Quick introduction to the database.dat file

After installing the DCSS program, it is necessary to create a valid database.dat file. Refer to maintaining database.dat for a full reference on how to create and use this file. If you are just getting started and want to play with a simulation, an example database is available in text format. To use this file, follow the these steps:

1. Copy the example dump file into the directory with the DCSS binary.

   blctlxx:~/release-3_2/dcss/linux > cp ../examples/example_bl111sim_dump.txt .

2. Using a text editor, edit the DHS entries to match the hostnames of the computers running DHS's on the new beam line. For example, the third line of a DHS entry may need to change to reflect the name of a DHS running on a different computer. If you plan to run the DHS on the same machine as DCSS, then you can use localhost as the hostname.

   Example:

   simDhs
   3
   localhost 2
   

3. Create the database.dat file with the ./dcss -r command.

   Note: This step will completely overwrite an existing database.dat file, which usually contains current motor positions.

   blctlxx:~/release-3_2/dcss/linux > ./dcss -r example_bl111sim_dump.txt
   
   ....<OUTPUT REMOVED>.........
   
   A total of 171 devices were read in from the dump file.