The Event Logger Window
The EventLogger window is a program window; it shows status messages rather than data. It is always located at the bottom right side of the screen. Any program running on the ISS that needs to print a status message of some kind can do so through the EventLogger program. You will see a constant stream of messages scrolling by in this window, usually associated with data ingesting. Most of the messages are simply informative, but problem indications will appear here as well. If some part of the ISS appears to be not working, check the EventLogger for some indication of the problem.
Refer to Figure 1-2 for an example of the EventLogger window. Each line in the window has four fields. The first field is a character, usually I or P, which indicates that the message represents information or a problem, respectively. Another character, E, which you should rarely see, notes an emergency. The other two message classes, C for message handler client events and D for debugging messages, are not usually needed and hence will not be seen unless enabled through the Events menu at the top of the Eventlogger window.
The second field in a log message contains the time of the message. Without the timestamp, it would be impossible to tell when or how frequently messages were being reported, which is particularly useful for problem messages.
The third field in a log message is the name of the program which wrote the message. Here are some (but not all) of the program names that you may see in the Event Logger window:
- is
The ingest scheduler controls several programs responsible for ingesting data.
- ci
The cam_ingest program collects and stores data from the surface met sensors connected to the Campbell data logger.
- DS_Daemon
The DataStore Daemon manages all of the data files on the system, and all programs handling data must communicate with it, such as data ingestors and graphics windows. Any problems with the datastore will likely interfere with or even prevent data recording and retrieval.
- issgp1, issgp2, issgp3
Graphics window programs.
- Archiver
The Archiver program archives data to the removable disk.
The fourth part of an event logger line contains the actual message. The content of the message naturally will depend upon the program logging the message. The most important messages come from the programs related to data ingest, since these can indicate problems which are preventing data from being recorded. Problem messages from graphics windows usually relate to inconsistencies in formatting or layout or plotting parameters; these kinds of messages can be safely ignored.
The EventLogger window only retains a certain number of the most recent messages, but it does retain more messages than fit inside the text window. There is a scrollbar on the left side which allows you to scroll back through the messages. If you ever need to check messages which have already been forgotten by the logger, you may be able to find older messages in the log file /log/zebra.log.
 | Keep an eye on the EventLogger display, watching for P (Problem) type messages, especially from ingestors and from DS_Daemon. These may alert you to a problem affecting the flow of data. |
For more information about the Zebra event logging system and EventLogger program, see the Zebra Advanced User's Manual.