On June 9, 2010 the 2010B OT was released for supporting continuing 2010A observations and the preparation for semester 2010B. This is a required update.  The installation files must be used for this update. The new features are described in the Release Notes

This version of the OT uses Java 6. The previous Java version, Java 5, has reached the end of its service life and we need to take advantage of bug fixes and new features in Java 6. Therefore, it will not be possible to use the OT auto-updater for this release.  Otherwise this change should be transparent to most users since the required version of Java will continue to be packaged with the OT for Windows, Linux, and Solaris. However, on Macs Java is supplied by Apple. On recent Intel Macs (Core 2 Duo or equivalent) Java 6 is available from Apple for OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).  If you are having trouble running the OT on these machines, please check that you have the latest Java update from Apple. Users with older 32-bit Intel (Core Duo or equivalent) Macs will need to upgrade to Snow Leopard (10.6) to get a 32-bit version of Java 6.  An alternative for these machines, including those running Tiger (10.4), is to run the OT under Linux in a virtual machine. Unfortunately, Apple does not provide Java 6 for older PowerPC Macs. 

This page contains instructions for downloading and installing the Observing Tool (OT). You can install the software on a network of workstations or, for best performance, on individual machines. This machine needs internet access to communicate with databases situated at the Gemini Observatory and with other on-line image and catalog servers. Anyone installing an OT for a multi-user environment should read the site-manager details

If you are installing the OT for the first time, please read the installation instructions. The OT installation files are located on the Gemini software site. A personal OT installation can be updated using the Update... button on the OT start-up screen or by selecting Check for updates... from the File menu.

Pre-Upgrade Instructions

The OT stores programs that are created or fetched in a special local database in each user's home directory. The format of the binary files in this database is specific to each OT version and so they must be converted each time the OT is updated. The following is the recommended safest approach for updating an existing OT when using the distribution files on the Gemini software site. See below for more information about the new auto-updating feature.

1. Export all the programs in the local database to XML files (see the saving and loading help page for more details). The "Bulk Export to a Selected Directory" option is useful for this.
   • Unix/Mac: simply delete the entire directory tree where the old version of OT was installed
   • Windows: run the installer program
2. Uninstall the curent OT. 
3. Install the new OT.
4. Import all the previously saved XML files into the new local database.

Additional Information and Site-Manager Details

It is possible to have more than one version of the OT installed, though this can lead to a higher chance of confusion and problems. Each version of the OT will have its own, independent, local database in the ~/.jsky/spdb directory.  Installing and running a new OT will not remove the database from the previous version. If you did not export your programs to XML and a new OT suddenly shows that you have nothing in your database, DON'T PANIC. As long as the spdb directory is not deleted the previous database still exists, you just need to use the earlier version of the OT to export the programs to XML files.

Installing the OT

Distribution files for the following operating systems are available:

• Windows (NT / 2000 / XP)
• Solaris (10, 9 or 8 recommended)
• Linux (Redhat Enterprise 4 or 5, or Fedora Core recommended, likely to be compatible with other distributions)
• Mac OS X (Leopard, Snow Leopard)

If you experience any problems installing or running the OT, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or known bugs pages for the latest information.

The distribution contains an example science program (GN-DEMO.xml) which you can load from the default directory using the Import... button on the OT start-up screen.

The OT software is available on the Gemini software site. This is an HTTPD server so you should use your web browser to download the files (follow this link to browse the OT directory). Depending on your browser, right or shift+click to save the file.

Alternatively you may request a CD-ROM containing all four operating system versions by e-mailing Bryan Miller (bmillergemini.edu).

Using the Gemini Observing Tool on Windows

The OT has been extensively tested on Windows 2000 and XP; the Windows version appears to be very stable. It has not been tested with Vista but we have no reason to believe there will be problems in other Windows versions as long as the Java included in our distribution is used.

Installing on Windows

• Download the current Windows distribution of the OT from the Gemini software site. Follow the link to browse the ftp directory and right or shift+click the file named OT_2010B*_win* (~42Mbyte download).
• The Windows distribution is provided as a Windows executable installer.
• Use Windows Explorer to display the directory in which you downloaded the installer. You must have at least 58 Mbytes of disk space available to install the OT on Windows.
• Double-click the installer executable and select the components to install. Off-site users only need to select the Phase II Mode. When the installation is completed, select "Close" to exit the installer.
• The installation places a Gemini/Observing Tool entry in your start menu. Selecting the relevant entry launches the OT.

Results from previous benchmarking of the OT are shown below. Sufficient memory appears to be the most important element affecting performance and, whilst OT will run with less, we suggest a minimum of 512 megabytes of memory and a recent Pentium III or IV processor when using the OT on the Windows platform.

Using the Observing Tool on Solaris

Solaris 8, 9 or 10 are the recommended Sun operating systems for running the OT. The OT has been extensively tested with Solaris 9.

For correct operation in all situations, you must run OT on a properly patched Solaris OS. The easiest way to gather Solaris patches is to follow the URL below:

• SunSolve Public Patch Access

Installing on Solaris

• Download the current Solaris distribution of the OT from the Gemini software site. Follow the link to browse the ftp directory and right or shift+click the file named OT_2010B*_solaris* (~68Mbyte download).
• Use gunzip and tar to unpack the distribution in a directory where you have at least 55 megabytes of disk space.
  gunzip -c FILENAME.tar.gz | tar -xvf -
• The distribution unpacks into a single directory named "solaris".
• Run the OT. You can use the complete path to the startup script, as shown below (where the $ represents your shell prompt), or you can include that directory in your PATH.
  ${where_you_untarred}/solaris/OT.sh

Results from previous benchmarking of the OT are shown below. Whilst OT may run with less, we suggest that the machine should be a recent UltraSparc with at least 128 megabytes of memory.

Using the Observing Tool on Redhat Linux

The OT can be used on recent RedHat Linux distributions, including Enterprise 3, 4, or 5, and Fedora Core. It has been extensively tested under Enterprise and Fedora up to Fedora Core 12. We have not heard of any problems on other Linux distributions.

Installing on Linux

• Download the current Redhat Linux distribution of the OT from the Gemini software site. Follow the link to browse the ftp directory and right or shift+click the file named OT_2010B*_linux* (~51Mbyte download).
• Use gunzip and tar to unpack the distribution in a directory where you have at least 55 megabytes of disk space.
  gunzip -c FILENAME.tar.gz | tar -xvf -
• The distribution unpacks into a single directory named "linux".
• Run the OT. You can use the complete path to the startup script, as shown below (where the $ represents your shell prompt), or you can include that directory in your PATH.
  ${where_you_untarred}/linux/OT.sh

Results from previous benchmarking of the OT are shown below. Sufficient memory appears to be the most important element affecting performance and, whilst OT may run with less, we suggest a minimum of 512 megabytes of memory and a recent Pentium (III or later) processor when using the Observing Tool.

Using the Observing Tool on Mac OS X

The OT can be used on Mac OS X (Leopard, and Snow Leopard releases on Intel processors, with Java 1.6). On recent Intel Macs (Core 2 Duo or equivalent) Java 6 is available from Apple for OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).  If you are having trouble running the OT on these machines, please check that you have the latest Java update from Apple. Users with older 32-bit Intel (Core Duo or equivalent) Macs either need to upgrade to Snow Leopard (10.6) to get a 32-bit version of Java 6 or run the OT in a Linux virtual machine (see below). Unfortunately, Apple does not provide Java 6 for older PowerPC Macs. 

Installing on Mac OS X

• Download the current OS X distribution of the OT from the Gemini software site. Follow the link to browse the ftp directory and click the file named OT_2010B*_osx* (~20 Mbyte download).
• By default, most browsers (including Safari and Internet Explorer) will download items to your Desktop. If you have changed this setting, use the Finder to display the directory to which you downloaded the installer.
• The OS X release is provided as a mountable disk image. Simply double click on the disk image to mount it, then drag the Observing Tool icon to your DeskTop, to the Dock or to any place you find convenient. Double click on the icon to launch the application. 

OT benchmarks

See the PIT installation page for somewhat related Java benchmarks.