in any order, and the user cannot control that order. | |||
When a table is being updated the SQL normally names the columns that are to be updated. For that update to work the columns must be there, and the number of columns must match the number of values being supplied. If a particular version of MX adds new columns for the update, then the new columns must be defined and added to the table before the update can run. The release announcement may provide a SQL script to run to add the new columns, otherwise you need to use whatever administration package is made available by your web server provider. If you have PHP and MySQL, then PHPMyAdmin is one package often provided, but there are several alternatives, that may offer more. | |||
=== I am using Cumulus 1 and I have existing tables, but I want to try MX === | |||
#If the columns in your existing tables match those used by standard MX tables, then why not copy your existing tables (using a tool like PHPMyAdmin or whatever you have available) perhaps adding a "MX" suffix for the new name. Then in MX simply declare these table names via the Admin interface MySQL settings page. Set the host to the relevant name for your remote web server (or a local server), add username, password, alter settings to allow updates to leave your device, and alter settings on your web server to allow the MX device to update the database. '''Enable''' the relevant updates and MX should add more rows to the tables with your existing data. | |||
#If there are extra columns in the MX schema compared to the schema you were using in Cumulus 1, follow instruction above as far as the necessary settings, but before you enable the updates either use any script provided in release post for when the extra columns were added, or use whatever administrative tool (it might be phpMyAdmin) is provide to add the extra columns. The enable the updates. | |||
#If you want to use different columns to those MX uses (you don't have solar, or you want snow or extra sensor data to be in your database) then you need to use the Custom upload facilities that MX provides. To keep this answer short, I won't explain how here. | |||
=== Using Custom SQL === | |||
Obviously to use Custom SQL you need some knowledge of SQL and this answer cannot teach you SQL. But the general format of an update instruction for a whole row is given below, ensure the command you supply to MX has all the parts shown. The instructions in {} are optional, they just make the SQL read better, parts in lower case need to be replaced by whatever is appropriate for your table, values are web tags enclosed in single quotes e.g. <tt>'<#windrun>'</tt>, if there are any columns for which you don't have a value, use NULL without any quotes as this is SQL. | |||
<pre> INSERT [INTO] database_table_name (primary_key_column_name, column_name_1, column_name_2, .... column_name_last) VALUES ('primary_key_value', 'web_tag_1', 'web_tag_2', ... 'web_tag_last');</pre> | |||
= Problems with web pages or NOAA reports = | = Problems with web pages or NOAA reports = | ||
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# Test using your own [[FTP_tools|FTP package]], have you got host, username, password, and directory specified correctly | # Test using your own [[FTP_tools|FTP package]], have you got host, username, password, and directory specified correctly | ||
#The settings required are on the Internet settings screen within the admin interface. | #The settings required are on the Internet settings screen within the admin interface. | ||
#In the '''web/FTP site''' section, check the settings, and experiment with a different FTP protocol. | #In the '''web/FTP site''' section, check the settings, and experiment with a different FTP protocol. For example MX can use standard FTP, or FTPS, and you can select whether to use TLS 1.2. Hopefuly whoever provides your web server has told you what FTP profile to use. | ||
#In the '''web/FTP settings''' section, check all the settings, some determine what is automatically uploaded, other settings should initially obey the tips shown on the settings screen. One item to try is changing the setting for ''Active FTP mode''. | #In the '''web/FTP settings''' section, check all the settings, some determine what is automatically uploaded, other settings should initially obey the tips shown on the settings screen. One item to try is changing the setting for ''Active FTP mode''. | ||
#For most modern web pages, including those provided, use UTF-8 [[Webtags#Encoding|encoding description]]. If your web pages appear to be empty when they are uploaded, look near the front of such files where the [[Customised_templates#Coding_standard_and_character_encoding_for_Customised_Templates_using_the_same_names_as_Standard_Cumulus_Templates|encoding declarations]] will be found. Cumulus 1.9.4 build 1093 changed all the template pages from XHTML 1.0 Transitional using charset=iso-8859-1 encoding to HTML 5 using charset="UTF-8" encoding. It uses this without [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byte_order_mark Byte Order Mark] (BOM). | #For most modern web pages, including those provided, use UTF-8 [[Webtags#Encoding|encoding description]]. If your web pages appear to be empty when they are uploaded, look near the front of such files where the [[Customised_templates#Coding_standard_and_character_encoding_for_Customised_Templates_using_the_same_names_as_Standard_Cumulus_Templates|encoding declarations]] will be found. Cumulus 1.9.4 build 1093 changed all the template pages from XHTML 1.0 Transitional using charset=iso-8859-1 encoding to HTML 5 using charset="UTF-8" encoding. It uses this without [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byte_order_mark Byte Order Mark] (BOM). | ||
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* On the ''Internet settings'' screen in '''Sites/Options''' the optional Directory parameter required is ''the path from your FTP root'', to where the web pages are to be stored. It is ''not'' the '''Universal Resource Locator (URL)''' that you would specify to view the web page in a browser. | * On the ''Internet settings'' screen in '''Sites/Options''' the optional Directory parameter required is ''the path from your FTP root'', to where the web pages are to be stored. It is ''not'' the '''Universal Resource Locator (URL)''' that you would specify to view the web page in a browser. | ||
* Relative paths (without a leading slash) are always safer than absolute paths (with a leading slash) and you may find that just specifying (for example) "public_html" works OK, but this all depends on how your ftp server and your ftp account is set up. | * Relative paths (without a leading slash) are always safer than absolute paths (with a leading slash) and you may find that just specifying (for example) "public_html" works OK, but this all depends on how your ftp server and your ftp account is set up. | ||
* The host name should be associated with a particular entry point into the web server, so any directory entered into the settings should be a path relative to that entry point. The entry point for FTP may be different to the entry point for displaying web pages. | |||
=== | === The bird image on standard web pages === | ||
#If you don't see this with standard web page set up then you have missed out the step of uploading all files and folders within the '''webfiles''' folder in the distribution just once to your web site. The contents of this folder are not used locally, you don't need to keep the folder after it has been uploaded to your web server (even if that is a local web server). | |||
#If you don't want to see the bird image, please see [[FAQ#How_do_I_replace_the_.27bird.27_image_on_my_website.3F|C1 FAQ]]. | |||
=== I want to remove the solar data from the supplied web templates === | === I want to remove the solar data from the supplied web templates === | ||
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The styling for these headings, including use of lower case, is defined in the '''C'''ascading '''S'''tyling '''S'''heet. You need some understanding of [[Stylesheets|CSS]] to edit these. | The styling for these headings, including use of lower case, is defined in the '''C'''ascading '''S'''tyling '''S'''heet. You need some understanding of [[Stylesheets|CSS]] to edit these. | ||
=== I have a customised web template with yesterday web tags === | |||
Set this up via the '''Extra Web Files''' settings in the Admin interface. Use only static and yesterday web tags in your template, type the local path/file name in local column, tick the process column, tick the UTF-8 column if you declare that encoding in your template (see [[Customised templates]] for examples), tick the EOD column and put the path to where you want the web page to be created in remote column. | |||
=== The sunrise and sunset times are wrong === | === The sunrise and sunset times are wrong === | ||
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#Changing the [[Webtags#Encoding|encoding]] on NOAA reports can cause problems, especially if you try to display them from a web page that does not share the same encoding. | #Changing the [[Webtags#Encoding|encoding]] on NOAA reports can cause problems, especially if you try to display them from a web page that does not share the same encoding. | ||
#Making an error in the report naming parameters can cause problems, see [[Webtags#NOAA_style_Report_Naming|NOAA_style_Report_Naming]] section. | #Making an error in the report naming parameters can cause problems, see [[Webtags#NOAA_style_Report_Naming|NOAA_style_Report_Naming]] section. | ||
#MX creates reports in a folder called "Reports" with an initial capital letter. That folder is part of the distribution in every MX release, and you must have that folder, not is equivalent in all lower case. | |||
#There is a setting to determine whether NOAA reports are generated (at end of day), and another setting to control uploading to your web server (you need to specify the directory to upload to). Check these settings are all correct. | |||
=== I have problems with my own web templates that Cumulus needs to process === | === I have problems with my own web templates that Cumulus needs to process === | ||
