Status Report: LDM

October 2016 - April 2017

Steve Emmerson, Tom Yoksas, Mike Schmidt, Julien Chastang

Activities Since the Last Status Report

LDM

The LDM is the primary software package by which research and education institutions obtain near real-time meteorological and related data.

Progress has been made on the following:

• Improved HTML documentation based on latest workshop. Added graphics, troubleshooting section, and improved tips.
• Improved rotation of NOAAPort ingest logs.
• Improved multicast protocol (not yet ready).
• Improved logging of signals received by LDM server.
• Corrected handling of blank but non-empty lines in pqact(1) configuration-file.
• Merged changes to noaaportIngester(1) by Raytheon.
• Improved log message by LDM library when shmget(2) fails.
• Ported LDM package to FreeBSD.

Dependencies, challenges, problems, and risks include:

• Dealing with missing GEMPAK table entries represents a problem area
• The LDM is sometimes held responsible for decisions made by the NWS on how to categorize data products.

Multicast LDM (aka LDM-7)

The multicast LDM project is separately funded by CISE in NSF. The goal is to reduce the outgoing bandwidth requirement of the LDM -- yet retain the current level of reliability -- by converting it into a hybrid system that combines use of the new, semi-reliable multicast protocol developed at the University of Virginia with the time-tested unicast capability of the current LDM.

Another multi-year grant has been awarded by the NSF for this project.

Ongoing Activities

We plan to continue the following activities:

• Support and maintenance of the LDM
• Continue adapting the LDM to the Docker container technology to support cloud activities and (perhaps) make life easier for LDM users

New Activities

Over the next three months, we plan to organize or take part in the following:

• Renew development and deployment of LDM-7

Over the next twelve months, we plan to organize or take part in the following:

• Development and deployment of LDM-7

Relevant Metrics

• Data on the LDM package can be found here
• The LDM system at the Unidata Program Center powers the IDD. Metrics on that program can be found in the IDD status report.

Strategic Focus Areas

We support the following goals described in Unidata Strategic Plan:

1. Enable widespread, efficient access to geoscience data
   By enabling researchers, teachers, and students to obtain a wide variety of meteorological and related data in near real time and at no cost via the Internet.
   
2. Provide cyberinfrastructure leadership in data discovery, access, and use
   By using the LDM to move data into the cloud and developing multicast technologies.
   

Prepared  March, 2017