Re: [foxboro] dual-headed Linux box as operator workstation

OK, then.  May I pass on a little related experience?

A couple of projects we have done:

Site 1; Southern US

   Node 1 ; Includes 1 x AW51B and 1 x WP51B plus
   6 RedHat Linux based workstations, each w/ 1 screen.

   These 6 Ops stations were purchased from Foxboro as
   part of the orig. Spectrum to IA upgrade project for
   this node. Software was NT with the GoGlobal Fox Remote
   product.  That was at V 6.1, and FoxView had font and
   color problems with X-Terminals then.  We swapped the
   software to Exceed 6 and the problems remained.  We
   dumped NT and replaced it with Linux and our problems
   were corrected.  As an added plum, performance improved
   and configuration tools worked better.

   With this success, when additional stations were required
   on their other two nodes, Linux base was used.  Each
   of the other nodes also has 1 each WP51B and AW51B.

   By the way, this client still continues to use Exceed in
   engineering offices for most of their DM Builder, FoxDraw, 
   and ICC work.  (As they are a process development facility,
   this configuration work is a constant.)  The choice of 
   Exceed here is because these are office machines, with 
   e-mail and office tools common accross many of the companies
   facilities.

Site 2; Also Southern US

   System is mixed AW/WP 51 and WP70 as initially designes.
   In the beginning we had 10 large, wall mounted screens 
   driven by 3 NT based systems with Exceed 6.0.  FoxViews
   were driven by the AW51E.  Video card in each NT was a 
   Matrox 4 channel device.

   Exceed 6.0 allows identification of each screen by number,
   complient with X-Windows addressing.  This meant the host 
   could individually address the four screens and Exceed 
   would decide what monitor each would be displayed on.

   At IA6.0 when this was first implimented, the FoxView/Display 
   Manager configuration thru 'dmcfg' did not allow specifying
   particular screens on a host; it would only get as specific
   as which host would recieve the display.  By customizing
   the '/usr/fox/wp/data/mk_amdmglbls script we were able to
   do this screen based addressing.  The same edits were
   reapplied at upgrades to 6.1 and 6.2.

   We later removed these from the dedicated NT boxes and AW51,
   replaced the dual Matrox video cards with quad cards in 5 of 
   our WP70s, and hooked these screens up there.  That meant the
   custom edits in the AW51 went away.  Hence, I don't know if
   the screen addressing limitation still exists in 6.2.x and 6.3.

   Also on this site, we provide FoxView (view only) to desktop
   stations all over the building.  Initially we got the GoGlobal,
   Fox Remote prodict from Foxboro.  That was OK, but we 
   the GoJoe product by the GoGlobal makers.  This we loaded
   over GoGlobal to provide FoxView and Sun Desktops as Web Pages.

   We set up an Apache Web Server on the WP51, (used FoxWatch setups
   as our guide), and plugged GoJoe into it.  We have configured
   two levels of user; one gets View Only, the other is a config
   station with full access to IA config tools and the Sun desktop.

   No client software is needed except a recent Internet Explorer
   or Netscape. The View Only has been very popular among the
   engineers and managers in the plant. The Config is "almost 
   like being there"

Conclusions:

   Linux improves on NT based stuff in performance.

   This GoJoe thing minimizes the number of places you have custom
   software or have to keep configuration data, and it is protable 
   to any Windows/ UNIX etc. client platform.

   For full X-window operation of the Exceed, GoGlobal or Linux
   client, custom edits are needed in the server.

I Think the first question was arounf dual head stuff.  We have
worked with Matrox 200, 400 and 450 series stuff on NT using
drivers and desk top 'enhancements' from Matrox.  We have also
experimented with ColorGraphic cards and software.  All work
just fine; no problems on NT in use as WP70s nor as X-terminals
which were not solved fairly quickly.

We have no experience with Multi Head cards on Linux, but expect
the situation will be largely that same as NT; no problems which
can't be solved quickly.

<Dare I add....  we put a Windows based, Control Configuration >
<program on the Casandra web site; RCC.  This may also figure  >
<into determining the utility of such PC based stations.       >


Have I been too verbose?  Hope this helps.

W C Ricker
FeedForward, Inc.
Marietta GA.
770-426-4422


 
 
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