Remote Access

Users can screen crystals and collect data from remote locations, process their data and solve structures using the computers remotely at SSRL, and work effectively with geographically dispersed collaborators.

Experiments are carried out in a fully remote access mode using a remote desktop application and beamline automation. The Stanford Auto-Mounting (SAM) System is used to robotically mount crystals at cryogenic conditions from unipucks or high capacity cassettes or samples at controlled-humidity in SAM-compatible plates. Users can flash-cool samples at their home labs, load them into cassetes or uni-pucks and ship them to SSRL in standard cryo-shipping dewars. A specialized thermal shipper is used to send crystals in capillaires or sleeves, or bare crystals in micromounts stored inside SAM-compatible plates at 20 or 5 degrees Celcius. For all remote experiments, a template Excel spreadsheet is used for sample information and tracking which can be downloaded and uploaded into an SSRL database.

A remote desktop application runs on the User's home computer that displays an SSRL beamline desktop; Blu-Ice and data processing programs run as if the User was at the beamline. The crystal information in the SSRL database can be loaded into Blu-Ice and crystals can be screened in an automated fashion using the 'Screening Tab'. After screening, absortpion scans and data collection can proceed in the normal fashion.

A detailed description for collecting data remotely can be found in the User's Guide.

Remote Access Applications

• The Sample Database stores information pertaining to samples mounted in cassettes. Sample information in Excel spreadsheets associated with each cassette can be read into the SSRL database via a web browser. The database tools allow users to download templates for the SSRL Cassette or the Unipuck Adapter, upload filled in Excel spreadsheets and match database information with beamlines and cassette locations within the dewar in the hutch.
• The Remote Desktop provides users with a complete computational environment for controlling and monitoring experiments, processing data, and solving structures from anywhere in the world. It requires NoMachine's NX client to be installed on the user's local computer.
• Filezilla is recommended for data backup over the network. It must be setup to use SSH-key authentication. Data backup to your home lab should be done immediately after beamtime.