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Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Wed 06 Nov 2019 8:56 pm
by oldeflyer
I have a Windows 10 computer running the Abyss webserver and on the same computer I have my Cumulus install communicating with my WH-1081 via USB.

After reading the wiki on 'Simple Website setup', I though this would be a good test/learning setup.

The wiki mentions in several places about running the website on locahost and not needing FTP, but it is very lacking in the details.

IS it possible to get the Cumulus data to the local website without FTP?

Windows can do a native FTP server via a subset of IIS. Cumulus is the FTP client, is this correct?

I went with Abyss web server because it was a very simple setup but it doesn't have an FTP server. If I have to have a FTP server then I will look into doing IIS for both FTP and server. It is overkill for what I want though.

Thanks
Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 12:04 am
by freddie
You won't need an FTP server as you will only be doing local file copies if you are running your web server on the same machine. You just leave FTP details blank in the Internet Settings part of the settings screen, and make sure that any files you define in the Extra Files part of the settings screen don't have their FTP check boxes ticked. I run my system this way.

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 2:42 am
by oldeflyer
freddie,
Understand no FTP required on localhost.
So fill in 127.0.0.1 and a local directory, ie. c:\weather where your seed files are?

So Cumulus takes care of updating the data files?

I will give that a try.

Thanks
Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 8:24 am
by freddie
Hi Wayne,
oldeflyer wrote: Thu 07 Nov 2019 2:42 amSo fill in 127.0.0.1 and a local directory, ie. c:\weather where your seed files are?
You don't need the IP address in your "Web/FTP site" settings. All mine are blank except for FTP port in which I have "21". Even that needn't be there. Under "Web/FTP settings" you need to tick the options you need, but you don't need to tick any of the ones that mention FTP. To do the local copies, you need to use the "Extra web files" settings. Under "LOCAL FILENAME" you put the location of the file in your Cumulus install (most are in the web folder) and under "REMOTE FILENAME" you put the destination for the file to be copied to - typically this will be under your web server's folder structure (I don't know anything about Abyss, so can't help here). Tick the "PROCESS" box next to the filename - this causes Cumulus to replace the web tags in the original file with current data in the copy it makes. The "REALTIME" tick box is for if you want the copy to happen at the realtime interval (set under "Web/FTP settings"). Otherwise the copy will happen at the upload interval (set under "Web/FTP settings"). Note that if you're only interested in copying the "standard files" (the included web pages plus a few others) then you don't need to use the "Extra files" settings - just tick the "Include standard files" and "Include graph data files" boxes under "Web/FTP settings".

Edit: You also need to do a one-time-only manual copy of the contents (including subfolders) of the "webfiles" folder to your web server's folder structure.

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 11:57 am
by oldeflyer
freddie,
Appreciate the help.
Got the one time files moved over to the web server directory. The wiki was pretty clear on that one.
I was following the wiki for the FTP page since it was using 127.0.0.1 (localhost). Since I am not getting any files copied by Cumulus I will undo that stuff!
You are correct about just wanting to see the supplied files from the Cumulus distro. I want to start small:-)

Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 1:17 pm
by oldeflyer
Checked the MXDiagnostic text files and it WAS getting errors for the 127.0.0.1 FTP.
Took all the FTP IP and login information out (left the local file directory path in) and restarted MX.
FTP errors are gone from diagnostic. There are no files being updated. Getting good data from the WH-1081.

Now what am I doing wrong? :-(

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 1:42 pm
by freddie
Could you please do a screenshot of your "Web/FTP settings" page and attach to a reply on here.

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 3:47 pm
by oldeflyer
As requested:

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 4:25 pm
by freddie
Just had a look at my settings page, and I've got the local copying controlled from the "extra web files" settings. You need something like this:

$MX_HOME/web/index.htm in "LOCAL FILENAME"; wherever you want it copying (plus filename) in "REMOTE FILENAME"; a tick in "REALTIME" if you want it to update at your realtime interval, otherwise no tick. (just replace $MX_HOME with wherever you have MX installed).

Repeat this for all the other standard files (gauges.htm, today.htm, yesterday.htm, thismonth.htm, thisyear.htm, record.htm, monthlyrecord.htm, trends.htm.

You need some additional entries such as one for realtime.txt and realtimegauges.txt, plus the ones for the graph data: graphconfig.json, tempdata.json, dailytemp.json, pressdata.json, wdirdata.json, winddata.json, humdata.json, raindata.json, dailyrain.json.

Could do with a "local copy" option on the FTP site settings, but you only have to do this once hopefully!

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 7:05 pm
by oldeflyer
Freddie,
Thanks, I'll give that a try. Thanks for the comprehensive list, too.
Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 7:56 pm
by oldeflyer
Success!!!
Freddie, you are the man!
I'm just accessing the files for now as my web server won't let me in, but the 'now' page is complete except for forecast.
The gauges and trends pages don't appear to be working.
That is minor, since I now have some pages/data to work on.

I will look in the forums for getting those pages working.

Switched to MS IIS web server and it is giving problems but...

THIS IS GREAT!

Thanks again, Freddie

Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Thu 07 Nov 2019 9:13 pm
by freddie
oldeflyer wrote: Thu 07 Nov 2019 7:56 pmThe gauges and trends pages don't appear to be working.
The gauges page requires realtimegauges.txt to be in the same folder as gauges.htm, and the trends page requires that the *.json files are in the same folder as trends.htm. Also, the javascript (from webfiles folder in the MX distribution) needs to be in place.

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Fri 08 Nov 2019 1:40 am
by oldeflyer
Freddie,
I got all the right files listed in your previous post, sort of.
Since I had to enter each one manually I wound up with a misspelled remote file name and I missed the graphconfig in the cut and paste. But I had two pressdata files ;) . I don't know if I needed to but I restarted the MX server after the filename changes.

It looks like the trend pages are all working now, except for temperature. It just has a gray "Loading..." in the center.

The gauges page has a bar with a message about the station being off line but it isn't. The time on the index page matches the times on the files in the weather directory.
A red blinking dot is associated with the message bar.
Looking closer, it does appear that the gauges page has old data. But at least the gauges look right, now.
The realtimegauges.txt file time stamp in the weather directory and the MX.../web directory is dated 07:00 this morning. Looks like that is the issue for the message and blink red dot.

I'll have to work on that.

Appreciate you getting back to me and prompting me to take another look at those file names. That cleared up most of the non-performance issues.

Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Fri 08 Nov 2019 3:02 am
by oldeflyer
It appears that even though FTP in not being used to move files to a local weather web page directory, the realtime FTP items still need to be checked.
That took care of the gauges not updating.

The wiki has a section on the Cumulus.ini file that shows how to set the forecast up to display. Got that running now.

I think that is it. I will sit back and enjoy my weather.

Thanks to all, esp. Freddie

Wayne

Re: Cumulus and web server on same computer

Posted: Fri 08 Nov 2019 4:25 pm
by mcrossley
oldeflyer wrote: Fri 08 Nov 2019 3:02 am It appears that even though FTP in not being used to move files to a local weather web page directory, the realtime FTP items still need to be checked.
That took care of the gauges not updating.
You just have to have the "enable realtime" option enabled, the realtime FTP is irrelevant if you have no FTP host defined and really should be left unticked.