Instrument Handbook

Welcome to the MagAO-X Instrument Handbook.

Table of contents

• Information For Observers
  • Instrument Use Policy
    • Introduction
    • Collaborations
    • Proposals
    • The H-alpha Proto-Planet Survey
    • Nearby Bright Stars
    • Laboratory Experiments
  • Planning your observations
    • Filters and Throughputs
    • Camera Characteristics
    • Coronagraphs
  • Data reduction and calibration
    • Sky orientation & pixel scale
  • Data Policy
    • Laboratory and Engineering Data
    • Science Observations
    • Policies and provision for re-use, re-distribution and products of derivatives
    • Archiving of Data
    • Documentation
  • Accessing data as a guest observer
    • Preliminaries
    • Connecting
    • Browsing the data
    • Downloading science data
• Operation of the MagAO-X instrument
  • Startup
    • System Powerup
    • Software Startup
    • GUI Setup
    • Preparing For Operation
  • System shutdown
    • Minimal shutdown
    • Standard Shutdown
    • Total Shutdown (for packing, etc.)
  • Alignment
    • System Pupil Alignment
    • Coronagraph Alignment
  • GUIs
    • Cameras
  • Utilities
    • xctrl
    • lookyloo
    • logdump
    • cursesINDI
    • getINDI
    • setINDI
    • evalINDI
    • indiserver
    • The Eye Doctor
    • Focus Diversity Phase Retrieval (and correction)
  • Applications
    • Overview
    • Cameras
    • Deformable mirrors
    • Stages and filter wheels
    • Networking
    • Power control devices
  • A Beginner’s Guide to Using MagAOX
    • A Bit of Book-Keeping
    • Getting Started
    • The DMs
    • Now the Tip/Tilt mirrors
    • Filter Wheels, Final Power ups, and Final Checks
    • Now Align the System
    • Now align the WFS
    • Now for Cacao-ing
    • Getting a Response Matrix:
    • Closing the Loop!
    • Preparing camsci1 for images
    • To do stuff in Python
    • Safe Shutdown!
• Testbed Operation
  • General Safety
  • General Troubleshooting
  • Remote operation with a virtual machine (VM)
    • Initial Setup
    • Updating the VM
    • Startup
  • VM Commands
    • pwrGUI
    • rtimv
    • roiGUI
    • dmCtrlGUI
    • dmModeGUI
  • Commands run on exao0
    • Startup and shutdown with xctrl
    • Humidity Sensing
    • cursesINDI
    • The Eye Doctor for CACTI
  • Running Python to control exao0
    • Running Jupyter Notebook (Python)
    • Saving Camera Images with magpyx
    • Applying DM commands with magpyx
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what exactly isn’t working
  • Addressing specific issues
    • Shared memory image problems with “No space left on device” errors
    • Loop failing to close for no apparent reason and/or intermittent failures of CACAO calibration process
    • Lockup / Missing GPUs / nvidia-smi errors
    • OCAM connectivity / bad data
    • Alpao DM not responding
    • DM Latency and Communication Troubleshooting
    • EDT Framegrabber Problems (camwfs and camlowfs)
    • Camsci1/2 not responding
    • Killing INDI zombies
    • Difficulties with NVIDIA proprietary drivers
• Handling Procedures
• Compute System
  • Remote operation
    • Create the virtual machine
    • Usage
  • Python environments
    • Adding a package
    • Updating conda
    • Performing a fresh conda install/upgrade
  • System Maintenance & Administration
    • Adding a new user or developer account
    • Configuring git for a new user account
    • Upgrading NVIDIA CUDA and drivers
    • Upgrading the RT kernel
  • Networking
    • Ubuntu and NetworkManager and ufw and firewalld
    • Firewall zones
    • Network Connections
    • Hostnames
    • Time synchronization
    • Topology
  • Data Storage Management
    • RAID arrays
  • Instrument computer setup guide
    • BIOS
    • OS Installation
    • After OS installation
    • Configure /data array options
    • Setup ssh
    • AOC only: GPU drivers setup
    • Perform (mostly) automated provisioning
    • Perform xsup key management
    • Verify bootloader installation / RAID correctness
  • SSL Certificates
    • Brand-new certificates
    • Renew certificates
    • Installing certificates for sup
  • Network Attached Storage
    • Using the Steward NAS
    • Connecting your own computer to the Steward NAS
    • Connecting a server to the Steward NAS
  • Tailscale for secure connection tunnels
    • Making use of Tailscale
  • Computer Architecture
    • Real Time Controller
    • Instrument Control Computer
• Appendices
  • Glossary of terms
  • Documenting MagAO-X
    • Where the documentation lives
    • How to make changes: in brief (e.g. for typo corrections)
    • How to make bigger changes
    • Markup
  • Preliminary design review
    • Table of Contents
    • Appendix
  • Pre-ship Review
    • Table of Contents

Resources

• API Reference Manual

• magao-x/MagAOX on GitHub