Commonly asked questions

How do I return the Sixaola to “wizard” mode?

ssh into the Sixaola and follow these steps

$ cd /opt/bin/
$ ./wizardMode.set m /opt/settings/wizard/

I forgot the password for the web frontend, can I reset it?

If you can still enter via ssh, then yes:

$ blueconf

Choose option “E”, then “N”. At “Security”, put the new password, for example:

**** Security ****

                Web User Name : osop
                Web Password [****] : osop

Choose “S” for Save and “Q” for “Quit or Restart”. Then “y” to restart the Sixaola. Once the Sixaola has restarted and come back online, you should be able to enter the web interface with the new password.

How do I recover lost data?

Imagine your Sixaola is configured for SeedLink Streamer Mode and there is a tranmission problem and you lost some data.

Now you would like to recover that data.

At 100 sps, there is roughly 30/45 minutes of data saved to disk in the SeedLink buffer. When the station comes back online you can see how much data is in the SeedLink buffer using slinktool:

From a remote server to the Sixaola:

$ slinktool -Q [IP]:[Port]

From inside the Sixaola:

$ slinktool -Q :[Port]

For example, this Sixaola has data in the SeedLink buffer from 2014/05/06 17:21 to 2014/05/06 18:18

$ slinktool -Q 10.18.100.234:18000
PA BRU2     EHE D 2014/05/06 17:21:02.2390  -  2014/05/06 18:18:13.6590
PA BRU2     EHN D 2014/05/06 17:21:02.2390  -  2014/05/06 18:18:13.6590
PA BRU2     EHZ D 2014/05/06 17:21:02.2390  -  2014/05/06 18:18:13.6590
PA BRU2     ENE D 2014/05/06 17:21:01.5040  -  2014/05/06 18:18:11.6690
PA BRU2     ENN D 2014/05/06 17:21:03.1990  -  2014/05/06 18:18:13.8340
PA BRU2     ENZ D 2014/05/06 17:21:01.5040  -  2014/05/06 18:18:11.6690

To retrieve the data as a multiplexed miniSEED binary file, you can also use slinktool,

$slinktool -S "PA_BRU2:???.D" -tw 2014,05,06,17,30,00:2014,05,06,18,00,00 -o sixaola.mseed 10.18.100.234:18000

Why is the Sixaola in a plastic box?

The Sixaola plastic box traces its origin back to when the United States Geological Survey’s Cascade Volcano Observatory asked OSOP to design a short-period seismometer with no exposed metal.

OSOP also offers IP66 metallic enclosures at additional cost. See Hardware: Other Accessories for more details.

The plastic box is guaranteed for the life of the instrument. If the plastic box breaks, we will replace it, no questions asked. See Warranty for more details.

Can I update my older versions of the Sixaola to a more recent version?

No, that would not be possible. Previous versions of the Sixaola use different electronics and software. With Sixaola3, Sixaola entered a completely new paradigm.

Is the Sixaola IPv6 compatible?

Theoretically, yes. But this has not been tested. We would, however, be happy to test this if and when a client requested.

Why does seedlink.log sometimes show a gap after startup?

The Sixaola startup sequence is as follows:

1. Power up- the chip and GPS module get power immediately
2. Computer boots up (this can take upwards of 45 seconds)

If GPS lock is attained before the end of boot up, timing is governed by the GPS. If GPS lock is not attained, the unit defaults to NTP and later switches over to GPS when GPS lock is available. In the case where GPS lock is attained after boot up, there will be a time tear or correction made to the data. This represents the difference between what time NTP thought it was and the time GPS says it is.

Below are some examples of the logs (source: /opt/log/seedlink.log). Note that the message “seedlink: [odf] data is available” signifies that data has started flowing into the SeedLink server.

An example of when GPS lock was attained after step 2 finished,

...
Fri Sep  5 21:28:11 2014 - seedlink: [odf] data is available
Fri Sep  5 21:29:04 2014 - seedlink: CNG1 : EHE time gap 0.155 seconds (detected)
Fri Sep  5 21:29:04 2014 - seedlink: CNG1 : EHN time gap 0.155 seconds (detected)
Fri Sep  5 21:29:04 2014 - seedlink: CNG1 : EHZ time gap 0.155 seconds (detected)
Fri Sep  5 21:32:29 2014 - seedlink: 10.0.4.33:51712 : opening connection
Fri Sep  5 21:32:29 2014 - seedlink: 10.0.4.33:51712 : .dummy : HELLO
...

Notice the gap of <1 second after data started flowing.

An example of when GPS lock was attained before step 2 finished,

...
Mon Sep  1 17:10:37 2014 - seedlink: [odf] data is available
Mon Sep  1 17:10:50 2014 - seedlink: 163.178.105.93:60699 : opening connection
Mon Sep  1 17:10:50 2014 - seedlink: 163.178.105.93:60699 : .dummy : HELLO
...

Notice that in this example there is no gap.

How much bandwidth does the Sixaola consume?

At 100 sps, each channel consumes approximately 20 MB/ day.

That works out to ~2000 bit/ second or 2 KB/ second.

How do I generate dataless and RESP files for my Sixaola?

PDCC and rdseed are both available from the IRIS DMC.

Actually, as of software update 15.11.01, this is a lot easier: Just open the web front in, sign in and click on the “Download instrument response button” the “Settings Overview” and “Instrumentation” tabs.