Our disks are based on the Knoppix live CD ( http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html ) distribution, which is free to download. We then add in CISM-DX ( http://lasp.colorado.edu/cism/CISM_DX/ ), which is a collection of space physics models and data. For the DVD version, we add a few more things (OpenOffice, for example, and more data from the models), since we have plenty of space still on a DVD; for the CD version, we pull out everything that isn't essential to get it to fit on the disk.
The two current versions are still beta, and have a few bugs to be worked out. If you have any problems that aren't mentioned here, please let me know (preferrably with a description of the problem and the circumstances leading up to it); if you have a solution to one of the problems mentioned here (or a new one that you find), definitely please let me know (if it's really good, I'll buy you a burger/smoothie/caffeinated beverage sometime).
- Robert
II. Downloading Knoppix/CISM-DX
A. Version 0.7a (=Knoppix/CISM-DX 3.7base3 (Knoppix 3.7, 3rd base configuration I used)) (this is a CD version)
B.Knoppix/CISM-DX 3.8.1baseA1a (Knoppix 3.8.1, base A1 (made at AAMU), version a) (this is a DVD version)
IV. Using CISM-DX
How to:
V. Shutting down Knoppix/CISM-DX
#1 - Your computer reboots right into Windows, and never even tries to boot the CD or DVD.
#2 - Your computer hangs while booting the 2.6 kernel (either from the 0.7 CD using the 'knoppix26' cheatcode, or the DVD version), somewhere around the message about 'init version 2.78'.
VII. Future additions (planned):
VIII. Some useful reference links:
Marius Schamschula at Alabama A&M University is graciously hosting a web site where you can download the disk images: http://space.physics.aamu.edu/cism/sww/
There are also some concise instructions there for running the two versions. Note that the files there are ISO's; you'll need to burn them to disk using Nero, Roxio, or
Instructions:
1. Insert the CD into your CD drive and reboot your machine.
2. You should shortly see a 'boot:' prompt at the bottom of the screen. If you boot right back into Windows instead, see Problem #1, below.
3. Unless you have some reason to do otherwise, just hit 'Enter' at the 'boot:' prompt. (One possible reason to do otherwise: you have a Serial ATA hard drive you want to access. In that case, type 'knoppix26' (no quotes) and hit Enter, to boot the Linux 2.6 kernel, instead of Knoppix 3.7's default 2.4 kernel.)
4. When the desktop comes up, it will be on the IceWM window manager (having different window managers is one way that Linux is different from Windows - don't let it bother you), but there some settings that need to be fixed in 0.7, so you need to restart it. First, kill IceWM by hitting the three keys 'Ctrl' + 'Alt' + 'Backspace' all at once. This should drop you to text mode; you'll probably have to hit 'Enter' to actually see a text prompt. Once you do see the prompt, just type 'startx' (no quotes) and hit 'Enter'. This should restart IceWM with the proper settings.
5. To start CISM-DX, click on the IceWM button (where the Windows button normallyis, in the lower left corner of the screen); from the list that comes up, click 'xterm' to get a terminal. In that terminal, type 'cismdx' (no quotes) and hit 'Enter'. This should start CISM-DX, ready to open or create programs (see 'Using CISM-DX', below)
Instructions:
1. Insert the DVD into your DVD drive and reboot your machine.
2. You should shortly see a 'boot:' prompt at the bottom of the screen. If you boot right back into Windows instead, see Problem #1, below.
3. Unless you have some reason to do otherwise, just hit 'Enter' at the 'boot:' prompt (note that Knoppix 3.8.1 is based on the 2.6 kernel; you don't have to do anything extra). If your computer hangs (stops doing anything for at least several seconds) somewhere around a message about 'init version 2.78' (or something like that), see Problem #2, below. Note that the DVD version boots noticeably slower than the CD version (it takes about 1.5x to 2x as long); as long as something is happening, though, you should be OK.
4. When everything has loaded, Knoppix will try to start the window manager, but due to some incorrect settings, it fails and returns you to a text-mode prompt (you may have to hit 'Enter' once). At the prompt, just type 'startx' (no quotes) and hit 'Enter'. This should start the KDE window manager/desktop environment.
5. To start CISM-DX, click on the terminal button (the small black icon on the bottom of the screen that looks vaguely like a computer monitor). In that terminal that opens, type 'cismdx' (no quotes) and hit 'Enter'. This should start CISM-DX, ready to open or create programs (see 'Using CISM-DX', below)
The CD version was designed to only use data from the MAS solar corona model, the ENLIL solar wind model, and the LFM magnetosphere model. There are other models in the CISM-DX package, and they're all on both the CD and the DVD, but only the DVD has all of the data they need. You can get more information on OpenDX, the program that CISM-DX is based on, at http://opendx.org/
Open a new program:
click File > Open Program... > [select from options] (note that the CISM-DX programs are in /usr/local/CISM_DX-0.43/nets/; CISM-DX should start out in that directory)
(if you get a dialog box asking 'Do you want to save the program?' - click 'No')
Run the open program:
Execute once = click Execute > Execute once; also, hit ^O (press Ctrl and 'O' at the same time; note that the shortcut keys do not work if you have 'Num Lock' engaged)
(Note: unless you have selected 'Execute on change', you will have to re-execute to update an image if you change some parameter, such as the scalar value that is being displayed.)
Execute on change = ^C
End execution (this will stop 'execute on change') = ^End
Open a control panel: click Windows > Open control panel by name > [pick the control panel you want to open]
Change your view of an Image:
from the Image window, click Options > View control... (^V) to get the View Control menu
Some of the options are:
Rotate (^R) - click and hold the left mouse button to use the mouse like a trackball; click and hold the right mouse button to rotate the image around the center point, like the hands of a clock
Pan/Zoom (^G) - to zoom in, click and hold the left mouse button on the point where you want your new image centered, then drag the pointer to create a box and release - everything in the box will be expanded to fill the screen; to zoom out, click and hold the right mouse button on the point where you want your new image centered, then drag the pointer to create a box and release - the current image will be shrunk to fit in the box you just made
Pick points (^I) - some programs (not all) allow you to pick points on the image you're viewing, usually to trace some data that passes through that point; in Pick mode, click on a point on the data in the image; if you are in 'Execute on change', the data will immediately be traced through that point; otherwise, you can pick multiple points on the image and trace the data by clicking 'Execute once'.
Undo (^U) - undo a change you just made (I think the last 20 changes are stored; you can work your way backward through all of them, and even work forward through the list with Redo (^D).)
Reset (^F) - if you've really screwed your image up (e.g., by zooming in on the empty area, so you don't know where your data is anymore), you can reset the view to a preset standard view; note that this is not necessarily the view you had when you first ran the program.
You can also change the direction you view an image from to one of several preset views, using the "Set View" drop-down menu in the View Control box.
Switch between hardware and software rendering - if you have a nice video card in your computer, you can have CISM-DX use that instead of the main processor to render video images. On the Image window,click on Options > Rendering Options... and click the 'software' or 'hardware' button. If you select 'Execute on change' from the Execute menu, you can then perform some action such as Rotation and see the difference in rendering speed and quality of the image, to decide which to use. (Changing the settings in the "Button Up" and "Button Down" sections can be interesting, too.)
To shut down, you can hit 'Ctrl' + 'Alt' + 'Del' and click on 'Shutdown' or 'Restart' from the window that pops up. You can also click on the IceWM button in the lower left corner, select 'Logout' to kill X-windows, then at the command prompt type 'shutdown -h now'. If any programs ask if you want to save anything, just say no - since you can't save anyway (unless you've got a pendrive, etc. - but that's for another time). The CD should be ejected before the shutdown is complete. As a last resort, you can just turn your computer off, though I'll admit that that idea makes me a little queasy, since no installed modern operating system really likes that. (And I guess you could affect your hard drive, if it was reading something at that moment - just speculation, though.) Make sure to eject the CD as soon as you power up next time, if you don't want to end up back in Knoppix/CISM-DX.
The issue: Your computer probably looks for an operating system on the hard drive before the CD/DVD drive (so when it finds Windows on the hard drive, it boots that).
Temporary solution: If you watch your screen right after you reboot, there is probably a message about pressing a certain key to change the boot order (usually something like Esc, F2, or Delete). You have to press this *before* the computer starts to boot the OS. If you miss it, reboot and try again. You might need to check your manual or the manufacturer's web site to find out what the key is. Note that this only affects the bootup this time, after you press the key and make a selection - the next time you reboot it will be back to normal, and use Knoppix/CISM-DX you'll either have to hit that key again or go on to the:
Permanent solution: You need to change the boot order (the order the computer searches the hard drive, CD/DVD drive, etc. to find an operating system). To do this, watch the screen to find out what key to hit to enter Setup or BIOS Setup (or something like that). If you've never modified your BIOS before, it's probably a good idea to read the manual that came with your computer or get instructions from the manufacturer's website (or a tech-savvy friend). All you need to do is change the boot order so that your CD/DVD drive comes before your hard drive, but be careful anyway - BIOSes can be finicky if you happen to change something you didn't mean to. (If you're in trouble because you changed the wrong thing and you don't know how to unchange it, the safe thing to do is Exit *without* saving changes.)
The issue: We're not sure yet. This seems to mainly happen with certain Dell models. (If you have a permanent fix, please let us know so we can incorporate it into the next version.)
The current solution: Restart your computer, and at the 'boot:' prompt, type 'knoppix acpi=off' (no quotes) and hit 'Enter'. (If you are booting 0.7 with the 'knoppix26' cheatcode, make it 'knoppix26 acpi=off'.)
* How to load data, networks (CISM-DX programs), etc. from a hard drive or pendrive (esp. on the CD version)
* How to save data, networks (CISM-DX programs), etc. to a hard drive or pendrive (esp. on either version)
* How to create your own customized version of Knoppix
* How to create a wormhole and transport yourself through space and time (pending the arrival of data from future experiments)
* Other things that people want to see here that I know/can learn how to do
All of this will probably end up on this page.
Linux - http://www.linux.org/
Knoppix - http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
OpenDX - http://opendx.org/
CISM-DX - http://lasp.colorado.edu/cism/CISM_DX/
Download Knoppix/CISM-DX - http://space.physics.aamu.edu/cism/sww/
This page - http://my.fit.edu/~rbruntz/
CISM - http://www.bu.edu/cism/
This page last updated 2005.06.12
Please do not read this line.