CISN Display

Introduction

This page will attempt to document the creation of a kiosk type display of the CISN Display. The CISN Display software displays near real-time earthquake location information available via the network. A complementary component would be a waveform viewer showing seismograms (in real time) from various locations around California (or beyond), but we have not had time to mount a concerted effort along those lines yet.

Summary of what we want in the CISN/WaveForm Display 2008-11-19

This is a revised version of the previous CISN Display installation instructions. Many of the steps were unclear and I have tried to go through and edit them to make it a little easier to understand. The CISN/Waveform Display is a project by Earthquake Engineering Group (EEG) (currently funded through NEES) which is a research group managed by ERI. The CISN portion will show near real-time earthquake locations, while the Wavefom display will show real time seismic waves at various location around California. The set up should explain about both the displays, ICS, and possibly NEES.

Historical Notes

This documentation project started in the 2007-08 school year.

This is the Original documentation on all all CISN/ Waveform Disply Information
This is Mehkin's Original hand written notebook about his work on the project

Current Status of Production

Current Status Summary 2008-11-17

Display Stand: done

• Can hold one or two screens as necessary, built by nick webster in the Geology Machine shop. (Document the building!) To see the Documentation of the Display Stand click this link.

CISN Kiosk Mode: done

• Mekhin did this (mostly) but I had to do some refining

Documentation of how to create CISN in Kiosk Mode: done

• Mekhin left documentation concerning all he did, but much of it is unclear, especially to those (like me) with little computer experience. I am reading it now, putting it in accessible language, while attempting to install it on the computer, "ruby" NEW: Am working on a shell script to automate quit finder, will also kill dock, works well.
• The only thing left to do for this is create a launchd script which:
  • starts CISN Display running coninuously
  • Kills finder while! CISN is loading (otherwise it doesnt stay dead)
  • restarts the dispaly every night to make sure windows aren't screwed up

Waveform Display Program: undone

• We need to meet with Jamie and see how antelope works
• Some questions/concerns
  • How do we lock users out of messing with the controls
  • We need to document its install process
  • Ask Aaron where to put in the

CISN/WAVEFORM Display (Physically): undone BUT the Temps is up

• I have designed a layout to go around the screen which contains information about the Kiosk. However, this must be approved by Jamie, and he must provide me with the information to insert. I have completed many of the info sections, I emailed Jamie and I need to get info on the UCSB Eq site, the Northridge EQ site and the program antelope so I can write thier blurbs.

Touchpad for the Kiosk: done

• indent we have a nice touchpad mouse, but we have to...
• joe built us a nice trackpad holder, I need to document it's desgin. it cost about 300 bucks

Setting up a CISN Display Kiosk

Reformat the disk of the Mac and install Tiger OS, disk name: CISN-display

• Obtain the tiger instal cd's from Aaron
• Insert Disk 1 into the desired computer
• Remember, this will delete any information on this computer, so make sure there is nothing you need on it.
• It will bring up a window, click the "install Tiger" icon, then click restart
• Choose english as the main language, then click continue until the select destination page
• there, click options and select "Erase and Install" and make sure you have the "Format disk as:" section selected as "Mac OS Extended" click continue
• On the installation type page select options, select the customize button and click the "X11" icon
• Continue and let it install.
• After install, go to the apple icon in the top left corner and select check for updates, let all the updates install.
• Go to the finder, search and find system preferences
• Click "sharing"
• turn on "remote login" and turn on "remote Management" under the "services" section
• go back to the system preferences main screen, click on energy saver
• Click schedule in the bottom right corner
• Check the start and wake up time and set it at every day at 7:00AM
• Set the option to sleep on bottom set and check it. Set at everyday at 10:00PM

Install "X-code Developer Tools"

1. Ask Aaron to bring in X Code-Developer tools from off the server, its not on the install disk, at least the one he gave me (4/3/2009)

Here we must set up three different accounts

1. create two admin accounts, "Administrator" which you will have Aaron come and make the password, and "cisnadmin" which you should put the password at "1" for now
2. then create a user account named "cisndisplay"
3. I think it is best to do most of the operations via the cisndisplay account, this may take longer due to repeated password typing but it will ensure that cisndisplay has access to all installed things.

Go online to http://www.cisn.org/ CISN website and install the CISN display

• click on the Cisn display icon on the top left area
• Click "Maintain your Account"
• Username: *********** Password: ***********
• Click "Cisn display client software"
• the program requires java 1.5 or later, therefore click the apple icon in the top left corner of your desktop and click "software update." Install all necessary updates
• download the MAC version by clicking on it, dragging from the download menu to the desktop, then double click on it. (if it requests applet approval click "trust")
• Keep clicking next, let it install where it wants to, let it put all the files on its default settings.
• exit the program
• download http://support.crustal.ucsb.edu/stadm/projects/CISN-Display/NEES_Display_banner.gif as image for a NEES banner
• go to finder and search for the folder "banners", then put the nees banner in there. (this displays an image of the nees banner in the cisn program)

Configure CISN Display to its appropriate settings

• Here is the config file. Save this to the desktop under the exact name (make sure it doesnt have ".xml.txt" or something)
• then use the finder to open the folder "conf" and delete the old conf file, then put in the new one from the desktop. The conf folder should be located in the cisn display folder that was created when it was installed. However, when I tried this step the conf folder did not exist. After running the cisn application the conf folder appeared so just try that if its not immediately there
• Next click on the finder and select from the top options "new window"
• click on documents in the side panel and create a new folder called inside it called "BackupConf"
• copy and paste a copy of the new conf file into this folder
• Go to where CISN is installed
• right click on the executable icon (the icon which when pressed makes CISN run) and select "show package contents"
• click on contents, then click on info.plist. (it should be opened with the property list editor)
• click once on the "root" art, then click on the arrow to its left and select new child in the top right corner
• here are its variables
  • name: LSUIPresentationMode
  • class: number
  • value: 3
• exit out of that and save the changes
• I am unclear how to do this via the conf file so for now it can be done manually, but you need to launch cisndisplay
• go to settings, then display, then at the reset view option enter 60 seconds
• simply exit out of the program without saving.

Installation of the Firewall

• This step should be done from the cisnadmin account so login to that
• Copy this code for the Firewall and this code for the Firewall's startup parameters onto the Desktop by right clicking (or control+clicking) on the links, and selecting "Save Linked File as..." It will try to end".txt" to the end or something. Delete that part and keep the original names
• You need to create a folder, "Firewall", inside the StartupItems folder. To do this...
• Open up the "Terminal" Icon on the bottom menu
• Then type:

sudo bash
sudo mkdir /Library/StartupItems/Firewall 

• Go to /Library/StartupItems/Firewall and put the two files you downloaded ("Firewall" and "StartupParameters.plist") earlier into this

fwdir=/Library/StartupItems/Firewall
sudo chown -R root:wheel /Library/StartupItems/Firewall
chown 0:0 $fwdir/*
chmod ug+x $fwdir/Firewall
$fwdir/Firewall

• Creating the variable "fwdir" is not necessary but it saves time from having to type out the whole directory path
• this should start the firewall and show a whole bunch of new info

• The firewall rotation settings should be changed to store 9, rather than 5 logs and should also change the max file size to 10000 kb rather than 100
• The logging goes to /var/log/appfirewall.log

Here we will secure the GUI by installing Fruitmenu

1. go to the fruitmenu website and download it.
2. we already have a license so you dont need to buy, just download. it didnt even ask me for the info, but just in case.....
3. go through and let it install where it wants, only install what they say is necessary (not that crash thing).
4. once installed go to "system preferences" (You can find this with finder) and click on the fruitmenu icon which should be in the lower left
5. once in go to the applemenu section and drag everything, except for shutdown, from the left side over to the right. keep the program open!
6. open finder and search for "airport utility", drag this from the finder menu to the left box in the applemenu table you were just at, hit apply.
7. now you can exit out of both of those and click on the apple icon in the very top left to make sure what we did worked
8. **we are killing the finder here** write," defaults write com.apple.Finder QuitMenuItem 1 " (this adds "Quit" to the Finder)
9. To permamently kill the dock, type "defaults write com.apple.dock orientation -string top:killall dock" into the command line
10. To get it back, type "killall Dock" in the terminal.
11. download this shellscript, cisnmaster which will be used to keep the kiosk running, and this startdisplay shell script. use the finder to put them in the "bin" file.
12. If you wish to know more about the contents of the file, click here to learn the Specifics of how it works
13. Now we will need to make cron jobs to continuously run the scripts, first log out and log in as cisnadmin
14. open a terminal (we are about to allow non super users to use the reboot command) type "sudo bash" it will prompt for password probably
15. then type "chmod +s /sbin/shutdown" then type "/sbin/shutdown", and it should simply reboot so u can now sign in as cisndisplay
16. once in as cisn display and use the finder and open up the terminal window, try the "sbin/shutdown" command again ( to make sure it works)
17. now , download the cisn config file to your desktop again so we can make a back which copies itself in the config file every night, create a folder under documents entitled called "BackupConf" and put it in here Back
18. then go open the terminal again
19. type "crontab -e" hit "a" to be able to write one the first line type "*/5 * * * * ~/bin/cisnmaster begin" then press enter on this second line type "58 23 * * * ~/bin/cisnmaster mvconf" then press enter on this third line type "59 23 * * * /sbin/shutdown -r now" then press enter
20. then click esc, followed by "shift+z" twice
21. in the terminal type "cd bin" enter, "./cisnmaster stop" enter. This will casue the temporary stoppage of cisn trying to consistently boot itself. Know the cisnmaster commands!
22. exit out of the terminal and click on the CISN-Disply icon which contols the computer and is located on the desktop
23. right click on the applications icon and selcet get info
24. scroll down to the "owners and permission section" and change the owner to cisnadmin, you will need to use the password which is now "1"
25. now open up the applications folder and try to delete the chess game or something unimportant, it should ask permission. Now we know it works!
26. use the finder to open system preferences, click on the accounts icon
27. select login items under cisn-display and select the plus button
28. search for bin and select startdisplay.command, this will make the ./cisnmaster rmblock run on start up of the machine
29. sign in as cisnadmin and change the password to....... you and Aaron decide, dont post it here! write it down in office somewhere
30. I think you're all set now! lets learn how to run this computer from another computer via remote connection

Configuring a system as a waveform display

Install Antelope

1. Put in the Antelope Disc and click its image when it appears on the Desktop
2. Click on the Install.
3. It will request an information form which can be ignored
4. Continue through, select "full distribution" when the option arises
5. Install all unapplied patches
6. Set up default values for the network
   • Seed Net: SB
   • Int: UCSB
   • Orig Net:Institute of Crustal Studies
   • Mail Dom: crustal.ucsb.edu
   • Mail host: mail.crustal.ucsb.edu
7. Stick license in ..WHERE? ASK AARON

References/Related

Here are some potentially useful links Mehkin suggested if you get stuck...

• https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#technotes/tn2062/_index.html - Apple's Kiosk Setup Info Page
• https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man5/launchd.plist.5.html - MacOSX man page launchd commands
• https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man8/launchd.8.html - MacOSX man page for launchd
• https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man8/ipfw.8.html - ipfw man page
• http://oreilly.com/pub/a/mac/2005/03/15/firewall.html?page=1 - ipfw guide
• http://www.ibiblio.org/macsupport/ipfw/ - really good ipfw guide
• http://www.macworld.com/article/55321/2007/02/hidemenubar.html - How to hide the top menu and dock] Use the property editor list method and set LSUIP to 3
• https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#technotes/tn2062/_index.html - more awesome kiosk ui stuff Really good stuff.
• http://macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/11/07/scripting_osx.html?page=1 - mac shell scripting

Ideas on Setting up the Trackpad

• This is all done, all I need to do is document it. did I document it....?

Usable Controls from CISNMaster to Manipulate Program

• remember you must have downloaded the commands first and they may not work unless all the directions above have been followed.
• Find out the name of your machine from aaron, the current one is "ruby" so I will use ruby here in the examples.
• open the terminal on your own computer and type "ssh cisndisplay@ruby.crustal.ucsb.edu" it will ask for the cisndisplay password, type 'er in!

cd bin
./cisnmaster   # follwed by a space and then any of these sub-commands
begin # kills finder and starts cisn display in kiosk mode
mvconf # deletes the current file in the conf folder and replaces it with our back up one in which is located in Documents/BackupConf, just in case its been compromised
sdwn # shuts down the computer and restarts it
stop # stops cronjob from restarting cisn every five minutes via file called "blockfile" which is placed on the desktop, will automatically undo itself in one hour. to manually restart the dispaly use "rmblock" disscussed below
rmblock # manually gets ride of the blockfile and allows the "begin" command to restart cisn every minute. Also starts up