Initialization file .dfosrc

Purpose

The initialization file .dfosrc contains all environment variables which are shared amongst DFOS tools. E.g., $DFO_RAW_DIR is the directory root with raw data which may be defined e.g. as /data07/data/raw. Important for the DFOS system is

• that this variable is set and
• that the defined directory exists.

All common tools can then rely on the same convention. If no DFO variable is defined, the tools will stop. If the variables don't make sense, their reaction is unpredictable. So please check for proper variable settings before submitting problem reports.

Proper sourcing for dfos in general

Here is the current scheme for sourcing initialisation files on the QC machines:

The first three steps are all set up by a standard DFS installation. Step number 4 must be enabled by editing .qcrc to contain "source $HOME/.dfosrc" at the end. If set up this way, a single sourcing of .bashrc makes the whole environment available to e.g. a cronjob tool.

How to fill

• Create $HOME/install/dfosrc. This will become your $DFO_INSTALL_DIR.
• Download the tar file dfosrc.tar from the DFOS site into $HOME/install/dfosrc. Untar it (tar -xvf dfosrc.tar).
• Fill/edit it properly.
• Make sure that it is sourced properly. You source it in .qcrc. Logout, login, check by typing:

printenv | grep DFO

The template file is filled with valid entry for the GIRAFFE account. Some of the variables don't need to be changed (database server names etc.).

In general it's a good idea to follow the file structure examplified as close as possible. But for the DFOS tools it is sufficient to have the environment variables defined as such. Likely, a simple replacement of 'dfo03' by your machine name, and 'flames1' by your account name, may already produce a valid system.

Please note that in the present phase of implementation the structure and content of .dfosrc may incrementally change. To make sure that your version is logically compliant with the most recent version, check out the GIRAFFE version here.