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MX on Linux: Difference between revisions

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Be aware, you may need to adjust the settings within that application for how it handles the file structure. The preferences may determine whether the unzip process preserves the file structure used when the zip was created (i.e. each file remains in any sub-folder) or it ignores the folder structure.  For the Cumulus context, it is essential to preserve the folder structure. You may also be asked where you want the files to be extracted to, or the default settings might always use a particular destination (and that might be a '''tmp''' folder).
Be aware, you may need to adjust the settings within that application for how it handles the file structure. The preferences may determine whether the unzip process preserves the file structure used when the zip was created (i.e. each file remains in any sub-folder) or it ignores the folder structure.  For the Cumulus context, it is essential to preserve the folder structure. You may also be asked where you want the files to be extracted to, or the default settings might always use a particular destination (and that might be a '''tmp''' folder).


For example on the Raspberry Pi operating system, there is a package called '''xarchiver''', in its Graphical User Interface (GUI), there is a menu called "Action", and the final option in that menu is "Preferences". There, in "Archive" section, you can select "zip"  as the preferred archive format (using a dropdown) and whether you want the application to confirm with you before deleting any files; in "Advanced" section, you can select the directory to use for the extraction. If you are using the lite version of the RPi OS, then you need to edit the '''/home/pi/.config/xarchiver/xarchiverrc''' file to set preferences, before you use the archiver package.  Once you have started the archiver package, and told it which file to process, you can click on '''Extract files''',
For example on the Raspberry Pi operating system, there is a package called '''xarchiver''', in its Graphical User Interface (GUI), there is a menu called "Action", and the final option in that menu is "Preferences". There, in "Archive" section, you can select "zip"  as the preferred archive format (using a drop-down) and whether you want the application to confirm with you before deleting any files; in "Advanced" section, you can select the directory to use for the extraction. If you are using the lite version of the RPi OS, then you need to edit the '''/home/pi/.config/xarchiver/xarchiverrc''' file to set preferences, before you use the archiver package.  Once you have started the archiver package, and told it which file to process, you can click on '''Extract files''',
the GUI presents a screen of options:
the GUI presents a screen of options:
* "Extract to:", use the icon to browse to the required location if it has not been set up in preferences
* "Extract to:", use the icon to browse to the required location if it has not been set up in preferences
* "Ensure a containg directory", tick this if it has not been set in the configuration file
* "Ensure a containing directory", tick this if it has not been set in the configuration file
* "Files", select "All files", the advice is to overwrite all of any existing files if you are upgrading, but you definitely need all files if this is a new install
* "Files", select "All files", the advice is to overwrite all of any existing files if you are upgrading, but you definitely need all files if this is a new install
* "Options"
* "Options"
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It is important to minimise the length of the path name, because this path name has to be passed between various different software languages (and longer paths risk truncation).
It is important to minimise the length of the path name, because this path name has to be passed between various different software languages (and longer paths risk truncation).
===MX can severely damage storage===
MX now assumes by default that you are going to use its [[New Default Web Site Information|Default Web Site]].  That means that by default MX will re-generate temporary files in its [[Web folder|/web sub-folder]] on a frequent time-scale.  That number of files writes will considerably shorten the working life-time of the "high capacity micro-SD" card that is the default storage for the Raspberry Pi.  It will also considerably shorten the life of any flash memory (e.g. memory card) or external drive (with a spining disc and moving head) that you might install MX on.
The expected life of any storage device, and the extent to which its life is shortened depends on the actual device.  The external devices that have the longest life (and therefore can cope most easily with multiple read/write actions) are solid state discs (SSD).
All Linux computers will have some random access memory chips (RAM) and it is worthwhile to define part of that RAM as a drive used for temporary files.  For a Raspberry Pi computer, a typical approach would be to edit the fstab file, adding the line ''tmpfs /var/tmp tmpfs nodev,nosuid,size=1M 0 0'', but the size you choose will depend on RAM available and what temporary files are being created.  For maximum life of the "high capacity micro-SD" card if that is what your computer boots from, you should create a symbolic link path that maps the '''/tmp''' folder used by the system to your '''/var/tmp''' you have just defined in RAM.  The difficulty will be that you cannot create a logical redirect on '''/tmp''' if the folder is already in use, so that makes it too complicated to explain here.




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===Report sub-folder===
==="Reports" sub-folder===


By default MX now creates monthly and annual reports that are in the style used by NOAA in USA.  If you have been using this functionality before (and it is optional) then you need to file transfer, or copy, all the files that were in the old [[Reports folder]] into the new folder of that name.  Do look at that cross-reference, and read about the encoding default differences between Cumulus 1 and MX.
By default MX now creates monthly and annual reports that are in the style used by NOAA in USA.  If you have been using this functionality before (and it is optional) then you need to file transfer, or copy, all the files that were in the old [[Reports folder]] into the new folder of that name.  Do look at that cross-reference, and read about the encoding default differences between Cumulus 1 and MX.
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If MX is currently running, you need to stop it, or at least alter any options that generate .json files.  Then you must delete those files that end in ".json", except that you don't delete "websitedataT.json".
If MX is currently running, you need to stop it, or at least alter any options that generate .json files.  Then you must delete those files that end in ".json", except that you don't delete "websitedataT.json".


In a terminal session, issue commands in the following format for each file (this example relates to Raspberry Pi and uses "/run/tmp" which was defined in the extra line added to fstab earlier):
In a terminal session, issue commands in the following format for each file (this example relates to Raspberry Pi and uses "/var/tmp" which was defined in the extra line added to fstab earlier):


<code>sudo ln -s /run/tmp/websitedata.json CHOSEN PATH/CumulusMX/web/websitedata.json</code>
<code>sudo ln -s /run/tmp/websitedata.json CHOSEN PATH/CumulusMX/web/websitedata.json</code>
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* "CHOSEN PATH" is defined in [[#Where to install all packages?]], but basically it starts with a "/" and defines the path to get to where "CumulusMX" is a sub-folder.
* "CHOSEN PATH" is defined in [[#Where to install all packages?]], but basically it starts with a "/" and defines the path to get to where "CumulusMX" is a sub-folder.
* The text "websitedata.json" is just one file in the set of files linked from [[:Category:JSON Files]].
* The text "websitedata.json" is just one file in the set of files linked from [[:Category:JSON Files]].


=Running MX=
=Running MX=
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