1.1 HOW-TO Get Started

To start using the Astro-WISE Environment, AWE, a few initial steps need to be taken. Access is required to the AWE database, to the AWE software and to the AWE dataservers.

1.1.1 Access to the AWE database

A database account is needed in order to use the AWE system. To get a database account, ask your local AWE representative¹ to create one for you. Your database username will consist of AW, followed by your first initial, followed by your surname.

1.1.2 Preparing the Astro-WISE Environment

In order to automatically log in to the database when you start up AWE you need to create a directory .awe in your home directory as follows:

cd
mkdir .awe
cd .awe

Now create a file here called Environment.cfg with the following content:

[global]
database_user     : <your database username>
database_password : <your database password>

Make sure only you can read the contents of the file:

chmod a-rwx,u+rw Environment.cfg

At OmegaCEN/Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, the AWE software is set up by executing the appropriate one of the following commands from the shell prompt:

# At the Kapteyn Institute in Groningen
...]$ module add awe

Tip: you can add this source command to your .cshrc or .bashrc file to have the command executed automatically for future awe sessions.

1.1.3 Starting the Astro-WISE Environment

To start AWE type

awe

and you will be welcomed by an awe-prompt similar to this

Python 3.5.1 (default, Nov  1 2016, 21:12:07) 
[GCC 4.8.5 20150623 (Red Hat 4.8.5-4)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.


               Welcome to the Astro-WISE Environment


Importing Astro-WISE packages. Please wait...


Distributed Processing Unit: dpu.hpc.rug.astro-wise.org
Dataserver: ds.astro.rug.astro-wise.org

Current profile:
- username : <your database username>
- database : db.astro.rug.astro-wise.org
- project  : <your active project>
- current privileges : 1 (MyDB)
awe>

From this moment on the Astro-WISE Environment is at your disposal.

1.1.4 Access to the AWE software

After gaining experience with AWE you have the option to change the source code and make the changes available to AWE, so they are shared with other users. This is done via Git, and the following sections explain how to get read access and write access to the AWE software.

1.1.4.1 Master and develop version

It is important to note at this point that we maintain two branches in Git: master and develop. We recommend that you use the master version.

1.1.4.2 Read-only access to the AWE software

If you'd like to change the AWE software, you first need to get it via Git.

Usage of Git is explained in /portal/howtos/man_howto_git/man_howto_git.shtmlHOW-TO Use Git.

Note that in order to use your checkout of awe instead of the central checkout, you have to set an environment variable AWEPIPE to point to the awe directory. C-shell example:

setenv AWEPIPE /path/to/your/awe

It may be convenient to add this line to your 1#1 mathend000#/.cshrc configuration file.

1.1.4.3 Write access to the AWE software

If you are granted write access, you can share your improvements of and additions to the source code with the Astro-WISE community.

Setting up write access to the Git repository is further explained in /portal/howtos/man_howto_git/man_howto_git.shtmlHOW-TO Use Git.

1.1.5 Access to the AWE dataservers

Access to the dataservers is automatically taken care of and does not require any action on the part of the user.

---

Footnotes

... representative¹

At OmegaCEN/Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, contact mailto:danny@astro.rug.nldanny@astro.rug.nl or mailto:kgb@astro.rug.nlkgb@astro.rug.nl

---