AWIPS 2 Availability

[rdale]

Unidata had a cloud-based EDEX for testing, but the funding was cut. Unless you're getting data through some super-secret proprietary source, it should be freely distributable (other than ECMWF & lightning.) I set up an EDEX server but I could hear my PC choking the first time it started crunching model data

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Wonder how bad my new R610 server in Lansing would choke if I tried to run an EDEX host. ha.

Supposedly they still have the cloud-based thing open to .edu PTR's only

 

[rdale]

Don't you touch that box

Here is the EDEX notice sent out earlier this month:

Hello AWIPS II users,

Many of you know that Unidata has offered an EDEX server in the cloud for beta testers. This server was funded by a short Microsoft grant, a situation that allowed us to offer live data to our users and evaluate the performance a system at this scale.

I'm sorry to announce that the Azure cloud server will shut down tonight, February 10, until further notice.

We are discussing alternative ways to provide a testing server to AWIPS II users, but until the next step is determined, sites will have to install and configure their own EDEX servers and direct their CAVE clients locally.

Thank you for your participation and continued interest

 

[Brian G]

I never really did use AWIPS II that much. The biggest problem I had with it were that I could not see all frames from the models. For example, when selecting GFS products I would only see like 50% of the forecast hours available. Also, I never did figure out how to do color filled contours. But, the cross section tool was fantastic!

I second having a 3rd party provide an EDEX server data feed. AllisonHouse perhaps?

 

[rdale]

Their demo EDEX server was just for that purpose - demonstrating. It never had a full suite of data or models so that would explain why

I've talked to AH but they need to keep seeing interest. Drop them a line to let them know...

 

[L.B. LaForce]

I had AWIPS II installed for a little while, and was using the public EDEX server, but quickly got rid of it. As Rob stated, it was literally unusable in a VMWare virtual machine. I was running mine on 12GB of RAM, and the thing was ridiculously slow. I also never got graphics to load. I could load contours, but no shaded graphics. I have given up for the time being until I find a better solution, or something changes.

 

[Kelton Halbert]

For anyone that is curious...

The student-run Oklahoma Weather Lab at OU got some new tech upgrades and a new forecasting space, of which part of what I have done is requested and set up 3 AWIPS2 workstations. We currently do not have a dedicated EDEX server (will soon though), and have been running EDEX on one of the AWIPS workstations. It isn't the most ideal solution, especially if you want to pull in a full suite of data, but if you are okay running on some minimums, it works relatively well.

The computers are Dell Precision workstations, quad core i5 3.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, 500GB HDD. So far, pulling in limited data (RAP/NAM/GFS/Satellite/limited L3 Radar), a single workstation is able to run both EDEX and CAVE, and the other two workstations then point to the EDEX on the other station. Again, it isn't ideal, but the computer hasn't exploded. and therefore I consider it a success. If someone has a beefy enough machine, they can run it just fine. I definitely do not recommend running this in a VM.

 

[rdale]

If someone has a beefy enough machine, they can run it just fine.

...with the caveat that they have access to IDD/LDM, which is highly limited outside of the university environment

 

[Kelton Halbert]

...with the caveat that they have access to IDD/LDM, which is highly limited outside of the university environment

This is a fact that I keep forgetting... University life has me spoiled.
Still, if you happen to be pulling in data over LDM (I know a few people that, in fact, do this on their own... i.e. Ben), you aren't completely hosed.

 

[Zac Flamig]

Just a word of advice if you ever end up spec'ing hardware for an EDEX server, spend the extra $$$ and get SSD drives. With LDM, EDEX ingest and Postgresql constantly hitting your disk you will seriously appreciate the extra iops that SSDs provide.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

We'll see how things run off our SAN soon enough.

 

[JD Roberson]

Building a Noaaport receive system is not a expensive as one would think. I put mine together for about $3000, Novra receiver, Server, Workstation, Router, Network switches and LNB/feedhorn. The dish I already had, a 10 fiberglass for one of the old TV Sat systems back in the 80's. A new dish is hard to find and expensive, however there are probably hundreds still out there from the 80's. These Dish are standing in backyards in rural areas that the owners would probably like to have removed. I know of three 10' fiberglass dishes within 3 miles of my place that are not being used and haven't been in years.

 

[rdale]

Great news - AWIPS2 is now available for both 32 and 64-bit Windows without need of VMWare or Linux or anything else - it's a direct install!

Bad news - there still is no AWIPS2 data server available to the public (either free or pay.) Cue entrepreneurs?

 

[Brian G]

Nice! Anybody played around with it yet? Does it do anything different than the previous beta release?

I noticed the source code is now available on github too.

 

[rdale]

It's much farther along in development so a lot of bug fixes along with new features.