Changes Coming to iraf.net

Starting Tuesday, July 26th, we will begin updating iraf.net to use a new version of the CMS system. This change is driven primarily by the deprecated support for the PHP4 engine currently used in the original (and ancient) code base. This is a long-overdue update but one that I hope will do much to modernize the site and add new features.

Most of the work will be done in the background and deployed once it is stable, however due to the unavoidable delays in getting around to this, parts of the current site will likely be inoperable for up to several days. This includes the ability to create new accounts, login to existing accounts, and perhaps post new messages or replies to the forums. I apologize for the inconvenience and promise to bring up all the features as soon as possible.

While the site is down, please feel free to contact us at admin@iraf.net and we'll try to answer your questions via email until the forums are fully restored. Thanks in advance for your patience.

A number of system enhancements are underway as part of integrating IRAF with the Virtual Observatory, in particular is the ability to seamlessly use data tables returned by VO data services as input to IRAF tasks. This has a number of implications I'll write about later, but one early pay-off of this work is an enhanced image template interface in the core system that is now in testing internally. If you aren't sure what an "image template" is, think of the "*.fits" or @files that let you pass lists of images to IRAF tasks for processing.

In the enhanced templates, things like MEF files (and soon, tables) can be expanded automatically using the @-file operator to let any task that takes an image list process the extensions automagically. Additionally, selection of images based on image header keywrods can also be done dynamically using expressions in the template strings. For example, consider the following templates:

@file*	expand all files beginning w/ 'file'
@file//".fits"	append ".fits" to contents of 'file'
@mef.fits	expand all (image) extensions of an MEF file
@mef.fits[SCI]	select SCI extensions from MEF file
@mef.fits[SCI,2][noinherit]	select v2 SCI extns, add kernel param
@mef.fits[1-16x2]	select range of extensions from MEF file
@mef.fits[+1-8]	create a list of extensions for an MEF
*.fits[1:100,1:100]	append section to all FITS images
@@file[1:100,1:100]	append section to expanded MEFs in 'file'
*.fits[filter?='V']	select images w/ FILTER keyword containing 'V'
@*.fits[gain==3.0]	select image extns where GAIN keyword is 3.0
*.fits[filter?='V';gain==2.5]	select using multiple OR's expressions

These templates could be used e.g. to run IMSTAT on all the extensions of a FITS file with a single command, as in

cl> imstat @mef.fits

instead of

cl> imext mef.fits output=file > list.dat cl> if (imext.nimages > 0) >>> imstat @list.dat cl> del list.dat

where before it would have been necessary to expand the extensions explicitly using a second task into a standard @file. Notice how the other templates provide even more refined selection of the extensions, either within a single MEF or across multiple images.

These changes are all fully backward compatible but provide new syntax to give users a powerful and compact way to dynamically build image lists for use by all tasks. These new features will be especially useful for script developers tired of managing temp files of image lists, or those who just need to quickly examine MEF files or a directory of images.

Leave a message or post a comment if you're interested in getting an early peek at these new features. [Note that a small source patch to your system and a relink will be required].

An IRAF v2.15.1a Patch release is now available from the IRAF anonymous ftp archive at

ftp://iraf.noao.edu/iraf/v215/PCIX

This patch is a minor update of the IRAF v2.15.1 release for all 32- and 64-bit Linux and Mac OSX systems. It is being made available now to address the following specific issue:

• Potential Data Corruption on 32-bit Images

In addition, several bug that were discovered in the weeks since the initial v2.15.1 patch are also fixed in this release. We apologize for asking users to install another patch so soon after a previous release, except for the discovery of another major system bug affecting all tasks we do not forsee another patch being required for at least 6 months. The version number is meant to reflect the minor changes to the system implied by this release.

Details of this patch and upgrade instructions may be found in the release announcement below.

An IRAF v2.15.1 Patch release is now available from the IRAF anonymous ftp archive at

ftp://iraf.noao.edu/iraf/v215/PCIX/

• Potential Data Corruption on 64-bit Systems
• Support for Double-Precision FITS images on 64-bit Systems
• Remove License Restrictions from the XYACC Compiler
• Backward-Compatability for NHEDIT tasks

Details of this patch and upgrade instructions may be found in the release announcement below.

The release of the IRAF V2.15 system (featuring 64-bit platform support) is now available from NOAO. This release covers both 32- and 64-bit Linux and Mac OSX systems (Intel and PPC) and is now recommended for all users and developers. Modified sources for some 30 external packages which have been ported to 64-bit are also available from the FTP archive extern directory. Support for additional platforms and updated external package distributions will be made available in the coming weeks.

IRAF v2.15 is now distributed as a single-file download for each supported platform. Installation is now just a matter of unpacking this single tarfile and executing the iraf install script. Similarly, v2.15 also features a new external package mechanism to automate the download and installation of packages. A full list of features and changes is detailed in the Release Notes.

IRAF v2.15 Distribution Files:

Documentation:	Release Notes	Install Guide	Site Mgrs Guide
	v2.15 Revisions	64-bit Porting Guide
Downloads:	Linux 32-bit (66MB)	Mac OSX 32-bit (131MB)	Release Directory
	Linux 64-bit (112MB)	Mac OSX 64-bit (69 MB)	ExtPkg Directory
	Combo Linux 32/64-bit (149MB)	Combo OSX 32/64-bit (170MB)
	Source-only (23MB)	All Platforms (297MB)

This release include a unified linux architecture suitable for all 32-bit Linux distributions. Similarly, the macosx architecture is now a Universal (Intel and PPC) 32-bit distribution. On 64-bit linux platforms the architecture name is linux64, the macintel architecture name now refers explicitly to 64-bit OSX (Intel). Despite the architecture name changes, older external packages can continue to be used (see the README or 64-bit Port Guide for details).

Please contact us or post questions to the support forums with any problems or questions you may have.


Update 1/26/11:  An IRAF v2.15.1 Patch is now available, see story below for details.
Update 1/27/11: Exernal package repository now linkec against v2.15.1
Update 2/21/11: An IRAF v2.15.1a Patch release is now available, see story below for details. All external package releases are now linked against this version of the system for all platforms.

With the recent decision that jailbreaking your iDevice is legal, and how easy it now is to do, it seemed a good time to dust off the earlier IRAF iPod port and try it out on my new iPad. As before, the hard part was setting up a development environment, but since most of the work had already been done, it was pretty easy to merge the iPad port into main system as just another platform.

IRAF is now running on the iPad and will be available as part of the main v2.15 release for jailbroken iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch devices running iOS 3.1.2 or earlier. I'll post more details at the time of release, the purpose for this post is to let you know what's coming so you can hold off on iOS updates beyond 3.1.2 which will likely hinder your ability to easily jailbreak your device. If you want IRAF on your iPad, do not update your iOS just yet!! iOS4 (and indeed anything beyonf iOS 3.12) is not yet included in this announcement.

See below for more about what's working (and how well), and what you'll need to have ready to impress your friends, bosses, and to justify that year-end purchase you know you wanna make....

Update 8/14/10: DS9 now running, X11IRAF compiles but does not yet run.

Mosaic of M31 from 107 8K x 8K images, built on 64-bit Mac. Final size: 13K x 15K Data Credit: P. Massey

The Alpha release of the NOAO/IRAF V2.15 system featuring 64-bit platform support is now available. This release covers both 32-bit and 64-bit Linux and Mac OSX systems (Intel and PPC) and includes modified sources for some 30 external packages. This system is recommended only for experienced users and those willing to use a potentially unstable system download at this time. Several features (such as the simplified install procedure) and more complete documentation are in preparation and will be introduced in later releases.

As an Alpha release, we expect bugs will be found and we are relying on users to provide testing and feedback, especially for the science tasks and external package code. Some detailed release notes are available in the release README file and are included below, these will also be expanded in the future.

Note this release is currently being bundled with "dual binaries", i.e. both 32 and 64-bit binaries are included in a single distribution to allow easier installation for testing and comparison on a given platform. The Alpha-release distribution directory is http://iraf.net/ftp/iraf/v215-ALPHA and will be updated as needed (final releases will be posted to the iraf.noao.edu project site). Links to individual distribution files:

• iraf_v215-src.tar.gz -- Source-only distribution
• iraf_v215-osx.tar.gz -- Mac OSX distribution (OSX 10.4-10.6, Intel and ppc, 32- and 64-bit)
• iraf_v215-linux.tar.gz -- Linux distribution (all distros, 32- and 64-bit)
• extern/ -- v2.15 compatible External Packages
• v215revs.txt -- v2.15 Revisions notes
• PORT.GUIDE -- SPP applications 64-bit port guide

Please report any problems you may find to the forums or in an email. Problem reports should include the platform and any information necessary to reproduce the error.

Update March 24, 2010: Bugfix update of distribution. Installing this fix is recommended for all users.
Update May 6, 2010: Minor bugfix update release.
Update May 23, 2010: First draft of 64-bit Port Guide available.
Update September 19, 2010: Final snapshot release before building release candidate. Fixes various issues with TABLES package and other minor bugs in compiling code. Full update recommended.

Normally this space is reserved for major release announcements, but I was recently at two conferences and was surprised by the level of concern about 64-bit support and future IRAF releases in general and thus a status report seemed in order....

With the IRAF V2.15 release now in preparation you can expect the following: If you are a user, you'll see 64-bit supported and all its benefits (e.g. large file/memory support and a 10-15% speed increase from native binaries); If you are a developer, you (may) have some minor work to do to update your package for 64-bit support, but will, in the end, have more robust code due to stronger type-checking now imposed by the system. See the full story for detailed notes, but for the impatient, here are the highlights:

• The 64-bit port is complete and in testing.
• A planned V2.15 release will allow for user testing and updates needed for external packages. This release features:
• A single linux architecture for 32-bit systems.
• A simplified build and install procedures (1-file download!).
• Compile-time prototype checking of code to reduce errors.
• A new MEMIO interface to detect pointer over/underflows, provide memory garbage collection & usage reporting, and more.
• SVG graphics device for better web-presentation of plots.
• Numerous bug fixes and enhancements.

We plan an extended Beta release sometime after the holidays to resolve any platform integration issues, to allow time for package maintainers to update their code as needed, and to provide a longer test period for the 64-bit applications that may have lingering, undiscovered bugs.

Please post any comments, questions or concerns to the forum or contact us directly.

It was 3 years ago today that iraf.net officially took over user support for our users, and the site has grown considerably since then: In 2008, we had over 75,000 unique visitors, served more than a million pages from the site, served an avg of 157 iraf-help-pages/day from the banner bar, transferred enough bandwidth for hundreds of full IRAF systems, answered many hundreds of user questions, and we are approaching 1200 registered users. 2009 has the potential for significant (and 'official') IRAF development, let's all hope for better budgets in the coming year.

Thanks again to all of you who use this site, and especially to those who regularly contribute to truly make it a community forum.

A V2.14.1 Patch release of IRAF is now available from the Downloads area and from the anonymous ftp archive at iraf.noao.edu. This release adds support for FreeBSD to the PC-IRAF release, and is the first public release of the Sun/IRAF system for Sparc CPU systems. With this patch, a total of 9 platforms are now supported.

Detailed release notes are available online, or for the impatient, are in the body of the story. These notes also contain information on how to upgrade/install this patch. The V2.14.1 patch release is recommended for all users. Please post if you find any problems with the distribution or encounter a problem upgrading your system.