Script Server Changeover Notes

This page describes the changeover of the MPC's script server to a new, faster machine.

The network move from our current script server to the new script server was completed by Jan. 5. Since that time work has continued on ensuring that scripts are ported and work.

It was the hope that we would be able to make this changeover in a fashion that was completely transparent to outside users. Unfortunately, because of the different webserver software on the new machine (Apache) compared to the old machine (Purveyor), this has not been possible.

What is unchanged is the flags that are passed to the scripts.

If you call a script directly, you will need to make the following changes:

• No change to the machine name is necessary.
• Change "~cgi" to "cgi-bin".
• Change the script name so that the script name is lowercase and has the extension ".cgi".
• No changes are necessary in the flags passed to the script.
• Example: the call "scully.cfa.harvard.edu/~cgi/CheckMP" becomes "scully.cfa.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/checkmp.cgi".

The following scripts are not yet running on the new script server (although they should continue to work as normal on the old script server and we will cross out the entries in the list as they are ported across):

• NEO Observations Planning Aid
• New Object Ephemerides
• Natural Satellites Ephemeris Service
• The Distant Artificial Satellites Observation page
• Customize page
• Video Normal places
• Pre-prepared ephemerides
• KML files for pre-prepared ephemerides
• User-generated follow-up page ephemeris generation
• MPCOBS
• DisplayCirc
• PDes on the MPES
• Printer-friendly pages
• Feedback form generation
• Mailing of feedback forms

You should change the host name in any calls to the above routines from "scully" to "ubasti" until such time as the routines are ported. Your changes will continue to work until such time as ubasti is retired.

In the MPES all variant orbits and residual blocks should be available.

If you cannot use the new scripts, a temporary fix would be to hardcode the IP address for scully on your local machine to point to the old webserver (131.142.10.73). This can be only a temporary solution, as the http port to that machine will be blocked within a month.

If you experience problems, please send a full report immediately. Removing the kinks as quickly as possible is a priority. One known problem is that many of the links to the feedback forms have not been changed. The links on the Contact Us page have been changed.