Development plan

Over the past few months we have discussed various aspects of software development at the NOT. We have been discussing the different parts to decide which tasks are most necessary and prioritize them accordingly. This is an on-going process.

Below I list the different tasks that have been considered.

• Computer system: this covers moving the NOT web site to a new and faster computer, have a new home directory server running a single login system based on NIS/NFS, move the mail services to a new and faster computer, increasing the speed of the local network, and incorporating 5 new staff desktop computers. This has mostly been completed

• Computer applications: define a fixed set of application (IRAF, MIDAS, ghostview, acroread, etc.) provided on each computer (including the observer's reduction work station). This should reduce the amount of maintenance and increase the stability of the system. The list has been defined, and the software is being installed in the computers

• Interface between instrument control software and the telescope system: this covers things like having the telescope focus automatically corrected when changing filter, having the status of calibration lamps in the header, having the status of the autoguider in the header, etc. A proper interface with the resulting header information in the data files are also essential to any pipeline reduction system, quality control system, and archive system (including the use of the data in a Virtual Observatory system). We have already defined the general design for a system that will cover the interaction between instrument, detector and telescope, where FIES+StanCam will be the first instrument to be integrated

• Scripts: this covers scripts to take test data (e.g., to test the detectors), maintenance scripts (e.g., scripts to `clean-' and `set-up' the observers' data reduction computer after each observing run), pipeline reduction programs, etc. In principle these scripts will be part of maintenance and calibration plans for the computers, and the instruments and telescope. Some of these scripts exist or our being developed, but they will have to be integrated in overall maintenance and calibration plans, which remain to be defined

• Web pages: The idea is to improve our web pages. Specifically, simplify the set-up and limit the amount of cross links. This should improve both the use and the maintainability. No specific plans have been defined yet