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<== Date ==> <== Thread ==>

Subject: Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution)
From: Maren Purves <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:20:06 -1000
Janet Anderson wrote:
> 
> Maren Purves wrote:
> 
> > Question: I put
> > alh -filter a -s <config file>
> > and it runs without beeping ok. The way I understand the documentation
> > the "- filter a" should make the blinking of alarms go away when
> > the alarms are no longer active. Am I understanding this wrong or
> > did I write the command line wrong? This would be nice to have
> > because we run several alarm handlers and it would be nice to just
> > look at one screen and know if there are alarms that are still
> > active.
> 
> With the command line option "-filter a", alh will initially display only alarm
> channels (database records) having active alarms. 

[...]

thanks to Janet and Ralph for replying, looks like I read the 
documentation wrong - we don't usually have the channel windows 
open ...

What I had hoped is that we can start our alarm handlers from the
command line (at reboot time of the workstation that they usually 
run on), silenced forever (works, thanks), and such that without 
ever opening an extra window or acknowledging an alarm the operator 
can find out by looking at this workstation (which isn't in front 
of the operator - the operator console has real estate problems 
as it is) whether an alarm that generated an email warning is still 
active - it is easier to go next door and look at the alarm handler 
than it is to look at the hardware that causes the alarm.
We don't need the alarms to get acknowledged, but they have to be
dealt with.

The reasoning behind this is as follows - description of application, 
nothing much to do with software - (we have several of these):
the temperature of an instrument that runs at cryogenic temperatures
is monitored. Usually this temperature is stable. If it increases
the most likely reason is that a compressor or chiller failed,
and an email is generated (there may not be anybody at the telescope
at the time at all, the temperature controller is on the telescope
(cold and dark, as well as moving at night), and the chiller/compressors
are downstairs, both well away from the operator). The operator, as 
well as several other people receive this email, and whoever is the 
first to respond (even if only by running up a dm screen) informs
the other recipients of whether this alarm is real or not. In case 
this happens at night the operator may have to change 
chiller/compressors to a spare, or if worse comes to worse, decide 
which instrument to let warm up, in case it happens during the day
somebody who is there may have to do this, or somebody may have to 
go there (about 35 miles) to do this ...
There is at least one alarm handler per instrument, each alarm 
handler currently monitors only one channel (one instrument has 
two separate coolers that can fail and need to both work).

Thanks again,

Maren


Replies:
Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution) Janet Anderson
References:
alarm handler confusion (and solution) Maren Purves
Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution) Ralph . Lange
Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution) Maren Purves
Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution) Ralph . Lange
Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution) Maren Purves
Re: alarm handler confusion (and solution) Janet Anderson

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