Revision 7.10
2/28/2012
2. How to use the Dock Server Application
The Dock Server application provides the following services:
1. Monitors the serial ports used to communicate with gliders. Typically, these ports are
attached to a modem for iridium communication or a Freewave device for radio
communication. When a glider contacts its Dock Server machine, the Dock Server
determines the glider’s name and notifies all clients that the glider has “docked” – i.e., it
is at the surface and available to receive commands.
2. Services requests from a Glider Terminal client to interact with a glider. That is, relay
GliderDOS commands from the client to the glider and send glider console output to the
client for display.
3. Runs scripts that autonomously interact with connected gliders.
4. Sends notifications of selected glider event occurrences by email to subscribers. Such
events include glider mission aborts and glider is at the surface.
5. Saves all Dock Server interactions with gliders and clients to log files.
Once configured and started, the Dock Server application is intended to run
continuously without human intervention. Note that the Dock Server application is
factory configured to monitor the laptop’s internal serial port and the ports of the 4port
USB serial adapter. The following sections describe configuring and running the Dock
Server application.
2.1 Starting Dock Server
To start the Dock Server application, follow the steps in this section.
1. Log on to the Dock Server machine as user “localuser”. The factory delivered password
for this account is “WideOpen” (see Appendix D).
Figure 21 shows the desktop for localuser. Icons on the desktop identify Dock Server
functions.
Page 22 of 228
