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Installing and running without a web server

Discussion of the Cumulusutils tool and website generator.

Moderator: HansR

DaveD
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat 19 Oct 2013 6:20 pm
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Pro-2
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Location: Oilville, Virginia, USA

Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by DaveD »

Hans, it looks like you anticipated the wind speed variations, so this change should be simple. Since I have a lot of processing power on my web server I will probably set the WindRoseNrOfWindforceClasses to 8 or 10 (more color definitions required for 10?) and the WindRoseMaxWindSpeed=40, or even less. If that hurricane is on the way, it will be easy enough to update the charts. Since chart generation is dynamic, I suspect that changing the parameters from time to time would not have any detrimental effect. We have experienced a couple bad hurricanes and a terrible derecho here in inland Virginia, but not since the Davis install. For the most part, a windspeed max of 30 will probably be the most useful for me.

I had to replace the anemometer several years ago, as the variable resistor donut inside went bad. When I did that I discovered lots of insect-deposited foreign material under the bells that may have been affecting both wind speed and direction. The unit is about 15' above the ground on the end of a pipe. To get to it I have to pull the pipe out of the ground with my tractor front loader; that isn't a simple task. Next time I believe I will reinstall it at a height that I can reach with my 10' step ladder, about 12'. Then I can easily get to it to check freedom of movement, clean spider webs off, etc. Then the anemometer is 11% instead of 14% as high as the tree tops. That won't make much difference. No, no CMX corrections. The winds at treetops are vastly different than at anemometer height. Plus, my trees are all deciduous oaks and poplars, so there is a huge difference in wind speeds in summer (usually about zero) and winter (often up to 12-15 MPH because the trees are bare and wintertime winds are usually higher anyway!
Dave Dalton
Davis Vantage Pro-2, additional Vantage Vue console, WU PWS KVAOILVI2
User avatar
HansR
Posts: 5832
Joined: Sat 20 Oct 2012 6:53 am
Weather Station: GW1100 (WS80/WH40)
Operating System: Raspberry OS/Bullseye
Location: Wagenborgen (NL)
Contact:

Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by HansR »

Yes, different locations means different wind characteristics. I would not change to too many windclasses Dave (why does this remind me vaguely of HAL ;) ), but you will find what you need in a little experimentation. And yes if you need more than 9 colors you can add to WindRoseColors

Wind measurements are normally done at 30 ft height (10 m). So most of us don't have that height available and use those corrections to approximate official measurements. Shelter by trees can only be avoided by deplacement if possible. Anyway choose the best possible.
Hans

https://meteo-wagenborgen.nl
CMX build 4017+ ● RPi 3B+ ● Raspbian Linux 6.1.21-v7+ armv7l ● dotnet 8.0.3
DaveD
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat 19 Oct 2013 6:20 pm
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Pro-2
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Location: Oilville, Virginia, USA

Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by DaveD »

Hans, This is pretty good stuff. It took all of five minutes to change the wind rose wind speeds to a max of 30 mph and ten divisions. I'll probably change it to a max of 20 mph to get even more detail from the charts. As I said, if there is ever a reason to go with a higher wind max, it is easy enough to do.

I have, at this time, one problem I've identified. The Monthly Temperature Chart shows a "normal" temperature for all months of -1000. Displaying the data shows the normal column of -1000 for all months as well.
temperature chart in error.JPG
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Dave Dalton
Davis Vantage Pro-2, additional Vantage Vue console, WU PWS KVAOILVI2
User avatar
HansR
Posts: 5832
Joined: Sat 20 Oct 2012 6:53 am
Weather Station: GW1100 (WS80/WH40)
Operating System: Raspberry OS/Bullseye
Location: Wagenborgen (NL)
Contact:

Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by HansR »

Dave, going well and pretty quick setting it all up :D

All charts and their parameters are described in the wiki as you found and the Monthly Rain and Monthly Temperature charts are able to display the Normal and/or The Station Average values.

The Normal values represent the Normal Average as measured by the (usually National) Meteorological Service, generally over the last 30 years. In the Netherlands these values are updated every 10 years. You can find those values at your meteorological service and you have to fill them in in the CMX parameters for the NOAA report. Open Cumulus.ini (NOTE: this is NOT the CumulusUtils.ini), search for NOAA and scroll down a bit until you see those parameters. They are essentially used for the NOAA reports and CUtils borrows them to make this visible in the Temperature and Rain charts.

If you don't have the Normal values you can opt not to display them (check the wiki for the possible values of the parameters) and use the Station Average. You can also opt to display both or none.

NOTE: you can also change the nr of series visible at initial display of the chart.

The Normal and Station Average are the reference values for your measurements and statistics.
Leaving the Normal values in the Cumulus.ini at their default values you get the -1000 line (which is what you see)

In general the Graphs menu choice has the statistics.
The Home charts contain the current values charts, similar to what CMX is showing standard (you define those charts yourself but that is for a later exercise).

Hope this helps.
Hans

https://meteo-wagenborgen.nl
CMX build 4017+ ● RPi 3B+ ● Raspbian Linux 6.1.21-v7+ armv7l ● dotnet 8.0.3
DaveD
Posts: 23
Joined: Sat 19 Oct 2013 6:20 pm
Weather Station: Davis Vantage Pro-2
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
Location: Oilville, Virginia, USA

Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by DaveD »

Open the pod bay doors, HAL.

That was easy! I wish MS had been as easy! Average temps and rainfall. Done. Wind speed max reduced to 20 mph, 10 divisions. Done.

About 30 years ago, when I lived in an open area in Maryland and experienced normal wind speeds, I bought a Texas Weather Instruments Weather Reporter and configured the printer output to go to a UPS-protected buffer that I built, and started downloading and saving the data to a PC over a period of years. Using an early version of MS Excel, I wrote a set of macros to take this data and graph it with some beautiful charts, the wind rose and yearly temperatures on that semi-sine wave being my favorites. I generated charts monthly and saved them and the data, which I still have digital copies of.

Then MS decided to make life better for everyone and change the macro language by going to a Visual Basic base. But not to worry--the new macro language was backward compatible. You bet! Nothing, I repeat, Nothing, worked! I gave up. Twenty-eight or so years later I might get there again, thanks to Hans and the Cumulus crew!

That TWI Weather Reporter is still in my home theater unit, giving my wife and me real-time information. But it is on its way out, and my son, who codes Android, is writing a program for me (and for his weather station as well) to grab Cumulus data at the fastest update interval and display it on an old 10 inch tablet that will replace the TWI, wind circle and everything. So it's nearly time to retire the 29 year old TWI.
Dave Dalton
Davis Vantage Pro-2, additional Vantage Vue console, WU PWS KVAOILVI2
User avatar
HansR
Posts: 5832
Joined: Sat 20 Oct 2012 6:53 am
Weather Station: GW1100 (WS80/WH40)
Operating System: Raspberry OS/Bullseye
Location: Wagenborgen (NL)
Contact:

Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by HansR »

:D

Thanks for the compliment. I see the CMX/CUtils is in good hands ;)
You might convert all old data to CMX format if you get bored ;)
It would give you one of the longest series around.
Hans

https://meteo-wagenborgen.nl
CMX build 4017+ ● RPi 3B+ ● Raspbian Linux 6.1.21-v7+ armv7l ● dotnet 8.0.3
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philpugh
Posts: 377
Joined: Tue 24 May 2011 8:34 am
Weather Station: See Signature
Operating System: Debian 11 (RPi4)
Location: Antrobus, Cheshire, UK
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Re: Installing and running without a web server

Post by philpugh »

DaveD wrote: Wed 03 Aug 2022 2:56 pm But that brings up another concern, that of security. This web server laptop has nothing else of value on it, but it does have access to the root drive on my desktop. I'll be looking closely at security generally, but if there are immediate concerns, I would like to know what they might be.
If you aren't going to make this a 'public' website then I would suggest choosing a 'random' port number for your HTTP access and alter your webserver and modem/router accordingly.

Also, you could disable login to your server by password and use encrypted key methods - I do this on my webserver (Raspberry Pi / Debian)
Phil Pugh
GW1000 + WH65/WH57/WH31; HP2551 + WS68/WH40A; GW2001 WittBoy
cumulusutils generating website
http://goosegate.uk/
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