[AG-TECH] APware behaviour

[Michael Gates]

One of the things that we did here when we didn't have a control machine to
run the gentner, was to load the software on a laptop and run the cable to
the gentner to adjust audio levels real-time.  It's a small piece of
software, and the laptop doesn't have to stay with the AG node.  Once the
session is over, you can use the laptop for whatever else you need to do
with it.

Just an Idea.

-Mike

======================
Michael Gates
Information Technology
Support and User Services
mgates at sdsc.edu.edu
858.534.8369
mgates at pager.sdsc.edu
Room 265
======================

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov]On
Behalf Of Osland, CD (Chris)
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2002 7:28 AM
To: Ag-Tech Mailing List (E-mail); ETF-ACCESSGRID (E-mail)
Subject: [AG-TECH] APware behaviour


I have just had the following response back from Gentner about the
behaviour of APware:

"But the answer for today is
that APWare will not work any better than the way it currently works.
APWare does use a lot of resources.  It's main purpose is to configure AP
units, not real-time operate AP units.  The design of the AP units limits
the external control.  This has been much improved with the XAP units.  You
can actually use G-Ware as the real-time controlling software but even that
is limited by the RS232 interface.  This customer may have to go back to
using a dedicated computer if they want to use APWare as a real-time
operating system."


Putting a fourth machine back into our rig just to drive the Gentner
is not really an option - the rack enclosure, purchased for the project,
is just about full!  Added to which, using a 1.4 GHz processor system
just to control a 9600 baud line brings us to Alice in Wonderland
territory (IMHO)!

I'll get back to Gentner with a comment along the lines that their
comment that "APWare does use a lot of resources" is a little
disingenuous - it uses every last cycle irrespective of CPU speed
and actually impacts the ability of the machine it is running on
to minimize or close the APware window itself, as far as I can tell -
it certainly does if, by chance, you focus on another window
while APware is running!

I haven't heard of G-Ware - is that for XAP units only?  Does
it suffer the same way?

Cheers

Chris

____________________________________________________________________
Chris Osland                                               Office tel: +44
(0) 1235 446565
Digital Media and Access Grid                          Medialab tel: +44 (0)
1235 446459
BIT Department                                     Access Grid room tel: +44
(0) 1235 445666
e-mail:   C.D.Osland at rl.ac.uk                                       Fax: +44
(0) 1235 445597
CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Bldg. R18)
Chilton, DIDCOT, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK
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