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Note: The tool is distributed through the utilities package (utilPack).

refreshVCAL

Description

This tool creates a set of virtual calibrations (vcalibs). It is thought to be used in case an existing set of virtual calibrations got lost, is required, and would be difficult or time-consuming to be created in the standard way (by subsequent creation of ABs).

Technically virtual calibrations are raw file headers with information added by createAB. Therefore, a virtual calibration header can be reconstructed if

• the corresponding raw file header exists (in $DFO_HDR_DIR)
• the corresponding AB exists (in $DFO_LOG_DIR).

The user specifies a starting date, from where the tool counts a number of dates backwards (either by reading N_VCAL_LIST in config.createAB, or by specifying a command line parameter). Headers and ABs are scanned for those dates.

For the reconstruction of virtual calibrations, the tool scans, for the specified range in time, all ABs which contain the string "MCALIB VIRTUAL", i.e. all names of virtual calibrations actually been used in the time range for creating other CALIB or SCIENCE ABs. Thereby, the reconstructed set of vcalibs may be smaller than the one created by createAB, since it includes only the ones actually used for association, while createAB creates virtual calibs but does not know about their actual usage.

The tool takes the raw file header, adds pseudo-keys from the AB (pseudo because they are usually not approved FITS keys but just come in the FITS format and are understood and evaluated by ABbuilder), and gives them the proper names. They are all collected in $DFO_CAL_DIR/REFRESH_VCAL. Any pre-existing ones in $DFO_CAL_DIR/VCAL are not affected by this. The user decides what to do with the old (if any) and new vcalibs. If copied or moved to $DFO_CAL_DIR/VCAL, they are ready to be used by createAB.

Output

How to use

Type refreshVCAL -h for on-line help, refreshVCAL -v for the version number. Type

refreshVCAL -d <starting_date>

to create vcalibs, for the number of days configured in config.createAB, and

refreshVCAL -d <starting_date> -n 20

for a specified, non-standard number of days.

How to install

The tool comes as part of utilPack.

Configuration file

None.

Operational aspects

None.