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January 2000
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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................
Basic CMSS Concepts..........................................................................................................
Storing Data...............................................................................................................................8
Messages and Files.....................................................................................................................8
Addressing Scheme....................................................................................................................8
Priority Scheme..........................................................................................................................9
Message Switching.....................................................................................................................9
Getting Started...................................................................................................................
Starting the Comms GUI..........................................................................................................10
Understanding the Comms GUI................................................................................................10
Global buttons..................................................................................................................11
Communication Alarms.....................................................................................................
Viewing Alarms........................................................................................................................13
Responding to a Report Error Alarm........................................................................................14
Responding to a Line Outage Alarm.........................................................................................14
Clearing the Top Alarm............................................................................................................14
Messages..............................................................................................................................
Message Numbers....................................................................................................................16
Viewing Messages....................................................................................................................16
Message Information................................................................................................................16
Message Buttons......................................................................................................................18
Understanding SEND...............................................................................................................19
Correcting and Sending Messages............................................................................................19
Searching for Messages............................................................................................................19
Speeding up the search....................................................................................................20
Bulk Resend.............................................................................................................................20
Messages to the original destination (the client).............................................................20
Messages to the Decoders (and database).......................................................................21
Reports to any destination...............................................................................................21
Introduction
CMSS
Circuit Control....................................................................................................................
Entering the Circuit Control Display........................................................................................27
Circuit Control GUI.................................................................................................................28
Top section (display and selection area)..........................................................................29
Second section (control buttons for all circuits)..............................................................30
Third section (information on the selected circuit)..........................................................30
Fourth section (control buttons for the selected circuit)..................................................31
Differences between the STOP and CLOSE commands....................................................31
System Status......................................................................................................................
Fax System (Hylafax).........................................................................................................
Overview..................................................................................................................................34
Entering the Fax Control Display.............................................................................................35
Fax Control GUI......................................................................................................................36
Modem display and use....................................................................................................36
Message queue display and use.......................................................................................37
Display and control of selected messages........................................................................38
Refreshing the GUI display..............................................................................................39
Fax related alarms....................................................................................................................40
Printing Facilities................................................................................................................
Using the Print Button..............................................................................................................43
Changing the printer........................................................................................................43
Printer Address................................................................................................................43
Table GUIs...........................................................................................................................
Normal Mode...........................................................................................................................44
Page 4
Introduction
Introduction
CMSS
Introduction
The Comms Graphical User Interface (GUI) allows operators/users to control the
operations of the Communications system. In particular it allows users to:
The GUI is a standard Motif application. Motif, a product of the Open Software
Foundation (OSF), is a graphical user interface built on X.
Note:
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Introduction
Send and receive meteorological messages and files (for example, charts).
Storing Data
Every message that is received by CMSS is immediately stored in a large circular file
called MSGIN (short for Message In). Typically this file is large enough to contain the
last 1-7 days of data.
Similarly all sent messages are stored on a large circular file called MSGOUT (short
for Message Out).
Files, which are normally large graphic images for example, Postscript, Gif, T4
charts, however they can include ASCII text files.
Note:
One difference between how CMSS handles Messages and Files is that
most messages can be edited in the CMSS GUI, but files cannot be
edited
Addressing Scheme
CMSS uses a nine-character addressing scheme to determine where to send incoming
messages. That is, associated with every outgoing connection are one or more addresses
that must be 3 to 9 characters in length.
There are some restrictions and conventions with the first character of the address.
These are:
Introduction
CMSS
A = AFTN address. If an address is nine characters long and starts with an A then
it is assumed to be an AFTN address and is sent down the default AFTN output
line (with the leading A removed)
G = Group address.
Z = dummy address
Note:
Some addresses, like e-mail addresses, do not fit into 9 characters. For
these addresses the input conversion table and the output Client
Address table are used to convert between 9 characters CMSS
addresses and foreign addresses.
Priority Scheme
CMSS uses a four level priority scheme A, B, C and D.
A is the highest priority and D is the lowest. D is also the default.
When sending messages to the AFTN, CMSS converts its priorities to AFTN priorities
as follows:
A DD
B FF
C GG
D GG
Message Switching
Each incoming message is checked to determine where it is to be sent. Typically
messages are switched based on:
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File Name
Station Number
Introduction
Getting Started
Starting the Comms GUI
To start the Comms GUI:
1.
2.
3.
The Communications (Comms) Graphical User Interface (GUI) is divided into five
sections:
The left side of the window displays global buttons that relate to key commands
(see Table 1).
The lower part of the window contains buttons relating to alarms, see
Communication Alarms.
The screen in the centre of the window varies, depending on the global button that
is activated.
Introduction
CMSS
The pulldown menus at the top of the window provide for lesser-used functions.
The buttons above the screen provide other Comms functions, see Viewing
Messages.
If you issued an invalid command, a red message displays in the middle of the
window.
the command is already activated for example, if you click the STOP button
for a stopped circuit
the button is inactive (its colour is slightly shaded (greyed out) and does not
change appearance when clicked).
Global buttons
The left side of the window contains the global buttons. You can click these buttons at
any time to change the display in the window.
Table 1: Comms GUI global buttons
Button
What it does
REPORTS
REJECT
SERVICE
Prep Msgs
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Introduction
Button
What it does
These are proformas that Comms operators use to
prepare their own messages.
LOG
Decode LOG
ALARM FILE
Dcd Alarms
JOURNAL
Bulk RESEND
CIRCUIT CONTROL
FAX CONTROL
Introduction
CMSS
Communication Alarms
Comms alarms display at the bottom of the window and are used to inform the Comms
operator of an important event.
Depending on the system configuration, alarms from two alarm files may display:
Comms alarms
These alarms relate to the sending and receiving of messages. They include
warnings about link failures and corrupted messages received, such as messages
with header or trailer errors.
Each alarm is prefixed with a seven-character code, the last character being A, I, W or
E:
A - action (user action required)
I - information (no user action required)
W - warning
E - error.
Six buttons are used for alarms.
Table 2: Alarm buttons
Button
What it does
CLEAR
EXPLAIN
ALARM MSG
Displays the message for the alarm at the top of the list
PURGE
DECODE ALARMS
COMMS ALARMS
Viewing Alarms
1.
To switch the messages displayed between the two alarm types, use the COMMS
ALARMS and DECODE ALARMS buttons on the bottom right-hand side of the
window.
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Introduction
When there is an error in a report, the system displays an alarm in the red box at the
bottom of the window. An example of such an alarm is:
MMRC213ACMA01MSG3001198ERROR:UNEXPECTEDGROUPFOUND(331++)
2.
Use the Editor to type the correct text for the message.
3.
Note:
Click the EXPLAIN button for information about the alarm message.
This alarm indicates that a destination (XXX01) has refused an attempt to connect with
it. This alarm is repeated at 15-minute intervals until the problem is fixed.
To respond to a line outage alarm:
1.
2.
Contact the remote site to find out if their computer is running and able to receive
calls.
3.
Click the CIRCUIT CONTROL button and watch the connection attempts (the
system retries every ten seconds).
Note:
After actioning the top alarm message, click the CLEAR button on the bottom left
of the screen to remove the alarm from the screen.
Introduction
CMSS
Messages
An important concept in Comms is that of a message and a report.
A message is the unit of data that is sent and received by Comms and is always
surrounded by a communications header and trailer.
The traditional GTS message must be less than 15,000 characters. Normally
AFTN messages are less than 1,800 characters long.
MSGIN
Message in - used to store all incoming messages. Depending on how the system
is configured, this file normally contains at least the last 24 hours of messages.
REPORTS
Contains incoming reports as determined by the message recognition system. That
is, the Recogniser locates each report within a message and then stores them
individually on the REPORTS file.
REJECT
Contains all messages considered to be invalid by Comms (mainly due to errors in
header or trailer). This file is optional.
MSGOUT
Message out - used to store all messages sent out to each destination. Normally, a
message is added to MSGOUT immediately after it is sent.
SERVICE
Contains all service messages received. A service message is a message that needs
to be read by a Comms operator.
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Introduction
Message Numbers
Each message in Comms is given a unique identification number. This number is often
used in alarm messages and trace logs.
The identification number consists of a file identifier plus a message number. For
example, if the message identification number in MSGIN is 1000222, then the message
number is 222.
The prefix to the identification numbers in each file is given in Table 3.
Table 3: Identification numbers prefixes
File
Prefix
MSGIN
1nnn
MSGOUT
2nnn
REPORTS
3nnn
REJECT
4nnn
SERVICE
5nnn
Viewing Messages
To view messages:
1.
You can edit the message, if required, unless it is a binary message or a graphics file.
Message Information
Two lines of message information are displayed immediately above the message text.
The format of these two lines is:
FILE#nnnnnpRCVDdate<JNL#nnnn>
search_info
FROMrrrccTOaddr..addr
status
The information contained in each part of these information lines is shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Message information sections
Information section
FILE
Description
The file in which the message is stored.
Introduction
CMSS
Information section
Description
nnnnn
Message priority - A, B, C or D.
RCVD date
Receive date.
<JNL #nnnn>
search_info
rrrcc
addr
status
Message Buttons
The function of each message-related button, located across the top of the window, is
shown in Table 5.
Table 5: Message function buttons
Button
EARLIER
What it does
Display the message sent or received immediately
before the currently displayed one.
To display an earlier message on the file, enter the
number of messages earlier in the text field to the right of
the EARLIER button and press Enter.
For example, to display a message 100 earlier than the
current message, type 100 in the field and press Enter.
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Introduction
Button
LATER
What it does
Display the message sent or received immediately after
the currently displayed one.
To display a later message on the file, enter the number
of messages later in the field to the right of the LATER
button and press Enter.
For example, to display a message 100 later than the
current message, type 100 in the field and press Enter.
TOGGLE
SEND
SEND ADDR
SEARCH
SE EARLIER
SE LATER
SUMMARY
Understanding SEND
If you modify (edit) a message before you SEND it then the message will be re-decoded
and stored in the Database if required.
Introduction
CMSS
If however you do not modify the message then it will simply be sent to the customers
listed and no attempt will be made to recognise the contents of the message or send it to
the database.
Click the ALARM MSG button to display the message/report in error. Often, the
field in error is highlighted.
2.
Correct the error in the displayed message. See Using the Comms Message Editor.
3.
4.
Click the CLEAR button to clear the alarm from the screen.
2.
3.
Enter one of more search criteria and press Enter or click the OK button.
A linear search is started on the file from the latest message.
As the search progresses, the display is updated to indicate the number of
messages checked and how far back in time.
The latest message that satisfies the criteria displays.
Note:
4.
Page 18
The search may take a long time depending on the size of the file. You
may terminate the search at any time by clicking the QUIT button that
displays when the search is started. To speed up the search, see
Speeding up the search.
If required, click the SEARCH EARLIER button to find the next earliest
message that satisfies these criteria.
Introduction
Bulk Resend
Sometimes there is a need to resend a lot of messages. This occurs when a destination
computer fails and messages that were previously sent are lost.
For WMO/AFTN connections there are processes in place that enable such data to be
automatically resent. However, some places do not implement these processes. It is
therefore necessary to be able to resend a lot of messages from the Comms GUI.
A request to resend messages would come via a Service Message or a telephone call.
You can send:
2.
3.
2.
3.
4.
Enter the time period when the messages where sent in the TIME RANGE fields.
Introduction
CMSS
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2.
3.
4.
Enter the time period when the messages where sent in the TIME RANGE fields.
Introduction
Only ASCII messages are editable. Graphics files or binary messages (GRIB/BUFR)
cannot be edited.
The editing functions include copying, deleting and moving characters, words or blocks
of text.
2.
Hold the left mouse button down while dragging the pointer up to move backwards
through the message or down to move forwards through the message.
To edit text, the mouse pointer must be placed within the Text Area. When you move
the mouse pointer into the text area an insert cursor appears and starts blinking. The
insert cursor is sometimes called an I-beam and appears as a large I symbol. The insert
cursor is the position at which inserted characters are added.
Introduction
CMSS
2.
up arrow
Up one line
down arrow
left arrow
right arrow
CONTROL+right arrow
CONTROL+left arrow
HOME
CONTROL+HOME
Beginning of message
END
CONTROL+END
End of message
PAGE UP
Up one page
PAGE DOWN
Editing text
The Message Editor is always in Insert Mode. You can insert or delete text.
Inserting text
Make the required changes by typing into the text. The text is inserted at the insert
cursor location point.
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Introduction
Deleting text
1.
To delete one character of text to the right of the insert cursor, press the DELETE
key.
2.
To delete one character of text to the left of the insert cursor, press the
BACKSPACE key.
3.
To delete all text from the insert cursor to the end of the line, press the
CONTROL+DELETE keys.
You ...
Block a message
Press DELETE.
Block a word
Block a line
Introduction
CMSS
Number of columns
By default the Text Area is 80 columns wide. However some old systems like AFTN
require messages to be only 69 columns wide. You can change to a 69 column display
by choosing the < Columns: 6980> option on the <View> pulldown menu.
View >> Columns: 6980
Note:
If you attempt to type in more than 80 (or 69) characters in a line then
CMSS automatically word-wraps to a new line.
Viewing Files
Large graphics files may be received and switched by CMSS. An example of a graphics
file is a WMO T4 chart.
Some graphics files are automatically viewable in CMSS however for some files
(typically gif) it is necessary to press a button to view the file. The reason for this is
that it can take a lot of computer resources to make the file viewable so we only do this
when you explicitly wish to view the file.
When you first come attempt to display such a file, the following is displayed in the
Editor Window:
THIS MESSAGE (FILE) IS NOT VIEWABLE
You must then press the <View File> button under the <View> pulldown menu to
display the file.
View >> View File
Displaying WMO T4 charts
WMO T4 charts have a TTAAII and CCCC associated with them like any other GTS
product however these fields are not immediately visible when you display a T4 chart.
To determine these values you must press the <SUMMARY> button.
Note:
Page 24
WMO T4 charts (files) are switched on TTAAII and CCCC like any
GTS message. This differs from non-GTS files which are switched on
filename.
Introduction
Circuit Control
A circuit is an online connection on which messages are sent or received.
There are circuits to printers, the fax system (Hylafax), AFTN, and other national
meteorological centres.
The Circuit Control display is designed to control these circuits. Its functions include:
Click the CIRCUIT CONTROL button on the left side of the Comms display.
This displays circuits alphabetically.
Or
2.
Enter the circuit name (three to five characters) that you want to display in the
field to the right of the CIRCUIT CONTROL button and press Enter.
This enters Circuit Control with the circuit you have chosen at the top of the
display.
Introduction
CMSS
The top section consists of about 20 lines of information, one for each connection.
Note: This display refreshes automatically every three seconds.
Below the top section are eight buttons (second section) that allow you to alter and
control the lines and connections displayed in the top section.
Below the second section is a window that contains information about the circuit
you have selected (third section).
In the lower part of the screen there are buttons that control the selected circuit
(fourth section).
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Introduction
Description
SIDE
QUEUE
ROUTE
STATUS
MESSAGE
Selecting a circuit
To select a circuit:
1.
Type the circuit name in the field to the right of the CIRCUIT CONTROL
button.
Or
Click on the appropriate line in the top section of the display with the left mouse
button.
The selected line appears in reverse-video in the diagram above.
Introduction
CMSS
What it does
Up
Down
Page Up
Page Down
Start All
Stop All
Open All
Close All
Description
Starts with a detailed description of the circuit.
For input circuits the right-hand side contains a field with the
format Dnnnn.
Page 28
Line 2
Line 3-5
For output lines, this contains the start of the message currently
being sent.
Introduction
Type the new sequence number in the nnn: field located between the DRAIN and
CLOSE buttons and press Enter.
What it does
START
STOP
UNDRAIN
DRAIN
OPEN
CLOSE
OUTQ
(Output Queue)
CANCEL
Introduction
CMSS
Page 30
Introduction
System Status
There is a display that allows you to quickly check CMSSs health. It is started by
choosing the <System Status> option on the Miscellaneous (<Misc>) pulldown on the
CMSS GUI.
Amongst other things, this display shows the number of messages processed and the
health of key processes.
These key processes are displayed in green, amber or red depending on how quickly
messages are being processed.
For Message Analysis (msganal) the display is red if data is waiting but nothing has
been processed for 2 seconds.
For the Recognizer (recogn) the display is amber (caution) if data is being delayed for
more than 5 seconds or if the number of messages waiting exceeds 100. The display is
red if messages are delayed for more than 30 seconds.
For Message Switching (msgswtch) the display is also amber if the delay exceeds 5
seconds or 100 messages and the display is red if the delay exceeds 30 seconds.
Figure 4: CMSS status GUI
Introduction
CMSS
Comms passes the message and the destination telephone number to Hylafax via
the FAX01 circuit.
To see the status of the Hylafax system, click the FAX CONTROL button. In
particular, it shows:
This display also allows you to cancel queued messages or to change their priority.
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Introduction
It is the responsibility of the Comms operator to resend the message. The most
likely action is to contact the receiver by phone to check that their fax machine is
working.
For most errors, Hylafax retries at two-minute intervals for a maximum of five
attempts before giving up and raising an operator alarm.
Fax messages are not journalled until they are successfully sent.
Fax messages are stored on MSGOUT as soon as they are passed to Hylafax, not
when they are successfully sent by Hylafax. Therefore, check the Journal to
confirm that faxes have been sent.
Hylafax always sends the next fax on the free modem with the lowest number. For
example, modem fax01 is used more than modem fax12.
This is very important when dealing with faulty modems. For example, if fax01 is
faulty, Hylafax may keep trying to use it and so seriously disrupt all fax
transmissions.
Click the FAX CONTROL button on the left side of the Comms display.
Introduction
CMSS
display and control of selected messages, see Display and control of selected
messages.
Note:
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Introduction
Initialising server
The modem is initialising (occurs before each message is sent) .
Disabling a modem
Note:
Comms GUI does not currently allow you the disable faulty modems.
If you need to disable a modem, contact the Computing Manager.
Description
FAXID
MSGNUM - AIFS
IDENT - AIFS
ADDRESS
PRTY
Priority A, B, C or D.
Introduction
CMSS
Field
Description
DIALS
TTS
STATUS
Place the mouse pointer over the required message in the message queue display
area.
2.
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Introduction
3.
Perform the appropriate action using the buttons below the display.
What it does
CANCEL
SEND NOW
Adjusts the priority of the message (and its place in the queue)
according to which button is clicked.
CLIENT INFO
FAX INFO
The automatic refresh is on when the square on the REFRESH button is recessed.
Introduction
CMSS
CFN008IFAXmsgnumSENDTOdestination[ID=nn]FAILED
(failed)NOMORERETRIES
This alarm occurs when Hylafax has stopped trying to send the message to the
destination. This normally occurs because five attempts have been made to contact
the destination and they have all failed.
It is the Comms operators responsibility to resolve the problem.
a. The most likely action is to contact the customer, ask them to check their fax
machine, and resend the message to them using the RESEND button.
b. If you click the ALARM MSG button while this alarm is shown, the message
text and details about the customer displays.
c. You can determine the exact cause of the failure by checking the LOG for
messages. For example:
FROMFAXXFERLOG[ID=nn][LINE=fax02][REASON="Busy
signaldetected"]
FAX006AfaxnnUNABLETOCONNECTTOLANPORT
(terminalserver/port)
This alarm indicates that Hylafax is unable to connect to a fax modem on the
LAN.
This may be a serious LAN error.
a. Contact the Computing Manager immediately.
CFN012ASERIOUSERRORNODIALTONEONFAXLINEfaxnn
This is a very serious error. It indicates that the local telephone line may be faulty.
a. Contact the Computing Manager immediately.
Hylafax will continue to use this modem for other fax transmissions which will
also fail.
WAT101AWARNING:FAXPROCESSprocess_idNOTRUNNING
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Introduction
2.
a row of dashes ( - - - ) is used to separate the latest record from the oldest.
Type the required search string in the Enter search text field.
2.
Introduction
CMSS
Printing Facilities
There are two methods for printing to a LAN printer from the Comms GUI:
1.
2.
Resend a message to a Comms address that has been pre-defined to map to a LAN
printer.
This option allows you to print the Log, Journal, or Alarm page currently displayed, or
to print the currently displayed message.
Some of the displays, such as Circuit Control, cannot be printed.
By default the Print option prints to the default printer as defined by the server.
Changing the printer
You may change the default printer that your Comms GUI uses by:
typing the name of the printer you want in the Printer Name field on the dialog
box that displays when you select the Print option.
Note:
Any printer name that you use must already be defined on the Unix
Server.
Printer Address
In most systems, one or more AIFS addresses (2-9 characters long) are used to send
messages to a printer. Normally, this facility automatically sends selected messages to a
local printer. However, Comms GUI allows you to use this facility to resend (using the
RESEND button) a message to a printer.
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Introduction
Table GUIs
Comms GUI interfaces to many of the database tables that control Comms. These
Table GUIs all run as separate applications to the main Comms GUI. This means that
each of the Table GUIs can be operated separately from the Comms GUI.
One obvious difference between the Tables GUIs and the normal Comms GUI is their
look. The Tables GUIs were developed using an Oracle product designed to build
database table interfaces.
Table 14: Oracle table GUI
The Tables GUIs have two distinct modes, Normal and Enter Query. They are
always started in Normal Mode. It is important to understand the difference and to
know which mode the GUI is in at any given time. The mode affects the way the GUI
behaves and what actions the buttons perform.
Normal Mode
Normal mode is used to insert new records into the table or to delete or copy existing
records.
The Table GUI is in Normal mode if the Enter A Query, Copy, Insert, Delete, Save
and Arrow buttons are enabled.
Introduction
CMSS
2.
3.
4.
Use the arrow buttons to display other found records that satisfy the criteria.
2.
Click the Clear or Insert button if there is data in the fields (as a result of a
previous query).
3.
4.
Alternatively you can create a new record by copying an existing one and changing it.
To do this:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduction
2.
3.
2.
3.
What it does
Enter A Query
Insert
Copy
Save
List Values
Restore
Clear
Exit
Introduction
CMSS
Options
Print
Exit
Description
Print the currently displayed message or
Log page.
Exit the Comms GUI.
Admin
Add Line
Delete Line
Line Loading Statistics
Update Control Tables
Quiet the Watchdog
Tables
Fax Addresses
File Switching
Misc
Stop Decoders
Miscellaneous tasks
Start Decoders
Quiet the Watchdog
Raw Journal
View
View File
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